The Best Way To Freeze Tortillas For Longtime Freshness

Whether you prefer making restaurant-quality tortillas in your own kitchen or using the store-bought variety, freezing is a great way to preserve them for extended freshness. However, there's a right way to do it for the best results. To get expert insight into the proper process, Food Republic spoke with chef Juan Romero at Que Hospitality, who shared the 411 on properly freezing these staples of Mexican cuisine.

"The best way to freeze flour tortillas (which are best for fish tacos) is to place a piece of parchment [or] baking paper in between them so they don't stick together," chef Romero shared. The paper acts as a nonstick barrier, preventing the tortillas from freezing into a solid mass, which can make it difficult to remove just a few at a time. Tortillas frozen without this step — particularly flour tortillas — tend to rip and break apart when you try to separate them. Corn tortillas generally dislodge more easily from a frozen stack, but this tip is still useful for them as well, making it as simple as possible to remove and use them without any fuss.

Quick access to the exact number of tortillas you need, without defrosting the entire stack, is one of the key benefits of this method. "You can also take out as many as you need and keep the rest frozen when you need them," Romero explained.

Once your tortillas are stacked with parchment, baking, or wax paper between them, chef Juan Romero recommends adding a couple of layers of protection before they go into the freezer. "Stack them and wrap in plastic wrap and seal in a large freezer bag[,] taking out as much air as possible," he advised. "Frozen tortillas can last for about [two to three] months."

When you're ready to use them — whether for Baja-style fish tacos or enchiladas rojas with barbacoa — simply peel away the number of tortillas you need and return the rest to the freezer. You can also defrost the whole stack if you plan to use them all.

"You can thaw tortillas, whether corn or flour, in the refrigerator overnight," chef Romero explained. "If you need to thaw frozen tortillas quickly, leave them on the countertop for up to an hour. Thawing an individual tortilla will take approximately 10 minutes[,] while thawing an entire bag will take approximately an hour." Once your frozen tortillas are thawed and ready to use, a quick trip into the air fryer — about 30 seconds at 350 degrees Fahrenheit — is a great way to reheat and revive them.