These (15-minute!) gluten free and keto tortillas are super pliable, easy-peasy and make the best low carb tacos… at just 2g net carbs a pop!
15-Minute Gluten Free & Keto Tortillas
Suuuper pliable, 2g net carbs & not eggy (at all!!)
I’m very (very) excited to share this recipe for keto tortillas with you guys! Because know that I’m (half!) Mexican i.e. I know tortillas.
The result is a nice and pliable tortilla which will puff when cooked. An ideal replacement for flour tortillas (or corn, for that matter). All for your taco’s delight!
Oh, and did I mention just 1 egg for 8 tortillas?! Yup, no eggy business here here peeps.
Also note that this recipe was first published here on October 17th, 2017… and has since appeared in multiple other websites (ahem!!). Just know that you saw it here first (plagiarism is the greatest form of flattery right?! 😉
The Flours
The original recipe is a mixture of super fine almond flour (I love Anthony’s) and coconut flour (again Anthony’s best taste and texture by a mile!). Add a touch of xanthan gum, baking powder, and we’re golden.
The Substitutes
I know you guys need to substitute often (allergies, preferences etc), so this should come in handy:
- Almond flour can be substituted with sunflower seed flour on a 1-to-1 ratio. Given its similar fat and protein content to almond, this really is the best sub out there for those of you with nut allergies! Just note that its generally not ground as fine as almond and it has a different flavor profile, but I know you guys love it as you report back on it often.
- Coconut flour is a bit of a trickier one to sub as its more unique in its behavior, but still totally doable (as I found out in the naan recipe!). In fact, when yeast is involved, oat fiber had the best texture out of the lot, arguably as it is a grain. Oh, and the neat thing about oat fiber is that it’s virtually carb-less (I’m assuming there’s a trace, but labels read 3g carbs – 3g fiber = 0 net carbs!). Also keep in mind that brands vary a lot here and Lifesource seems to be the best (no weird aftertaste, etc).
- Xanthan gum is the trickiest of the lot to sub, because of its totally unique ability to act like a binder to replace gluten. Which means that for best results I suggest not trying to sub this one. Having said that, in case of allergies or sensitivity (or if paleo), you can use 1 tablespoon of psyllium husk powder instead. The dough won’t be a as malleable, but results will still be solid.
The Method
Couldn’t get any easier tbh! You simply whisk together the flours (very thoroughly!), add them to your food processor, add in a touch of apple cider vinegar (or any neutral tasting one), add in the egg and a touch of water. The dough will then come together into a ball, which you’ll wrap with plastic wrap and knead for a couple minutes (think sort of like a stress ball!).
No food processor? No worries! You can use your hand or stand mixer or even do it by hand with a little extra elbow grease. I don’t suggest using blenders though, as the dough is quite stiff and it could damage your engine.
And for the roll out, using a tortilla press is much easier (I use this one!). But it works just fine with a rolling pin and two pieces of parchment paper.
One last (very important!!) thing: when cooking, coconut flour burns rather rapidly. So while this does help you to get the traditional charred marks of flour tortillas, you do need to keep an eye out for them to keep them from burning. Having said that, you do want your skillet to be very hot in order for the tortillas to cook quickly (in under a minute) and stay pliable. Like any tortilla, if the heat is not high enough it will harden and crack.
Taco Ideas!
You’ll soon find that our keto tortillas are incredibly versatile! You can make crisp taco shells with them, use them up for fish tacos and carnitas, burritos, turn them into tortilla chips (and subsequently nachos!), taco bowls… you’ve got plenty of options!
And last, but not least, I’ve also since found that the tortilla dough has multiple uses (outside of Mexican food, that is)! So I suggest you check out our Crazy Keto Dough for more deets (think cinnamon roll knots, pizza and pasta!).
(15-Minute!) Gluten Free & Keto Tortillas
Ingredients
- 96 g almond flour
- 24 g coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 3 teaspoons water
Special equipment
Instructions
- Add almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt to food processor. Pulse until thoroughly combined. Note: you can alternatively whisk everything in a large bowl and use a hand or stand mixer for the following steps.
- Pour in apple cider vinegar with the food processor running. Once it has distributed evenly, pour in the egg. Followed by the water. Stop the food processor once the dough forms into a ball. The dough will be sticky to touch.
- Wrap dough in cling film and knead it through the plastic for a minute or two. Think of it a bit like a stress ball. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes (and up to three days in the fridge).
- Heat up a skillet (preferably) or pan over medium heat. You can test the heat by sprinkling a few water droplets, if the drops evaporate immediately your pan is too hot. The droplets should ‘run’ through the skillet.
- Break the dough into eight 1” balls (26g each). Roll out between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper with a rolling pin or using a tortilla press (easier!) until each round is 5-inches in diameter.
- Transfer to skillet and cook over medium heat for just 3-6 seconds (very important). Flip it over immediately (using a thin spatula or knife), and continue to cook until just lightly golden on each side (though with the traditional charred marks), 30 to 40 seconds. The key is not to overcook them, as they will no longer be pliable or puff up.
- Keep them warm wrapped in kitchen cloth until serving. To rewarm, heat briefly on both sides, until just warm (less than a minute).
- These tortillas are best eaten straight away. But feel free to keep some dough handy in your fridge for up to three days, and they also freeze well for up to three months.
Hello, on the gluten-free tortillas what is the vinegar for or what does it do.
Thank you Mary 😊
My theory is it’s to activate the baking powder.
These honestly blew me away. I was not expecting them to be so simple AND delicious. Words alone can’t express how grateful I am!
Has anyone found a good substitute for the almond flour? I want to make some for a friend who has nut allergies. Otherwise I love the recipe!
Yes!! Sunflower seed flour is the only straight sub 🙂
Ironically, people with allergies, are not really allergic to the thing they seem to be allergic from, it’s something else unnatural in their diet that causes confusion in the body… And, Almonds are not Nuts, they’re Stone Fruits 😉
If you don’t have a comment about the recipe itself then please don’t comment. None of us need a lesson about allergies or proper terminology.
Can you make this without apple cider vinegar? I currently have all of the ingredients except for that one.
Yes, if you have white or red vinegar that would work too. Otherwise a squeeze of lemon or lime.
I’ve been missing tacos and burritos since I started keto 4 years ago. This recipe was effortless (especially with a tortilla press). I am one satisfied eater at the moment. They came out perfect!!!
If you cut back the water ever so slightly it will give them a little more density like a corn tortilla, also try using a plastic blade instead of a metal one in the food processor to keep the texture more like a corn tortilla. I haven’t tried adding corn flavoring, but great idea! Maybe a dash of sweetener?
I think you’re spot on about the dash of sweetener for a ‘corn’ version Jennifer!
I cannot say enough good things about your recipes- thank you for making delicious gluten-free keto recipes. I just bought your cookbook and can’t wait to continue cooking! About the tortillas…. after you fry them, can you keep them in the fridge for a few days OR only uncooked and frozen? Thank you!!
What is the size or weight of 1 “serving” of tortilla?
Delicious recipe. Thank-you.
Would these work to make enchiladas? Would they stay firm enough when dipped in sauce and baked in sauce and cheese with the filling?
Yes! But the trick we do in Mexico (with *any* tortillas) is to first lightly fry them in oil (I like to use avocado!). This makes pretty much any tortilla survive the saucy bake 😉 (p.s. expect my actual recipe soon!!)
Paola, I love the flour tortillas, and am now hoping to adapt them to make faux corn tortillas. I’ve recently purchased Corn Bread Flavor Concentrate and I was wondering if (1) you’ve ever made something like this, and (2) I’m wondering how much to add in your recipe?
Mmmmm good question Lynn, and I honestly cannot give you an amount as I’ve never used it (and I’m sure it varies from brand to brand?). That said, I know a bunch of you have used corn bread flavor in my actual ‘corn’ bread recipe with great success. So I would suggest adding it into the recipe along with the egg. You may have to play around a bit with the amount a couple times, but I would start with 1/4 tsp. If you go for it do report back, I’m sure more peeps in the community will want to hear! xo!
I make enchiladas with these once a month. Just don’t dip them in sauce before rolling or they will disintegrate. I put a layer of sauce in a 9×13 pan, and start making the tortillas. With practice, I pull one out of the skillet, throw in the next one, and fill the first one with meat and cheese, roll it and put it in the pan, just in time for the next one to be flipped. When the pan is full (takes a double or triple recipe), I top with more sauce (I make my own roasted tomatilla sauce), cheese and sour cream, and bake. My guests never guess it is keto.
I NEVER comment on anything but THIS recipe is so easy and sooooo delicious!…thanks. :÷)
My pleasure! 🙂
Excellent recipe. While I made your carnitas (fabulous recipe), my son made the tortillas. What a fantastic dinner the four of us had. Thank you Paola!
My pleasure Anna!! Glad to hear the kiddo is helping out in the kitchen too 😉
i can’t eat eggs… is it possible to substitute flax, chia, or another type of egg replacer? or won’t that work for this recipe? thanks!
I’d use aquafaba or flax mucilage.
This is a game changing recipe for low carb dieting. Very pliable, super tasty, easy to make, quick etc etc. I’ve bookmarked this recipe and would like to award the author a gold star.
I made a double batch and that made 10, 5 inch tortillas. So that’s something worth noting.
So yummy!! How do you make the chips? Do you bake or make them in the pan too?
Hi, I made this tortillas and they Taste so delicious. I really love it.
The only problem is that they are tiny. I made the dough into 8 pieces like the recipe suggest and it turned out to make 8 tiny tortillas. About 2.5 inches diameter each tortilla.
I wonder if I made something wrong? And they were supposed to inflate into bigger ones or that’s the actual size.
Brenda, they are small, what I do is 4 tortillas instead of 8 and keep in mind the macros that for me are fine having then 4g net carbs instead of 2g.
12g instead of 6g for fat and 6g instead of 3g for protein.
If you use a tortilla press, they come out exactly as recipe says in size. I used a scale to measure ingredients and it was perfect! They get pressed extremely thin and if you are rolling instead that might be the issue?
So good!! Almost ate the entire batch!!
Yummy went on a low carb diet doctors orders getting ready for surgery ,i have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and very hard to lose. Thank You so very much .question if buy your books do u send them or do we have to print off line thank you very much.Vicky
I made these and came out amazing! I doubled up the recipe for my partner and I. Edits: I used 1½ tsp of xath-gum, used activated yeast ( as the “water”) and finally used 1 whole egg and 2 parts egg whites (from carton). Let it rest for 20mins. Part and roll out and warm via stove on low. * Used paper towel and olive oil to grease pan.
Paola…Your recipes never fail to disappoint. These tortillas are really excellent. Pre-Keto, I used to make breakfast burritos for our family. With your tortilla recipe I am able to bring back an old favorite for my teenage son (who is also on keto). He said they were amazing (and he is hard to please) and asked that I make these a lot more. So…off to amazon I go to find a tortilla press to make the process a little quicker for busy school mornings. I am also going to measure and mix up the dry ingredients and store it small ziplock bags so that all I have to do it throw the mix in the food processor and add the wet ingredients. It’s all about efficiency in my house. Thank you for your brilliance and all that you do for us fellow keto dieters.
I don’t think you meant to say ‘never fail to disappoint’! 😉
Lol, true!
Lol!! English as a second language here :-S
Can you use red wine vinegar instead of apple cider?
yes!
Delicious so very impressed. I will make double next time as had to share :). Do you have alero empanada recipe?
Where can i get g i have no clue what that is what happens if unable to use coconut flour help thank you vicky
What happens if no coconut flour i have everything else
I used almond flour instead of coconut flour it came out fine.