Thin 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed or briefly fried, are what most enchilada pans need. They roll without splitting and keep their shape under sauce. Flour tortillas roll more easily but soak up more of that sauce, so they suit creamy Tex-Mex versions better than red or green chile ones.
Thickness is where the contenders separate. America’s Test Kitchen ran seven supermarket corn tortillas through its 2019 test, and the thinnest all-corn one, at 2.08 mm, baked up delicate and light in Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas. A 3.05 mm corn-wheat blend came out chewier.
Corn, Flour, or a Blend: Which Tortillas Are Best for Enchiladas?
Corn, for most pans. It holds its shape under sauce, and flour doesn’t.
A corn-flour blend makes sense when you want the corn flavor but keep tearing the rolls. Plain flour has its place too, though it’s the exception.
Tasting Table notes that corn is the traditional choice and is structurally strong enough to hold heavy fillings without dissolving in the sauce.
| Type | Rolling | After baking | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corn | Needs warming first | Holds shape, light bite | Red or green chile enchiladas |
| Flour | Rolls with no prep | Absorbs sauce, softens | Creamy sauces, big fillings |
| Corn-flour blend | Pliable, rips less | Chewier, sturdy | Corn flavor with fewer tears |
Corn tortillas
The structure comes from nixtamalized masa, which is corn dough treated with lime. Once sauce soaks in, corn stays firmer than flour does. The catch is that it splits if you roll it cold, so every tortilla needs warming first.
Pati Jinich keeps flour for burritos and quesadillas but says it lacks what enchiladas need, per her Tasting Table interview. In her view corn holds together with the sauce, the garnishes and the filling.
Flour tortillas
Flour rolls without a fight.
The trouble shows up in the pan. Tasting Table says flour tortillas soak up too much sauce, especially under heavy fillings, and can collapse into mush.
Plenty of cooks use them anyway. Williams Sonoma tested its chicken enchiladas verdes recipe with both types and says it likes them equally.
Corn-flour blends
America’s Test Kitchen’s 2019 taste test pitted seven 6-inch supermarket corn tortillas (five all-corn, two corn-wheat blends) against each other, with 21 staffers tasting. In its Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas, the thinner, smaller all-corn tortillas came out delicate and light, while the blends came out chewier.
The blend winner, Maria and Ricardo’s Soft Yellow Corn Tortillas, contains wheat gluten. That makes it sturdy, and it also rules it out for anyone avoiding gluten. So a blend is worth picking if plain corn keeps tearing on you, and worth skipping if gluten is off the menu.
When Flour Tortillas Beat Corn for Enchiladas
Creamy or dairy-based sauces are the first case. Flour’s mild flavor lets the sauce lead, which is why it suits sour cream versions in the Tex-Mex style.
Heavy or chunky fillings are the second. Flour stretches around irregular pieces without splitting, and corn is less forgiving there.
If you’ve never rolled enchiladas before, flour forgives a tight roll and corn does not. And a stale pack of corn is a lost cause anyway, since a dry, old one cracks no matter how you warm it.
That last point has some support. America’s Test Kitchen found the only pack in its lineup with no preservatives tasted dry and stale, and described it as more delicate.
Traditional Mexican enchiladas use corn. A flour version is a Tex-Mex adaptation, and Food Republic draws the line this way: enchiladas are made with corn, while a sauced dish wrapped in flour is a wet burrito. The breakdown of how enchiladas differ from burritos goes into that distinction in more detail.
Cheese-heavy rolls are where corn splits first. If cheese is the filling, the type of cheese you choose matters as much as the tortilla.
The sources do not agree on one point. America’s Test Kitchen found gluten-containing tortillas were less likely to rip when rolled than traditional all-corn ones, while Jinich and Tasting Table favor corn because it holds up once sauced.
Both can be true. Tear resistance matters at the rolling stage, and structure matters after 20 minutes in sauce.
Default to corn. Switch when the dish gives you a reason.
What Size and Thickness Should Tortillas for Enchiladas Be?
For corn enchiladas, buy 6-inch tortillas on the thin side of the range. Thicker ones roll slower and bake chewier.
Diameter
America’s Test Kitchen surveyed 6-inch corn tortillas because that is the size it calls for most often in its recipes.
Labels run generous, though. Guerrero’s own reply on Target’s product page puts its “6-inch” white corn tortillas at 5.25 to 5.75 inches, so corn packs in general land somewhere around 5.25 to 6 inches. Flour fajita size is 6 inches, and Williams Sonoma’s enchiladas verdes recipe calls for 8-inch flour or corn. A bigger tortilla means a bigger roll and fewer per pan.
Thickness
Thin and small wins for corn.
| Tortilla | Thickness | America’s Test Kitchen verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Guerrero White Corn | 2.08 mm | Delicate and light in enchiladas |
| Mi Rancho Organic Corn | 2.81 mm | Tough and rubbery, rated low |
| Maria and Ricardo’s Soft Yellow Corn | 3.05 mm | Chewier in enchiladas |
The seven tortillas America’s Test Kitchen measured in 2019 ranged from 2.08 to 3.05 mm, and its favorite all-corn pick was the thinnest of the lot. Mi Rancho was the thickest all-corn tortilla tested.
Thickness also decides how forgiving a roll is, which is where proper rolling technique pays off.
Gluten-Free and Low-Carb Tortillas for Enchiladas
Plain corn tortillas are the gluten-free choice, and a “gluten-free” label on the pack is what confirms it.
FDA’s regulation (21 CFR 101.91, issued August 2013) caps labeled gluten-free foods at under 20 parts per million of gluten, including any unavoidable cross-contact. The agency flags grain-based foods as higher risk for cross-contact, since harvesting, storage, and production equipment is often shared with wheat.
Guerrero sells its 6-inch white corn tortillas with a certified gluten-free mark, according to retailer product listings. America’s Test Kitchen’s blend winner, by contrast, lists wheat gluten as an ingredient. So gluten-free means all-corn with the label on the pack, never a corn-wheat blend.
If you’re counting carbs, calories or fat, corn beats flour and has more fiber too (Tasting Table). For a properly low-carb pan, fiber-boosted flour tortillas such as Mission Carb Balance are the usual route, and they contain wheat.
Sporked named Mission Carb Balance its best low-carb tortilla, but it tested them for general use, not baked under sauce. Expect flour behavior in a pan of enchiladas.
The tortilla is only part of the nutrition picture. Cheese and sauce decide a lot of it, and so does how big a portion you serve, which the guide on whether enchiladas are healthy overall breaks down.
FDA also notes that people with celiac disease who react to trace amounts should check with a health care provider before relying on a label alone.
Which Store-Bought Tortilla Brands Hold Up in Enchiladas?
La Banderita yellow corn is the best-supported all-round pick below: it tops Sporked’s ranking and America’s Test Kitchen recommends it, though Tasting Table placed it third of five. Goya, Tasting Table’s first pick, is the thick, sturdy alternative.
Sporked’s 2024 ranking (updated July 2024) gave La Banderita Yellow Corn Tortillas a 10/10. Its separate tortilla roundup calls them the best pick for enchiladas or street tacos at home.
| Brand | Type | Tester result |
|---|---|---|
| La Banderita (yellow and white) | All corn | Sporked 10/10 for both, best overall; America’s Test Kitchen recommended the yellow; Tasting Table 3rd of 5 |
| Goya | All corn | Tasting Table 2026, first of five, notably thick |
| El Milagro | Handmade-style corn | Sporked 8.5/10, soft and chewy |
| Trader Joe’s | Corn, water, lime | Sporked 8/10, holds weight |
| Romero’s Yellow Super King | Large corn | Sporked 7/10, stays soft after heating |
Apart from America’s Test Kitchen’s two-tortilla enchilada round, most of these tests warm the tortilla and eat it plain or in tacos. Enchilada performance is inferred from thickness, flexibility, and how long the tortilla stays soft.
The testers don’t always agree. Tasting Table’s pick is thick enough to hold fillings easily, while America’s Test Kitchen’s enchiladas (covered above) came out lighter with thinner corn. The panels were judging different things: Tasting Table rated flavor and texture straight from the bag and toasted, while America’s Test Kitchen compared only its top two picks in enchiladas.
Mission is another split. Sporked called it brittle, while America’s Test Kitchen tasters were divided between soft but sturdy and tough.
Guerrero, already covered above, also appears here as Sporked’s white corn runner-up at 9/10, though Tasting Table ranked it fourth of five. No brand wins every test.
How Fresh Do Tortillas for Enchiladas Need to Be?
Fresh enough to bend without a crack. Tortillas lose pliability as a pack ages, and corn tortillas show it first because they are the more fragile type.
Storing tortillas without cracking
Check the packaging date when you buy. Locally made tortillas are worth picking when you can find them, since they often taste better than mass-produced ones (Tasting Table).
Preservative-free packs go off sooner. Sporked warns that its three-ingredient Trader Joe’s pick may not last as long in the fridge.
To freeze a stack, layer parchment or wax paper between the tortillas and seal them in a freezer bag so they come apart easily.
Shelf-life guides disagree sharply on how long an opened pack keeps. The printed date and a quick bend test (fold one, and if it cracks, warm it before using) beat any day count.
Is homemade worth it?
Only for a small pan and a special dinner.
Pati Jinich says freshly made corn tortillas can be sauced and rolled right away, with no heating step (Tasting Table).
Saveur’s basic recipe mixes 2 cups of masa harina (Maseca and Bob’s Red Mill are two brands recipes commonly name) with 1 1/4 cups warm water, then presses 10 tortillas of 5 1/2 inches in a tortilla press. Texas Cooking calls for 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups of water per 2 cups of masa harina and says the 4-teaspoon difference between those amounts can be critical, while other recipes use up to 1 1/2 cups.
Cook them on a hot, dry comal or skillet.
If you’re making one pan and already own a tortilla press, go for it. For big batches and weeknights, skip it, since store-bought tortillas prepped properly work just as well, according to Jinich.
How to Soften Tortillas So They Do Not Crack
Warm each corn tortilla until it puffs slightly and bends without cracking. Dry heat and a quick fry both get there.
Frying takes about 10 seconds per side in medium-high oil until golden and still bendy. Let the oil heat first, because a cold pan does little (Tasting Table).
Jinich goes the dry route instead. She sears tortillas on a skillet, griddle, or comal with no oil until they puff and brown slightly, and she treats crisp as too far.
Serious Eats’ J. Kenji Lopez-Alt dips each tortilla in water before it hits a hot griddle so it steams on contact. For big batches, wrap a stack in foil or damp paper towels and use the oven or microwave.
Pick one method and use it for the whole batch. Mixing them gives you tortillas that behave differently in the same pan.
- Set up a station: skillet, paper towels, a shallow dish of enchilada sauce, and the baking dish.
- Heat the pan until a tortilla sizzles the moment it touches the oil, or until a dry skillet is hot.
- Fry about 10 seconds per side, or sear dry until the tortilla puffs and browns slightly.
- Drain on paper towels and cover the stack with a kitchen towel so it stays warm and pliable.
- Dip in sauce, add the filling, roll, and set seam side down in the dish.
Fresh flour tortillas are often soft enough straight from the bag, while corn tortillas always need softening, according to What Molly Made’s testing.
Tortillas that still tear usually point to overfilling. Recipes typically call for about 2 tablespoons of filling per hand-size corn tortilla.
Once the tortillas are ready, the full walkthrough for making enchiladas from start to finish picks up at assembly and baking.
How to Keep Enchiladas from Getting Soggy
Fry or sear the tortilla first and keep the sauce on the thin side. Then bake with only a little sauce on top. Moisture sitting against the tortilla is what turns a roll to mush.
A brief fry coats the tortilla in oil and slows how fast sauce soaks in (Tasting Table). Time matters too. Chef Marques-Sharpnack says soggy enchiladas usually come from tortillas sitting in sauce too long, and suggests a stacked style as the fix (Mashed). Jinich adds that vegetables with high water content hurt the final texture of the filling.
Frying and dry heat trade off. Jinich says frying waterproofs the tortilla more thoroughly, while dry heat makes less mess and a lighter dish.
Even the frying advice has a flexible edge. One Tasting Table piece pushes frying as the cure for sogginess, then says blotting the tortillas with paper towels afterward is optional, since they take up little oil.
They split on the pan bottom too. Allrecipes spreads a thin layer of sauce under the rolls to stop sticking, while another Tasting Table piece says dipped tortillas need none underneath and only a little on top.
Tortilla prep covers half the problem. The rest is sauce volume, filling moisture, and bake time, which the dedicated guide on keeping enchiladas from getting soggy covers in detail.
Choose the barrier that matches your sauce. A wet sauce earns the fry.
Tortillas for Enchiladas FAQ
Are white or yellow corn tortillas better for enchiladas?
Either works, with a small edge to yellow for corn flavor. Sporked finds yellow more traditional with a stronger corn flavor and white chewier and milder, while Tasting Table calls the two interchangeable for beef enchiladas.
Do you need two tortillas per enchilada?
No. Doubling up is a taco habit for brittle corn tortillas, as Sporked notes of taco stands.
A single warmed or fried tortilla rolls fine, and one that still splits needs more heat, not a second layer.
How many tortillas does one pan of enchiladas take?
Plan on 10 to 12 corn tortillas or 8 to 10 flour tortillas per pan. Kevin Is Cooking yields 10 corn or 8 flour enchiladas, and Life’s a Tomato gets 12 corn or 10 flour.
Flour tortillas are larger, so fewer fill the dish.
Can you assemble enchiladas ahead of time?
Yes. Pati Jinich says a casserole-style pan can be assembled in advance and reheated in the oven, with garnishes held back until serving.
For the freezer, the guide on freezing enchiladas covers wrapping and storage.
The Single Change That Improves Enchiladas Most
Heating each tortilla before rolling improves a pan of enchiladas more than a pricier pack does. Tortillas for enchiladas crack when cold, and Pati Jinich treats heating store-bought ones as a requirement.
America’s Test Kitchen recommended most of the seven corn tortillas it tested, priced from about $0.05 to $0.50 each, and warmed every one in the oven before tasting.
Prep is free and applies to every pack, so that’s where the effort goes first: warm or fry every tortilla. After that, buy thin corn and check the date on it. Flour only comes in when the sauce is creamy.
Brand rankings run from 2019 (America’s Test Kitchen) to 2026 (Tasting Table), so a reformulation such as added wheat gluten can reorder them. Positions verified November 2026.
With the tortillas settled, the best store-bought enchilada sauce is the next purchase worth comparing.
