Corn Tortillas are a staple dish in every Mexican kitchen and there is nothing better than a warm tortilla right out of the comal. Making your own at home it’s easier than you think! Naturally fat and gluten-free. What’s not to like?
Tacos, Enchiladas, Quesadillas – the heart and soul of these Mexican delicacies lies in the humble yet essential element, the corn tortilla. The making of homemade corn tortillas is super easy and it’s something you can make as you need them. There is nothing better than having a meal at home with freshly cooked corn tortillas!
Just like Flour Tortillas , getting your corn tortillas right depends on a lot of little details. The more you make them at home, the more you’ll learn to feel when your dough is too dry or too sticky, as well as how to correct it.
In this post I’m going to walk you through how to make regular & pink tortillas – which are so fun to make!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Only 3 ingredients are needed.
- They have a delicious fresh corn flavor often not found in store-bought tortillas.
- You’ll learn to experiment with different color tortillas.
Ingredients
- Maseca Corn flour: Found at most grocery stores
- Warm water or more as needed
- Table salt
Pink Tortillas
- Maseca Corn flour
- Canned beets
- Table salt
Can I use regular cornmeal instead of masa harina? While cornmeal is an acceptable substitute, masa harina is specifically designed for tortilla-making and offers better flavor and texture.
Equipement
You only need a bowl, a tortilla press, a pin or something heavy to form the tortillas and a skillet to cook them in.
Tip: When buying a tortilla press, make sure it’s heavy and sturdy. The weight of the press can impact how much pressure you need to exert. Heavier presses often require less effort to flatten the dough evenly.
How To Make Corn Tortillas
The process to make regular and pink corn tortillas is the same. All you need to do is premake the beet juice as follow: in a blender, puree the beets with 2 tablespoons of water and the natural juices that the beets came with. Strain to remove all of the pulp.
This is a visual overview of the steps to make this recipe. See the detailed list of ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below.
- In a large bowl, mix the 1 1/2 cups masa harina and salt.
- Slowly add warm water and knead the mixture until a soft dough forms.
- It should not crack when you press it with your hands. If it cracks then it’s too dry. Add one tablespoon of warm water at the time to reach the right consistency.
- The masa should not stick to your hands either. If it does, then you added too much water. Add a little bit of more corn flour to correct this.
- Divide the dough into small golf sized balls and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to prevent drying.
- Heat a comal, a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat.
- Place the dough on the tortilla press between a freezer plastic bag (cut all sides to make into two separate squares) or two pieces of square parchment paper.
- Fold the handle and apply even pressure. Fold back the handle and open the press. Peel the top plastic from the tortilla. The tortilla should be 5½ inches in diameter and about ⅛ inch thick.
- When the pan is hot, place the tortilla gently with your hands on it. Cook for 15 seconds. Using a spatula, flip the tortilla then cook for 50 to 55 seconds more. Turn the tortilla once more time and cook for another 50 to 55 seconds. This is when they puff! Do not press down the air bubble as it’s helping with the cooking process.
- Place the cooked tortillas in a clean kitchen towel or an insulated container (aka tortilla warmer) and stack them up as you cook them. Keep them covered with the kitchen towel as this will finish the cooking process and will keep the tortillas soft.
Storage
Prior to storing, let the tortillas cool completely inside a dish towel.
- Refrigerate – Place them in a ziplock bag and store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks.
- Freeze – I really doubt you’ll have leftovers, but if you do you can store them in the freezer for up to three months. Freeze in an airtight in a ziplock bag. When ready to use, take out and let them thaw in the refrigerator.
How to re-warm flour tortillas
- Place them on a comal again and heat thru on both sides until soft and pliable.
- On a gas stove, you can place them directly on the flame and heat thru on both sides. This is my preferred method as the char flavor on the tortilla is so delicious!
- Microwave: Wrap tortillas in a damp cloth and microwave for about 30 seconds or until they become soft and pliable.
- Serve right away or store in a thick fabric tortilla warmer.
Are corn tortillas healthy?
Yes they are! They are actually better than flour tortillas which contain some sort of fat that is requires for them to be soft.
These are healthy and are about 60 calories each with only 13 grams of carbs and 0 fat!! Can’t get better than that right?
Tips and Notes
- Use a kitchen towel that has been washed without any strong soaps and does not have fabric softener. Often these smells will transfer to the tortilla! Also line the towel with paper towels inside to act as a barrier to prevent the tortillas from being infused with other flavors and smells.
- Experiment by adding ingredients like chopped herbs, spices, or even cheese to the dough for unique flavors.
- Prepare the dough ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for a day. Just make sure to bring it to room temperature before shaping and cooking.
Serving Suggestions
Besides making Totopos (tortilla chips), you can use them to make Chilaquiles, Entomatadas, or for your favorite taco recipe. These corn tortillas also taste amazing with the following dishes:
- Chicken Tinga
- Cochinita Pibil
- Blackened Salmon Tacos
- Or just plain good Frijoles Refritos!
MORE delicious…
Side Dishes Recipes
I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Corn Tortillas Recipe
Equipment
- Tortilla press
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Maseca flour Corn flour
- 1 cup warm water or more as needed
- ¼ tsp table salt
- 1 ½ cup Maseca flour Corn flour
- 8 oz canned beets + 2 Tablespoons water from this we'll use ⅔ cup beet juice. See the Notes section below for instructions on how to make this juice
- ½ cup warm water or more as needed
- ¼ tsp table salt
Instructions
The process to make regular and pink corn tortillas is the same.
- In a large bowl, mix the masa harina and salt.
- Slowly add warm water and knead the mixture until a soft dough forms.
- It should not crack when you press it with your hands. If it cracks then it's too dry. Add one tablespoon of warm water at the time to reach the right consistency.
- The masa should not stick to your hands either. If it does, then you added too much water. Add a little bit of more corn flour to correct this.
- Divide the dough into small golf sized balls and cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying.
- Heat a comal, a cast iron griddle or heavy bottom pan over medium heat.
- Place the dough on the tortilla press between a freezer plastic bag (cut all sides to make into two separate squares) or two pieces of square parchment paper. Fold the handle and apply even pressure. Fold back the handle and open the press. Peel the top plastic from the tortilla. The tortilla should be 5½ inches in diameter and about ⅛ inch thick.
- When the pan is hot, place the tortilla gently with your hands on it. Cook for 15 seconds. Using a spatula, flip the tortilla then cook for 50 to 55 seconds more. Turn the tortilla once more time and cook for another 50 to 55 seconds.
- Place the tortillas in a clean kitchen towel or an insulated container (aka tortilla bag) and stack them up as you cook them. Keep them covered with the kitchen towel as this will finish the cooking process and will keep the tortillas soft.
Muy Delish Notes:
- To make the beet juice, in a blender, puree the beets with 2 tablespoons of water and the natural juices that the beets came with. Strain to remove all of the pulp.
- While you press and cook the tortillas, cover the balls with cling wrap. This will prevent the masa from drying.
Add Your Own Private Notes
Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.
Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
This recipe was originally published in June 2018. It was updated to revise the content and photographs. The original recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
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My kids thought these were so fun! They tasted great, too.
I just love the color! 🙂 What a great idea to add beet juice to the dough to make them pink.
These tortillas turned out perfectly! I’ll definitely make them again!
I love making these corn tortillas! The beet juice is more better than food coloring. My friends asked me how I make them pink in color and they were amazed!
I had no idea it was so easy to make corn tortillas from scratch at home! Ours turned out perfectly and were so much better than store bought!
Deliciosas tortillas !!!
Muchas gracias Martha!
Me da mucho gusto que enseñes una base importantísima de nuestra cultura!!!
Felicidades Manita!!!
The beat juice is with cooked beet or uncocked?
It’s uncooked Denia! Thanks!
These corn tortillas were easy to make and so delicious, Ana. I can’t wait to make more, I know these won’t last long!
Hi! I was wpndering if you can make this tortillas ahead and just grab them throughout the week? And of so, how should i store them? Thank you!
Hi Camila! Yes you can! They will taste the best if eaten within 3 days though. Just store then in a storage ziplock bag. I also make some ahead and freeze them in a freezer ziplock bag. Enjoy!