If flour tortillas (6-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 17 recipes to try it in.

What is flour tortillas (6-inch)?

A 6-inch flour tortilla is the small, soft, plate-of-the-hand size, made from wheat flour, fat, water, and salt. It is the everyday taco and quesadilla tortilla: big enough to fold around a filling, small enough to eat in a few bites without spilling.

Size is the whole point here. The 6-inch round is the soft-taco standard, while the larger 10-inch is the one you reach for when you need to roll a full burrito or a big wrap.

How to Use It

Think of the 6-inch as a single-serving wrapper.

Warm two of them, stack a spoonful of filling down the center, and you have a soft taco; the small size keeps the ratio of filling to bread right so nothing overwhelms.

It folds neatly in half for a personal quesadilla. Grilled Chicken Quesadillas and a Corn & Zucchini Quesadilla with Tomato Salsa & Avocodo Relish both fold cleanly at this size, where a 10-inch would need a cut and a flip.

It also rolls into pinwheels and roll-ups, wraps a Leftover Turkey Salad Wraps filling, and folds around grilled fish for a taco like a Sour Orange BBQ'd Salmon Taco. Off the savory track, it becomes a quick dessert when filled with fruit and cinnamon-sugar.

Heating and Common Mistakes

Always warm a tortilla before you fill it.

A cold one cracks and tears the moment you fold it; thirty seconds in a dry skillet over medium heat, flipping once, makes it soft and pliable and adds a little toasty flavor.

A microwave works in a hurry: stack a few under a damp paper towel for about 20 seconds. Keep warmed tortillas wrapped in a clean towel so they hold their heat and stay flexible.

The most common mistake is overfilling a small tortilla. Because the 6-inch has little surface area, a heaping pile splits the seam and spills out the ends; one modest spoonful is plenty, and a second tortilla beats cramming one.

The other slip is skipping the toast on a quesadilla. Without a hot, dry pan to crisp the outside and melt the cheese into glue, it falls apart when you lift it.

Substitutes

Out of the 6-inch size? A 10-inch flour tortilla works if you trim it or just accept a bigger taco; the dough is the same, only the round is larger.

Corn tortillas are the traditional taco choice and bring their own flavor, though they are less foldable and tear more easily, so warm them well.

For a whole-grain option, a whole wheat flour tortilla swaps in directly with a nuttier taste and slightly sturdier chew. Small pita rounds or lettuce leaves can stand in when you want a wrap without the wheat.

Buying and Storage

You will find 6-inch flour tortillas (often labeled "soft taco" or "fajita" size) in the bread aisle and the refrigerated case. Press the package gently; the rounds should feel soft and pliable, not dry or stiff at the edges.

An unopened pack keeps in the pantry to its printed date, usually a few weeks, and longer in the fridge. Once opened, seal the bag tightly so they do not dry out, and use within about a week.

They also freeze well for up to several months. Stack with parchment between them so you can peel off a couple at a time, and thaw at room temperature before warming.

Quick facts

Where to find flour tortillas (6-inch): Flour tortillas (6-inch) is usually found in the bakery section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese

面粉玉米饼（6英寸）

British (UK) term

Flour tortillas (6-inch)

en français

tortillas de farine (6 pouces)

en español

tortillas de harina (6 pulgadas)

Recipes using flour tortillas (6-inch)

There are 17 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 17 recipes