Our Best Recipe For Homemade Tortillas Using Masa Harina

White masa harina being pressed on a tortilla kit

A bag of our Heirloom Masa Harina (also known as masa flour or nixtamalized corn flour), plus water, a trusty tortilla press and a can-do attitude are all you need to make perfect corn tortillas at home. While a homemade loaf of sourdough takes hours (if not days) to achieve, homemade tortillas can be ready in mere minutes!

Check out the recipe below for perfect homemade heirloom corn tortillas and if you meet any trouble on your road to "puff" perfection, check out these tips to help you find your groove. 

Tortilla-Making Tips:
  • Not getting a puff? For additional hydration during the tortilla cooking process, we recommend using a spray bottle/mister to lightly hydrate each side of the tortilla (to prevent dryness and cracking). If you don't have a mister, just fill a little cup with water and use your fingers to flick droplets of water onto your tortilla. 
  • *Warm water (~100 degrees F, or the hot setting on your faucet) is recommended for mixing your masa, in order to begin blooming the natural flavor of the masa and to fully activate the small bits of pericarp (corn skin) in the masa flour (which help the masa bind, naturally).
  • Water can be substituted with other liquids such as stocks, broths, juices etc., depending on the desired flavor. Spices may also be added. Masienda respects tradition while encouraging creativity for all cooks.
  • 1 lb of Heirloom Corn Masa Harina yields approximately 2.4 lb of masa (38 tortillas per pound, or 84 tortillas in each 2.2 lb bag of Masienda Heirloom Corn Masa Harina).
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All Comments

BRENDA NELSON |

I just received my Kamol, seasoned it, and used my MASIENDA red corn masa harina to make tortillas. Best I have ever made. Thank you so much for sharing not only your products but your traditions and cooking techniques. #ILOVEMEXICO

RICHARD BURRIER |

I suppose you can use homemade Masa dough better than store bought and a bit more corny

DAVE BEEN |

In the video your tortilla instantly puffs up. Ours rarely do, although we were not flipping at 20-30 seconds, more like a minute. If flipping earlier doesn’t help do you think possibly using more water might help. We follow the recipe quite accurately.

Thank you

MASIENDA |

Hi Deglin! We haven’t tried it ourselves, but we’ve heard from folks that a stand mixer can work! We’d go with the paddle attachment since masa harina doesn’t have gluten like wheat flour, so a dough hook isn’t really needed. The paddle will help mix everything evenly without overworking it.

That said, masa harina comes together super easily by hand—just masa and water, and you’re good to go! If you do use a mixer, you might need to tweak the water a bit. Hope that helps!

DEGLIN KENEALY |

Can I use a mixer instead of hand-mixing? If so, should I use a paddle or a dough hook? Thank you.

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