I Tried 5 Flour Tortilla Brands and the Winner Is the Perfect Choice for Any Recipe

I’ve had fresh flour tortillas (more on that in a second), and I’ve had plenty of packaged flour tortillas—I know they run the gamut from okay to next level. So how to tell the difference? Let's first explore a little backstory.

When I was in high school, I loved eating at the local Mexican restaurants with my friends. We’d order queso and chips, Diet Cokes, and plates of refried beans and flour tortillas, then spend our time talking about boys and the future. My favorite restaurant made its tortillas fresh, and you could watch the pros roll, press, and cook them as you ate. Their speed and finesse at making those tortillas was impressive and the resulting tortillas they created were soft, yet sturdy, and also incredibly delicious.

Nowadays, living in Chicago, I’m still lucky enough to have many local, delicious options available to me. I know though, that not everyone is as fortunate. To help us all out, I tested five big nationally available brands to take the guesswork out and find the best we can buy.

How I Tested

While it may be unfair, it’s those high school memories that shaped the criteria I used for judging my tortillas during testing. First, I judged on softness and pliability. The tortilla needed to be flexible, capable of folding and rolling, and had to be tender, but also provide some chew.

Second, it needed to be sturdy, whether it was thin or slightly thick, it had to be able to be warmed and then topped with wet, but not soupy black beans, without breaking into pieces.

Lastly, it had to taste good. Obviously, there isn’t much flavor involved since most flour tortillas are made of flour, water, and salt, but it needed to taste fresh and a little bit salty, to allow the fillings to shine. Here are the results:

The Best Store-Bought Flour Tortilla Taste Test

5th Place: Azteca

Unlike the other tortillas on this list, Azteca tortillas can only be found in the refrigerated section, because as the package proclaims there are "no preservatives." That was fine by me. The only available option was the "Original Thin Flour Tortillas," which were indeed thin, but also somehow papery and rough. They were capable of holding a generous portion of black beans, but were overly chewy and not flavorful. While not my favorite, they would be decent for enchiladas or other dishes where the tortillas aren’t playing a starring role.

4th Place: Mission

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mission’s Extra Fluffy tortillas were decently thick but not as "fluffy" as others on the list. There’s not much flavor and they felt rather basic because of that. My tester tortilla did hold up well during my warming test and was capable of holding up once topped with beans. It’s a reliable tortilla, likely to please just about anyone.

3rd Place: Guerrero

I loved the look of these and could get a sense that they were thick and pliable just from picking up the package. I enjoyed the noticeable browned spots and imperfect edges. The flavor was good too, thanks mostly to the 250 milligrams sodium it contained. This one also passed the sturdy test, standing up to warming and my beans. Overall, I liked these tortillas and would use them for tacos and fajitas. They’re good, just not as good as the winner or the 2nd place tortilla.

2nd Place: Maria & Ricardo's

These tortillas were thin, but unlike Azteca’s tortilla, this tortilla was perfectly (not overly) chewy, which made eating it interesting and enjoyable. It also surpassed expectations when warm and stuffed with beans, holding up incredibly well, even after sitting for five minutes. The flavor was good too and even better, it reminded me of the tortillas I enjoyed at the local Mexican go-to when I was in high school. This tortilla was a close second to the winner.

1st Place Winner: La Tortilla Factory

It’s the actual tortilla from my favorite Mexican restaurant! Okay, it’s not, but it sure reminded me of it. It was thick, but not cumbersome, and it was fluffy, which made it fun to eat. I also appreciated its flexibility, which made it easy to roll up once I warmed it and filled it with beans. This tortilla was also the most flavorful of the bunch and it would be the perfect choice for any recipe that calls for tortillas. Bottom line, if you can’t get to your local Mexican grocery store or taqueria, then these are the flour tortillas you should grab!