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Have you ever tried homemade whole wheat flour tortillas before? Let me just say that the taste and texture are far superior to tortillas that come in a plastic bag at the grocery store. Honestly, they don’t even deserve to be called tortillas compared to the real thing!
Luckily, the tastiness of homemade tortillas justifies the effort it takes to make them. Up until now, almost all the recipes I have posted have been easy to make, but I must admit that this one is definitely an exception to the rule.
Featured Comment
My family LOVED it and said to never buy tortillas again. I ordered a tortilla press as not rolling these out on a regular basis! :-)
Are Whole Wheat Tortillas Easy to Make?
I will also say that I actually tried a couple of different methods for making whole wheat tortillas, and this is the easy (easier) version. Please trust me when I tell you…it is worth it!
Once the dough has been made, it takes me about 30 minutes to roll out and cook a dozen of these tortillas. Everyone in my family (including me) practically scarfs them down as soon as I make them, and if used as wraps they can add some variety to your lunch over typical sandwich bread.
Tips for Rolling Out Homemade Tortillas
Let the dough rest. I find the dough is easier to work with if it's been resting for about 30 minutes (covered by a towel or plastic wrap) before I begin working with it.
Use a rolling pin. A rolling pin is the easiest way to spread out the dough properly to the correct thinness and shape.
What Can You Use Whole Grain Tortillas For?
My (now 15) 3-year-old’s favorite combination (which she lovingly called a “roll-up”) was to have hummus and cheese wrapped up in her tortilla. I actually love a “roll-up” myself, although I usually add diced tomatoes, cucumbers, or spinach to mine. My kids also just like to snack on plain tortillas too, and if you have time to make a big batch then you can freeze some for later!
Whole grain tortillas can also be used to replace a variety of breads in sandwiches or other snacks. Here are some fun ideas to try:
Tortilla Pizza
Use a homemade tortilla as pizza crust: Spread homemade pizza sauce (pasta sauce or anything similar you have also works fine) over the tortilla, then top with cheese, veggies, or cooked meat. This is an easy way for your kids to have a real food "pizza" snack with whole grain crust and reasonable portions. See the Tortilla Pizza recipe for more tips and tricks!
Whole Grain Tortilla Pinwheels
Pinwheels are another great snack for kids, especially picky eaters who need some coercing when it comes to vegetables. They’re also fun for parties and potlucks! Spread out your favorite fillings, roll up, and slice.
Quesadilla Style Grilled Cheese
You can also make these homemade veggie quesadillas with these whole wheat tortillas, but sometimes you just want some good ol' cheese. Thinly slice some organic cheese and place it on half of the tortilla. Fold and fry with a pat of butter until cheese melts.
You can also add vegetables like onions, zucchini, peppers, spinach, and tomatoes. Or, slice and serve with tomato soup.
Easy Breakfast Wraps
Breakfast wraps can be made fresh or ahead of time and frozen for an easy, filling breakfast idea. Add scrambled eggs, cheese, and your favorite meat and vegetables.
Can I Use This Recipe to Make Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips?
If you’re looking for a delicious, real food treat, these whole wheat tortillas can be baked into chips! It’s easy; no deep frying required. Enjoy on their own, or serve with fresh salsa.
- Make the whole wheat tortillas following the recipe directions and let them cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- While the oven heats, slice your tortillas into chip-sized pieces (about 6) with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
- Lightly spray or brush them with olive oil and lightly salt.
- Bake for 7 minutes.
- Flip the chips and lightly oil and season the other side.
- Bake again for another 5-7 minutes, until crisp.
You can also make these chips in an air fryer. The method is the same, just adjust the cooking time to 3 minutes per side.
How to Store Whole Wheat Tortillas
Cool tortillas completely before storing them to keep them from getting mushy. Then just place them into an airtight container or bag and store in the fridge or freezer. Homemade tortillas will keep in the fridge for a week and can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Whole-Wheat Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour)
- ½ cup avocado oil (or other oil)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water (heated in the microwave for 1 min)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer set with a dough hook, pour in the flour, oil and salt. Beat with the paddle until crumbly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed. If your hand-held mixer comes with dough hooks those can be used as well.
- With the mixer running, gradually add the warm water and continue mixing until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Take out the dough and divide it into 12 equal sized pieces. I do this by making the dough into a big log shape that is about 8 – 10 inches long. Then I cut it in the middle. Then I cut each of those pieces in the middle and so on until you have 12 pieces.
- Using the palms of your hand roll each piece into a round ball and flatten it out on a baking tray or board. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour.
- Heat a cast iron skillet, griddle or 12-inch skillet over med-high heat. The pan should be fairly hot before you begin cooking the tortillas.
- On a lightly floured board or counter top, use a rolling pin to turn each ball into a 8 to 10 inch flat circle (measure against your recipe if printed on a 8.5X11 sheet of paper). Be careful not to use more than a teaspoon or two of flour when rolling out each ball into a tortilla because too much excess flour will burn in the pan.
- Grease the pan with a touch of oil (or ghee) and then carefully transfer each tortilla, one at a time, to the pan and cook until puffy and slightly brown, about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Set aside on a plate to cool slightly. Eat within an hour, refrigerate or freeze.
Catherine says
Just made these! So easy, fast and came out great. I did use coconut oil instead of avocado only because I didn't have any. Made tonight for dinner tomorrow. Hope they hold up well in refrigerator overnight.
Prashanthi says
Just a few tips . One tip to make soft tortillas is adding milk instead of water. Milk makes the tortillas more soft and fluffy. And also leaving the dough for 30 minutes before rolling to tortillas with make them much softer. You can also add flax or sesame powder for extra nutrition. Sesame powder makes them look like white flour tortillas in color.
Jessica says
Hey,
I made these tonight and the flavor, colour and size were all perfect. But for some reason they didn't bend nicely and ended up cracking. Did i do something wrong or were they just not thin enough? How do other people keep them warm who don't have the tortilla warmer container?
Jessica
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. It is hard to know what might have gone wrong. They tend to improve with practice. It is easy to use too much flour when rolling them out and then they can become too dry. Before I bought a really inexpensive tortilla warmer, I would keep them warn between two ceramic plates (face to face) that I had heated in the microwave. It always worked well. :) ~Amy
Lara says
I made these tonight but they were too oily. I grind my own soft white wheat berries. Would this make a difference? I still enjoyed the taste. Suggestions? More flour? Add some baking powder?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Lara. I just add a bit more flour when rolling them out. ~Amy
Amanda says
So i tried to make these today and i did something wrong. My dough was really sticky. I had a hard time rollimg it out and when i cooked them they still tasted like dough. Any suggestions?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Amanda - I'm not sure of course but you may have used too much water or forgotten to sprinkle some flour before rolling. As far as the taste, sounds like you didn't cook them long enough or over a high enough heat. We let the cast iron skillet get pretty hot before we start. - Jason
Tiffany says
My girlfriend makes these all the time and loves them! I wanted to try with Teff flour instead of whole-wheat. Is that a possibility?
Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Tiffany. We've not tried that but we love when our readers experiment and share their results! :) ~Amy
Amanda says
I made these this afternoon. They turned out really good. I think they needed to be a bit thinner though. I also used half the oil and used coconut oil instead of avocado.
Jeanie says
Just a suggestion to those who might want to make these regularly. A tortilla press is not an expensive piece of equipment. I think I bought one for $12.99 at a regular grocery store.
Leslie Felder says
Do you have to cook these before freezing or can you seperate them "raw" with parchment paper and freez them and cook as needed?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Leslie. I've not tried that but I suppose it would work. ~Amy
Emily Yessick says
Other than getting the shape down…these weren't too hard! Great recipe and my son loves them. I will now incorporate this into my staple homemade goods for the freezer! Thanks and keep up the great website.
Amber Riddle says
Does a tortilla press work with the whole what tortillas like the corn or do you have to roll these out?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Amber. I've used a press with these but have always ended out rolling them, too, in order to get them thin enough. ~Amy
Lisa says
This recipe sounds amazing! My only problem is that I don't have a mixer or a dough hook. How do I make it without these items? I am asking because I have a tendency to mess things up when I don't ask!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Lisa. You can make these by hand. Just follow the recipe and consider yourself the dough hook. :) ~Amy
pat says
did any one try this with regular whole wheat?. the whole sheat white is too hard for me. we like the soft wheats. let me know.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Pat. I make these with white whole wheat all the time. My family loves them. ~Amy
Michele says
For all the non-oil users, if you follow the recipe above and omit the oil and add 1/2 tsp of baking powder you will make fantastic tortillas. I just made a batch and I can't taste the difference between "regular" white flour tortillas and these.
Andrea says
Hello~
I was wondering about how long these can be refrigerated and/or frozen for. Also, what is the best way to package them for the freezer and refrigerator? Looking forward to trying this recipe, thank you for posting it!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Andrea. These freeze well in an airtight container or bag. I usually separate them with wax or parchment. ~Amy
Amber says
I had left over Slow Cooker Pulled Pork from last night so, I made these tortillas with the family and made quesadillas . SOOOO good!! I mixed the dough with a wooden spoon and kneaded it about 10 when it was to hard to mix with a spoon. For those wondering about coconut oil, I used 1/2 cup of organic virgin coconut oil (because I couldn't find avocado) and it came out AMAZING!! It gave it a very light, fresh sweetness that wasn't overwhelming. That you for 2 wonderful dinner dishes! We can't wait to try more :)
Michelle says
I made these yesterday to go with the fajitas recipe and then used the left overs for quesadillas tonight. They were great. I didn't roll them out quite as big as the recipe suggests and they cooked great. I did find some were a little thinner than others and they did get crispy faster but still excellent. I used olive oil for mine and it worked fine but they did seem very greasy when working with them but tasted great when done. Thanks for the recipe :)
Kelly says
I made these tonight & they were absolutely delicious!! However, I had trouble with them stretching out so fast as I peeled them off the parchment paper to transfer them to the cast iron skillet. So they would get holes & stretch too long to fit in the pan. I tried a few more, not rolling them out very thin, but then they're more like the thickness of a pita than a tortilla. Any suggestions on transferring them to the pan without ruining the shape & thickness of them? Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kelly. I promise it just takes a bit of practice. My first try produced some fraken-tillas but they tasted great! And, when you roll them out, they are not going to be perfectly round. Use enough flour to keep it loose underneath but not so much that it will burn in the pan. Keep at it. :) ~Amy
Tonya says
What other oils do u recommend? Could I use olive oil or coconut oil?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Tonya. Yes, I’ve made them with olive oil. I have not attempted making them with coconut oil but am certain that you can. Enjoy. ~Amy
Andrea says
I just made my first batch of these, and they are amazing! This is definitely going to be a new staple in my house. One piece of equipment that I used that was absolutely amazing was my Pampered Chef Pastry Mat. I didn't need to use any flour when I rolled them out, and it's so flexible that I just folded the rolled out tortilla over my hand and pulled the mat away. Amazing!
http://new.pamperedchef.com/pws/andrealuong/product/1718
Denisa says
What setting should the griddle be on to cook these? 350 or higher? Thanks for a great easy recipe.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Denisa. Med-High is usually somewhere between 350 and 400. ~Amy
Robin says
These are amazing. I made the tortillas with olive oil and was really happy with the results
Uttam.singh says
I lickey.mor.good.recipe.tortilia.brik.fast
Kirsten says
There's a mistake in your recipe about cutting the dough into 12 pieces. If you do it the way you describe it will make 16 pieces. You should start by cutting the log of dough into thirds, then cut those pieces in half, and then in half again. The first time I tried this I cut it according to the directions and saw I had 16 pieces but wasn't sure if the error was in the number (was it supposed to be 16 instead of 12?) or the directions. But with 16 pieces there wasn't enough dough to roll out. So I had to do it all over.
The tortillas were very good though!
Andreia says
This recipe looks easy but I do not own a mixer with a dough hook. Could I make any other way?
Tonya says
I don't have a mixer with dough hooks either, did u get a response to your post?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Ladies. Sorry that I missed the earlier question. You can totally do this by hand. ~Amy
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Renee says
So easy & so delicious. Will definitely make again!
Becky says
These were pretty good. Personally I'd add more salt next time because I found they didn't have much flavor at all, but that's a personal preference. Also, my dough was way too wet with a full cup of water. I had to add about 2 more tablespoons of flour to get it to the right consistency. Watch the dough as you're adding the water. I had a feeling I wouldn't need the last bit of water I put in, but wanted to follow the recipe.
Kari says
When I freeze the tortillas, do I need to put wax paper between the tortillas so they don't stick together? I was thinking of placing a piece of wax paper between them and sliding them into a gallon Ziploc.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kari. I typically put parchment between mine. In a hurry last week, however, I threw some in a bag without paper and they did not stick. ~Amy
Michele says
If you let the tortillas cool between a tea towel - until all the heat is gone they shouldn't stick together. I make a dozen or more at a time and put them in a large ziploc bag and into the refrigerator.
Erin says
Why do you use the tortilla press for corn tortillas, but not for the whole-wheat version? is there something about the whole-wheat that doesn't work as well in the press? I'm thinking about buying one, but it doesn't seem worth it if I'm not using it for all the tortillas I plan to make.
Thanks,
Erin
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Erin. I've used a press for these and it does help with the shape a bit. I usually also role them out a little, too, in order to get them thin enough. ~Amy
Ali says
I was wondering the same thing!
Aimee says
Question - these turned out like crackers for me. What am I doing wrong?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Aimee. That sounds like you might have gotten the ingredient amounts wrong? Maybe give it another try. Be sure you are using enough oil and that your flour is fresh. ~Amy
Bri says
Aimee,
My first tortilla turned out like a cracker as well. I Know I used the right measurements so I tried out another one...same thing. My second one had parts where it was like a tortilla and the rest was really crispy like a cracker again. I realized that I was rolling them too thin, if that was even possible. When I divided the dough I ended up with 16 pieces instead of 12 thus resulting in really thin tortillas that crisped up too fast. I started rolling them slightly thicker (not by much though!) and they turned out beautiful! :) Hope this helps!
Becky says
Aimee,
Watch your temperature as well. All stoves are different. I ended up using medium to low heat, because my first tortilla was crisping up too quickly.
Erin says
Totally love this recipe! These are delicious! My 3 year old had so much fun rolling them out:) Thank you for yet another fabulous recipe! Never buying packaged tortillas again.
Holli says
I don't have a stand mixer...can I do this by hand or with a hand mixer?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Holli. If it has a dough hook, it might work okay. If not, it can be pretty tough on a hand mixer's motor. ~Amy
henry says
Holly, mix dry ingredients thoroughly by hand add oil and knead until oil is incorporated and ball forms and stays together somewhat "doesn't crumble" and add water knead into ball again. rest ball covered 10/15 min. roll 1" diameter ball into disc. let set under wrap additional 5/10 min. and flatten and form. fry enjoy.
Bonnie says
These are fabulous. I normally make my own flour tortillas, I just don't like the store bought ones. Now, I'm really trying to omit white flour from my diet. I came across this recipe and tried it. Absolutely wonderful. I did make a slight adjustment to the oil. Calls for 1/2 cup. I used 1/4 cup Olive Oil & 1/4 Canola. The flavor rocks. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
Katelyn says
I am so excited to try them!! After you freeze them, how do you unfreeze them? Does the texture change? Thank you! :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Katelyn. I usually defrost what I need in the fridge overnight. I've not noticed a big change in texture. I think they stay more fresh when you freeze vs refrigerating. ~Amy
Dee says
I still can't believe that I made tortillas, which were fantastic! Followed the recipe as written with great results. Thanks for sharing!
Michelle says
How long do they last after you make them and store in the fridge?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Michelle. They will be okay for a few days. I usually store them in the freezer to keep them fresh. ~Amy
Sharon says
I can't believe I now think whole wheat tortillas taste better than regular white flour tortillas. These are amazing!!!
Maria says
Made these yummy tortillas an my family loved them!!!Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Laura says
I'm entering the realm of home made bread products ... this will be on the list. I recently got an amazing enchilada sauce recipe that now means my husband and I are addicted to enchiladas (will have to be a bi-weekly menu item). So once something becomes a staple, I have to make it clean ... and store bought tortillas are tough to find that are good and minimal ingredients. Wish me luck, I'll start with your recipe and see how it goes.