Making homemade whole wheat flour tortillas is not something that everyone thinks to do in their kitchen. Most of the time, individuals and families will buy pre-made tortillas from brands like Mission or Goya. However, making your own tortillas is the way to achieve true homemade taste, avoid preservatives, and cater to specific diets or allergies. Plus, this is a simple kitchen creation that your whole family will enjoy.
Super Easy & Delicious Homemade Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
This simple and effective recipe will provide you and your loved ones with a soft and beautiful vessel for the next burrito, wrap, and whatever else it is that you want to pack inside these delicious tortillas.
It’s never a bad time to make homemade whole-wheat flour tortillas. The end products are oh-so-soft, fluffy, and addicting. Plus, these tortillas go easily with any meal–whether it be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even part of a dessert.
Recipe Highlights
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
- They taste way better than store-bought tortillas
- Freezer friendly
- Perfect to avoid preservatives, and cater to specific diets or allergies
Ingredients You’ll Need, Substitutions & Notes
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
Heading to the store? Luckily, the shopping list is short for this recipe!
- Whole wheat flour: You can use whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour. This is the one I used: 100 Percent Whole Wheat Organic
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Oil: I use and recommend using a light-tasting oil, such as vegetable or canola.
- Water: I prefer warm water when making tortillas because it helps the dough to be more elastic.
How to Make Whole Wheat Tortillas Step-by-Step
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
- Mix dry Ingredients
In one large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour and sea salt.
- Add wet ingredients
Add your oil and water; mix until you can form a ball. If necessary, add a little more water, one tablespoon at a time. This mixture will form a crumbly dough.
- Knead & Rest
Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 5 minutes on a smooth, floured surface until soft and elastic. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 15 – 30 min or up to 1 hour.
- Form
After resting, form each one into a ball in the palm of your hand. Then, on a floured surface, now roll out each ball to a size of about 8 inches (or 21 cm).
- Cook
Grease the pan with a little oil. Then place one of the rolled-out tortillas in the pan and cook for 30 seconds until the dough bubbles and is golden brown, then flip and fry the other side for 30 to 45 seconds.
This step is key: Do not let the torts get hard! Over-cooking tortillas will leave you with something that resembles more of a hard taco shell. You want your tortillas to stay soft enough that you can roll burritos, wraps, and more with them. - Enjoy
If you plan on filling up your tortillas right away, you can keep them warm by wrapping them in a warm towel until your meal is ready to eat.
Tips for Homemade Tortillas
Using a mixer with the dough hook is a good way to work this tortilla dough!
Make sure to let the dough rest (at least for a little bit). Shrinking dough when rolling it out means you must let this rest longer.
A rolling pin is the easiest way to spread out the dough properly to the correct thinness and shape.
Let your tortillas steam each other. Stack them up directly after cooking and keep them covered with a kitchen towel. This helps them steam each other and get nice and soft. A tortilla warmer is also a great idea.
Use these tortillas to meal prep breakfast burritos or lunch wraps for the whole week!
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store
These tortillas will last about a week in the refrigerator. I suggest bagging them or adding them to an air-tight container for meal use all week!
Freeze
They can be frozen if you make a very large batch. To freeze these tortillas, let them cool completely and place the in a freezer container or bag and freeze them for up to 6 months.
Reheating Tortillas
Place the tortillas you want to rehat in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 10-20 seconds. If needed, microwave for an additional 10 seconds. They’ll be nice and soft again.
Frequently Asked Questions
No! Use your hands if you don’t have a mixer. Get to know the dough real well!
Ideally, the torts will be cooked after about 30 seconds a side. A few nice bubbles and brown spots will show you when the tortilla is ready.
No! Tortillas should be easy enough to roll out with a rolling pin or even with your hands.
A great texture tortilla comes from about 1/16 of an inch. No ruler is required. A good visual clue is that you should be able to see your hand a bit through the opaque and smooth dough. But don’t stress about it; just try to make them as thin as you can.
Here Are Some Ways to Utilize Your Homemade Tortillas
- Wrap up your Cheesy Chorizo Burrito Skillet
- Make taco-sized torts for Tacos al Pastor!
- Make them part of your Enchiladas Suizas
- Overcooked them? No worries when you need a vessel for dip
- For Cuban Quesadillas
- Even for this dessert–Sweet Raspberry Chocolate Chip Quesadilla
Recipe Card 📖
Homemade Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (355 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 + 1 tablespoon cup (90 ml) oil (more for cooking the tortillas)
- 1 cup (240 ml) water, warm
Important
You can find step-by-step photos above in the post and/or right here on the recipe card. They’ll walk you through the process and make everything super clear! Just click the camera icon button below on the right to show or hide them. Turn them off before printing if you prefer a cleaner copy!
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- Mix the flour, salt, and oil in a large bowl to form a crumbly dough. Then, add water until you can form a ball. If necessary, add a little more water, one tablespoon at a time.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 5 minutes on a smooth, floured surface until soft and elastic. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 15 – 30 min or up to 1 hour.
- After resting, form each one into a ball in the palm of your hand. Then, on a floured surface, now roll out each ball to a size of about 8 inches (or 21 cm).
Cook the Tortillas:
- To cook, heat a heavy frying pan until steam rises. Grease the pan with oil. Then place one of the rolled-out tortillas in the pan and cook for 30 seconds until the dough bubbles and is golden brown, then flip and fry the other side for 30 to 45 seconds. Note: Do not let them get hard!!! Tortillas must remain soft enough that you can still roll them!!!
- Fry them all one by one and pile them up on a plate.
- The tortillas can be served warm or cold.
- Using a mixer with the dough hook is a good way to work this tortilla dough!
- Make sure to let the dough rest (at least for a little bit). Shrinking dough when rolling it out means you must let this rest longer.
- A rolling pin is the easiest way to spread out the dough properly to the correct thinness and shape.
- Let your tortillas steam each other. Stack them up directly after cooking and keep them covered with a kitchen towel. This helps them steam each other and get nice and soft. A tortilla warmer is also a great idea.
- Use these tortillas to meal prep breakfast burritos or lunch wraps for the whole week!
I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Hello!
What’s the trick to getting the rolled out tortilla into the frying pan without it stretching or sticking to itself? I made these once and they were delicious but pretty difficult to actually get them to the pan
Hello Linda- Thank you for your question! Getting rolled-out tortillas into the frying pan can be a bit tricky, but here are a few tips to help:
Use a Parchment Paper: After rolling out the tortilla, place it on a piece of parchment paper. You can then lift the parchment and easily flip it into the pan without stretching or sticking.
Flour Your Surface: Make sure to lightly flour your work surface and the rolling pin. This helps prevent the dough from sticking as you roll it out.
Keep Them Covered: If you’re making multiple tortillas, keep the rolled ones covered with a clean kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out.
I hope these tips help you get those tortillas into the pan with ease! If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out. Happy cooking!