Easy Recipe For Tortillas (3 Ingredients Only) (2024)

It takes just three ingredients to make this super easy recipe for tortillas or unleavened bread. Whether you are wanting to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, Passover, or it’s simply Taco Tuesday in your household, this homemade flour tortilla recipe is for you.

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This 3-ingredient recipe for tortillas is so quick, easy, and versatile. I bet you even have the three ingredients you need to make these soft flour tortillas at home right now! They are flour, salt, and olive oil (plus water, but we’re not counting that). I can make a whole batch of these, start to finish, in about 10 minutes. I have the dough ready to go into the skillet in under five (I timed myself today). Have I convinced you to give it a go?

If I need to do a little more convincing, let’s talk about their versatility for a moment. You can use this recipe for tortillas to make a quesadilla, wraps for lunch, or as a side to accompany any main meal. Make a batch for Cinco De Mayo and celebrate in style with other Mexican-inspired dishes, like Mexican chicken casserole,sweet potato and black bean tacos, and Chipotle copycat guacamole.

How about using this recipe for tortillas next Taco Tuesday? Top your flour tortilla with whatever shredded or ground meat you like, such as beef, chicken, turkey, or pork. Then add sour cream, cheese, salsa, a squeeze of lime juice, and your other favorite toppings and the whole neighborhood will want to come to celebrate Taco Tuesday at your house!

Unleavened Bread for Passover

If you don’t celebrate Passover you may or may not know that Passover is a one-day Biblical Feast and it is immediately followed by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. And did you know that these soft tortillas are considered unleavened bread? Well, they sure are.

During that week, not only do those celebrating Passover not eat anything with leavening agents in it, but they also make it a point to eat unleavened bread each day of the Feast, per instructions.

Two years ago I shared my soft unleavened bread recipe with you, which makes some tasty little soft pita chips. That’s a favorite on its own but I also use it to make cinnamon sugar breadsticks, cheesy bread, and even as a crust for our Passover Pizza!

Okay, you must be convinced to try this recipe for flour tortillas now, right? Let’s get cooking!

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Recipe Ingredients

  • All purpose flour
  • Water
  • Salt
  • Just a little oil. You can use vegetable oil or olive oil.

I don’t count the water as one of the three ingredients because most of us are blessed enough to have that flowing from the faucets right now.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

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Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl.

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Until a dough is formed.

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Lightly flour a surface and turn the dough out onto that.

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Knead dough just a few times until it is smooth-ish.

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Divide dough into eight parts and roll each part into a small ball.

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One at a time, roll each ball of dough out into a thin circle using a rolling pin, until they’re 6 or 7 inches in size.

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Spray a nonstick cast iron skillet with cooking spray and place it over medium heat.

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Cook each tortilla for about a minute on each side or until lightly browned, then remove and continue until all are done. Enjoy!

Storage

  • When stored in an airtight container in the fridge, these homemade flour tortillas will last up to two days. You can serve them cold or reheat them quickly in a skillet.
  • You can also store them in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. After thawing overnight in the fridge, follow the above reheating instructions.

Recipe Notes

  • Okay, let me tell you why I have the ingredients in this order. I put them in countdown order because it is easier to remember that way. 3 tablespoons oil, 2 cups flour, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt. See? Easy to remember.
  • You can easily add extra flavor to your homemade flour tortillas with some herbs and spices. I recommend dried or fresh oregano, thyme, or coriander.
  • To make thicker wraps, add a teaspoon of baking powder to the dough when you add the other ingredients.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make these tortillas gluten-free?

Yes, if you use almond flour, gluten-free oat flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour instead, these will become gluten-free tortillas.

Can I make this recipe in advance?

Yes, you can make your tortilla dough ahead of time. Tightly wrap it in either plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight before following the rest of the instructions.

Here are more of my favorite Mexican-inspired dishes to enjoy:

Taco Soup (The World’s Easiest Supper)

Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Tex-Mex Style

Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa Tacos

Taco Tot Casserole

Chicken Fajitas in Crock Pot

Mexican Cornbread Recipe by Mama

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3-Ingredient Recipe for Tortillas

This super easy 3-ingredient recipe for tortillas also works as an unleavened bread recipe. Enjoy this recipe from Passover to Cinco de Mayo.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: tortilla

Servings: 8

Calories: 159kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons oil vegetable or olive
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together with a spoon until a dough is formed.

    3 tablespoons oil, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough just a few times until smooth. Separate the dough into 8 sections and roll each section into a ball.

  • Using a rolling pin, roll each ball of dough out into a thin circle about 6-7 inches in diameter.

  • Lightly spray a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place it over medium heat. Add tortillas, one at a time, and cook for about one minute on each side, or until lightly browned. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Notes

Okay, let me tell you why I have the ingredients in this order. I put them in countdown order because it is easier to remember that way. 3 tablespoons oil, 2 cups flour, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt. See? Easy to remember.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal

Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

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Easy Recipe For Tortillas (3 Ingredients Only) (2024)

FAQs

How to make tortillas on the stove? ›

Directions
  1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in water and oil. ...
  2. Divide dough into 8 portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 7-in. ...
  3. In a greased cast-iron or other heavy skillet, cook tortillas over medium heat until lightly browned, about 1 minute on each side. Serve warm.
Jan 22, 2024

What makes a good tortillas? ›

When you're paring back a recipe for a tortilla to its essence – which is corn, water, and lime – each of those ingredients needs to be spot-on for it to taste good. The second piece to it is going back to the recipe itself, this process of nixtamalization, and stone milling.

How to make round flour tortillas? ›

Divide dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side.

Is baking powder necessary for tortillas? ›

If you don't have baking powder, don't worry. It's not necessary. The tortillas turn out perfectly fine without it. I've made tortillas without baking powder and they are tender and delicious.

Is it safe to cook tortillas on the stove? ›

That's why we prefer to heat up corn tortillas on the stove. Warm a skillet over medium heat (no oil needed) and heat each tortilla for 20-30 seconds on each side. Set each tortilla aside in a foil wrap once heated through, then serve immediately.

Is corn or flour better for tortillas? ›

When it comes to nutrition, corn tortillas have the advantage of being made from whole grains, with fewer calories, sodium, and carbs but more fiber than flour tortillas. They're also gluten-free. As for cooking and eating, some people complain that corn tortillas break easily.

Do homemade tortillas taste better? ›

But after realizing just how simple they can be, I've been making them almost weekly. They're pretty much a staple for our family's Mexican dinners. These are DELICIOUS, and like nothing you'll find in the grocery store. Homemade tortillas are softer, chewier, and you just can't beat the flavor.

What are the three types of tortillas? ›

Soft tortillas are the traditional base for Mexican fajitas or burritos—but, depending on the type of flour or cornmeal used, these thin round flatbreads can vary widely in calories, sodium, and more.

Can you make tortillas with a rolling pin? ›

HOW TO MAKE FLOUR TORTILLAS. You only need a food processor, a rolling pin, and a cast iron skillet to make these tortillas at home. The process is straightforward: mix the dough, let it rest, roll it out, then cook the tortillas.

What happens if you put too much baking powder in tortillas? ›

However, the version I tested that had more baking powder resulted in a thicker, doughy tortilla that wasn't as pliable and was harder to roll when making a burrito or wrap. I also found that they got harder when stored compared to this recipe and the version that did not have baking powder at all.

Why do my homemade tortillas come out hard? ›

Oil NOT shortening makes for a more elastic and still moist (goodbye dry flour tortillas!) tortilla. You don't need lard or anything fancy. Just good ol' vegetable oil does the trick perfectly!

Can I skip baking powder? ›

Each teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder can be replaced with a 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and a 1/2 teaspoon vinegar.

How to make tortillas without a tortilla maker? ›

Take something heavy with a flat bottom like a cast-iron skillet, pie plate or baking dish and press the dough down to make a flattened tortilla. If your tortilla doesn't look quite flat enough, use a rolling pin to flatten in further. Try to make each tortilla even in size, about 5-6 inches wide in diameter. Transfer.

Do you grease the pan when making tortillas? ›

(You can use a non-stick skillet, but it might cause the tortillas to get a little tough.) Stick with cast-iron, if you have it. Heat your pan over medium-high heat. There's no need to add any oil.

How hot should a skillet be for tortillas? ›

To find out, I grabbed my infrared thermometer and measured the temperature of the skillet while cooking the remaining tortillas. And indeed, what I found was the best tortillas came out of a 500°F (260°C) skillet; anything less, and the tortillas were significantly less soft and chewy.

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