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The Best Corn Tortillas

Could we find a supermarket corn tortilla that was tender, moist, and flavorful?

What You Need to Know

Who doesn’t love corn tortillas? Their nutty corn flavor and soft, tender chew are perfectly suited for a range of dishes. We love to fold them around fillings for tacos, wrap them around cheese or meat and bake them for enchiladas, serve them alongside Huevos Rancheros, and fry or bake them to make homemade tostadas and crispy taco shells.

Corn tortillas have been a dietary staple in Mexico and other Latin American countries for centuries. While we enjoy making our own homemade Corn Tortillas, it’s more convenient to use store-bought tortillas. American shoppers agree: Sales of corn tortillas have been surging in the United States for years, and they continue to climb due in large part to their affordability, the increasing interest in gluten-free diets, and the popularity of Latin American food. It was time to evaluate them again. 

We surveyed nationally available brands of 6-inch corn tortillas, the size we call for most frequently in our recipes. If a company made multiple products, our team tasted each option and moved the best to the final round of tasting. Some brands offer both yellow and white corn tortillas, but we didn’t have a preference, so our final lineup of seven tortillas included selections of both. Five of the products were made entirely from corn, and two were corn and wheat blends. Twenty-one America’s Test Kitchen staffers sampled them plain and in Citrus-Braised Pork Tacos. For each tasting, we warmed the tortillas gently in the oven.

How Are Corn Tortillas Made?

According to the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the sweet corn we eat on the cob during the summer makes up just 1 percent of the corn grown in the United States. Much of the other 99 percent of corn grown is field corn, the variety used to make corn tortillas. When harvested, field corn kernels, which are high in starch and low in sugar, are dry and hard. To ready field corn for use in corn tortillas, it goes through a chemical process called nixtamalization. The corn is soaked for a number of hours in an alkaline solution, usually food-grade pickling lime (also known as slaked lime or food-grade calcium hydroxide), which softens and breaks down the shells surrounding the kernels. This soaking also boosts the corn’s nutritional value, brightens its color, and develops its buttery, earthy “corn chip” flavor. The kernels are then drained, rinsed, and milled into masa, which can be rolled immediately into tortillas or dried further into masa harina (a form of flour). Traditional homemade corn tortillas are rolled by hand or formed using a tortilla press and cooked on a comal, a flat cast-iron griddle.

The process of making large volumes of supermarket tortillas differs from making homemade tortillas in a few key ways. Most commercial manufacturers add gums and preservatives to prolong the shelf life of their tortillas and also incorporate other additives to improve their texture and flexibility. Some companies add gluten, the protein that gives wheat doughs elasticity, which makes their tortillas softer and more pliable. The gluten can come from wheat flour and/or wheat gluten, which is made by removing the starches from flour. To form the tortillas, some doughs are portioned into balls and heat-pressed, or, more commonly, the dough is passed through a sheeter before being die-cut—a sharp metal die, similar to a cookie cutter, creates multiple uniform shapes at once. No matter how they are formed, the tortillas are cooked and cooled before packaging. 

Subtle But Important Flavor Differences

Our ideal corn tortilla has corn-forward flavor, mild sweetness, and a slight nuttiness developed from nixtamalization. A few of the tortillas we tasted hit all those notes, exhibiting “slightly sweet,” “pleasant corn flavor.” In the pork taco tasting, tasters noted that the mild corn flavor of those tortillas “complemented” the pork and “let the flavor of the filling shine through.” In comparison, other samples tasted “bland” and had “very little corn flavor.” One tortilla tasted slightly “musty.”

Since most commercial corn tortillas are produced from the same high-yield commodity corn, we wondered why some of the tortillas had more corn flavor than others. During our research, we learned that several factors influence flavor: the length of the nixtamalization period, how the masa is processed, and how the tortillas are cooked. Another factor is the amount of sugar and sodium in each tortilla. Higher-rated tortillas contained sugar (which occurs naturally in corn) and/or sodium. The lowest-ranked “musty” tortilla was the only product in our lineup that didn’t contain either.

Corn tortillas, like the one on the right, tend to be fragile and fall apart. However, our favorite (on the left) was tender and flexible enough to wrap around fillings without breaking.

Some Corn Tortillas Were Softer And More Flexible Than Others

Many factors also influence a tortilla’s texture: the amount of moisture left in the corn’s pericarp (outer layer) after nixtamalization, whether a company uses fresh masa or masa harina, and, if using masa harina, how it is rehydrated. Other important aspects include how the dough is flattened, cut, and cooked. Companies were reluctant to share details about their manufacturing processes, so we examined the nutrition information on the labels and measured the tortillas. 

The ingredient lists revealed that all but one tortilla contained preservatives. Those that did were pliable and tender, and tasters could wrap them easily around ingredients without ripping them. The one tortilla that didn’t contain preservatives was described as being “dry” and “stale” and was more delicate. We also noticed that the two tortillas that contained gluten, either from the addition of wheat flour or a combination of wheat flour and wheat gluten, were sturdy yet flexible and tender. In other words, they were less likely to rip and tear when rolled than traditional all-corn tortillas.

When we measured the thickness of all the tortillas, we discovered two things: Most of the all-corn tortillas were thinner than those that contained gluten, and our favorite all-corn tortilla was the thinnest in the lineup.

The Winners: Guerrero White Corn Tortillas And Maria And Ricardo’s Soft Yellow Corn Tortillas

Although we can recommend most of the tortillas we evaluated, two stood out. Tasters loved Guerrero White Corn Tortillas. These all-corn tortillas had “sweet corn flavor” and a “delicate but not dry” texture that made it easy to fold them around taco filling. Tasters also loved Maria and Ricardo’s Soft Yellow Corn Tortillas, which contain wheat flour and added gluten, noting their “subtle corn flavor” and describing them as “sturdy but not too doughy.” 

Because one of our top two tortillas contained gluten and one didn’t, we compared them in two core applications, Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas and tostadas. Both were easy to work with and tasted great, though we did notice differences. In the enchiladas, the thinner, smaller all-corn tortillas were especially delicate and light. Enchiladas made with the corn/wheat tortillas, on the other hand, were chewier. In the tostadas, the corn tortillas were crispier and had a delicate snap, while the corn/wheat tortillas were a bit doughy. We recommend using Guerrero White Corn Tortillas when frying. In every other application, either winner will serve you well.

  • Upfront, toasty corn flavor
  • Subtle sweetness and saltiness
  • Soft, pliable texture

  • Pretaste nine products from four nationally available brands to determine a final lineup of seven corn tortillas (a mix of white and yellow)
  • Products were purchased in Boston-area supermarkets and online, with prices ranging from about $0.05 to about $0.50 per tortilla
  • Taste plain, warmed
  • Taste in Citrus-Braised Pork Tacos
  • Taste top two tortillas in Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas
  • Taste top two tortillas in tostadas
  • Calculate nutritional data based on a serving size of 47 grams, the equivalent of one to two tortillas depending on brand
  • Measure the diameter and thickness of five tortillas from each package and average the measurements of each

Everything We Tested

Recommended

Best All-CornGuerrero White Corn Tortillas

Our favorite all-corn tortillas won over tasters for being “soft and pliable” and “thin but not frail.” One taster commented, “This is what I want from a corn tortilla: tender with some chew.” Tasters also said the tortillas had “sweet corn flavor” that “didn’t overpower the pork” in tacos. The tortillas were “delicate” and pleasantly “soft” in enchiladas and became light, airy, and crisp when fried for tostadas.
Sugar: 2 gSodium: 23.5 mgThickness: 2.08 mmIngredients: Corn masa flour; water; contains 2% or less of cellulose gum, guar gum and propionic acid, benzoic acid, and phosphoric acid (to maintain freshness)Price at Time of Testing: $1.75 for 18 tortillas ($0.10 per tortilla)
Our favorite all-corn tortillas won over tasters for being “soft and pliable” and “thin but not frail.” One taster commented, “This is what I want from a corn tortilla: tender with some chew.” Tasters also said the tortillas had “sweet corn flavor” that “didn’t overpower the pork” in tacos. The tortillas were “delicate” and pleasantly “soft” in enchiladas and became light, airy, and crisp when fried for tostadas.
Sugar: 2 gSodium: 23.5 mgThickness: 2.08 mmIngredients: Corn masa flour; water; contains 2% or less of cellulose gum, guar gum and propionic acid, benzoic acid, and phosphoric acid (to maintain freshness)Price at Time of Testing: $1.75 for 18 tortillas ($0.10 per tortilla)

Best Corn/Wheat BlendMaria and Ricardo's Soft Yellow Corn Tortillas

The addition of wheat gluten, though not traditional, makes these tortillas “pliable” and pleasantly “chewy.” They were also thicker than most all-corn tortillas. Tasters liked their “subtle corn flavor” and “slight nuttiness.” When baked in enchiladas, these tortillas were “substantial but tender enough to cut easily.” One small drawback: This product didn’t become fully crisp when fried for tostadas.
Sugar: 0 gSodium: 109 mgThickness: 3.05 mmIngredients: Whole grain yellow corn flour (ground whole grain yellow corn masa flour, trace of lime); water; wheat gluten; cultured wheat flour (cultured wheat flour, vinegar); contains 2% or less of the following: soy lecithin, wheat flour, acacia gum, sodium alginate, guar gum, salt, citric acidPrice at Time of Testing: $3.49 for 8 tortillas ($0.44 per tortilla)
The addition of wheat gluten, though not traditional, makes these tortillas “pliable” and pleasantly “chewy.” They were also thicker than most all-corn tortillas. Tasters liked their “subtle corn flavor” and “slight nuttiness.” When baked in enchiladas, these tortillas were “substantial but tender enough to cut easily.” One small drawback: This product didn’t become fully crisp when fried for tostadas.
Sugar: 0 gSodium: 109 mgThickness: 3.05 mmIngredients: Whole grain yellow corn flour (ground whole grain yellow corn masa flour, trace of lime); water; wheat gluten; cultured wheat flour (cultured wheat flour, vinegar); contains 2% or less of the following: soy lecithin, wheat flour, acacia gum, sodium alginate, guar gum, salt, citric acidPrice at Time of Testing: $3.49 for 8 tortillas ($0.44 per tortilla)

La Tortilla Factory Handmade Style Yellow Corn & Wheat Tortillas

The third-thickest tortillas in our lineup contain gluten, so it's no surprise that tasters described them as “thick and hearty” with “great chew.” That thickness “made for a satisfying bite.” Though most tasters found them to be “pliable,” a few thought they were “a little too bulky.” They had mild corn flavor. 
Sugar: 0 gSodium: 218 mgThickness: 2.78 mmIngredients: Water; stone ground yellow corn masa flour; wheat gluten; contains 2% or less of each of: guar gum, non-aluminum baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), sea salt, fumaric acid, trace of lime to maintain freshness (calcium propionate, sorbic acid)Price at Time of Testing: $3.19 for 8 tortillas ($0.40 per tortilla)
The third-thickest tortillas in our lineup contain gluten, so it's no surprise that tasters described them as “thick and hearty” with “great chew.” That thickness “made for a satisfying bite.” Though most tasters found them to be “pliable,” a few thought they were “a little too bulky.” They had mild corn flavor. 
Sugar: 0 gSodium: 218 mgThickness: 2.78 mmIngredients: Water; stone ground yellow corn masa flour; wheat gluten; contains 2% or less of each of: guar gum, non-aluminum baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), sea salt, fumaric acid, trace of lime to maintain freshness (calcium propionate, sorbic acid)Price at Time of Testing: $3.19 for 8 tortillas ($0.40 per tortilla)

La Banderita Yellow Corn Tortillas

These tortillas had “a neutral corn flavor” with “a little sweetness.” Our tasters liked that they could “actually taste the corn.” Most on our panel agreed that they were “soft and pliable yet sturdy enough to hold the meat.” However, a few found them “slightly dry.”
Sugar: 1 gSodium: 15 mgThickness: 2.27 mmIngredients: Whole grain corn; water; contains 2% or less of the following: preservatives (propionic acid, sodium hydroxide, benzoic acid), xanthan gum, and traces of food-grade limePrice at Time of Testing: $2.49 for 30 tortillas ($0.08 per tortilla)
These tortillas had “a neutral corn flavor” with “a little sweetness.” Our tasters liked that they could “actually taste the corn.” Most on our panel agreed that they were “soft and pliable yet sturdy enough to hold the meat.” However, a few found them “slightly dry.”
Sugar: 1 gSodium: 15 mgThickness: 2.27 mmIngredients: Whole grain corn; water; contains 2% or less of the following: preservatives (propionic acid, sodium hydroxide, benzoic acid), xanthan gum, and traces of food-grade limePrice at Time of Testing: $2.49 for 30 tortillas ($0.08 per tortilla)

Mission Yellow Corn Tortillas

Some tasters found these tortillas to be “soft but sturdy,” noting that they “held together and didn’t sog out or tear.” Other tasters griped that they were “tough” and “hard to bite.” Overall, tasters didn’t find anything off-putting about the flavor of these tortillas but noted that “not much corn or nixtamalized flavor comes through.”
Sugar: 2 gSodium: 10 mgThickness: 2.43 mmIngredients: Yellow corn masa flour; water; contains 2% or less of: cellulose gum, guar gum, amylase, and propionic acid, benzoic acid, and phosphoric acid (to maintain freshness)Price at Time of Testing: $4.88 for 30 tortillas ($0.16 per tortilla)
Some tasters found these tortillas to be “soft but sturdy,” noting that they “held together and didn’t sog out or tear.” Other tasters griped that they were “tough” and “hard to bite.” Overall, tasters didn’t find anything off-putting about the flavor of these tortillas but noted that “not much corn or nixtamalized flavor comes through.”
Sugar: 2 gSodium: 10 mgThickness: 2.43 mmIngredients: Yellow corn masa flour; water; contains 2% or less of: cellulose gum, guar gum, amylase, and propionic acid, benzoic acid, and phosphoric acid (to maintain freshness)Price at Time of Testing: $4.88 for 30 tortillas ($0.16 per tortilla)

Recommended with reservations

Del Campo Tortilla Co. Corn Tortillas

These tortillas flaked apart into “dry,” “coarse” layers, especially once warmed in the oven, even though they contained both stabilizing gums and preservatives for freshness. The layers were “brittle” and “crumbly.” Moreover, tasters noted that they were “missing corn flavor” and were a little “sour.”
Sugar: 2 gSodium: 74.5 mgThickness: 2.14 mmIngredients: Corn meal; water; salt; contains less than 1% of the following natural additives: propionic acid, benzoic acid and phosphoric acid (to preserve freshness); guar gum, cellulose gum, and enzymesPrice at Time of Testing: $10.96 for 16 tortillas ($0.69 per tortilla)
These tortillas flaked apart into “dry,” “coarse” layers, especially once warmed in the oven, even though they contained both stabilizing gums and preservatives for freshness. The layers were “brittle” and “crumbly.” Moreover, tasters noted that they were “missing corn flavor” and were a little “sour.”
Sugar: 2 gSodium: 74.5 mgThickness: 2.14 mmIngredients: Corn meal; water; salt; contains less than 1% of the following natural additives: propionic acid, benzoic acid and phosphoric acid (to preserve freshness); guar gum, cellulose gum, and enzymesPrice at Time of Testing: $10.96 for 16 tortillas ($0.69 per tortilla)

Mi Rancho Organic Corn Tortillas

We didn’t like the “tough,” “rubbery” texture of these tortillas, which were thicker than every other all-corn tortilla in our lineup. They rated low on flavor, too. Tasters called them “sour” and “musty.” This is the only sample we tasted that lacked sodium and naturally occurring sugar (from the corn), which could be why tasters detected a mild but “unpleasant flavor.”
Sugar: 0 gSodium: 0 mgThickness: 2.81 mmIngredients: Water; organic whole white corn; organic yellow corn masa flour; contains less than 2% of each of the following: organic guar gum, trace of limePrice at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 12 tortillas ($0.25 per tortilla)
We didn’t like the “tough,” “rubbery” texture of these tortillas, which were thicker than every other all-corn tortilla in our lineup. They rated low on flavor, too. Tasters called them “sour” and “musty.” This is the only sample we tasted that lacked sodium and naturally occurring sugar (from the corn), which could be why tasters detected a mild but “unpleasant flavor.”
Sugar: 0 gSodium: 0 mgThickness: 2.81 mmIngredients: Water; organic whole white corn; organic yellow corn masa flour; contains less than 2% of each of the following: organic guar gum, trace of limePrice at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 12 tortillas ($0.25 per tortilla)

*All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.

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The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. Have a question or suggestion? Send us an email at atkreviews@americastestkitchen.com. We appreciate your feedback!

The Expert

Author: Carolyn Grillo

byCarolyn Grillo

Senior Editor, ATK Reviews

Carolyn is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She's a French-trained professional baker.

Carolyn Grillo is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She studied French patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and worked as a baker before joining the review team. Her culinary background helps her evaluate bakeware and write about ingredients. Carolyn is also responsible for writing The Well-Equipped Cook, a weekly newsletter about kitchen equipment. Hailing from the land of Taylor ham and Italian delis (New Jersey), she has strong opinions about both and isn't afraid to share them.

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