What’s better than homemade tacos? Homemade tacos on fresh, homemade Whole wheat tortillas. They’re actually pretty simple to make. They just require a bowl, a few simple ingredients and a little muscle. These are great for a variety of diets because they are made without oil. They are soft, healthy and taste great. If this is your first time making tortillas this is a great recipe to start with.
Since we’ve started making our own whole wheat flour tortillas, we don't even want to buy them anymore. These taste way better than the store bought kind, that taste like they were made from ground up cardboard. Knowing what is in our food is important to us. That's why we like to make stuff from scratch as much as we can. Whole wheat bread, whole wheat burger buns, whole wheat rolls, and whole wheat cornbread are other staples we like making from scratch.
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These tortillas are so simple to make. The dough comes together quickly, and rolling them out is a fun challenge to test your baking skills, and get a little workout in. It does take a little time to roll them all out, but it’s totally worth it. You could also make a double batch and freeze some for next time. We enjoy making them every time we do it. We prefer to hand roll our tortillas because it can be hard to get them thin enough in a tortilla press.
This recipe doesn’t use any oil, and it’s full of whole grains. You can call them healthy, and feel great about eating them every time. We recently got a new grain mill and the flavor that you get from freshly milled wheat is so delicious. It might take some getting used to if you’re new to whole wheat. Over time it grows on you and you start to realize what you were missing.
We’ve made these small for street sized tacos and filled them with carne asada, pickled veggies, spicy mayo and cilantro. We’ve made them big and loaded them with fajita mix. Oooh, now we want to make breakfast burritos with them, note to self to make those next. Pretty much anytime you want a tortilla, these will work.
What's Cool About This Recipe
- 100% whole grain: These are made using only whole wheat flour.
- Simple ingredients: There’s only 3 ingredients in this recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Whole white wheat flour: We usually use fresh milled hard white wheat or hard red wheat. High quality, fresh store bought white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour will work.
- Water: You will need hot water for this recipe.
- Salt: Any fine salt you like will work here.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
- Rolling pin
Variations
- Add a spritz of lime juice with the water.
- Add herbs to the dough when mixing in the water.
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, salt and hot water with a spoon until it's too stiff to stir. Using your hands, mix the dough till all the flour is incorporated. If the dough is too sticky add a little more flour, a teaspoon or 2 at a time. The dough should slightly stick to your hands but nothing crazy. Your tortillas will be more tender if the dough isn’t too stiff. Add a little water if it is too stiff.
Knead the dough for about 2 minutes with your hands to form a smooth, somewhat elasticky dough and to activate the gluten which gives the tortillas structure. Shape into a smooth dough ball, place in the same bowl, Cover with a towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Divide the dough into equal pieces. 25-30 grams for small or street size. 50-60 grams for regular size 8-10”. Shape the pieces into little balls and flatten them slightly. Try to make the edges of the balls smooth, it will help the tortillas roll out more uniformly. Place the small balls of dough on your work surface and cover with a damp kitchen towel so they don’t dry out. Heat a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over low-medium heat. Clear you a space to roll these babies out
Generously flour your surface and place a ball onto it, flattening it a little bit with your hands, flip it over and flatten it a little bit more with your hands. Grab your rolling pin and start to roll them thin. Flipping them over and re-flouring your surface when they begin to stick. I find that if they are starting to shrink while rolling them, flipping them over will help them stop shrinking and they will roll out thinner still. Roll each ball to about ⅛” thick or thinner.
Place the tortilla into the hot pan (without oil) for about 45 seconds on the first side and about 30 seconds on the second side. Be careful not to overcook them or they will be crispy and won’t roll up. (They're still yummy by the way, just eat them like a great big chip.) They should get light brown spots on them. Adjust the heat as you go to keep the tortillas cooking evenly.
Place the stack of cooked tortillas in a clean kitchen towel or cloth to keep them warm. If they are a little crisp you can put a damp dish towel or paper towel inside the towel with the tortillas.
Tip: Roll out the next tortilla as the first one is cooking. If your pan starts to burn, dump the excess flour out and wipe the surface quickly with a damp paper towel or cloth. Be careful not to burn yourself.
What to Make with Homemade Tortillas
- Tacos
- Burritos
- Breakfast burritos
- Fajitas
- Quesadillas
Storage
- Store leftovers in a ziploc bag at room temp for up to 3 days.
- Freeze in a freezer safe gallon ziploc bag for up to 2 months.
- Reheat by heating a skillet on low-medium heat. Place tortillas in the pan and heat for about 1 minute on each side. If they are a little stiff or crunchy, you can put a damp paper towel on top of the tortilla when heating or put the warm tortillas back in the ziploc bag with the damp paper towel.
FAQ
Yes, whole wheat tortillas freeze quite well. Place them into a resealable bag, squeeze out as much air as possible. Store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Nope, any flat surface pan will work great. You could even use an electric griddle, like you would use to cook pancakes.
You do not need a tortilla press to make these. A rolling pin works just as good if not better.
Tips From Our Kitchen
- Make sure the dough is not too stiff. You want it to be just slightly sticky and soft.
- Be careful to not overcook them if you want them to be pliable.
Related
📖 Recipe
Healthy Whole Wheat Tortillas without Oil
Ingredients
- 2 cups (256 g) Whole white wheat flour hard white wheat
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (210 g) Hot water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, salt and hot water with a spoon until it's too stiff to stir. Using your hands, mix the dough until all the flour is incorporated. If the dough is too sticky add a little more flour, a teaspoon or 2 at a time. The dough should slightly stick to your hands but nothing crazy. Your tortillas will be more tender if the dough isn’t too stiff. Add a little water if it is too stiff.2 cups (256 g) Whole white wheat flour, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (210 g) Hot water
- Knead the dough for about 2 minutes with your hands to form a smooth, somewhat elasticky dough. Form the dough into a smooth ball, place in the same bowl, Cover with a towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into equal pieces and shape into smooth balls, 25-30 grams for small or street size or 50-60 grams for regular size 8-10”. Cover the balls of dough with a clean damp cloth or a piece of plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.
- Heat a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over low-medium heat. Clear you a space to roll these babies out. Generously flour your surface and place a ball onto it, flatten it a little bit with your hands, flip it over and flatten it a little bit more with your hands. Grab your rolling pin and start to roll them thin. Flip them over and re-flour your surface if they begin to stick. If they start to shrink while rolling them, flipping them over will help them stop shrinking and they will roll out thinner still. Roll each ball to about ⅛” thick or thinner.
- Fry (without oil) for about 45 seconds on the first side and about 30 seconds on the second side. Be careful not to overcook them or they will be crispy and won’t roll up. They should have light brown marks on them. Adjust the heat as you go to keep the tortillas cooking evenly. If your pan starts to burn, dump the excess flour out and wipe the surface quickly with a wet paper towel or cloth. Be careful not to burn yourself though. Also make sure the heat isn’t turned up to high.
- Place the stack of cooked tortillas in a clean cloth or dish towel to keep them warm. If they are a little crisp you can put a damp paper towel inside the towel with the tortillas.
Notes
Nutrition
We calculate these nutritional facts using an estimate and they can vary drastically between ingredients used and measuring technique. So, they are not intended for medical use.
Marcy
Good recipe! I was looking for a recipe to make 100% whole wheat tortillas with no oil. I'll be making these again as soon as I eat the first batch!
WholeWheatKitchen
Thank you for letting us know! We’re glad you like them.
Becca
I think I may use my lefse rolling board when I make these, which will be soon!!!!!
WholeWheatKitchen
Oh, that’s a great idea! We would love to know how they turn out for you 🙂