Tortillas are really easy to make! You only need 3 ingredients, a bowl, a spoon, your hands and a frying pan. That's all!
This recipe is gluten, dairy and soy free and it's also vegan. The ingredients are really easy to get: cornmeal, salt and water. So cheap and easy!
We love Mexican cuisine and of course tortillas! But we prefer homemade tortillas. They are so much better than store bought, because you can choose the best ingredients and you make sure there are no chemicals, preservatives and additives in your food.
Authentic Mexican tortillas are made of a special cornmeal called masa harina, but here in Spain it isn't easy to get, so we use cornmeal. If you can use masa harina, lucky you!
These tortillas are perfect for tacos. If you want softer tortillas you can add 40 grams or 1,4 ounces of oil (we use extra virgin olive oil).
We recommend adding the water gradually because it's possible you're gonna need more or less water than us, it depends on the cornmeal you use.
In this photo you can see how we make tortillas, it's sooooo easy. If you don't have a tortilla press don't worry, we used a glass roasting pan.
You can make a lot of wonderful recipes with tortillas, our favorite recipe is baked tortilla chips, they are amazing! And we eat tortilla chips with our vegan cheese, yummy!
📖 Recipe
Corn Tortillas (Gluten Free)
Instructions
- Combine cornmeal and salt in a bowl. Add warm water gradually, you maybe need to add more or less water (it depends on the cornmeal you're using). It's important to use warm water, because if the water is cold, tortillas will break and if it's hot the dough will be very chewy. If at any point through the tortilla making process the dough seems too dry or too wet, add a little more water or cornmeal to the dough. You can mix the ingredients with a spoon first, and then you can use your hands. You should knead at least 3 or 5 minutes, or until dough is ready (look at the picture above).
- Take a piece of the dough and shape it into a ball the size of a plum. We made 15 balls from the dough.
- Take two pieces of plastic (we used a freezing bag). Place one piece of plastic on the table, place your dough ball, place another piece of plastic on top and press the tortilla with the glass roaster (or whatever you use). Make tortillas as thin as possible (1 or 2 millimeters or 1/10 inch thick).
- Place each tortilla on a medium hot skillet. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the tortilla does not look doughy.
Rhonda says
First attempt and they turned out great. I didn't change a thing. Thanks for the recipe. I will be making these often.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Rhonda! So glad you liked it 🙂
Brandon Warren says
HI, I have cornmeal here at home but I am not sure if it is pre-cooked. Is it necessary for it to cooked? If so how do I take cornmeal and cook it for it to be prepared to make tortillas. I ask this question because I am growing corn to make my own flour and would like more understanding on the process to make these tortillas! Thank you, Go Vegans
Al Larabee says
Great recipe. I made a small batch for openers about ten tortillas. They were great. It went well with the pinto bean soup. We toasted them in the oven with some vegan cheddar cheese.
My wife and I are 78 and 81 and became vegan four months ago. Best life-changing thing we've ever done and the results are well worth it.
Thanks for the delicious and easy directions.
Al Larabee
Iosune says
Hi Al! I'm so happy to hear that 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the tortillas. Have a nice day!
Ana says
I'm gonna try this recipe. I just want to know beforehand, what can I use these tortillas for? Burritos? Wraps? Quesadillas? I mean, can I fold them? Are they easy to handle?
Thank you so much! Lots of love from Uruguay.
Iosune says
Hi Ana! You can make any recipe that calls for tortillas. Do you know our Spanish blog? danzadefogones.com Just in case you prefer to read our recipes in Spanish 🙂
Katrin says
I just made these tortillas and oh(!!!) I LOVE them! Thank you very much for the recipe and clear instructions.
Iosune says
Hi Katrin! You're so welcome 🙂 Have a nice day!
Jacqueline says
I didn't read what oil u put in the pan before baking? So I used coconut oil.
Just baked them and they look very good. First time after 322 efforts I got some vegan gluten free tortillas that don't look like sand or fall apart like sand 😉 done with that. This looks far better. Can't wait to taste ;)))
Iosune says
Hi Jacqueline! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Lynz says
After a lot of trial and error, I was able to make tortillas using a modified version of this recipe. I used fresh ground cornmeal so the texture was very gritty, but it is hubby and kid approved 🙂 I used 1 cup of water and had to add a little extra cornmeal until it wasn't sticky, but was never able to make a knead-able dough. The plastic did not work. I tried foil and it still was to sticking too badly. Finally, I sprinkled cornmeal in my counter, placed a small ball of dough, and used my rolling pin. After I got it as flat as possible without sticking (very tricky), I used a spatula to scoop it onto the foil and transfer to my pan. I definitely think the type of cornmeal you choose will effect the ease at which you are able to make these. Ultimately, I will make these again and appreciate the effort you put into making this recipe and sharing it. Thanks!
Iosune says
Hi Lynz! Thanks a lot for the ideas! Have a nice week 😉
Andy says
As many have stated before, this recipe does NOT work if you use the wrong product. You state to use corn meal, but usually meal is very coarse and it won't stick together unless cooked (cf. polenta). Perhaps using corn flour only (not the starch, but the actual flour) might work, cannot say for sure, as I added it later to make an actual dough.
So, please, instead of apologising that the recipe did not work for someone, make a remark in the ingredients about the exact product you are using - perhaps the brand and the the fact that it is precooked?
Iosune says
Hi Andy! I'm so sorry the recipe didn't work for you 🙁 We used precooked white corn flour. Have a beutiful day!
Carolyn Donovan says
It's important to know that "corn meal" is not what is needed for this recipe. Straight corn meal won't give you the pliability/foldy-ness that tortillas have.
Masa harina is a pre-cooked type of corn meal, much more like flour than meal. Masa harina is what tortillas/wraps are made in Latin American countries. This is what you need to use.
Masa harina is available in many grocery stores throughout the US, including the brand that Iosune used. It is not expensive.
NOTE: Bob's Red Mill now sells both corn meal and masa harina.
Iosune says
Thanks a lot for your comment Caroly, it's really useful! 🙂
Jamie says
Are you sure it's corn meal and not corn flour? This was a failure. Corn meal and water makes a yellow cakey mess. Not a dough like your photo.
Iosune says
Hi Jamie! I used precooked corn meal. I'm so sorry your recipe didn't work 🙁