We Tried 16 Flour Tortillas — And We Did Not See This Winner Coming
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Open any one of our fridges and chances are extremely high you’ll find a pack of flour tortillas chilling. A kitchen MVP, they are the base of so many of our favorite meals (and in-between-meal eats): a generously stuffed quesadilla, of course, wrapped around the best refried beans and in dozens more delicious recipes. It’s no wonder flour tortillas have a permanent spot at the top of our grocery lists.
Nearly all of us have our go-to brand — and, unsurprisingly, we were divided on what we think is the be-all-end-all of grocery store flour tortillas. There was only one way we could think to settle the debate. Hence, this taste test.
The Best Flour Tortillas at a Glance
Best Flour Tortillas: Trader Joe’s Homestyle Flour Tortillas
Honorable Mention: Mi Rancho Organic Flour Tortillas
Best Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas: Mission Gluten Free Tortilla Wraps
We sourced as many flour tortillas as we could stomach tasting in one sitting (palate fatigue is real!), ending up with a whopping 16 across two categories: original and gluten-free. Like with many grocery items, fewer ingredients is better. From-scratch tortillas are typically made of four ingredients (flour, fat, water, and salt). In the name of convenience, we cast a wide net and included ones with relatively short lists and minimal preservatives (as few as five), and a few that were less stringent (in the teens or higher).
We focused on popular national and store brands widely available throughout the country, most of which were priced between $2 and $5 at the time of this tasting, with the exception of one splurgy contender. The gluten-free flour tortillas were all slightly more expensive, ranging from roughly $6 to $8. We also looked at recent sales data and past taste tests to round out the selection.
A week or so later, eight members of The Kitchn team then spent a surprisingly sunny afternoon tasting and ranking freshly warmed tortillas. We quickly tallied the results and discovered the winner is a budget-friendly find (less than $3!) from a popular store brand. Plus two very noteworthy runner-ups and a gluten-free pick that dominated its category. Let’s take a look.
Best Flour Tortillas: Trader Joe’s Homestyle Flour Tortillas
Honestly, we were shocked to discover this relatively low price store brand outperformed every other flour tortilla in our taste test. With its “quintessential” good looks, says Ola, our culinary assistant, the lightly flaky, soft tortillas are more fat-forward than most others we sampled and have a pleasant sweetness, thanks to the addition of honey. Though a few tasters find them a bit on the drier side.
Made with nine ingredients (mostly wheat and barley flour, water, and sunflower oil), Trader Joe’s Homestyle Flour Tortillas are near-translucent, yet “nice and sturdy” as Quinn, our lifestyle editor, notes. “My fave,” she adds. Sold in packs of eight, and at roughly 8 inches in diameter, they are also one of the largest tortillas in the group.
What’s So Great
Lightly flaky, soft, and fatty
Less than $3
Good to Know
“A bit on the drier side”
Find it in stores: Trader Joe’s Homestyle Flour Tortillas, $2.99 for 8 tortillas at Trader Joe’s
Runner-Up: La Tortilla Factory Organic Traditional Flour Tortillas
Tasters were immediately drawn to these compact flour tortillas. Measuring in at 6-and-a-quarter inches, La Tortilla Factory Organic Traditional Flour Tortillas had the biggest air pockets with some browning, which gave them a more fresh-off-the-griddle (or pan) vibe than others. Made mostly from organic wheat flour, water, and organic palm fruit oil, this nine-ingredient recipe swaps honey for cane sugar and adds baking powder to the party. It’s “pretty mild on the nose,” Ola says.
Their extra “toasty flavor,” says Alex, our editorial assistant, stood out among the tortillas and “lingers” in a way Brian, our director of people operations, was totally enamored with. Sold six to a pack, these lost some crucial points in the texture department — some tasters were hoping for a more tender tortilla.
What’s So Great
The most bubbling
Toasty flavor
Good to Know
Less tender than some
Buy: La Tortilla Factory Organic Traditional Flour Tortillas, $4.49 for 6 tortillas at Amazon
Honorable Mention: Mi Rancho Organic Wheat Flour Tortillas
If you’re a fan of ultrathin and flaky tortillas, like Katie, our director of recruiting, is, Mi Rancho Organic Wheat Flour Tortillas are for you. “The flakiness is phenomenal,” says Ola, with “a slight sweet taste!” from the addition of organic cane sugar. Beyond the usual organic wheat flour, water, organic sunflower/safflower oil, the 10-ingredient tortillas list organic distilled white vinegar, plus cream of tartar, and baking powder, which is likely the reason for the nice and chewy (or as Mara, our senior editor, groceries, says, “bouncy”) bite. It also gives them a slight tang, which was polarizing to tasters and why these didn’t end up higher in our ranking. Many did agree, though, that this six-pack of 6-inch tortillas look and taste the most homemade.
What’s So Great
Super thin and flaky
Tastes homemade
Good to Know
A bit too tangy to some
Buy: Mi Rancho Organic Flour Tortillas, $5.99 for 6 tortillas at Instacart
Best Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas: Mission Gluten Free Tortilla Wraps
If we learned one thing from this category, it’s just how challenging it is to replicate the joy that is a homemade flour tortilla in a store-bought gluten-free form. The variety of flours used — soybean, quinoa, almond, and (brown) rice — yielded wildly different results. One crumbled apart when folded while another’s texture was reminiscent of fruit leather. In the end, Mission Gluten Free Tortilla Wraps ran away with the win.
The creamy white tortilla had one of the longest ingredients lists, at roughly 20. At the same time, it has a “mild flavor,” says Cullen, our home associate editor, and was more doughy and chewy than all its gluten-free counterparts (and some of the flour varieties). It was the only one in the category to earn a few fours and fives because of that. Had the texture been slightly less “gummy” — a word used by several tasters — it likely would have received even more.
What’s So Great
Doughy with a subtle flavor
Good to Know
A little gummy to some
More than 20 ingredients
Buy: Mission Gluten Free Tortilla Wraps, $5.99 for 6 tortillas at Target
How We Tested the Flour Tortillas
We held a blind taste test of 16 across two categories — original and gluten-free — and recruited eight big-time tortilla fans who work at The Kitchn, many of whom buy them weekly (so you know they’re qualified), to participate in an afternoon of tasting.
Each flour tortilla was warmed in the oven by Maya, our studio assistant, then cut into small triangular pieces and set out on plates (we also had extra on standby). Each tortilla was given a letter to conceal the brands’ identities. To avoid any biases, gluten-free contenders were mixed in with the flour tortillas. Tasters were instructed to sample the flour tortillas in random order to avoid giving any one tortilla preferential placement over the others. We also had water, and store-bought salsa and guacamole on hand for palate cleansing and general dipping.
Tasters rated each of the flour tortillas on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = No thanks, 2 = Meh, 3 = Pretty good, 4 = Really like, and 5 = Yes, Please!) across four criteria — look, smell, texture, and flavor — and included any specific observations, tasting notes, and general opinions worth mentioning. They were also asked to answer, arguably, the most important question of all: Would you buy this flour tortilla?
Why You Should Trust Us
This was a blind taste test, which means tasters had no knowledge of the brands being evaluated ahead of or at the time of the tasting. It was held over one day, and tasters were instructed to sample the flour tortillas in random order (to stave off palate fatigue and not give any one tortilla an unfair advantage). The group of tasters included a mix of food professionals and some flour tortilla fans who work at The Kitchn. All participated in the taste test voluntarily, and we thank them for being so generous with their time and feedback.
Speaking of, each taster filled out a score sheet (without discussion or influence) ranking the flour tortillas across several criteria (listed above). The results were also tabulated without any visibility into the brands. Only after the numbers were finalized did we reveal which brands corresponded to the winners.
Did your favorite flour tortilla make the list? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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