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Grain free tortillas (vegan option, gum free)

A sunlit image of three grain free cassava flour tortillas atop a white speckled plate on a white stone benchtop. A glass of water sits to the right of the tortillas and casts a shadow from the top to the bottom right of the image.

Grain free tortillas without xanthan gum

My favourite gluten free tortilla recipe will always be the one in my cookbook, Intolerance Friendly Kitchen. I think it nails the flour ratios for a chewy yet light and soft tortilla. Today’s recipe for grain free tortillas, though, caters to the grain free amongst us. While a little chewier than my original recipe, they still make an outrageously good gluten free tortilla. They use only cassava flour and contain no nuts, eggs, xanthan gum or starches. A super quick and simple recipe that is ready to go in 10 minutes flat.

An aerial, sunlit photo of two cassava flour tortillas on a white speckled ceramic plate. The plate sits atop a sunlit stone backdrop and a glass of water sits in the top right and bottom corners, creating a shadow across the image

What is cassava flour?

I promise I’m not writing this section for the sake of filling space. I do think this warrants an explanation, because cassava flour is really unlike any other gluten free flour and cannot be substituted. If you don’t have, don’t want to use or can’t access cassava flour, see the recipe in Intolerance Friendly Kitchen.

Cassava flour is made from the whole root of the cassava plant. Tapioca flour is made from the starch of the cassava plant. Cassava flour, in baking terms, combines the wholegrain backbone of, say, rice flour, with the elasticity, stretch and lightness of tapioca flour. Some people say it performs most similarly to wheat flour out of all the gluten free flours.

One thing I have learned about cassava flour in my experiments is that it behaves like tapioca flour if over hydrated. That is, if you add too much liquid, it will turn into a starchy, jelly like mass.

So while the two are related, they are distinctly different and cannot be substituted.

A close up macro photo of a grain free tortilla with golden brown caramelisation marks across the top of the tortilla

Grain free tortilla notes

There is no substitute for cassava flour in this recipe.

Apparently different brands of cassava flour need very different amounts of water, and can behave differently depending on how they are processed. I have been buying mine at my local bulk food store.

You can use a plant based butter to make these tortillas vegan. I daresay you could also use oil, but I haven’t tested the theory yet.

This batch makes 4-5 tortillas. I chose to make a small batch because cassava flour is expensive, and these tortillas are best fresh. You can easily scale the recipe up, but add the last half cup or so of boiling water according to your dough.

This is a grain free recipe, not an overtly FODMAP friendly recipe. Cassava flour has an upper limit for FODMAPs. If you want a gluten free and FODMAP friendly tortilla, please see the recipe in Intolerance Friendly Kitchen.

A side on photo of a gluten free tortilla topped with vegetarian taco mince and salsa. The tortilla sits atop an green plate on an olive green table, set against an olive green linen backdrop. A hand extends down from the centre top of the image to squeeze lime onto the tortilla. The droplets of lime juice are frozen in frame on the way down.

Tips for your tortillas

The thinner the better with these tortillas. Although they are flexible either way, they have better flexibility and more air bubbles when they’re thin.

Add water according to your cassava flour. They vary in thirstiness, so your dough might need more or less than mine.

Once you’ve made the first tortilla, you will get a sense of how hot the pan needs to be and hot much oil you need.

Be careful of the hot dough and your hands! I’m used to it by now, but you might not be.

An aerial view of a tray of vegetarian, FODMAP friendly enchiladas topped with sour cream and a tomato, avocado and coriander salsa. The tray sits at an angle on a dark backdrop and is surrounded by dark ceramic plates topped with enchiladas or seasonings and lime wedges.

Recipes to use the grain free tortillas

An aerial sunlit view of three grain free tortillas atop a white speckled ceramic plate on a white benchtop. Glasses of water sit in the top left and right hand corners, creating a light and shadow pattern across to the right of the image
An aerial sunlit view of three gluten free wraps atop a white speckled ceramic plate on a white benchtop. Glasses of water sit in the top left and right hand corners, creating a light and shadow pattern across to the right of the image

Grain free tortillas

Gluten free, nut free, gum free, vegan
5 from 2
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting time 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 5 tortillas

Ingredients
  

  • 160 g (1 cup) cassava flour (see notes)
  • 7.5 g (1 1/2 teaspoons) psyllium husk powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 teaspoons white sugar
  • 25 g butter melted or soft (regular or vegan)
  • 3/4 – 1 cup (180-250ml) boiling water
  • Tapioca flour for rolling
  • Vegetable oil for cooking

Instructions
 

  • Combine all the ingredients except the boiling water in a mixing bowl and whisk to incorporate.
  • Add the boiling water, starting with 1/2 cup (125ml). Stir quickly and add more water as necessary. The dough should be slightly sticky and moist with no dry flour on the bottom.
  • Once it is cool enough to handle, knead the dough into a smooth ball and cover. Leave for 5-10 minutes.
  • Liberally flour a clean, dry bench top with tapioca flour. Divide the dough into four tortillas. The offcuts from each will form the fifth tortilla, so set those aside as you work.
  • Roll each tortilla to your desired width (about 2-3mm – any thicker and they become too chewy). Use a large circular cutter or the lip of a circular bowl to cut each tortilla into a round. Set them aside without touching each other, and finish by gathering all the offcuts for the last tortilla.
  • Preheat a pan to a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add a splash of vegetable oil to the pan once hot, and cook the first tortilla. Cook for a minute or so before flipping (this will depend on how hot your pan is). Flip and cook on the other side, before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
  • Serve warm or store in an airtight container. The tortillas are best fresh, but reheating them in the microwave or a steamy oven will restore their flexibility.

Notes

  • There is no alternative for cassava flour in this recipe. See the recipe in my cookbook, Intolerance Friendly Kitchen, for a grain based recipe without cassava flour. 
  • Cassava flour is distinctly different from tapioca flour or tapioca starch. They are not interchangeable in this recipe. 
  • The butter can be melted or softened. It will melt in the boiling water either way. 
Keyword gluten free, gluten free tortillas, grain free, grain free tortillas, vegan option
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made these last night, oh wow! They are really great. I actually made small corn tortilla size ones, as I had a tortilla press from the days when I could eat flour and masa tortillas. The press worked brilliantly, gorgeous round tortillas with absolutely no effort if you have one.
    P.S. My “normal” partner loved them and also won’t buy bread for himself because yours is better!!
    Thank you so much

    1. So glad you enjoyed them Nic! And SUCH high praise from a normie eater haha, thank you 🙂

      Another excellent tip because I do have a tortilla press that I’ve never used. I’ll definitely have to dust it off and give it a whirl

  2. 5 stars
    Fantastic for burritos! Followed the recipe as written with one sub using avocado oil for the butter. Thanks Georgia!

5 from 2 votes

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