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.
Holy Grail of all keto tortillas – found at last 🙂 I was a little worried about the recipe having only rather coarse almond and coconut flour (super fine practically does not exist where I live), but the result was perfect! And I made 3 batches of this magic dough (expecting few hungry friends for taco party). Rolling small portions between non-adhesive mat was super easy, then I shaped 12 cm diameter circles using a small bowl as a cutter. Cooking them was super fast. I transferred all tacos to a spanish terracota pot, wrapped everything tightly in aluminium foil and left in the oven to keep warm. They kept moisture and were even more elastic 🙂 Thank you so much for the recipe and please-keep inventing! Greetings from Poland!
Hi Anna! That’s awesome so happy you loved them! And thanks for the feedback on the coarser almond flour xo!
Can you cook these on a comal?
Hi Janice! Yes, a comal would work PERFECTLY! xo
Omg these are fantastic…the holy grail of low carb tortillas:) Thank you for sharing this. The only trouble I had was rolling out the tortillas into a more circular shape but i’m sure that comes with practice as i’ve never made any tortillas from scratch. This has brought low carb to a whole new level…thanks again!
Awesome so happy you enjoyed them Kelly! For a perfect circular shape you generally need a tortilla press, other than that you can roll them out and then cut them out with a plate 😉 xo!
Are you able to substitute the egg with anything else? Thank you!
Hi Laura! A reader reported back that she used a chia egg and it was fine, I cannot guarantee it as I have no tried it though (though I would imagine it would result in denser tortillas. xo!
Is there a good substitute for xantham gum? What happens if I don’t use it? Thank you:)
Hi Nandi! If you skip the xanthin gum your tortillas won’t be pliable and may be crumbly as it replaces gluten. There is no exact substitute for it, but you can see in the comments that other readers have used things such as flax meal (you really won’t get the intended results though). xo
I just want to thank you for the most awesome recipe!!! I have been eating a grain free diet for about 3 years i have tried so many recipes for something i could make pizza like real pizza!! I made these tonight they are so simple and so wonderful i made mini pizzas i just can’t tell you in words how great they were and i think the possibilities ate endles with this recipe. Thank you so much!!
That’s awesome Debbie! Thanks so much for reporting back and for your lovely comment 🙂
Hi, this recipe looks great! Really wanting to try it. Only issue is I can’t have guar gum or xantham gum. Would arrowroot powder help bind it? Really hoping I can make this work somehow! 🙁
Hi Jennifer! Arrowroot won’t replace the xanthin gum here unfortunately. xo!
I actually just made these using Arrowroot powder b/c it was the only option I had and they turned out great! The tortilla stuck to one side of the parchment, but I just put the piece of parchment with the tortilla stuck to it, tortilla side down, into the hot pan. I held a spatula against it and after a few seconds, the tortilla came off the parchment and I was able to cook them as instructed.
Can these be made wihout the xantham gum? It’s the only ingredient I don’t have.
Hi Cristina, the xanthan gum is what makes the tortillas pliable and not crumbly. The results really won’t be the same without it. xo
The link to the tortilla chips is broken, is there another way to get to that recipe that works?
Thank you!
Hi Laurie, it’s a cacheing issue that I’m trying to work around (it’s working for roughly 97% of readers now). Would you mind trying again? Hopefully problem’s solved. https://www.gnom-gnom.com/gluten-free-keto-tortilla-chips/
What is the best way to store these? Should they be left uncooked or should they be cooked then stored and reheared?
Hi Michael! Fresh tortillas are ALWAYS best, so I like to store the dough uncooked in the fridge (keeps well for 5 days) and then you just cook as needed. But I’ve had feedback from readers that they also freeze well (I’m just Mexican and very picky about tortillas!) xo!
I am super excited to try these. I like most Keto food but miss the ease of using bread and tortilla’s etc. Thanks for sharing!
OMG this recipe was fantastic! First keto bread-ish thing that I’ve actually liked. Thanks so much! I’m definitely going to try your pizza dough and other recipes.
Thank you Joanna! So glad you enjoyed them! 😉 xo!
I just made these and they turned out awful. I used guar gum instead because I don’t have xanthum gum. I read they could be used interchangeably. Mine did not turn into a ball in the food processor, were difficult to remove from parchment paper, did not puff up, and are not at all pliable. (They don’t taste great to me either – but I’m still getting used to not using wheat flour) 🙁
Hi Andrea! Xanthan gum and guar gum are not a direct substitute (you usually need more guar gum, but results are not the same). This recipe is also designed to work with xanthan gum. Having said that, I have had a couple readers say that they have done it with guar- though the results are not as pliable. Hope this helps!
Thank you! I ended up making one with psyllium that worked out ok so I could eat dinner with the family. It was a little too moist but edible with fajita ingredients. I will add xanthan gum to my pantry and try this one again. One this I miss while on Keto is my awesome homemade wheat tortillas! :). Thanks so much for the reply!
Amazingly good. A definite keeper.
Thank you for posting this, I made these today as per recipe – they were truly great.
Your other recipes look great too – so I will be trying a lot more.
Keep up the amazing work, and the website which is just class.
Impressive.
If the total calories are 89 per serving then the math here is wrong. 6g of fat = 54 calories, 4g of protein = 12 calories, that leaves 23 calories which make these 6 carbs per serving, not 4
Hi Dan, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve ran the numbers quite a few times for these (particularly since I eat them at least 3-5 times a week!). I just checked once again and I get the same numbers. xo
4 grams of protein would be 16 calories.
As for the discrepancy, calculators round off numbers, so it may actually be 6.5 grams of fat and 4.3 grams of protein for example which would add up to more calories.
I am trying these tomorrow!!
Hello!
Are you able to freeze the dough?
Hi Joanna! Tbh I have never tried, but I would think that the texture would change when defrosting so it wouldn’t be ideal. I believe a few readers have frozen them cooked though? Xo
Hi Joanna,
I have cooked them then wrapped individually in parchment paper and vacuum sealed on “gentle”. I take a couple out the day before I need them and defrost in the fridge then just a quick warm up in the skillet (or wrapped in wet paper towel microwaved on medium for 30 seconds. They lose a small amount of the pliability but are still quite good. Hope this helps!
Made these Saturday night and they were great! Definitely need to buy a tortilla press to make sure they are uniform. I made all the balls in advance and weighed them out to get them to be the same, came out to be about 28g each. I refrigerated the whole batch for a couple of hours before making the balls and cooking them. Very pleased with them and will be making in the future for any tortilla needs.
Made a moose roast in the crock pot and shredded it for tacos! Husband and I both loved them!
Great recipe, thank you!!
10 years of a keto lifestyle and I love continuing to find great recipes!! You do a fantastic job, thank you for the hard work!
Paola, I made the tortillas a few weeks ago and they were delicious. I formed 8 balls and stored them in containers in the refrigerator until I was ready to make the tortillas. They were great with chorizo and eggs and chili verde. I was in heaven, I had them 3 days in a row!
When you say “Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes (and up to two days in the fridge). “
Are we not able to use the dough for up to 2 days? I had made he dough and read that thinking we had to place in fridge for 2 days for its resting stage. Is it too late to use it?
Hi Amber! You can use it after 15 minutes! No need to refrigerate even! But you can store it in the fridge (I should change that) for up to 5 days (I had only tested keeping it for 2 days when I first wrote the recipe).
Totally looking forward to making these!
I’m curious, is there a reason you didn’t include lard in the recipe? It’s Keto and a traditional tortilla ingredient.
Hi Sean! In my first test batches I did include lard (I’m Mexican and before I was diagnosed with celiacs that’s how I made them!). BUT, lard did nothing for the texture in these (any sort of fat didn’t work at all in fact!). The mysteries of gluten free baking I suppose 😉
The best tortillas recipe I ever tried!! They taste like the real thing, but I’ll say that even better, I’m from Honduras, Central America, so being in keto without Tortillas it’s a hard thing, but this is really great, delicious and super easy to make, have a family of five totally happy right now! Thank you!! God bless you!
Definitely 5 stars!!!
Carolina THANK YOU so much for your lovely comments and blessing! Means a bunch! And yup, I’m Mexican so I TOTALLY get you!
Muchos besos!
The best tortillas recipe I ever tried!! They taste like the real thing, but I’ll say that even better, I’m from Honduras, Central America, so being in keto without Tortillas it’s a hard thing, but this is really great, delicious and super easy to make, have a family of five totally happy right now! Thank you!! God bless you!
I’m going to have to try these to make smothered green chile chicharrone burritos. My local burrito restaurant sells the best fried chicharrones by the pound. I make keto green chile sauce from fresh roasted Hatch green chiles. Can’t wait! Live your recipes and website, Paola!
OMG I’m drooling just by reading your comment Elaine! So happy you’re enjoying the recipes and the site, and thank you for your message-always means a bunch! xo!
I see where you use xanthan gum a lot for your recipes. What about using psyllium husk powder or does that not work? Thanks for your great recipes We love your cinnamon toast cereal.
Oh my word, these were amazing! We used them to make salsa pulled pork tacos. I’ve missed corn tortillas something fierce and this was everything I missed. Thanks so much!
Am I missing an ingredient or something? The recipe says to break the dough ball into eight 26g pieces. There’s only 60g of flour and a little liquid. The entire dough ball only weighs 103g but would need to weigh twice that to make eight 26g pieces. Thanks for any advice.
My bad. I just realized I had changed the number of servings to 4 and it auto changed the recipe. I got it figured out now. Thanks!
😉
Going to try this today! Do you think it would work for making tostadas? 😊
Hi Ana! Yeah for sure! Just cook them over very low heat, turning them every so often 😉 xo Paola
Anyone tried to do this vegan? With chia or flax egg, or VeganEgg substitute?
Hi Tanya! I’m sorry I haven’t tried! I’m sure they would still come out good, but not sure HOW good (if that makes sense?!). The xanthan gum here is more important than the egg! xo Paola
Not a fan of coconut flour. Any substitute for this?
Unfortunately no Mary! But you cannot taste it, just helps to get the texture right.
These look so good I have to try making them!!! Is it possible to make them without the xanthem gum? Or what can I replace that with?
Hi Mona! Unfortunately the xanthan gum is what makes them bind together/be pliable. Without it the would be more like tostadas. xo Paola