Prices checked by hand on 24 August 2026
Masa harina is corn flour that has been nixtamalized — soaked in an alkaline solution before grinding. That step is not optional and it is not cosmetic. It changes the starch so the dough holds together, and it is the reason corn tortillas taste like corn tortillas.
Cornstarch, cornmeal, polenta and ordinary corn flour will not work. None of them are nixtamalized. Dough made from them falls apart on the press and tastes flat. This is the single most common reason a first attempt at tortillas fails here, and no amount of extra water or resting time fixes it.
Short answer
Cheapest per kilo: Naturelo direct from Manila Bambi Foods, ₱400/kg. Nothing else comes close.
Easiest to get: Maseca on Lazada, ₱528/kg once you adjust for the smaller pack. Maseca is the standard brand in Mexico and the one most recipes assume.
Skip: Bob’s Red Mill at around ₱800/kg. It is good flour, but you are paying double for the same thing.
Where to buy it
| Seller | Brand | Size & price | Per kg | Shipping | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manila Bambi Foods | Naturelo | 1 kg — ₱400.00 | ₱400 | At checkout | Check price |
| Lazada | Maseca | 907 g repack — ₱479.00 | ₱528 | Free | Check price |
| Healthy Options | Bob’s Red Mill | 624 g — approx. ₱450–550 | ₱721–881 | At checkout | Check price |
| iHerb Philippines | Bob’s Red Mill | 624 g — ₱500.81 | ₱803 | Free over ₱3,400 | Check price |
All four were in stock on 24 August 2026. Prices per kilo are calculated from the listed pack size so you can compare them directly — most sellers list different weights.
Things worth knowing before you order
The Lazada Maseca is a repack. It has been transferred out of the original bag into a smaller one. That is common here and usually fine, but it means you cannot see the manufacturer’s expiry date. Masa harina goes stale and eventually rancid, so if you are buying a repack, buy the smallest quantity you will actually use.
Check the label says masa harina or nixtamalized. Plenty of products here are sold as “white corn flour” and are not nixtamalized at all. If the listing does not say nixtamalized, treated with lime, or masa harina, message the seller before you buy.
Buy less than you think. A kilo makes a lot of tortillas. Unless you are cooking for a crowd regularly, one bag will last months — and it keeps better in the freezer than in a Manila kitchen cupboard.
What can you use instead?
For tortillas, honestly: nothing. This is the ingredient with no workaround. If you cannot get masa harina, make flour tortillas instead — they are a legitimate northern Mexican thing, not a compromise, and all-purpose flour is everywhere.
The other route is to nixtamalize dried corn yourself using food-grade calcium hydroxide, then grind it. It is genuinely how it is done, but it needs a grinder that will handle wet corn, and the cal has to be food grade — the slaked lime sold for other uses is not. For most people, paying ₱400 for a kilo is the better trade.
Found it cheaper somewhere, or hit a listing that has gone out of stock? Tell us and we’ll update this page.