Curious which color tortilla you should choose for the most health benefits?
When it comes to corn tortillas, you may think it’s as simple as white corn vs yellow corn tortillas, or blue corn vs yellow corn. But the truth is more complicated than that!
While there isn’t one color of tortilla that’s healthier than the others, the color of your tortilla can make a difference when it comes to nutrition. This is because different colors of tortillas tend to have different micronutrients, aka vitamins and minerals.
Corn tortillas are an amazing food, and I love how you can get different nutrition benefits from something as simple as changing up the color of tortillas you eat. That’s why I sat down to compare the different colors of tortillas.
Keep reading for a nutrition breakdown of different color tortillas as well as a cooking and taste test!
How does color affect your tortilla’s nutrition?
You may be surprised to learn that the color of your tortilla does make a nutrition difference.
Keep in mind that the color of fruits and vegetables tells us something about the antioxidants and vitamins in that plant. Orange foods tend to be high in beta-carotene, for example (1).
This means that in most cases, the color of your tortilla will impact the vitamins and antioxidants in your tortillas. There may be small differences in protein, carbs, or fiber between different colors of corn tortilla, but usually not enough to make a big difference in your health.
Nutrition Benefits of Different Color Tortillas:
White
White corn tortillas are the type you’re most likely to see at your local grocery store. Like all corn tortillas, they are a good source of fiber. They may also be a source of calcium, depending on how they’re made.
White corn tortillas tend to have the lowest antioxidant content among corn tortillas, although they do still have some antioxidants (2). It’s worth noting that handmade white tortillas were higher in antioxidants than storebought corn tortillas, as well.
We also have to think about context. These days, when people eat white corn tortillas they’re usually eating storebought, commercially produced tortillas (not always, though). Store-bought tortillas tend to be lower in calcium and antioxidants.
At the same time, they may be a source of folic acid, iron, and other b vitamins while homemade tortillas typically are not.
White Corn Flour Nutrition Facts
100 g of white corn flour provides the following nutrients (3):
| Calories | 361 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 76.8 g |
| Fiber | 7.3 g |
| Protein | 6.93 g |
| Fat | 3.86 g |
| Iron | 2.38 mg |
| Magnesium | 93 mg |
| Potassium | 315 mg |
Keep in mind, we usually nixtamalize corn before we make it into tortillas, which can affect the total carbohydrate, fiber, and calcium content. So these nutrition facts may differ slightly from what you would see in tortillas.
Yellow
Yellow corn is a particularly good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, thanks to its yellow color (4).
Lutein and zeaxanthin are types of antioxidants called carotenoids found in orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Lutein and zeaxanthin are particularly important for protecting eye health.
Consuming these antioxidants may help prevent several eye conditions, including macular degeneration and cataracts.
Yellow Corn Flour Nutrition Facts
100 g of yellow corn flour provides the following nutrients (5):
| Calories | 364 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 80.8 g |
| Fiber | 4.3 g |
| Protein | 6.2 g |
| Fat | 1.74 g |
| Iron | 4.44 mg |
| Magnesium | 30.1 mg |
| Potassium | 144 mg |
Blue
Blue corn tortillas are a very healthy choice. Antioxidants called anthocyanins give blue corn its color.
One study found that the blue corn used for tortillas may have up to eleven different types of anthocyanins, especially p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid (6).
This is important because anthocyanins are strong antioxidants, and can help prevent diseases caused by inflammation, including heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (7).
In particular, one study found that p-coumaric acid may help reduce symptoms of depression and memory impairment in mice (8).
The other common anthocyanin found in blue corn tortillas is ferulic acid. Ferulic acid is a popular antioxidant for skincare, but it also has health benefits when you eat it. Ferulic acid in food may help with blood pressure and diabetes management (9).
Blue corn flour nutrition facts
100 g of blue corn flour provides the following nutrients (10):
| Calories | 364 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 73.9 g |
| Fiber | 8.4 g |
| Protein | 8.75 g |
| Fat | 5 g |
| Iron | 1.74 mg |
| Magnesium | 110 mg |
| Potassium | 381 mg |
Other tortilla colors
Blue, white, and yellow are by far the most common tortilla colors. Although you may also see green or pink/red tortillas at specialty stores or restaurants.
Notably, green tortillas don’t typically come from green corn. Usually they have had another green vegetable added to the dough, like spinach or nopales.
The actual quantity of vegetables used to give tortillas their green color varies from brand to brand, so it’s tough to say if they would be a good source of vegetables or not.
In most cases, I urge my clients to still aim for more vegetables on their plate, even if they choose a green tortilla.
Pink or red tortillas, on the other hand, could come from red corn. They could also be colored with beets or prickly pear. If red tortillas are made from red corn, they may be a good source of anthocyanins (11).
What color tortilla should you choose?
White corn vs Yellow Corn Tortillas
If the choice is between white corn and yellow corn tortillas, I would typically recommend you choose yellow corn tortillas. Yellow corn tortillas are higher in antioxidants, especially carotenoids which are important for eye and skin health.
Blue corn vs yellow corn tortillas
Interestingly, yellow and white corn tortillas may be higher in certain b vitamins like folic acid, thiamin, and riboflavin.
This is because commercially produced tortillas are more likely to be yellow or white, and commercially produced tortillas are more likely to be enriched with b vitamins and iron. Read more about the movement to fortify corn tortillas here.
One study found that only tortillas made with commercially available dried masa flour were significant sources of vitamins B1, B2, B3, and folic acid (12).
But other than that, blue corn tortillas tend to be higher in protein and are a great source of anthocyanins.
While I wouldn’t say blue corn tortillas are healthier than yellow corn tortillas, I will say that most people eat yellow corn tortillas way more often than blue. So it would introduce some variety and a wider range of antioxidants to choose blue corn tortillas from time to time.
The Healthiest Color Tortilla to Choose
The color of your tortilla tells you something about the antioxidants in that tortilla. In many cases, the different colors of corn used to make tortillas affect the kind of antioxidant, more so than the overall quantity of antioxidants.
But when it comes to carbohydrates and fiber, there’s little difference between the different colors of tortilla. Every corn tortilla color will be a good source of fiber and resistant starch.
Overall, your best bet is to choose a variety of corn tortilla colors. Maybe this grocery trip you choose yellow corn tortillas, and the next one you experiment with blue corn. This way you can reap the benefits of the wide range of antioxidants and flavors.
Taste test of different color tortillas
To finish out the comparison, I decided to taste test a few different colors of tortilla.
Methods
(This section contains affiliate links. If you click on the link and make a purchase I will make a small commission. This helps keep the blog content free for you to read!)
To perform the experiment, I used Masienda’s bundle of different colored corn masas: red, blue, white, and yellow. I made 2 corn tortillas from each color, using ¼ cup masa harina and approximately 1 cup of water.
Then I compared the taste, texture, and ease of cooking.
Results
White corn tortillas
I treated the white corn tortilla like a control here. I’ve made corn tortillas with white masa harina countless times. I noticed I didn’t need all the water to get the appropriate texture.
The white corn tortilla had a very neutral flavor and a tender texture.
Yellow corn tortillas
When I used the yellow corn masa, the ¼ cup of water was almost too much. This was the stickiest masa and it took the longest to cook.
The yellow corn tortilla tasted a bit like popcorn in a pleasant way.
Blue corn tortillas
The blue corn tortilla absorbed a lot of water. Even with the ¼ cup water the dough felt a little drier than the other ones. This tortilla was thicker than the others and was a little more breakable while cooking.
Flavorwise, the blue corn tortilla was really nice. It had a slightly nutty flavor and a chewy texture.
Red corn tortillas
The red corn tortilla was by far my favorite. The masa was the easiest to work with and I wound up with perfectly shaped, thin tortillas.
The texture of the finished tortillas was perfectly soft and pliable, and the texture had a very slight sweetness to it. Overall, this was definitely my favorite color tortilla! And it’s nice to know that the red color makes these tortillas high in anthocyanins.
Final thoughts
All corn tortillas are healthy, whole grain foods that deserve a place on your plate.
You don’t need to get too caught up in the details of white corn vs yellow corn tortillas, or other minor differences. But rather, I’d recommend trying to get a variety of corn tortilla colors into your diet to reap the most benefits.
If you’re a Latina looking to learn about nutrition in a way that highlights your favorite foods and celebrates your cultura, you’re in the right place! Check out my free 1-week Mexican meal plan to see what we’re about here! Get your copy when you sign up below.