These homemade corn tortillas are clean, easy, vegan, gluten-free, and just 4 ingredients. Once you learn how to make homemade corn tortillas, you'll never wonder if corn tortillas are healthy again!
Ooooh, guys, I am SO excited to share this recipe with you today.
This is seriously gonna be a game changer for all of the following:
Tostadas.
Chips and Salsa.
Life.
Now, let me start off by saying how I LOVE Mexican food.
Growing up in Southern California and now living in Austin, Texas, I have eaten my weight in tortillas for sure.
But that's the thing: the weight. <---- (more on that here)
So, I've worked on creating my own lil' clean eating recipes to enjoy the flavors I love, but without all the processed schtuff.
So far, it's has turned into these AWESOME Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls, this Cilantro Lime Chicken, this Pico De Gallo Salsa (OMG), these Chicken Tacos, and these Slow Cooker Green Chile Pork Tacos.
Not bad, Lacey. Not bad.
P.S. Now I'm hungry.
Still though, there's always been this ONE issue with the tortilla. Even if I buy corn tortillas that have minimal ingredients, there's always the question of, "Is this clean?"
So. I took matters into my own hands.
Because I <3 tortillas, darnit!
And. I. Made. These. Homemade Corn Tortillas.
YAAAS.
No more wondering if they're clean. No more buying tortillas with very few ingredients only to take them home and be totally unsatisfied by their dryness and lacking of flavor. No more being annoyed I can't fully enjoy a completely clean Mexican food recipe because of the dang tortilla.
Now, I have a clean homemade tortilla. WOOT!
Also: bwahaha!
Are Corn Tortillas Healthier Than Flour Tortillas?
This is a great question. The basic answer is yes, they are healthier than flour tortillas and here's why...
- Masa harina, especially good quality masa, contains whole, ground corn kernels which means it is higher in fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals than flour tortillas
- Corn tortillas are typically much smaller than flour tortillas which means they are usually lower in calories than their white flour tortilla counterparts
- Flour tortillas tend to be made with all purpose flour which is refined and no longer contains all the nutrients of the wheat
- Flour tortillas tend to be made with lard, making them high in saturated fat, whereas these homemade corn tortillas just contain the masa, sea salt, lime juice, and hot water
P.S. these homemade corn tortillas are also vegan, in case you're wondering. All you need is masa harina, sea salt, lime juice, and hot water. If you're wondering how to make corn tortillas gluten-free, assuming the masa harina you have is only made of ground corn, they are also completely gluten free, too. It's very important to read the label on your masa to make sure, though. I use this brand and it's amazing.
You know what this means, right?
One. I'll be over here making corn tortillas.
Also. This means we can actually enjoy enchiladas, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and tortillas chips AND still eat clean!
I hope you’re as excited as I am to have an easy, simple, and CLEAN homemade corn tortilla recipe under your belt.
Because homemade corn tortillas should be had by all.
How To Make Corn Tortillas Without A Press
Yes, a tortilla press is awesome and authentic, and totally helpful for how to make corn tortillas. BUT it's not necessary at all. If you watch the video below, I actually don't use a tortilla press so you can see the process. All you need to do is place the ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper or wax paper and then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a circle (AKA tortilla shape).
Then, peel that tortilla off the parchment paper and place on the hot skillet. To make it easier to peel off, make sure to pretty heavily dust the parchment paper with additional dry masa harina to keep it from sticking. Trust me - it makes a big difference.
That being said, if you're looking to buy a tortilla press, this is the one I have and it's amazing.
Homemade Corn Tortillas
Speaking of, these corn tortillas are also gluten-free and vegan, too. So hooray for all!
Now, I believe there was some mention of tacos...
Homemade Corn Tortillas
Equipment
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina*
- 1 ¾ cups hot water plu more as needed
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice approx. ½ lime
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the masa harina and sea salt together.
- Pour the hot water and freshly squeezed lime juice into the masa mixture and stir with a spoon, forming a big ball. The dough should be firm and springy when touched, not dry or super sticky. If you need some more water, add it in small amounts until dough reaches the right consistency.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or napkin and let the dough rest for about an hour.
- Grab about a golf-ball sized chunk of the rested masa and form it into a ball by rolling it in the palm of your hands.
- Dust a folded sheet of parchment paper or wax paper with a little bit of the dry masa and then place the masa ball in the center.
- Gently flatten the ball either using a rolling pin or a tortilla press, after folding the parchment paper over.
- Gently remove the flattened masa from the parchment paper and transfer to a hot griddle or fry pan and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. You’re looking for golden brown spots, but not wanting to overcook them so they crack when you fold them.
- Flip the tortilla over and cook on the other side for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Repeat with the remaining dough until you run out. Store the prepared tortillas together in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.
- If you’d like to save the dough for later, you can store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days, then just grab, roll out and cook up some delicious homemade corn tortillas.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
Mallory Fuentes
Awesome thank you! Fellow non-native Texan here but now it feels like home! Just started “clean eating” glad I stumbled on your page. Quick question have you ever tried freezing these after prepping?
Barclay Wohlstetter
Just a quick question - is the nutritional information per 1 tortilla? Thanks!
Vee
I made these to use for enchiladas. Mines came out very dry and fell apart and cracked apart as I tried rolling them inside parchment paper. Any suggestions? Did I use too much water or too little? Not sure what happened. I love your recipes by the way. I make your Spinach tortillas all the time with great results. Thanks!!❤❤
Eva
Hi! I learned that you should NOT use a rolling pin because it will crack. Just do it the old fashioned way and use your hands, they will not crack. I've made this recipe three times and this made a world of difference pressing them by hand.
JANINE KINCAID
I just made these today and they came out great. I did end up adding just a trickle more of hot water so that it was a little more doughy. I kneaded the dough until it was a nice soft, smooth ball. In the video the dough doesn’t look like it was kneaded all that much. The mixture in the video also tended to look a little more dry than I wanted it to be so I added just a bit more water. I based the consistency on chapati dough and how it feels when I knead that dough.
Another thing is, I did not let mine rest and, instead, rolled them into balls right away. I put the ball in between two pieces of wax paper, then took a heavy bottom pot and put weight on it until the dough flattened some. After that I used a rolling pin to further roll out the tortilla dough. If I rolled it too thin I made a ball and started over. If the wax paper started to curl I took off the top piece of wax paper, so as to relax the dough, put the paper back on top and continued rolling out until I thought I was done.
I have to say that I love the use of lime juice in this as it adds a nice sparkle to the flavour of the tortilla.
Hope this helped.
Cheers
MaryAnn
Can you tell me how long are corn tortillas good for and could they be frozen.
Billy J Johnson
When pressing, my tortilla's cracked and fell apart before I could use. All kept breaking on me. Where did I do wrong?? So frustrating.
Lacey Baier
That's odd - were you pressing using a sheet of parchment paper?
Susan B. Cella
Hi Lacey. Can I skip the rest step? I'm short on time sometimes! Thanks!
Susan B. Cella
Hi Lacey. I was just about to make the 'clean tortillas' when I realized that I didn't have an hour to let the dough 'rest'. Can I go ahead and make them without the resting step? Do you know what will happen? I'm thinking it needs time for the water to absorb. Thanks!
Michelle
This looks delicious Lacey! I was wondering why these do not puff up and some do in YouTube videos?
Jennie Sierra
Thank you for a great recipe, Lacey! Just had to mention to you that 100% of corn grown in America is GMO- unclean- unless it is organic. I buy masa harina in 50 lb bags online, and split them with friends so organic tortillas and tamales can be had by all. One bag lasts me a year. To good health and clean eating! Cheers!
Kelly Mahan
Oh, wow, I love these already! Can't wait to make them this weekend, I'm sure they taste amazing!
Puja Darshan
My stomach is growling at these pictures. This sounds super healthy and delicious... 🙂
A healthy start to a day...
Lacey Baier
Right? What a great way to start the day!