Make Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas with just 4 ingredients and 30 seconds in the food processor (or 3 minutes kneading by hand). They are so much tastier than storebought tortillas! The tortilla dough comes together in just minutes with this recipe and making them is a snap: portion the dough, roll it out and cook in a dry skillet for a 30 seconds on each side. That’s it! Use homemade tortillas for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas (Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas with Green Enchilada Sauce), burrito bowls or even tortilla pizzas for a quick and fun dinner. They freeze beautifully, so double the recipe to make a big batch!
Before these, my attempts at homemade tortillas were marginal at best. But a post by Kate at Cookie and Kate inspired me to try again. She posted a simple and clever way to make oven baked tortilla pizzas in a cast iron skillet. She suggested buying whole wheat tortillas with just a few ingredients – skipping those that have a ridiculously long list. Great advice!
I’m always looking for ways to replace labeled food with homemade versions. It’s fun to look around your refrigerator and pantry and think, “Could I make that?” Sometimes you try and it’s not really worth the effort. For me, that’s sourdough bread. I had fun making sourdough starter and crusty loaves, but I’m just as happy to buy them from our local baker. Other foods though, like mayonnaise, marshmallows, and crackers are totally worth the effort. And now I can add one more to the list: whole wheat tortillas. And friends, if you’re interested in making your own tortillas, this is the recipe. It comes together in just a few minutes and the dough is delicious and utterly cooperative.
Once you’ve made the tortillas, maybe you’d like to make pizza? We made the classic Pizza Margherita – tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil. Fantastic and on the table before you think it’s possible. The only note I’d make is to preheat your cast iron pan before you add the tortilla and toppings. Click here for Kate’s post.
Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas Recipe Video
Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas
This recipe makes 6 10-inch tortillas, but you can easily double or even triple the recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour 240 g, such as King Arthur brand
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup bacon fat or non-hydrogenated shortening (such as Spectrum)
- 1/2 cup warm water
Instructions
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Add flour and salt toto the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add bacon fat or shortening and pulse until you have a coarse meal (6 or 7 pulses). Add warm water and process for 30 seconds, until the dough gathers into a ball. (If the dough is too dry, add more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time.) You want a moist but not sticky dough.
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Form the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (The gluten will relax and make the tortillas easier to roll out.)
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Now cook the tortillas, one by one. You’ll slip into a groove as you go – roll, cook, roll while you keep an eye on the one in the pan, repeat.
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Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a little ball between your palms. Sprinkle your work surface with a little flour. Press one ball into a disc and place on the work surface, keep the other balls covered with plastic wrap. Roll into a 10″ circle with a rolling pin, flipping the tortilla occasionally to keep it from sticking. Now move your work surface near your stove-top, if possible.
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Place a clean plate near your stove-top for stacking your cooked tortillas. Preheat a dry, cast iron skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add your first tortilla and cook for 20 to 30 seconds, until the top side starts to puff and bubble. Then flip and cook for 20 to 30 seconds more, taking care not to let it burn. Adjust your heat as needed. If your tortillas seem too stiff then the flour/oil/water ratio is a bit off. Don’t worry, just add a teaspoon of oil before you add each tortilla to make it more pliable.
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While the tortilla is cooking, roll out the next one. Make this a team effort if there is another willing party in the house – one person cooks, one person rolls. Repeat until all tortillas are cooked. Use and store as you would store bought tortillas. Makes 6 10-inch tortillas
Recipe Notes
You can also make this dough by hand by whisking the salt into the flour and cutting in the bacon fat or shortening. Then stirring in warm water and kneading the dough for 3 to 5 minutes until smooth. Let the dough rest and follow remaining recipe instuctions.
Hi, Thanks for sharing the recipe! I have found a real difficulty with my skillet. You have told that I should heat the skillet at medium heat but I ended up burning the tortillas. Can you suggest me any specific measure of heating tortillas?
Hi William! I’m so sorry that happened – I find that sometimes the heat seems to build after I’ve fried several tortillas and I need to drop the heat back a bit. That’s the best advice I can give to just watch closely and turn the heat down in small amounts as needed. Also there is no harm in giving the tortillas a couple of flips if you think one side might be getting too brown.
Thanks a Lot Marissa!
Do these turn out soft or crispy? I need soft tortillas to make breakfast wraps.
Hi Bea. These are soft and would be great For breakfast wraps!
Has anyone tried using coconut oil instead of shortening or bacon grease when making these? Also, has anyone added other seasonings to the dough like herbs or spices?
Hi Dana – coconut oil should work well in these! And you can add any seasonings you like. 🙂
Recipes described as delicious and utterly cooperative, and I, tend to become fast friends in the kitchen! This will be no exception! Homemade rocks! Pinned!
haha, you and me too Annie! xo
It’s been FOREVER since I made tortillas, Marissa! Like, it’s been so long I think I forgot! lol. Lucky for me I have YOU! AND I super awesome video tutorial! Wahoo! These look amazing, girlie! You know I just LOVE that bacon fat! And the fact these are so quick and easy to make is just all around winning in my book! Pinned! Cheers! XOXO
aww, thanks Sweets!
There’s nothing like a just-made, still-warm tortilla. These look incredible.
So true! Thank you, Jessie!
We definitely share that same love of cooking and wondering, “Hmmm…can I make that myself?” That has led me on some really fun adventures in the kitchen over the years! Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s always fun to experiment. I have made tortillas before, but never whole wheat tortillas. I’m totally going to try this sometime soon…we love a good soft taco night around here! 🙂
Boy is that the truth! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. 🙂 But when it does, it’s so gratifying. Thanks, David.
I’ve always been intimidated by homemade tortillas but you make it sounds totally possible. I need to try your method! They look so perfect :). Have a great week, Marissa!
Thanks, Kelsie! I promise it’s as easy as it looks!
I love simple stuff which doesn’t have a huuuuge list of the ingredients. If it comes to labeled food, I don’t have patience to go through the whole list (and they often sound scary and too complicated for my little brain haha). If it comes to cooking and buying ingredients, I prefer to keep it short too cause if the list is too long, I’ll definitely miss something. Besides, I do believe, if there’re some ingredients I cannot substitute for more available stuff – don’t bother:) I love these tortillas for being simple yet obviously delicious. Also, I’ve been having a kick on flatbread pizza, so now I’ve got to try how it works with a tortilla. Nice, Marissa!
Thanks, Ben! The tortilla pizzas are really a handy dinner – eating in about 5 minutes flat!
I love home made tortillas! Yes some things are so worth it being home made over store bought and these are one of them. I’ve made regular ones but not wholewheat-yet! 🙂
I hope you give them a go, Lorraine! The whole wheat definitely gives them a little extra flavor and texture – and the bacon fat doesn’t hurt either. 😉
I have yet to make homemade tortillas Marissa! You’re inspiring me with this recipe!
Thank, Mary Ann! I hope you give them a try! 🙂
Hi Marissa! We probably eat more tortillas than the average TN household. I have been making them for years and I have a cast iron tortilla press so I don’t even have to roll them out. I use it to make corn tortillas also. Haven’t made flour tortillas with whole wheat flour; don’t know why as I always have it on hand. I usually make them with shortening, but I always have bacon grease which can only make them better!! 🙂
That cast iron press sounds like a gem, Dorothy! I’ve never seen one before, but now I’ll keep my eye out. Thanks, friend!
I was literally thinking the other day if it was possible to make my own tortillas, since they’re a food that we eat A LOT of. I can’t wait to try yours out! It’s life changing when you realize how easy it is to make something that you’ve always just ended up buying (oh, and I’m with you on the sourdough) Cheers!
Isn’t that the truth, Katherine! 🙂 If you eat a lot of tortillas, you’ve got to try these! They’re pretty fun to do as a couple or a trio, so make a big batch!
These look just perfect. I’ve tried to make tortillas before but they never came out as malleable as the store-bought kind. I’ll definitely be giving these a try…just as soon as I get the cast iron pans I just ordered!
I had the same problem the first few times I tried!
Thank you for this recipe, i love tortillas !!!
I made my own tortillas a while back and I was amazed at how simple they were and as you say totally worth the effort! 😀
wow! These look AMAZING!!!! so much better than store-bought!
Thanks. Yes, and so easy.
I love my home made tortillas..
They are better, healthy and bealicious than any store brought one.
These look perfect!!
Hi, Reem – thank you!
Marissa, I am so excited to try making my own whole wheat tortillas! I like store-bought enough but yours look a lot better. Isn’t it crazy how many ingredients and preservatives can be found in store bought when homemade only requires four?
Thanks Kate. Yes, crazy!