Homemade Tortilla Shells with Only 4 Ingredients

Making tortilla shells at home is much easier than you would think. And with only 4 common ingredients, they are easy for your next taco night!

Tortilla Shells have such a wide variety of uses. We use them for so many different recipes such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, sandwich wraps, and they can be baked into tortilla chips. 

I’ve always bought tortilla shells from the store because I didn’t think it would be easy to make soft homemade flour tortillas. I was so wrong!

In trying to reduce our waste in the kitchen, I’ve been trying to find how to make more things from scratch that we typically buy at the grocery store. Tortilla shells are usually packaged in plastic that can’t be recycled in most places. And since they sit on the shelf, there is usually some type of preservative in them to keep them fresh longer. 

The recipe I found and based mine on uses only four simple ingredients. I was so happy to see that it’s all things that I typically have on hand at all times. 

From now on, unless we are in a huge rush, I will probably be making my own delicious tortillas for every meal. They only take about 30 minutes and are amazing when they are fresh and still soft and warm. 

The first time we made the homemade tortilla shells was for my Spinach and Artichoke Quesadillas. It added just the right amount of bread to the shells and was amazing! I can’t wait to try them with other recipes, especially for Cinco de Mayo food. 

Making fresh tortillas by hand means they aren’t always perfect like the store-bought tortillas. But they taste better and have good basic ingredients. To make them a bit more uniform, you could use a tortilla press if you have one. I tend to use either a rolling pin or you can use the palm of your hand. 

Homemade Tortilla Shells Step by Step

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt together. Then pour in the water and oil. Stir everything together until it starts to form a dough ball. 

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 10-12 times, or until the dough fully comes together. Then let the dough rest for about 10 minutes. 

Divide the tortilla dough into eight equal portions. Get them as close as possible to have shells the same size. I find a pastry cutter works well for this. 

Take each portion and use a rolling pin to roll it out on the floured surface until it is about a 7-inch circle. If you make them a bit bigger, the shells will be thinner, but should still work. 

Heat a large nonstick skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Place the first tortilla in the hot skillet and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the bottom surface starts to get golden brown spots. 

Repeat with the remaining dough until they are all cooked and ready to eat!

Leftovers

Storage: Store leftover soft tortillas in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers. They are best kept at room temperature for 2-3 days. Make sure the cooked tortillas aren’t still warm when you store them. If you stack tortillas without the paper between they often end up stuck together. 

Reheating: For best results, reheat the tortillas in a skillet or oven for a few minutes until just warmed through.

Recipe

Tortilla Shells

Making tortilla shells at home is much easier than you would think. And with only 4 common ingredients, they are easy for your next taco night!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Course:

Homemade Staple

Cuisine:

American

Keyword:

flour

|

tortilla shells

Servings: 8 tortilla shells

5 from 7 votes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Recommended Equipment

• Sifter
• Mixing Bowls – Stainless Steel
• Skillet

Instructions

• Sift the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl
• Add the water and oil
• Stir until a dough starts to form
• Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead about 10-12 times
• Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes
• Divide the dough into eight even pieces
• Roll each piece out into a 7-inch circle
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat
• Place one tortilla in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until light brown
• Repeat with each tortilla until they are all cooked
• Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days

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Nutrition Facts

Tortilla Shells

Amount Per Serving (1 tortilla)

Calories 160 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Sodium 147mg6%

Potassium 33mg1%

Carbohydrates 23g8%

Protein 3g6%

Calcium 5mg1%

Iron 1.5mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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