How to Heat Corn Tortillas on the Stovetop

Tortillas are a thin flatbread in Mexican, Indigenous, and Latin American cuisine—common as a wrapper for foods like tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. There are two main types of tortillas: corn and flour. Chefs make corn tortillas from masa—a dough made of dried, ground corn kernels—and flour tortillas from wheat flour and contain gluten, which gives them their signature elasticity.

You can make both types of tortillas by forming the dough into thin discs using a rolling pin, a tortillero (a tortilla press), or by hand. Then, you can cook them on a hot skillet or griddle like a comal.

It’s essential to warm corn tortillas before eating them because the heat coaxes out their fresh, earthy flavors. Applying heat to tortillas also makes them more pliable and less likely to break or tear when filled with proteins and other hearty fillings.

The best way to heat tortillas—especially corn tortillas—is on the stovetop, where you can get them warm and crisp and add a bit of color:

1. 1. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat: Use a cast-iron skillet for the evenest warming and best results, though a stainless steel or nonstick frying pan is also acceptable. Avoid adding any oil or nonstick spray to the pan—you’ll need a dry skillet to crisp the tortillas. Wait until the skillet is hot before laying any tortillas down.
2. 2. Toast the tortillas: You can heat multiple tortillas in batches if your skillet is the right size. With a small skillet, it’s best to heat one tortilla at a time for even browning. Leave the tortillas on the skillet for around one minute. Lift one to check the underside and see if it’s ready—the goal is to achieve a light brown, crispy tortilla exterior while the inside remains soft and pliable.
3. 3. Flip the tortillas: After lightly browning the first side, use tongs or a spatula to flip the tortillas and heat the flip side for about a minute.
4. 4. Store until service: If you’re heating a large stack of tortillas, wrap the finished hot tortillas in aluminum foil, a clean dish towel, or a tortilla warmer to keep them toasty and pliable while you heat the rest.

Other methods include the microwave method (wrapping tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwaving for fifteen seconds) or the gas-flame method (using the open flame of a gas stove to char the tortillas on either side). However, these methods don’t produce results as consistent as stovetop warming.

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