How to Make Colored Tortillas

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 16, 2021

Tortillas can be a great addition to any dish. You can add them to a salad or use them to wrap meats and vegetables. If you want to add some fun and variety, you can easily make colored tortillas. Adding ingredients like beets and cilantro can create tortillas in fun, vibrant shades. You can use a tortilla press or a rolling pin to flatten your tortillas. From there, it only takes a few minutes to cook them over the stove.

Ingredients

Green Tortillas

2 cups masa
1 bunch of cilantro
1 and 1/4 cup warm water

Red Tortillas

2 cups masa
1 and 1/2 cups filtered water
2 peeled and chopped red beets
1/4 teaspoon salt
Salt

Yellow Tortillas

1 cup masa
3/4 to 1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons turmeric

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Green Tortillas with Cilantro

1
Mix the cilantro in the warm water. The first step to making cilantro tortillas is to stir your cilantro into your warm water. Measure out your water and pour it into a mixing bowl. Then, add the bunch of cilantro.^{[1]
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- You do not need to cut the cilantro ahead of time. You add it with the stems included.
- You should rinse the cilantro under running water before adding it to your water.
2
Combine the masa and water. You want to stir the dough until it has a firm consistency. However, the dough should still be slightly moist. If your dough is dry and flaky by the time you're done stirring, toss in a little more water to moisten it.^{[2]
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- You can use your hands here, as long as you wash them first, or a mixing spoon.
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3
Divide and flatten the dough. First, break the dough into 12 portions of roughly equal size. Roll each portion into a ball. Make sure to wash your hands first.^{[3]
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- Place each ball between two pieces of wax paper.
- Take a rolling pin and flatten into a circle that's roughly six inches.
4
Cook the tortillas. Remove the tortillas from the plastic wrap. Peel them off slowly so none of the dough sticks to the wrap. Heat a skittle or griddle to the medium high setting.^{[4]
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- Cook your tortilla for about 2 to 2 and a half minutes, flipping it about every 20 seconds.
- When you're done, your tortilla should be dry.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Beets for Red Tortillas

1
Blend and strain the beets. Measure out the water and pour into a blender with your beets. For about one minute, blend the water and beets together. You should be left with a watery mixture of water and beets.
- Use a mesh strain to strain the beat water into a container. Discard the pulp.
2
Measure out 1 and 1/2 cups of beet water. You want to have about 1 and 1/2 cups of beet water for this recipe. If you don't have that much, add a little water to your existing beet water to get the right amount. This should not dilute the flavor too much.
3
Add the mesa and salt to form the dough. Mix the mesa and salt with 1 and 1/4 cups of your beet water. Knead the dough until it is firm, but still slightly moist. The dough should have a soft texture.
- If your dough is too dry or firm, add more beet water. Add about a tablespoon of beet water at a time until the dough is at the right texture.
4
Divide the dough into balls. Break the dough into sixteen portions of roughly equal size. Roll these portions into small balls. The balls should be about the same size as an average golf ball.
- Cover all the balls with a damp cloth or paper towel. This keeps them from drying out.
5
Flatten using a tortilla press. Make sure to line the tortilla press with parchment paper first so the dough does not stick. Then, close the tortilla press and press down until the tortillas are flat. You want your tortillas to form circles of roughly 5 to 6 inches.
- If you don't have a tortilla press, roll the tortillas flat between two sheets of plastic wrap.
6
Cook your tortillas. You should cook your tortillas on a cast iron skillet, set on medium-high heat. Cook each for 30 to 50 seconds on each side. When you're done, remove the tortillas from the grill and set them on a plate. Cover them with a warm napkin to keep them warm while you cook the remaining tortillas.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Adding Turmeric for Yellow Tortillas

1
Add the turmeric to the dry masa. You want to start by mixing the turmeric with the masa. Measure out the turmeric and the masa and pour them into a mixing bowl. Mix them together until they're thoroughly blended and then set aside.^{[5]
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2
Dissolve the kosher salt in water. Measure out your warm water. Pour in kosher salt. Stir in the salt until it dissolves into the water.^{[6]
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3
Make a well in the masa and add the water. Put one cup of your masa and turmeric mix in a new mixing bowl. In the center of the this mixture, make a small well. Pour the water and salt mixture into this well.^{[7]
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- Use your hands to knead the water and masa for about 2 minutes, until you have soft ball and all the masa is incorporated into the dough.
4
Cover the dough in plastic wrap. Remove the ball from the mixing bowl. Use plastic wrap or a towel to cover the ball you made and set aside somewhere. After 20 to 40 minutes, check on the ball.^{[8]
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5
Adjust the dough as needed. Usually, adjustments are necessary. If you're lucky, you can start cooking now. However, at this point the ball is usually either too wet or too dry.^{[9]
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- If it's too dry, it will be crumbly. Add more water.
- If it's too wet, it will be sticky when you touch it. Add more of your masa/turmeric mixture.
6
Flatten using a tortilla press. Use a small ice cream scooper to form balls roughly 1 and a half inches round. Place between two pieces of parchment paper on a tortilla press. Press down on the tortilla press until you have a roughly four inch circle.^{[10]
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7
Cook your tortillas. Cook them on a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the tortillas for 30 to 40 seconds on each side. When you're done, remove the tortillas and set them on a plate to cool.^{[11]
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8
Finished.