Corn Tortilla Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Sep 11, 2025 My corn tortilla recipe uses just masa harina, water, and salt to make soft, warm homemade tortillas. I press and cook them in minutes for an easy recipe that tastes so much better than store-bought tortillas.
This corn tortilla recipe takes taco night to the next and best level. Once you taste them hot and fresh off the skillet, you’ll never go back to the store-bought kind, because these taste SO MUCH better, and they’re easy to make. According to a good friend of mine who grew up in Mexico, real cooks make tortillas from scratch every single day, without fail. There is never a reason to buy them. And honestly, my friend is right. The key to making really good homemade tortillas is that they must be made without preservatives. The only downside is that once they’re cooked, they have to be eaten quickly because the masa corn flour is very perishable. But is it really a problem to have to eat delicious, toasty, fresh tortillas?! I don’t think so…If you’re a fan of my fluffy flour tortilla recipe, you’re going to love this corn tortilla version, too.
Lindsay – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ These were so delicious and super easy to make!! I’ll never buy store bought again!!
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Simple and fresh ingredients – With just four easy to find ingredients, you will have the most delicious and fresh tortillas right at home! Get your guacamole and meat fillings ready, because it’s about to be a fiesta!
Flexible and tender – These homemade corn tortillas are soft, warm, and so incredibly flexible! They definitely won’t crack once filled and folded.
Versatile – Whether you like tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, or even wraps, then this recipe is perfect for you. And did I mention that these are ready in under 30 minutes?!
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Masa harina – This is instant masa corn flour, and it will give the tortillas that amazing texture and toasty flavor.
- Lard – I like to use lard because it makes the tortillas soft, tender, and flavorful, but you can also use vegetable shortening for a vegetarian version of this recipe.
- Salt – A little bit of salt goes a long way and enhances the corn flavor.
- Hot water – This is key. It’s so important to use hot water to melt the lard and soften the dough.
How to Make
Find the full recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Prep the tools – I start off by grabbing all the tools I need to make these tortillas — a cast iron skillet, my tortilla press, a large bowl, and a cutting board.
Make the dough – Then, I add the lard, the measured masa, and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl, and I pour the hot water over the lard and watch it melt. Once the lard has melted, I mix all of the ingredients together until the dough is smooth.
Let it rest – I shape the dough into a rectangle, cover it in plastic wrap and I let it rest for a bit at room temperature. This step helps soften the masa, and it’s the reason why the tortillas turn out so flexible.
Cut the dough – As the dough rests, I heat up my skillet, and I prep the tortillas press by covering the top and bottom surfaces with plastic wrap. Then, I cut the dough into 16 equal pieces and I cover it with a towel or some more plastic wrap to make sure that it doesn’t dry out.
Press the tortillas – Now, the fun happens. I shape each chunk into a ball, and place the first ball of dough into the tortilla press. I press down to flatten it into a gorgeous, circular tortilla!
Cook the tortillas – I carefully remove each tortilla from the press and pop it into the piping hot skillet. All it takes is to cook the tortilla for about 2 minutes per side, until it’s golden and slightly toasted.
Keep them warm – There is no way I’m serving up cool tortillas, so to keep them warm, I stack them up onto a plate and cover them with a towel.
You can also place them in a warming drawer or a very low-heat oven to keep them warm.
Expert Tips
I recommend using a real tortilla press for the best and most authentic corn tortillas. The masa dough is so delicate, using a press is much better than rolling them out with rolling pin. BUT… If you don’t have a press, you can roll the balls of dough between two sheets of plastic or wax paper. This does take a little more effort, but it is doable.
Stacking not only helps keep them warm, it softens the tortillas for more flexibility. They come out of the skillet a little crisp, then soften and become flexible as they rest in a stack.
Recipe Variations
- Flavored tortillas – Mix in chili powder, garlic powder, or some chopped cilantro for a boost of flavor.
- Blue corn – Swap the yellow/white masa with blue masa.
- Olive oil – Replace the lard with olive oil for a slightly lighter tortilla.
Serving Suggestions
These homemade tortillas are super versatile and can be served in so many different ways! Don’t forget you can also turn them into tortilla chips. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Quesabirria tacos
- Homemade salsa recipe
- Fried fish tacos
- Huevos rancheros
- Refried beans
- Holy guacamole recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
It should be stated, the tortillas will feel crisp when you take them out of the skillet, but will soften as they sit. Stacking and keeping the tortillas warm is an important part of the process.
No, these tortillas are always best if made right before serving. They can last a day or two in the refrigerator, but they are just not quite the same.
If you need to buy a tortilla press, I like this one found on Amazon. It’s a classic cast-iron version, and the weight of the top helps with even pressing.
Storing
Store leftover tortillas in a ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 2-3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just make sure that if freezing, the tortillas are stacked and divided between sheets of parchment paper. You can reheat these on a skillet for about 30 seconds per side!
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Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups Masa Harina (Instant Masa)
- 1/3 cup lard (or vegetable shortening)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups hot tap water
Instructions
- Set out a large mixing bowl, a cutting board and knife, a cast iron or nonstick skillet, and a tortilla press.
- Measure the masa, lard, and salt into the mixing bowl. Pour very hot tap water over the lard to melt it. Mix the dough with a wooden spoon at first, then by hand until it is very smooth.
- Press the dough into a rectangle. Then wrap in plastic and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. *The rest time softens the masa to make the tortillas more flexible.
- Set the skillet over medium heat. Place plastic wrap over the to top and bottom pressing-surface of the tortilla press. (Some people like to slide a freezer bag over each section because it's a little more sturdy than plastic wrap.) Cut the dough into 16 equal pieces, leaving them under the plastic, so they don't dry out.
- One at a time, place a ball of corn tortilla dough in the middle of the press, just slightly closer to the hinge. Press down hard to flatten the tortilla into a paper-thin circle.
- Gently peel the corn tortilla off the plastic and move it to the hot dry skillet. Make sure you lay it in the skillet carefully so it has full contact with the hot surface. Cook for approximately 1 1/2 – 2 minutes per side. *Pulling the corn tortillas off the plastic is the only tricky part of the process. Because the tortillas are so thin and delicate, you might rip the first few in half. Simply form the dough back into a ball and repress.
- Move the cooked corn tortillas to a holding plate and cover with a towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Serve warm.
Can these be fried for thin crispy tacos?
Hi Tasha,
Absolutely! Practice one 1-2 to get your temperature right at 350-375 degrees F. It should take about 3 minutes per shell.
I have been involved in making tortillas since a youth in my father’s kitchen.
That was over a half century ago. From then until now, I have experimented with different recipes and methods.(The reason I came here was to see if anyone had tried something I have not tried. Here is my experienced take:
You do not need oil or fat; however adding a type of fat will make the tortillas slightly more tender and make them softer and more pliable after they cool and are reheated. I have taken to skipping adding fat and brushing mine with a small amount of melted butter or marg on each side as I place them in the keep warm tortilla container. Replacing some of the water with whole milk will also add a bit of fat. The only caution is that milk might shorten the storage life. “Authentic” tortillas de maize can be made with or without lard. If a fat is used, lard is most true to genre. I always add a bit of salt, stirring it into the warm liquid, rather than adding it to the flour. The recipe here is a good one. The only quibble I make, and it can mean the difference between success and failure is the advice “Pulling the corn tortillas off the plastic is the only tricky part of the process”. Yup. Tricky is an understatement. If you are making relatively thin tortillas with a dough of the proper consistency, it is impossible to “pull” the tortilla off the plastic. If you use plastic, place the tortilla in your flat open palm, tortilla side down, with one edge of the tortilla near the wrist edge of your hand. Working from there away from you, gently and evenly peel the plastic off the tortilla. If you are a serious
tortilla lover,
get a manual tabletop tortilla machine. They make consistent size and thickness tortillas and can be purchased on EBay for under $100. Have fun and make great tortillas!