Do Corn Tortillas Need To Be Refrigerated?
Planning an epic taco night? Well, you’ll need to grab yourself some tortillas. Most stores sell them, so this isn’t a problem. The issue is storing them if you buy too many. So, do corn tortillas need to be refrigerated?
If you purchase prepackaged corn tortillas from the store, then they won’t need to be refrigerated. They are loaded with preservatives which should keep them fresh for weeks at room temperature. Homemade corn tortillas should always be refrigerated to help retain their freshness.
On this page, we’ll talk more about keeping your corn tortillas fresh, especially if you have made them yourself or have opened the packaging!
Do Corn Tortillas Need to Be Refrigerated?
As we said, store-bought corn tortillas don’t need to be refrigerated. You will need to refrigerate homemade ones, though.
Storebought
Head to any store, and you’ll likely find a bread section with some tortillas. They aren’t refrigerated. In fact, if you look at the expiry date, it’ll often be months and months in the future. Some corn tortillas will even last years.
As long as you don’t open the packaging, those store-bought tortillas will last an incredibly long time and don’t need to be refrigerated. This is because they are loaded with preservatives that help to keep them shelf-stable.
Even if you have opened the packaging, they can still be kept out of the fridge if you are keeping them in an airtight container. They should never be kept uncovered at room temperature. They’ll go stale very quickly.
Homemade Tortillas
Homemade tortillas won’t have any of those awful preservatives in them. Obviously, this means that they’ll taste better. The downside? Well, they’ll go stale a lot faster.
These tortillas can be stored out of the fridge for a couple of days (just like any bread), but we recommend that you refrigerate them to guarantee their freshness.
Unfortunately, even if you store homemade corn tortillas properly, you’ll only get a maximum of 7 days of life out of them. They may even start to go stale after a couple of days, which does hamper the flavor somewhat.
Can You Refrigerate Cooked Corn Tortillas?
You can refrigerate them. You’ll need to keep them in an airtight container, though.
When you remove them from the fridge, you can dry fry them in a frying pan. This will warm them up. They only need to be cooked for a few seconds on each side. Alternatively, you can put them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, but this may make them a little bit soggy.
Keeping Your Corn Tortillas Fresh
Keeping your tortillas fresh isn’t too difficult. The following advice should help you out, whether you are storing in the fridge or in the pantry.
Keep them in a Cool, Dry Location
Most tortillas should be shelf-stable. While they will eventually develop mold, this takes an incredibly long time due to all the preservatives in the tortillas. So, you don’t need to worry about them expiring as such. Your main issue is that tortillas will eventually dry out. Once they have dried out, they aren’t very nice to eat.
At all times, your tortillas should be stored in a cool, dry location. They should never be stored in direct sunlight. Keeping them in either your pantry or your fridge should be fine.
Store in Airtight Container (or Bag)
All homemade tortillas should be stored in an airtight container or bag. This is the only way to keep them nice and fresh.
If you have store-bought corn tortillas, then it is fine to leave them in the product packaging. Once you have opened them, either seal that package up properly or find an airtight bag or container to move them to.
Once Opened, Consume Within 7 Days
It doesn’t matter what the expiry date on the product is, once you have opened them up, you need to consume within 7 days. You may be able to extend this to 10 days if you keep them in the fridge.
Once the product packaging is open, the tortillas will start drying out. If you leave it too long to eat them, they’ll go stale!
Check out our website for some interesting articles Do Cooked Sausage Balls Need To Be Refrigerated?, Do Coconut Macaroons Need To Be Refrigerated?, Do Core Power Shakes Need To Be Refrigerated?, and Do Coconut Aminos Need To Be Refrigerated?
Can You Freeze Corn Tortillas?
Yes. You can freeze them for up to 6 months. Store-bought can be frozen in the packaging. If you have handmade your corn tortillas, then place some parchment paper between each one before freezing. This will prevent them from sticking together and make them a whole lot easier to defrost!
Conclusion
Do corn tortillas need to be refrigerated? No, they don’t. Store-bought products can last for months (if not years) if you don’t open the packaging. Even after opening, they’ll last around a week at room temperature. Homemade tortillas can also be stored at room temperature, but keeping them in the fridge will ensure that they remain a lot fresher. In that case, you’ll need to keep them in an airtight container.
