If flour tortillas (10-inch) has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 29 recipes to try it in.

What is flour tortillas (10-inch)?

A 10-inch flour tortilla is the big, soft, pliable round that wraps a fat burrito or folds into a quesadilla. At roughly 25 cm across, it is the burrito size.

That makes it larger than the 6 to 8 inch tortillas used for soft tacos, yet small enough to still fold and grill without tearing.

Made from wheat flour, water, fat, and a little salt, it bakes up soft and foldable rather than crisp. The size is the whole point: a 10-inch round holds a real meal without splitting at the seam.

Cooking With Big Tortillas

The signature job is the burrito. Pile rice, beans, cheese, and a protein down the center, then fold in the sides and roll it tight, the way American Burrito and Bean & Rice Burritos do. The 10-inch round is the smallest size that closes fully around a hearty filling.

Fold one in half over cheese and a filling, then crisp it in a dry pan, and you have a quesadilla. Chicken Mushroom Quesadillas and Asparagus & Goat Cheese Quesadillas both rely on the large round so the fold leaves enough surface to brown.

Lay it flat, load one edge, then roll it snug into a wrap for a cold lunch. Chicken Salad Wraps and Southwestern Wraps use the 10-inch round so the wrap holds together when you slice it on the diagonal.

The same round shows up deep-fried as a Chimichangas shell, and griddled with eggs and sausage in a breakfast tortilla like Cheesy Breakfast Sausage Tortillas.

This burrito-size round anchors nearly 30 recipes here.

Warm the tortilla before you fold it. Fifteen seconds per side in a dry skillet, or a stack wrapped in a damp towel and microwaved for 30 seconds, turns a stiff round pliable enough to roll without cracking.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Big flour tortillas are the canvas for Tex-Mex and Cal-Mex fillings: seasoned ground beef or shredded chicken, refried or black beans, and plenty of melted cheese, finished with cool sour cream and a spoon of salsa or guacamole.

Their mild, faintly sweet flavor stays in the background, which is why they carry assertive fillings better than corn tortillas do.

The most common mistake is rolling cold. A tortilla straight from the fridge is brittle, and forcing the fold cracks it down the spine, so the filling leaks. Warm it first, every time.

The second mistake is overfilling. A 10-inch round looks roomy, but a burrito packed past about a cup and a half will not close, and the seam pops open in the pan. Leave a clear border and roll snug, not stuffed.

Substitutes

A 12-inch burrito-size tortilla is the closest swap, just larger, so trim it or accept more overlap. Whole wheat flour tortillas of the same size work identically with a nuttier, earthier flavor and a bit less stretch.

Smaller 6 to 8 inch tortillas cover tacos and small wraps but cannot hold a full burrito; use two, or switch to soft tacos. Corn tortillas are not a real stand-in here, since they tear when rolled and lack the fold-and-grill flexibility.

For a cold wrap, a large lavash or a folded sheet of naan carries the filling, though neither rolls as cleanly.

Buying and Storage

Tortillas are sold by diameter, so check the package: 10-inch (often labeled burrito or fajita size) is what these recipes assume. Look for rounds that feel soft and flexible through the bag, not stiff or cracked at the folds.

Refrigerated and shelf-stable versions both exist. Keep an opened pack sealed tight, and store it at room temperature for the printed shelf life or in the fridge to stretch it a few extra days.

Flour tortillas freeze well for a couple of months. Slip a square of parchment or wax paper between rounds before freezing so you can peel off one at a time, then warm it straight from frozen in a dry skillet.

Stale tortillas that have gone leathery are not lost. A quick pass in a hot dry pan revives them, and any too far gone fry up into chips or cinnamon crisps.

Quick facts

Where to find flour tortillas (10-inch): Flour tortillas (10-inch) is usually found in the bakery section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese

面粉玉米饼（10英寸）

British (UK) term

Flour tortillas (10-inch)

en français

tortillas de farine (10 pouces)

en español

tortillas de harina (10 pulgadas)

Recipes using flour tortillas (10-inch)

There are 29 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 29 recipes