Corn tortillas (masa harina)
Vegetarian
Tortillas de maíz
Fragrant, soft corn tortillas pressed from masa made from nixtamalised corn flour and water and cooked on a hot comal until they puff. Naturally made without wheat.
Corn tortillas (masa harina) is a Mexican bread from Mexico, ready in about 1 hour and made with masa harina. It serves 12 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- 20 min
- Total
- 1 h
- Serves
- 12
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 76
Method
Step 1
Mix the masa harina (opens in a new tab) and salt, then add warm water gradually and knead 2 minutes into a smooth dough that feels like soft play dough. Press a ball flat: if the edges crack badly, knead in a little more water.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Cover and rest 15–20 minutes to hydrate. Heat a griddle or heavy pan over medium-high heat. Divide the masa (opens in a new tab) into 12 balls (about 45 g) and keep them covered.
- 20 min
- medium-high heat
- Griddle / tawa (opens in a new tab)
- Cast-iron skillet (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels Step 3
Press each ball between two sheets of plastic (cut from a freezer bag) in a tortilla press, or under the flat base of a heavy pan, to a 14 cm round about 2 mm thick. Peel off the plastic.
Step 4
Lay on the hot dry pan: cook 30 seconds until the edges dry, flip and cook 45–60 seconds, flip again and press lightly with your fingers or a spatula so it puffs, 15–30 seconds. Stack in a towel or tortilla basket.
- 20 min
- medium-high heat
About this dish
- Origin
- Mexico · Well documentedCorn tortillas made from nixtamalised maize are a Mesoamerican staple.Also popular in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, United StatesMore food from Mexico
- Dish
- Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Toasted
- Taste
- earthy, mild, nutty
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · DASH-style - Good for
- Everyday · Budget-friendly
- Cook more with
- Masa harina
- Techniques
- Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Kneading
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
76 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 47 g · recipe makes 12
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 9%
- Carbohydrate 82%
- Fat 9%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 76 kcal | 162 kcal |
| Protein | 1.8 g | 3.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 16 g | 34.2 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 14.6 g | 31.3 g |
| Sugars | 0.3 g | 0.7 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 1.3 g | 2.9 g |
| Fat | 0.8 g | 1.6 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.1 g | 0.2 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 99 mg | 212 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.2 g | 0.5 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 55 mg
- Calcium
- 32 mg
- Iron
- 1.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 20 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 0 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 53 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- The first two flips sound fussy but they are what makes a corn tortilla puff and stay soft.
Common mistakes
- Dry masa gives cracked, crumbly tortillas; it should be moist but not sticky.
- Too low a heat dries them out before they puff.
Serve with
- Use for tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas or cut and fry into totopos.
Food safety
- Masa harina is naturally gluten-free but can be milled alongside wheat; choose a certified product for coeliac diets.
Storage
- Wrapped and refrigerated up to 5 days.
Reheating
- Warm on a hot dry comal a few seconds per side, or steam wrapped in a towel.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 20 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
Rest · about 20 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 20 min
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
- Start to finish: about 1 h. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
If something goes wrong
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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