Spinach Jalapeño Flour Tortillas

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Spinach Jalapeño Flour Tortillas! 🌿🌶️🫓

(Soft Homemade Green Tortillas with Fresh Spinach & Jalapeño)

These Spinach Jalapeño Flour Tortillas are soft, flexible, beautifully green, and packed with fresh flavor! 🌿🌶️ Fresh spinach gives them their gorgeous natural color while jalapeño adds just enough heat.

They’re fantastic for breakfast burritos, chicken wraps, carne asada tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, or simply warm off the skillet with butter. ❤️

Full Recipe (Ingredients + Instructions)

Makes: 10–12 tortillas
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Rest Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients 🌿🌶️

  • 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1¼ teaspoons salt
  • ⅓ cup (65 g) lard or vegetable shortening
  • 2 packed cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1 large jalapeño, roughly chopped
  • 1 small garlic clove, optional
  • ¾–1 cup (180–240 ml) very warm water, divided
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, optional

For Spicier Tortillas 🔥

  • Use 2 jalapeños
  • Leave some seeds and ribs intact
  • Or add ½ serrano pepper

Step 1: Make the Spinach-Jalapeño Purée 🌿

Add the spinach, jalapeño, optional garlic, lime juice, and about ½ cup warm water to a blender.

Blend until extremely smooth.

You want a vibrant green liquid without large pieces of spinach.

For Bright Green Tortillas 💚

Don’t cook the spinach beforehand.

Using fresh spinach helps preserve that beautiful green color.

Step 2: Prepare the Flour

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together:

  • Flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt

Add the lard or shortening.

Use your fingertips to work the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Step 3: Add the Green Mixture 🌿

Pour the spinach-jalapeño purée into the flour mixture.

Begin mixing with your hand or a wooden spoon.

Add additional warm water a tablespoon at a time only as needed.

Because spinach contains water, you may not need the full amount.

The dough should be:

Soft + smooth + slightly tacky, but NOT sticky.

Step 4: Knead the Dough

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.

Knead for approximately 5–7 minutes.

As you knead, the dough should become smooth and elastic.

If it’s too sticky, sprinkle in a tiny amount of flour.

If it’s dry or cracking, wet your hands and continue kneading.

Don’t Add Too Much Flour!

A slightly softer dough gives you much softer tortillas.

Step 5: REST THE DOUGH ❤️

Divide the dough into 10–12 equal balls.

Shape each into a smooth ball.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.

Let rest for at least 30 minutes.

This is one of the most important steps.

Resting relaxes the gluten so your tortillas roll thin instead of shrinking back.

Step 6: Roll the Tortillas 🫓

Preheat a cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat.

Take one dough ball and lightly flatten it.

Roll into approximately an 8-inch circle.

Roll from the center outward, rotating the tortilla frequently.

Homemade Is Better ❤️

They don’t need to be perfectly round!

Those slightly uneven edges are exactly what makes homemade tortillas look homemade. 😂

Step 7: Cook Them 🔥

Place one tortilla onto the hot, dry skillet.

Cook for approximately 30–45 seconds.

Small bubbles should begin appearing.

Flip and cook another 20–30 seconds.

Flip once more for approximately 10 seconds if necessary.

You want:

Brown toasted spots + little bubbles + soft flexible tortilla.

Don’t cook them until completely crisp.

Step 8: Keep Them SOFT 🫓❤️

As each tortilla comes off the skillet, immediately stack it inside a clean kitchen towel.

Keep the stack covered.

The trapped steam makes the tortillas beautifully soft and flexible.

THIS STEP MATTERS!

Leave fresh tortillas uncovered and they’ll dry out.

Stack and cover them while hot and they become wonderfully soft.

Cheesy Spinach Jalapeño Tortillas 🧀🌶️

For extra flavor, add to the flour:

  • ½ cup finely shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder

Keep the cheese very finely shredded so the tortillas remain easy to roll.

These are AMAZING for quesadillas. 🧀🔥

Hatch Green Chile Spinach Tortillas 🌶️💚

Replace the jalapeño with:

  • ½ cup roasted Hatch/New Mexico green chile, very well drained

Blend it with the spinach and water.

For even more flavor, use:

Spinach + Hatch green chile + jalapeño.

Now we’re talking. 😂🌶️🔥

Cilantro-Lime Version 🌿🍋‍🟩

Blend with the spinach:

  • ½ cup fresh cilantro
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 jalapeño

These are especially good with grilled chicken, shrimp, avocado, and fish tacos.

Extra Recipe Tips & Variations ✨

Use fresh baby spinach for the smoothest purée and brightest color.

Adjust the water gradually. The exact amount varies because spinach and flour absorb moisture differently.

For mild tortillas, remove all jalapeño seeds and ribs.

For spicy tortillas, use two jalapeños or add serrano.

Lard gives the tortillas a particularly tender texture and rich flavor, while shortening works very well too.

A tortilla press isn’t ideal for flour tortillas because the dough tends to spring back. A rolling pin gives you thinner tortillas.

Don’t stack raw tortillas because they’ll stick together.

Flavor Upgrades / Secret Tips 🔥

🌿 Add fresh cilantro to the spinach mixture.

🌶️ Char the jalapeño first for smoky flavor.

🧄 Add one small garlic clove.

🍋‍🟩 Add fresh lime zest.

🧀 Sprinkle a little cheese over a hot tortilla and fold immediately.

🔥 Cook on a properly preheated skillet so you get browned spots without drying out the tortilla.

My Secret Upgrade ❤️

Char the jalapeño directly over a flame or in a dry skillet before blending it with the fresh spinach.

You get:

fresh spinach flavor + smoky roasted jalapeño + soft homemade tortilla. 🌿🌶️🔥

It makes a BIG difference.

Serving Ideas 🌮🌯

These green tortillas are perfect for:

  • Breakfast burritos 🍳
  • Carne asada tacos 🥩
  • Chicken fajitas 🍗
  • Shrimp tacos 🍤
  • Quesadillas 🧀
  • Green chile burritos 🌶️
  • Chicken wraps
  • Steak wraps
  • Enchiladas
  • Taco roll-ups

My Favorite Combination ❤️

Take one warm Spinach Jalapeño Tortilla and fill it with:

Grilled chicken + roasted green chile + Monterey Jack + avocado + cilantro-lime sauce.

Fold it into a burrito and toast both sides on the skillet.

SO GOOD. 🌯🌶️🥑

Storage & Meal Prep Tips 🥡

Allow the tortillas to cool completely before storing.

Keep them in an airtight bag or container in the refrigerator for about 4–5 days.

Place parchment paper between tortillas if desired.

Freezing

Stack cooled tortillas with parchment between them.

Place in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2–3 months.

Thaw in the refrigerator.

Best Way to Reheat 🔥

Heat each tortilla on a dry skillet for approximately 15–20 seconds per side.

Stack them under a towel again.

They’ll taste surprisingly close to freshly made.

Nutrition Facts 📊

Approximate per tortilla, based on 12:

  • Calories: 150–170 kcal
  • Protein: 3–4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 24–27 g
  • Fat: 5–6 g
  • Fiber: 1–2 g

Nutrition varies depending on tortilla size and the type of fat used.

Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)

Do the tortillas taste strongly like spinach?
No. Spinach gives them color and a mild earthy flavor, while the jalapeño and toasted flour flavors come through nicely.

Are they very spicy?
Not with one seeded jalapeño. Keep the ribs and seeds or use two peppers if you want more heat.

Why won’t my tortillas stay rolled out?
The dough probably needs more resting time. Cover it and wait another 10–15 minutes.

Why are my tortillas hard?
They were likely cooked too long or too much flour was added to the dough.

Can I use whole-wheat flour?
Yes, but I recommend starting with half all-purpose and half whole wheat to maintain softness.

Can I use olive oil instead of lard?
Yes. The texture will be slightly different, but it works.

Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. Refrigerate the covered dough overnight and let it come closer to room temperature before rolling.

Social Media Captions ❤️

Facebook Style:
“Made Spinach Jalapeño Flour Tortillas from scratch today! 🌿🌶️🫓 They’re SO soft and that beautiful green color comes naturally from fresh spinach and jalapeño. I made a big stack and I’m already thinking about breakfast burritos tomorrow. 😂❤️ Recipe below! 👇”

Short Caption:
“Homemade Spinach Jalapeño Flour Tortillas! 🌿🌶️🫓 Soft, fresh, slightly spicy and SO GOOD straight off the skillet!”

Family-Style Caption:
“Made these green tortillas for the family today and they barely had time to cool before everybody started grabbing them. 😂🌿🌶️❤️”

Burrito Caption:
“If you’re making homemade burritos, try making the TORTILLAS homemade too! 🌯💚 These Spinach Jalapeño Flour Tortillas are next level.”

Engagement Caption:
“What are you filling these with—BREAKFAST EGGS 🍳, CARNE ASADA 🥩, CHICKEN 🍗 or CHEESE 🧀? 👇🌶️”

Final Food Description 🌿🌶️🫓❤️

Spinach Jalapeño Flour Tortillas are soft, flexible homemade tortillas naturally colored with fresh spinach and flavored with jalapeño, warm flour, and a touch of lime. Cooked quickly on a hot skillet until puffed with lightly toasted brown spots, they’re tender enough for burritos and wraps but flavorful enough to eat warm with nothing more than a little butter. 🌿🌶️🫓🔥