The 7 Best Tortilla Warmers, According To The Good Housekeeping Institute

There are two cardinal rules that every lover of Mexican cuisine should follow: Classifying Taco Bell or Del Taco as “real” Mexican food is a mortal sin. And you should always use a tortilla warmer, especially if you’re putting in the effort to make your own tortillas. Typically made from masa (a maize dough made from ground corn) or flour, the tortilla traces all the way back to the Aztec Empire and has cemented itself as one of the most popular types of flatbread in the world. Mexican restaurants usually cook their tortillas on a flat griddle called a comal. And after that? They put them right into a tortilla warmer.

Such is the case for Machete Taqueria in Redlands, CA, which is co-owned by Elia Rivera and her husband, Martin Rivera. Offering classic dishes like street tacos and golden-brown empanadas, one thing is for sure: This eatery knows their corn tortillas.

“What we do is we outsource the masa, and we roll it out on a tortilla machine from Mexico,” Rivera said. “There’s different settings on our machine that make different sizes—it kind of acts like a cookie cutter—and it cuts it into a perfect circle or oval. Then we place the cut tortillas on a hot, flat grill so the masa can be cooked through.” Given that Machete Taqueria puts such care into making their tortillas, it’s no surprise that the restaurant had a few tips for keeping them warm and soft until they’re ready to be served.

“We usually make our tortillas in the beginning of the day or the middle of the day, depending on how many customers we have,” explained Rivera. To ensure they stay fresh, “We place our cooked tortillas in a lightly damp, clean towel and we stack them up with each one wrapped in a towel inside of a canister. This keeps them warm and moist so they don’t get dry or cracked after sitting for a long time.”

Should you notice your tortillas have cooled before you've gotten a chance to pop them in a warmer, it may be tempting to just nuke them in the microwave, but Rivera strongly advised against it: “Don’t do that—the way we keep them warm here, and how most people do it at home, is to place your tortillas on a hot grill and then you sprinkle water on top.”

“If someone’s really pressed for equipment, you’ll have to get a little creative for them to taste edible,” added Adria Squires, an associate at Machete Taqueria. “You can wrap your tortillas in a damp paper towel and then heat them in the microwave for about 30 seconds, depending on how many you have, but just know they won’t taste as good.”

But if you’d rather reheat your tortillas the proper way (and we strongly suggest you do), Rivera said the key is “Don’t dunk them in water. Just use enough to rehydrate them.” After all, the only thing worse than a dry, stale tortilla is a crumbling, soggy one.

It may be tempting to use a quick fix instead of a tortilla warmer, but the proof is in the pancakes (which can also be stored in a tortilla warmer to stay warm and fluffy). A dedicated warmer works better than just using the foil or hot towel method. And don’t just take our word for it: We turned to Nicole Papantoniou, the Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliances & Culinary Innovation Lab, for guidance on which warmers are the best.

“Foil doesn’t retain heat at all. It’ll stay warm for as long as your tortillas are warm, but it doesn’t offer any insulation to retain heat,” Papantoniou explained. “Hot towels are similar in that again, there isn’t any added insulation to retain that heat.” But don’t dump that roll of foil or throw in those towels just yet—there’s still a place for them!

These versatile and practical containers would benefit any kitchen, but they’re not all created equal. Read on for the best-reviewed and most-raved-about tortilla warmers. And if you want to take things to another level, you can pick up a quality tortilla press to make the best homemade flour tortillas, which you can use for a hearty tortilla omelet, an assortment of cheesy chicken tacos, and more.

Our top picks

• Best Tortilla Warmer: Nordic Ware Microwave Tortilla and Pancake Warmer
• Best Budget Tortilla Warmer: IMUSA USA Sunburst Cloth Tortilla Warmer
• Best Splurge Tortilla Warmer: Carlisle Lift Off Jumbo Tortilla Server
• Best Small Tortilla Warmer: Dexas Microwavable Tortilla Warmer
• Best Tortilla Warmer for Large Groups: Norpro Tortilla Pancake Keeper
• Best Ceramic Tortilla Warmer: Ceramic Tortilla Warmer by KooK
• Best Terracotta Tortilla Warmer: Fox Run Tortilla Warmer

How we picked these products

To find the best tortilla warmer, we turned to our friends at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Their team of on-staff experts—which includes all types: engineers! data analysts! registered dietitians!—rigorously put everyday products to the test (and then more and more tests) in their New York City-based labs to determine which ones you can trust.

Their Kitchen Appliances & Culinary Innovation Lab has not formally tested tortilla warmers this year, but you can rest assured that each of these recommendations has been fully vetted to ensure their discerning standards are met, if not exceeded. After sitting down with Papantoniou to discuss her team’s research and fieldwork, we’ve determined that these are the best tortilla warmers you can buy.