These flour homemade tortillas are soft, warm, fresh, and perfect to freeze for later. Once you try them, you won't be able to live without them!

I grew up eating Green Chile and making homemade tortillas in Colorado. This was a staple for my family. We would make a huge batch of each and portion them out to freeze. This is currently my husband's most requested meal to date.

Sure, you can buy tortillas from the store, but I guarantee you will love these easy homemade tortillas more. There's no need to buy special equipment, a rolling pin will work just fine. If you find yourself making a lot of them, you might want to invest in a tortilla press, however.

These tortillas are only 5 ingredients (and yeast isn't one of them!) that you will, most likely, already have in your pantry. This means there's no need to activate yeast, knead for a long time, or let them rise (and knead again.) They can be made right before you make dinner (or breakfast) or you can make a bunch of them ahead of time to keep for later. I like doing this so you can just pull them out and keep rolling.

Ingredients for this homemade tortillas recipe

There are only 5 ingredients for these fluffy and chewy tortillas. I'll cover substitutions in a minute.

• Flour: All-purpose flour works great and provides substance. You can use bread flour, almond flour, whole wheat, or gluten-free flour instead if you'd like.
• Baking powder: Baking powder is a chemical leavener that reacts with heat and liquid to create carbon dioxide bubbles that make baked goods rise. Therefore... fluffy tortillas!
• Salt: This is necessary for flavor.
• Shortening: Lard binds everything together and provides a chewy texture. Instead of shortening, you can use coconut, lard, vegetable, avocado, or other high-fat oils.
• Water: Liquid is needed for moisture for the dough.

Can you make this gluten-free?

Yes! You can use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose if you need or want to substitute it.

How to make homemade tortillas

1. Combine: Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, shortening, and water in a bowl with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms. You can do this with a stand mixer and a dough hook instead if you'd like.
2. Knead: Now I know I said there would be no kneading earlier, but a tiny bit is needed to help the dough form into a smooth ball. We're talking for 3 minutes people. I know you can do it!
3. Rest: Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes to allow the gluten strands to relax. This will help the dough be soft rather than tough.
4. Divide: Sprinkle a little flour on your clean counter. Form the dough into a thick circle and cut it into even pieces. If you have a kitchen scale, you can cut off pieces and weigh them so they are all the same.
5. Roll out: Add a little more flour to the surface and roll the dough out with a rolling pin to your desired thickness and size. I like to do them about ¼ of an inch thick and about 6 inches wide.
6. Cook: Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat and place the tortillas in the pan one at a time until they form bubbles and start to brown. Flip them over and do the same to the other side.
7. Enjoy: Cover your warm tortillas with aluminum foil if you're using them right away, or allow them to cool completely and wrap them in plastic wrap.

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Questions? I have answers!

Do I need to put oil in the pan to cook tortillas? No, you don't need to add any oil to the pan since we aren't frying them. If you want to fry them up a bit (which is how you make a tostada) that's good too!

What should I do if HUGE bubbles start forming when I'm cooking homemade tortillas? Don't worry, this just means there's a pocket of air in the tortilla and it's expanding with the heat. All you need to do is poke it with a fork to deflate it.

Can I add flavors to my homemade tortillas recipe? Yes! You can add all kinds of different flavors to your tortillas. You can add garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon for a sweet take, or other herbs and spices. You can also use a blender or food processor, add a little water and pureé spinach, roasted red peppers, olives, or sun-dried tomatoes.

What size should I make my tortillas? This really depends on what you're making them for and your preference. You can make them nice and thick for crockpot chicken tacos or pork carnitas. You can make them thinner for breakfast tacos.

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How to store homemade tortillas

Refrigerate: Wrap fully cooled tortillas in plastic wrap and put them in an air-tight bag in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Freeze: Freezing is my favorite way to store them since they don't last long in the fridge. I like to place a small piece of parchment paper in between them when freezing since they'll get stuck together. This way you can take out as many as you need without having to thaw the whole bag.

Recipes to use with your homemade tortillas

Here are some great recipes to use with your freshly made tortillas:

• Hatch Green Chile
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Crockpot Chicken Tacos
• Mexican Street Tacos
• Easy Black Bean Tacos
• Shrimp Tacos
• Easy Breakfast Tacos
• Egg and Bacon Breakfast Tacos

If you try it out, let me know how it goes in the comments or on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.