Need a tortilla recipe? Skip the store bought! With just a few ingredients you can make your own homemade corn tortillas and tortilla chips!
Hi Friends!
Ask and you shall receive! I got several requests for a recipe for Homemade Corn Tortillas after I posted my recipe for Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas. It took a few weeks, but I finally got my act together and headed to the kitchen to give it a shot. The good news is, it’s pretty darn easy.
Homemade Tortilla Chips and Tortillas
All you really need is some masa harina (corn flour), hot water and a bit of salt. I got my masa harina in the Mexican section of my grocery store and all they had was white corn flour, so that ‘s what I used…but this could easily be done with yellow as well. Similar to my whole wheat tortillas, it’s a learning process to make these at home. At first, I didn’t use quite enough water so they were a little dry, but the flavor was great… so I made another batch and added just a bit more water.
I won’t lie, corn tortillas are a bit more delicate than flour. You have to be gentle and patient. The edges will not be perfect, they might rip a little bit, and that’s all okay!
How To Make Tortilla Chips From Scratch
Here’s the recipe:
PrintHomemade Corn Tortillas and Tortilla Chips
A simple way to make corn tortillas and tortilla chips at home with only 3 ingredients!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup masa harina
- 1/2 –3/4 c hot water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix the masa harina and salt in a bowl.
- Slowly add hot water and mix until a dough forms and you can shape it into a ball. Start by stirring with a spatula, then knead a few times with your hands.
- Form into a ball and let sit for 30-60 minutes.
- Divide dough into 8 sections and roll into balls.
- Cut a ziploc bag around the edges so that you have two pieces of plastic (or use parchment paper).
- Place a dough ball in between two pieces of plastic. Use a plate to flatten the ball into a circle. It may help to place it on the floor and stand on the plate to flatten (or use a rolling pin).
- Slowly peel back one of the pieces of plastic, being careful of the edges, then pull off the other side of the plastic.
- Drop into a hot non-stick or cast iron pan.
- Let cook for one minute, flip and cook a minute more. The tortilla should start to puff up while cooking. If it doesn’t. flip it one more time.
Notes
If you want to make tortilla chips, cut your finished tortillas into triangles, spray with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn!
I actually tried to buy a tortilla press this weekend, but after not being able to find one in stores, hubby got a little creative and found that standing on a plate works just as well 🙂
Like I said, it’s a simple process. Just add the water to the masa harina and salt. Then form the mixture into a ball, let it sit, divide and roll into balls, flatten and cook!
The texture of the dough is kind of like playdough. When it first starts to form a ball, you may need to add a bit more water to get the desired playdough texture. If the ball shows cracks as you form it, add a bit more water.
This recipe makes 8 small tortillas (about 5 inches). It can easily be doubled, which I would recommend if you’re going to go through the trouble of making the tortillas.
If you don’t think you’ll eat 16 tortillas, let me show you how to make homemade tortilla chips!
Just cut the tortillas into triangles, spray with a bit of olive olive and sprinkle with a little bit of salt.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes and voila!
That’s all there is to it!
[Tweet “You’re just 3 ingredients away from these homemade corn tortillas (and chips) from @leangrnbeanblog!”]
Try adding a batch of these tortillas or chips to your weekly food prep session to make dinner easier. If you liked this post, you’ll love my ebook – The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep. It dives into even more detail about how to food prep, troubleshoots common problems and provides tons of tips to make it easier! Click the image below for more details!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Get my free Table Talk email series where I share bite-sized nutrition information about carbs, protein, and fat, plus bonus information about snacks and sugar!
Seriously??? That’s it? I mean, I’m pretty sure I had the same reaction last time you posted tortillas, but I’ve had corn tortillas on my list for a good long time, and so has corn chips! Loooove!
haha, enjoy friend!
I made up 16 tortillas this morning. I made my very first ones last week. a twitter friend suggested I make Enchiladas for dinner (and THEY were magnificent!) but, I decided, if I’m going to do it, I’m going ALL THE WAY! So, I sent my hubby to the local Mexican Grocery. you can usually find one in any decent sized town, especially in the South. He picked up my Masa and they had the Tortilla press in the store. less than 20 bucks. I’ll make that out of it, fast! I learned after he first two batches that you need more water than you think you do. I mixed the dough last night with the amount of water suggested and left it to hydrate overnight. this morning, I went back to it and it was still crumbly. I find it is easier and far better to add water after you have let the dough stand a while. In the rest/hydrate time, especially if it is a few hours, those water molecules even out in the dough and it makes taking up more water easier to do evenly. My griddle is the flat side of a Grill Grate (and you have not had the best steak in your life until you have this puppy on your stove with about 6 smoke pellets!) I really need a solid griddle. Time to start rummaging the garage sales!
I have been making Potato chips lately (Starting for the superbowl. I just keep telling hubby I made more than I needed and we still have some left. not about to admit I have made 10 pounds worth of potatoes into chips)
I am going to try frying my chips right from the press, without precooking. Seems to me, they will be far more tender, that way. cross your fingers!
great tips! hope the chips turned out!
Oh, and the easiest way to cut tortillas into chips is a pizza cutter. SO much easier and faster than a knife!
I have to say about your method of pressing tortillas, not enough ppl cook with their feet, these days!!
My brother & his GF should REALLY make these!!! They’re always looking for gluten-free recipes 🙂 And they love chips!
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
That is awesome and I love the makeshift press idea. I’ve done similar things to press things out. I always forget how easy making tortillas/chips really is!
it’s pretty crazy! makes me wonder why i haven’t been doing it all along!
I love the simplicity of it! Going to try asap!
you are SO impressive, friend!
these days GENTLE and PATIENT are things Im working on too…
I could use the practice.
Ummm. Must. Make. So easy!
I really need to try making my own tortillas one day. And I love the plate press idea 😉 Necessity s the mother of all invention.
Your make-shift tortilla foot press is hilarious (and genius haha). I am still meaning to make your originally whole wheat variety. Great recipes!
haha thank you! hope you try them and love them!
These look awesome! Thanks!
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
I love, love, love, to bake bread, and my favorite are actually the “street breads” such as tortillas and naan of different cultures. They are cheap, easy, and so dang good!
I am totally stealing your plate technique haha!
go for it 🙂 super easy and convenient!
I have never heard of masa harina…and I was just thinking about your homemade wheat tortillas yesterday and wanted to make them for tacos this week! I need to bookmark the recipe!
let me know if you try them!
I love the idea of making tortilla chips because it would be perfect portion control!
yes! totally agree 🙂 i need that with chips!
I just made these from my homemade tortillas, 8 chips for me and 8 chips for my son. They are so delicious, and I didn’t have to worry about grabbing another handful from a bag and overeating!
glad you liked them!!
LOL at standing on the plate! That’s a very creative idea. 🙂 Just make sure to give that plate a good wash after… haha.
Awesome! Bob’s Red Mill is pretty reputable, so I’d be shocked if they used anything GMO.
I really need to get my act together and try one of your tortilla recipes! I love wraps and tacos, so why not make simple, wholesome tortillas myself?? Thanks so much for the recipes, Lindsay!
let me know if you try it out!
Love this recipe! Pinning now!
Thanks Danielle!
I’m guessing that you don’t eat off that plate afterwards, 🙂
I love how simple it is.
Oh cool. I’ve only tried to make tortillas once. Love the creativity used for smashing them 😉
haha that was all hubby’s idea 🙂
This is so great to have. If I have one big cheat food, it’s tortilla chips! I’d love to make a better version at home.
me too! i love ’em 🙂
What a great idea! I’ve never made my own tortillas or tortilla chips before, but it seems super simple!
it’s definitely pretty easy!
That looks awesome! I’ve never been ambitious enough to make tortillas before, but they probably taste way better!
I have made your whole wheat tortillas a few times now and I love them! Can’t wait to try the corn version – I have a few mexican casserole recipes I make that use corn tortillas and I’d love to make them myself!
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve been trying to figure out how to make homemade tortillas out of anything except corn and flour, and this is a simple start. We used to make our own chips and salsa when I could eat corn (and tomatoes. and onions), and it’s super simple and so cheap … why wouldn’t you?
They look so professional! Thanks for sharing.
I need to hop on this train! I like to make my own bread every now and then but I eat way more tortillas…so duhhh it’s time to make my own. Now I just need to find corn flour.
I need to try these ASAP, I have been craving the salty!
Standing on a plate to flatten the tortillas… innovation at its finest! Those sound so simple to make. I really should try some of my own!
I seriously had no idea that these would be SO easy to make!! Thanks for sharing. I love the simplicity of the ingredient list :).
Love this! I never thought tortilla making would be so simple. My grandma used to have a tortilla press – I should try to dig that up!
I’m definitely making those torilla chips, I never even thought to do that myself. Amazing, thanks!! 🙂
They look good! Standing on a place is too funny! I’ll have to give it a try 🙂
These look awesome! I made your whole wheat tortillas the other day into tortilla bowls!! I seriously love that recipe and it has become my go to bread for everything (even pizza crust!)! Ill have to try the corn tortillas next
Love it! I’ve been making them home made for years, but stopped or slowed down when I had kids. They are so much better than store bought!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Lindsay! My hubby is going to LOVE this recipe!!!
Oh this is hilarious of you standing on the plate, and yet so smart!!!!:):)
You are a GENIUS!!!! Tortilla chips are my weekness! What a great healthy alternative!
I’ve only made my own tortillas a few times, but I always LOVE the results! Love your version with the masa harina.
I saw on IG the pic of you stomping on them – LOVE!!!
I’m going to be making almond flour and coconut flour tortillas (Paleo and low carb diet) and tossed the idea of a tortilla press too because of weakness in my wrists. You method of standing pressure to flatting out the tortillas is great – though I would be afraid to step on a plate – I’ll try a wood cutting board.
Can you tell me though – I see your tortillas are perfectly round, do they all come out that way by the standing method? They look perfect.
I’m going to be making almond flour and coconut flour tortillas (Paleo and low carb diet) and tossed the idea of a tortilla press too because of weakness in my wrists. You method of standing pressure to flatting out the tortillas is great – though I would be afraid to step on a plate – I’ll try a wood cutting board.
Can you tell me though – I see your tortillas are perfectly round, do they all come out that way by the standing method? They look perfect.
i just rolled them into balls and then flattened with a plate and they came out round like that!
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
In Norway one can only find wheat-tortillas in the shops, and I have wanted to make my own corn-tortillas for some time since I am wheat-intolerant. 🙂
You are a genius. I don’t have a good tortilla press (Mine’s a cheap plastic one. So not nice.), so I was going nuts with rolling it out. But I tried your technique (used a large wooden chopping board instead, our plates aren’t flatbottomed) and it was MAGICAL. Magical I tell you.
I make corn tortillas with a metal press I bought at a cooking utensil store here in town. You can also buy them online. What I really like about making my own is I only need to make a few at a time instead of buying an entire package. I have used both plastic wrap, wax paper and parchment paper depending on what I have in the pantry at the time. I make a few for my meal and then make the rest into chips. I eat low fat, a maximum of 25% fat down to 10% and I make most of my meals from scratch so making my own works great for me.
nice recipe and guide on how to tnx
Can these be made ahead of time and re heated later? I would love to make these, but donr have time to do a new batch everyday;-)
I haven’t tried it but I’d imagine they’d last a few days!
I’ve tried storing them in a ziplock bag after they cool down and leave it on the counter…. but they don’t taste the same as fresh.
As easy as making these tortillas & chips are, I can’t get them thin enough even using a press. I put the chips in the oven and they come out too hard to eat. Am following the recipe, oven time/heat. Any suggestions, please?
hmmm, i’m not sure. I never had that problem. maybe try rolling them with a rolling pin a little bit after you put them in the press.
Hi, just wanted to chime in on the corn tortillas.
If you don’t have a press, you can use a glass pie pan like pyrex, so that you can press on the counter and see the circle being formed.
Have a great day !
ah, great idea…thanks!
This recipe is so easy, but it is especially important to let the “dough” sit for about 1/2 hour to an hour after mixing it. I have a tortilla press and am ashamed to say I have been carting it around for about 20 years and had never used it, tonight was a first. They pressed out like magic! I used the same Zip-Loc bag that I rested the dough in, to use in the press. Thanks for the recipe.
It didn’t work 🙁
maybe I used the wrong flour. I didn’t find any one called “masa harina”, I just used one called corn flour.
hmmm what didn’t work?
The dough was unmanageable. It cracked when I tried to handle it, and if I added even a little water, it became too runny.
I’ll try to work with wheat flour next time and see if I can get it….
this is my recipe when i use regular wheat flour – https://www.theleangreenbean.com/homemade-whole-wheat-tortillas/
Are you in England or Europe? I’ve found that what is called “corn flour” over there is what we here in the U.S. call “cornstarch”, which is mostly used as a thickener, and would most definitely NOT work for making any type of bread. You could add a couple of tablespoons of it to another flour for a different texture but it cannot be used alone to make even flatbreads.
What is wanted is very finely ground, lime processed corn, called “masa harina de maize”. It can be ordered via the internet. I’ve even seen it on sites that are in the U.K., so it should be findable. It might help to search for masa for tamales or empanadas, or perhaps for “corn meal”, as opposed to “corn flour”. I know this is a late reply, but perhaps it can help yo or someone else. Good luck!
Is it 400 Degree Fahrenheit or 400 Degree Centigrade?
fahrenheit
I appreciate the quick reply, otherwise I was wondering that where I could find such an oven that can heat up this much. In the local market we have up to 250C. I guess 400F corresponds to nearly 200C, which is fine by me.
Thank you.
Great recipe! My family loves them & doing the chips tonight for nachos. So nice knowing what is in your food and not having to get store bought chips that have goodness know what in them. Thanks all the way from New Zealand!!
happy to hear it!!
Got to this post trying to finding the English equivalent to “masa” (which we make tortillas with).
Funny enough, I read the recipe, 2 mistakes:
-cold water. Not warm or hot
-no need to leave them standing for 30-60min. Once the masa, salt and water are mixed you’re ready to cook.
It’ll reduce the making time to 15′.
Try adding some non mature cheese (shredded) into the mix and it’ll be a “cheesy tortilla” yum yum !
thanks for the tips!
can anyone tell me how “spray with olive oil ” is done ?
would drizzling and tossing in olive oil have same affect ?
this is in reference to baking the tortillas into chips 🙂
i get that there are olive oil and other baking sprays but i do not use these things
i have a misto bottle that i fill with plain olive oil to use. you could try lightly brushing with oil instead…not sure how it will work!