Masa harina: what it is and what to do with it

Published August 10, 2021

It’s the foundation of so many Mexican dishes, but can you use it at home? Yes!

It never occurred to me to use masa harina, or corn flour, in anything besides tortillas.

But now that I am using it, I’m loving the nutty corn flavor, slightly gritty mouth-feel and airiness it lends to both sweet and savory baked goods. It’s surprisingly versatile, and I’m having fun in the kitchen with it!

Apparently, I’m not the only one — check out the recipe below for Masa Ball Soup, a clever (and delicious!) take on classic Matzoh Ball Soup.

So what’s the difference between masa harina and cornmeal? They’re both from corn, but that’s where the similarities end.

Cornmeal is simply dried, ground corn. We’re talking “regular” field corn, not the super-sweet hybrids we like to eat at picnics. Unless it’s labeled “whole grain,” it’s made from degerminated corn, i.e., the nutritious bran and germ have been removed to make it last longer.

You can make this Tequila Lime Cake with 3 tablespoons of the Mexican liquor or substitute lime juice.
Masa harina is also made from dried corn, but using a special process called nixtamalization. It’s soaked in a limewater solution to remove the hull, improve the texture and help release nutrients. When those soaked corn kernels are ground, that’s fresh masa. If you dry that, you have masa harina — literally “dough flour.”

That’s why you can’t really substitute one for the other; they’re very different.

Tortillas, sopes, huaraches, gorditas — all of these are made from masa harina. Can you, should you, make your own at home? Another surprise: it’s not that hard. Really!

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