Corn or Flour? Personally, I choose flour for breakfast tacos, fish tacos filled with avocado, crema, and shredded cabbage, and delicious, lard-cooked refried bean burritos. But corn tortillas shine brightest with spicy and fruity chiles, aromatic pico de gallo, and braised meats. Flour tortillas are neutral. Corn tortillas bring flavor.
So, for this taste test, we looked for corn tortillas with a corn-forward taste. Honestly, that was hard to find. A lot of store bought tortillas are white corn tortillas. White corn tortillas have a chewy texture and less of a corn taste, whereas yellow corn tortillas are more traditional and bring an assertive corn flavor. For all of these tortillas, I cooked them directly on a stove burner to warm them and to bring out some sweet and nutty corn flavors. Mythical’s art director Jessie Lamworth sat down with us, the Sporked team, to decide which tortillas might have a chance at rivaling a freshly made corn tortilla. Here’s what we found:
The following article contains affiliate links that may generate a small commission to us when you make a purchase through the link. Learn more about how we work with affiliates here.
- La Banderita Yellow Corn Tortillas
“Am I in a restaurant?” asked staff writer Jordan Myrick. La Banderita yellow corn tortillas were the least grainy of the bunch. They’re soft, tasty, and have a slight hint of corn that is enhanced when you toast them on an open flame. The combination of great corn flavor and chewy texture is exactly what we’re looking for in a tortilla. These tortillas really make me want to slow braise some pork barbacoa at home and stuff that spicy, deliciously fatty meat into them. These will inspire you.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
- Trader Joe’s Corn Tortillas
“Mmmm, it feels like they’re homemade,” exclaimed Jessie. “They’re chewy like somebody just made them.” Trader Joe’s corn tortillas are indeed chewy and flavorful. Structurally, they hold together quite nicely, as well. Corn tortillas in general can run pretty brittle, which is why taco stands often serve them doubled up. You don’t need to double up on Trader Joe’s corn tortillas, though. They’re a constructional achievement; their texture can hold some weight. So feel free to pile these up with ingredients like you would a fish taco—tilapia, crema, avocado, pico de gallo, and shredded cabbage slaw. That makes it the best choice when you’re making fish tacos at home.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Sporked Taste Test
- El Milagro Corn/Maiz Tortillas
This is exactly what I’m looking for in a corn tortilla. El Milagro brings a really great corn flavor, and the tortillas themselves are soft and chewy. Heck, these are even pretty good even if you don’t heat them up. Managing editor Gwynedd Stuart found them to be lacking a bit in the salt department, but that’s easy to fix—just add toppings. The corn-forward flavor and outstanding texture of these things will compliment any type of taco you plan on making. You can’t go wrong with El Milagro.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Target
- Mission Yellow Corn
Mission Yellow Corn tortillas are chewy and have a mild taste. They read a little bit like flour tortillas, as they don’t really have much corn flavor. It’s kind of disappointing that most companies don’t lean into that corn taste. But these have their place. Mission Yellow Corn tortillas feel like they’re made for people who prefer flour, but are corn-curious. They’re meek in flavor, and would definitely improve if you fried them. (I would think about making chicken flautas with these.) If you’re just starting on your corn tortilla journey, start here.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
- Guerrero White Corn Tortillas
These also have a solid, muscular texture, and they feel freshly cooked. They’re sturdy and not too flaky, but they’re a bit bland. Guerrero White Corn Tortillas need salt and fat. Jordan correctly assessed that these would be best for fried tortilla chips. These have a purpose, I just feel like that purpose is decidedly not tacos. Also, yes, this is the second time I’ve asked you to fry at home. Enough with the air fryers, already. Get some oil back into your diet—it’s delicious!
Credit: Ryan Martin / Instacart
- Mi Rancho Taco Sliders
Alright, only our editor-in-chief, Justine Sterling, and I approved of these. Everyone else hated Mi Rancho. But guess what? I gladly took these home and made tacos with them all week. These are the most corn-forward of the corn tortillas on this list and that has to count for something. I, personally, would have ranked them much higher. That said, I absolutely hate that the package says “taco sliders” on it. It feels borderline problematic. Still, it’s hard to argue with the quality. They’re street taco-sized tortillas. I used them to make breakfast tacos with pickled jalapeños and they were great. The corn flavor here will accent braised meat like like barbacoa or chicken tinga. I recommend heating Mi Rancho corn tortillas on an open flame to extract all the deliciously roasted corn flavors. It pains me that they’re this low on the list.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
Best of the Best
Best for Fish Tacos
Best Corn Flavor
Best for Flour Lovers
Best for Tortilla Chips
Best for Street Tacos
Looking to Spice Up Your Life? Try the 7 Best Store Bought Salsas
Not to sound like a snob, but I do not typically buy brand name, store bought salsa. How could they ever compare to the pints of fresh salsa I can buy at my local burrito place? Or something I can whip up at home with vegetables from the farmers market?
Film your own taste test at home and share with us using #SporkedTasteTest for a chance to be featured on our social pages!
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!