Corn vs Flour Tortillas: How They Differ and When to Use Each

Corn tortillas are made from corn that has been cooked in limewater and ground into masa, then pressed and griddled with only water and salt. Flour tortillas are wheat flour, water, fat and salt, usually with baking powder. Everything else follows from that. Corn tastes toasty, stiffens and cracks when it is cold, and contains no wheat. Flour is mild, soft and stretchy, and it contains gluten. By USDA figures, a 24 g corn tortilla has 52 calories and 11 mg of sodium, while a 6-inch flour tortilla has 92 calories and 221 mg. Corn is the traditional choice for tacos, enchiladas and anything fried; flour is the one for burritos and wraps that have to close around a big filling.

Corn vs flour tortillas, side by side

• Made from: corn treated with lime and ground to masa, plus water and salt; or wheat flour, water, fat, salt and usually a leavener.
• Taste: corn is earthy and toasty; flour is mild, a little rich from the fat.
• Texture: corn is soft when fresh and turns stiff as it cools; flour stays soft and bends without cracking.
• Size: corn tortillas are about 15 cm (6 inches) across, according to Wikipedia's tortilla entry, while flour tortillas run from 15 to 60 cm.
• Gluten: corn has none naturally. Flour is wheat.
• Best for: corn for tacos, enchiladas, tostadas and chips; flour for burritos, wraps, rolled pinwheels and most US-style quesadillas.

How corn tortillas are made: masa and nixtamalization

Corn tortillas start with nixtamalization. Dried field corn is cooked and then steeped in an alkaline solution, usually limewater made with calcium hydroxide (cal in Spanish), then washed and hulled. Ground fresh, the soaked corn becomes masa, the dough. Dried and powdered, it becomes masa harina, which you mix back to a dough with water; the tortilla entry says masa harina is the more common method in the United States.

Skip the lime and there is no tortilla. Wikipedia's nixtamalization entry explains that cornmeal ground from untreated corn cannot form a dough when water is added, while nixtamalized corn can, which is why a bag of ordinary cornmeal will not make tortillas. The soak changes the nutrition too: it makes the niacin in corn available to the body, and the entry reports it can raise the corn's calcium by 750%. Places that took up corn without the lime step, including northern Italy and the southern United States, suffered pellagra, a niacin-deficiency disease.

On a package, the lime shows up as "corn treated with lime" in the English ingredient list or maíz nixtamalizado in the Spanish one. Wikipedia's corn tortilla entry describes the dough itself as a simple mix of ground hominy, salt and water.

How flour tortillas are made

A flour tortilla is an unleavened wheat flatbread, pressed and cooked like a corn one. The flour tortilla entry gives the simplest recipes as flour, water, fat and salt, and says commercial ones generally add a leavener such as baking powder. King Arthur Baking's flour tortilla recipe makes eight 8-inch tortillas from 300 g of bread flour, half a teaspoon of salt, 57 g of lard or solid refined coconut oil and 170 g of warm water.

In that dough, the tortilla entry says, the fat works as shortening and changes the flavor and texture, while the water develops the gluten in the flour. Gluten is what lets a flour tortilla roll out thin and wide and fold around a burrito filling. Masa has none, and a cold corn tortilla cracks when it is folded or rolled.

Taste and texture

King Arthur Baking's 50/50 corn and flour tortilla recipe sums up the pair in one line: it is after "the deep, toasty flavor of fresh corn tortillas but the flaky, puffy richness of great wheat ones." The recipe blends the two, a cup of each, for cooks who want corn flavor with some of flour's give. On their own, corn tastes of corn and flour is milder and more neutral.

They differ most in texture. The tortilla entry says corn tortillas are soft while fresh but rapidly lose that texture, while flour tortillas stay soft and pliable and keep longer. The corn tortilla entry adds that corn tortillas are customarily eaten warm, because once cool they often turn rubbery or grainy as the cooked starches stale. That is why a corn tortilla from the fridge is stiff, and why a minute or two of steam brings it back.

Which came first, corn or flour tortillas?

Corn, by about 3,000 years. Wikipedia's burrito entry says the Maya were wrapping food in corn tortillas as early as 1500 BC. The Aztecs called the flatbread tlaxcalli, and the Spanish named it tortilla, "little cake", after the round unleavened cakes of home. Wheat did not grow in the Americas until the Spanish brought it; the flour tortilla entry says it was first planted around Mexico City in 1523, and the flour tortilla came after.

The familiar story puts its invention in the dry north of Mexico, where corn supposedly grew badly. Wikipedia files that under folk history: most of Mexico's wheat grew in central Mexico until the mid-20th century, and a flour tortilla recipe appears in an 1845 cookbook of mainly central and southern Mexican dishes. Today flour tortillas are a staple of Sonora, Sinaloa and Chihuahua and the Southwestern US, and in much of the United States the word tortilla means flour.

Which tortilla to use for each dish

Tacos

Corn is the traditional taco tortilla. The taco entry describes a small hand-sized tortilla, corn or wheat, folded around a filling, and the tortilla entry notes that a 10 cm (4-inch) corn tortilla is called a tortilla taquera, the taco maker's tortilla, in parts of Mexico. Grilled tacos de asador are served on two overlapped small tortillas, which is also the easy fix for a juicy filling that would soak through one. For birria, the birria entry says the stew is often served with corn tortillas.

The shredded beef tacos on this site leave the choice to you: the recipe lists just "tortillas" and says to warm them. The filling is barbacoa style: 2 lbs of stewing beef, seared, then simmered covered for 4 to 5 hours in a blended sauce of chipotle peppers, crushed tomatoes, garlic, vinegar and lime juice with 2 cups of beef broth, and shredded back into that sauce. Beef that saucy suits two warm corn tortillas per taco, topped the way the recipe tops them, with guacamole, pickled onions, cilantro and lime. The recipe's notes say the beef also works in burritos, and for that you want a large flour tortilla.

Enchiladas

In Mexico an enchilada is corn by definition. The enchilada entry describes a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a savory sauce, and gives the Royal Spanish Academy's definition: a rolled maize tortilla stuffed with meat and covered with a tomato and chili sauce.

The chicken enchiladas here roll 8 large tortillas around chopped chicken breast cooked with onion, red bell pepper and canned green chilis, and the recipe's introduction names soft corn tortillas. Its FAQ answers the corn-or-flour question directly: corn is traditional and gives the proper flavor and texture but needs warming so it doesn't crack, while flour is easier to roll and softer, so use it if that is what you prefer or have on hand. The recipe warms corn tortillas in a damp towel in the microwave for 30 seconds, or quickly in a hot dry pan.

The beef enchiladas call for large tortillas without naming the type. They are filled with a pound of seasoned ground beef cooked with onion and red bell pepper, plus shredded cheese, then rolled, set seam-side down on homemade sauce with more sauce and cheese over the top, and baked for 15 to 20 minutes at 350°F. Corn gives you the classic dish, and flour is the easier roll. The sides for both are in what to serve with enchiladas.

Burritos, wraps and fajitas

Burritos are flour. The burrito entry describes a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylinder around the filling, a dish that took form in Ciudad Juárez, and says the tortilla is sometimes lightly grilled or steamed first to make it pliable and help it stick to itself. A 6-inch corn tortilla is too small for the job. What US stores sell as a wrap is, per the tortilla entry, a whole-wheat tortilla, often flavored, named that way to play down the link to Mexican food. Fajitas, a Tex-Mex dish, go on flour or corn, according to the fajita entry.

Rolled and sliced: kebab rolls

The kebab rolls on this site show why flour is the default for anything rolled tight and cut. The recipe spreads a thin layer of raw beef seasoned with Turkish pepper flakes, paprika, onion and parsley over a whole large tortilla, rolls it up tightly, cuts it into pieces about 1 inch thick and threads them onto skewers, then bakes them at 400°F for 30 minutes, flipping halfway, until the edges go golden and crisp. A large flour tortilla bends into that spiral without cracking, and it is the tortilla the recipe's FAQ has in mind: it offers lavash as the more traditional wrapper and says lavash crisps up even more than a flour tortilla. The same FAQ suggests chilling the rolls for about 20 minutes before slicing so they hold their shape.

Quesadillas

Either, depending on where you are. The corn tortilla entry lists quesadillas among Mexico's corn tortilla dishes, and the quesadilla entry describes the central and southern Mexican version as a tortilla warmed on a comal, filled with cheese, folded and heated until the cheese melts. Flour quesadillas belong to northern Mexico, where they are filled with Chihuahua cheese, and to the United States, where Monterey Jack or Cheddar goes between flour tortillas on an oiled griddle.

Tostadas, chips and taquitos

For frying, use corn. The corn tortilla entry says corn tortillas are the ones deep-fried into tortilla chips, and the taco entry describes taquitos as rolled and fried and tostadas as tortillas fried before they are topped. Flour tortillas fry too; the tortilla entry mentions taco bowls.

Corn vs flour tortilla nutrition, per tortilla

Size decides most of this comparison, because flour tortillas come much larger. These figures are worked out per tortilla from the per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central's SR Legacy entries:

• Corn tortilla, 24 g, the weight entry 175036 gives for one tortilla (the unsalted version, entry 173241, weighs a medium 6-inch corn tortilla at 26 g): 52 calories, 0.7 g fat, 10.7 g carbohydrate, 1.5 g fiber, 1.4 g protein, 11 mg sodium.
• Flour tortilla, 6-inch, 30 g (entry 175037, refrigerated): 92 calories, 2.4 g fat, 14.8 g carbohydrate, 1.1 g fiber, 2.5 g protein, 221 mg sodium.
• Flour tortilla, 10-inch burrito size, 72 g (same entry): 220 calories, 5.8 g fat, 35.6 g carbohydrate, 2.5 g fiber, 5.9 g protein, 530 mg sodium.
• Whole wheat tortilla, 41 g (entry 174081): 127 calories, 4.0 g fat, 18.8 g carbohydrate, 4.0 g fiber, 4.0 g protein, 253 mg sodium.

Per 100 g, corn has 218 calories to refrigerated flour's 306, 6.3 g of fiber to 3.5 g, and 45 mg of sodium to 736 mg. Flour has more iron (3.63 mg per 100 g against 1.23) and more calcium (146 mg against 81). The tortilla entry notes that tortillas are often fortified with vitamins and minerals, and that corn is harder to fortify because added ingredients strongly affect the masa.

Are corn tortillas healthier than flour?

On the measures most people check, yes. A doubled corn taco, two 24 g tortillas, comes to about 105 calories and 22 mg of sodium. One 10-inch flour tortilla is 220 calories and 530 mg of sodium before anything goes in it. Gram for gram, corn carries close to twice the fiber of white flour and about a third of the fat. The Whole Grains Council's 2017 piece on corn in Mexico adds that masa is often grouped with whole grains, because nixtamalization does so much for the availability of the grain's nutrients, even though a very small amount of bran may rinse away in the limewater.

Flour has more protein per gram (8.2 g per 100 g against 5.7), plus the iron and calcium above.

What's the healthiest tortilla you can eat?

For the fewest calories, the least fat and the least sodium, the USDA entries put plain corn first. For the most fiber in one tortilla, whole wheat leads, with 4.0 g in a 41 g tortilla against 1.5 g in a corn tortilla and 1.1 g in a 6-inch white flour one, though it also carries 253 mg of sodium and 4 g of fat. Per gram, white flour has the least fiber of the three: 3.5 g per 100 g, against 6.3 g for corn and 9.8 g for whole wheat. Packaged tortillas vary by brand and size, so the Nutrition Facts panel on the one you buy is the figure to go by.

Can I eat tortillas with diabetes?

The American Diabetes Association's Diabetes Plate counts tortillas as a carbohydrate food. On its Diabetes Food Hub, the ADA says "limiting your portion of carbohydrate foods to one-quarter of your plate can help keep blood glucose from rising too high after meals," and lists whole grain bread, pasta and tortillas among the foods for that quarter. Size moves the carbohydrate count a long way: the USDA figures above give 10.7 g for a corn tortilla, 14.8 g for a 6-inch flour tortilla and 35.6 g for a 10-inch one. How many fit your own plan is a question for your doctor or dietitian.

Are corn tortillas gluten-free?

Corn itself is. Beyond Celiac says corn in its natural form is gluten-free, lists hominy, the lime-soaked corn tortillas are made from, as a gluten-free corn product, and advises buying corn flour labeled gluten-free whenever possible, because cross-contact can occur during manufacturing.

Two checks follow. Read the ingredient list, because some tortillas mix the two grains: the King Arthur 50/50 recipe above is part wheat flour, and the tortilla entry describes the salbute as a fried tortilla made of both masa and wheat flour. If you have celiac disease, look for a gluten-free label as well. Under the FDA's rule, a food labeled gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. Flour tortillas are wheat and contain gluten; gluten-free tortillas made from other flours are sold too, and they need the same label check.

How to warm tortillas so they don't crack or tear

Corn tortillas

Corn needs steam. This is Rick Bayless's microwave method for reheating corn tortillas, written for a dozen:

1. Dribble 3 tablespoons of water over a clean kitchen towel and wrap the cold tortillas in it. Damp paper towels work too.
2. Slide the bundle into a microwaveable plastic bag and fold the top over without sealing it.
3. Microwave at 50% power for 4 minutes, then let it stand for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

His steamer version uses about half an inch of water in a vegetable steamer: wrap no more than 12 tortillas in a towel, steam for 1 minute once steam starts puffing out, then turn off the heat and leave them covered for 10 minutes. For two or three tortillas, the chicken enchilada recipe's quicker options are enough. Keep warmed tortillas wrapped until you fill them, since corn stiffens again as it cools.

Flour tortillas

Flour tortillas are more forgiving. King Arthur Baking reheats them in a preheated nonstick or cast iron skillet for about 20 seconds per side, or wraps them in a clean kitchen towel and microwaves them in 5-second bursts. Stack each one inside a dry towel as it comes off the heat so the stack stays warm and pliable. For a burrito, warming does a second job: the burrito entry says it helps the tortilla stick to itself, so the roll stays closed.

How to store tortillas

Mold, more than staleness, is what usually ends a tortilla's life, according to the tortilla entry, which is why many packaged tortillas contain preservatives such as propionates or sorbates. For corn tortillas, an Ask Extension expert at New Mexico State University, citing the university's Storing Food Safely publication, gives about 2 weeks in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer. Rewrap them in freezer wrap or a freezer container before freezing, so they are not mushy when they thaw. Homemade flour tortillas should cool completely before they are wrapped and refrigerated, King Arthur says.

The finished dishes freeze too. The freezer meals guide freezes beef enchiladas assembled and unbaked, and the kebab rolls FAQ says they freeze raw for up to 2 months and bake from frozen.