I Asked 3 Experts to Name the Best Store-Bought Corn Tortillas—They All Said the Same Thing

Most of us food-loving folks have a dish or two that is our ultimate Achilles heel. You know, the thing you’ll keep eating whenever you’re hungry or come home to make after a cocktail party. Personally, I cannot live without quesadillas. Whether they are simple, composed of a single tortilla and a few slices of sharp cheddar, or everything-but-the-kitchen-sink topped with hot sauce and eaten at 1 a.m., I just can't get enough of the cheesy, little tortilla-based delights.

And while I’ve almost perfected the art of quesadilla-making, I have been having some bad luck with tortillas recently. The past few packs of corn tortillas I’ve acquired have either been too thick, too dry, or too easily torn. So, as I usually do when I’m looking for the very best of any ingredient, I reached out to some culinary experts to get their suggestions on the best store-bought corn tortillas.

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The Tortilla-Loving Culinary Experts I Asked:

• Christopher Atwood: Co-founder of The Food Society, recipe developer, and culinary educator

• Jennifer Pallian: Dietitian, food science expert, and creator of the award-winning Foodess blog

• Jessica Merchant: Recipe developer, founder of How Sweet Eats, and author of five cookbooks

The Best Corn Tortillas, According to the Pros

Mi Rancho Organic Artisan Corn Tortillas won out as number one among the experts I spoke with. “Based in Oakland, CA, this family-owned company has been making tortillas for 80 years,” explains Atwood. “They use certified-organic corn, cooked with lime so they're more nutritious, and then ground on lava stones.” The decades of experience allows these tortilla makers to churn out tender, versatile, and ultimately delicious tortillas that, as Atwood says, “reflect both Mexican cooking traditions and California organic farming practices.”

“They may be slightly pricier since they are organic,” says Merchant, “but they taste the best and are worth it!” She only eats store-bought tortillas whose taste and texture are on par with homemade, like Mi Rancho’s, which are ”pliable without breaking apart and easily hold all my favorite fillings.” Pallian agrees, saying: “I prefer them for their flexibility, balance between thinness and durability, and their toasty corn flavor.”

Made with primarily just water, corn, and masa harina, the prominent and natural corn flavor of Mi Rancho corn tortillas is attributable to their limited, authentic ingredient list. “I look for nixtamalized corn, or masa harina (a traditional preparation method), and minimal ingredients,” says Pallian, “a tortilla should contain very little other than just corn, water, and lime (calcium hydroxide).”

Where Atwood gently toasts Mi Rancho tortillas on a cast iron pan, “turning constantly with his fingertips, until the tortillas soften and brown just a little,” Pallian “uses tongs to heat them one at a time over an open flame on a gas stove.” The tortillas can then be used to make tacos or simply torn and dipped into guacamole or salsa. Merchant, for her part, likes to “crisp them up well for tostadas or puffy tacos.”

As for me? I’ll be using them to make quesadillas, of course! You can find Mi Rancho Organic Artisan Corn Tortillas at your local Whole Foods and other speciality markets as well as online.

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