Easy Yellow Corn Tortillas
These homemade yellow corn tortillas are made with just three simple ingredients and can be ready in about 20 minutes. Perfect for your favorite tacos, they bring a fresh, authentic flavor to your Mexican meal.
Corn tortillas are much easier to make than flour tortillas, and if you have a gluten allergy, corn tortillas are gluten-free. Just make sure the masa you use indicates gluten-free.
Ingredients for Corn Tortillas
It’s easy as 1, 2, 3!
- Masa Harina – I’m using yellow masa harina and was able to find it at my local grocery store or online. You can find Masa Harina in White and Blue corn.
- Salt– This will give the tortillas some flavor
- Warm Water– This is our mixing liquid and the heat from the water will allow the dough to be moist and soft.
To check if the masa is fully hydrated, take a small ball of it and press it down. If the edges are smooth, it is ready. If the edges are cracked, add a little more water and knead the mixture again. Repeat this process until the edges are no longer cracked when you press down on the ball.
How to Press the Tortilla
In the video, I show how to use a tortilla press and a square casserole dish to make the tortillas. You can see that they both turned out pretty similar in size and thickness.
You’ll need either a quart size zip top bag or parchment paper to place on the top and bottom of the dough. This will make it easier to remove and place on the griddle.
Tortilla Press– This helps make tortillas fast and effortless, but if you can’t stand the thought of buying another kitchen gadget, then you can still make great tortillas without one.
Square Casserole dish– I used this one, and with a little bit of maneuvering, I was able to create the same size tortilla as the one from the press. A glass pie dish would work too. Any dish with a heavy, flat bottom.
How to Cook Corn Tortillas
Traditionally, tortillas are cooked on a griddle or comal. My mother in law uses a stainless steel one.
Since I have an induction stove, I prefer to use a cast iron griddle. The low edges make it easy to flip the tortillas.
Whichever pan you decide to use, preheat it over medium heat. Don’t add any oil to the pan. The tortilla will release from the pan when it’s ready to flip.
The tortillas will need about 30-45 seconds per a side. If it’s sticking to the pan, then it needs more time. Remove the tortilla once it has developed some color.
How to Store Corn Tortillas
Freshly made corn tortillas need to be stored and kept warm to prevent drying. Since Yellow Masa Harina is less refined, it has a thicker texture compared to white corn tortillas.
Once you remove the tortillas from the griddle, wrap them in a kitchen towel and keep warm in a tortilla warmer, or wrap in a towel and place in a zip-top gallon bag.
If you have leftovers and need to store them, place them in a zip top bag and keep in the fridge. Reheat the tortillas on a pan or griddle. Another option is to wrap tortillas in a paper towel, then microwave for 20 seconds or until hot.
Tacos with corn tortillas
Yellow Corn Tortilla Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Yellow Masa Harina or use white masa harina
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Warm water
Instructions
- Place masa harina and salt into a mixing bowl and slowly add warm water. Use your hands to mix until incorporated. If the dough is too wet, then add more masa, a teaspoon at a time. Or if the dough feels too dry, add more water. Mix for about 2 minutes, form into a dough ball, and cover with a kitchen towel to prevent drying.
- Begin heating the skillet or comal over high heat. Test the masa by pinching a small piece, rolling it into a ball, and pressing down with your thumb. If the edges are smooth, it is ready. Otherwise, if the edges are cracked, it's not hydrated enough and needs more water.
- Have 2 pieces of parchment paper or a quart size zip top bag with the seams cut out.
- Tortilla Press Method- Place parchment paper or plastic bag on the bottom of the press. Place a 2 in round masa ball in the center. Top with other plastic or paper and press down gently on the handle.
- Baking dish method- Use a square casserole dish or pie dish (needs to have a flat bottom). Place parchment paper or a plastic bag on a flat surface. Place a 2 in round masa ball in the center. Top with other plastic or paper, then press down with a dish and jiggle the sides until an even round tortilla forms.
- Place the tortilla on the hot comal and cook for 30 seconds. If the tortilla does not come off the pan easily, allow it to cook longer. Once it can move freely on the pan, flip and cook another 30-60 seconds on the other side. You can flip it 2 more times if you want some charred marks on the tortillas.
- Wrap tortillas in a kitchen towel and place in a tortilla warmer or zip-top gallon bag until ready to serve. The steam will keep the tortilla warm and soft. Leftover tortillas can be stored in the fridge and reheated on the griddle.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and depends on ingredients and amounts used. Thai Caliente makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
