Grain Free Tortillas
I was so EXCITED when I purchased my Tortilla Press and enjoyed making Homemade Flour Tortillas with organic flour for many years.. After going gluten free I created recipes for my Homemade Corn Tortillas, Cilantro Lime Corn Tortillas, Homemade Tortilla Chips and Gluten Free Pizza, Flatbread & Tortilla Dough.
Now that I’ve transitioned to leading a Grain Free (paleo-ish) lifestyle – I’ve been bummed out that my Tortilla Press wasn’t being used 🙁 I created a yummy Grain Free Flat Bread recipe but it just wasn’t a suitable replacement for a tortilla… However with a few simple modifications I was able to transform that recipe into an amazing Grain Free, Paleo Tortilla Recipe! First of all, before we can get into the recipe – you’re going to need a Tortilla Press.
Can you make these without a tortilla press? Sure! But, it’s not going to be as easy. I haven’t rolled these out by hand myself (I have a Tortilla Press, remember!?!) If you have any tips after rolling them out by hand, feel free to comment with your tips! In addition to a Tortilla Press you are also going to need a plastic shopping bag.
Yep. You read it right, a plastic shopping bag!! Using a plastic shopping bag is the best way to line your Tortilla Press so that you can easily get your tortillas off with out them sticking and making a huge mess (not just for these tortillas but for any tortillas, I always line mine with pieces of plastic shopping bag) I also recommend using a cast iron skillet for cooking your tortillas.
The recipe is easy and only has 4 ingredients: Blanched Almond Flour, Arrowroot Flour, Sea Salt & Water.
That’s it! Just combine equal parts of Almond Flour & Arrowroot, add some salt and just enough water to get your dough to hold together, press, cook & Enjoy! Click HERE to buy the ingredients & supplies I recommend.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Blanched Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup Arrowroot Starch + additional
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 3+ tablespoons Water, filtered
Instructions
- Combine Almond Flour, Arrowroot Powder & Sea Salt, Mix well
- Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time. Just until your dough will hold together.
- Using additional Arrowroot Powder as needed, divide your dough into 4 equal portions and roll into balls
- Press in your Tortilla Press that's been lined with a plastic shopping bag and dusted with arrowroot powder
- Cook each tortilla after it's pressed in a dry cast iron skillet that's been preheated over medium heat
- Initially your tortilla may stick, as it's cooks it will loosen and get light brown spots (about 1-2 minutes) Turn over to cook both sides.
- Use your tortillas immediately or store in a plastic zipper bag in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
The tortillas are about 6”. Fried on a dry pan, they came out great with medium heat on our induction cooktop.
Thanks so much for posting this recipe; I made them per the instructions, and although mine didn’t get brown spots like yours, when the two minutes was up, I tried it and …. oh my goodness! Delish! Thanks so much. I am now heading over to your recipe for the tortilla strips. So happy that I can have these in my diet again!
One more quick question please. Would these be considered low carb?
I made these and they turned out great! I then did the chips, and, again, turned out super! Thanks for the recipe.
One tip that worked for me. I used the plastic bag on the top of the press, but I put parchment paper on the bottom, dusted with arrowroot powder and then flipped that upside down in my cast iron pan. After about 10 seconds, the parchment peeled right off and the tortilla cooked perfectly. I used the same piece of parchment for all 4 tortillas. When I used a plastic bag on the bottom of the press, the dough stuck, so the parchment paper really worked for me.
Great tip Laurie!! I wouldn’t consider them low carb since they do contain starch but they are definitely healthier than their corn based version!
How would you turn these into tortilla chips to use for dipping?
https://healthstartsinthekitchen.com/2013/12/30/homemade-grain-free-tortilla-chips/
These tortillas came out great! The only thing I would change is the salt- maybe use 1/4 tsp. My first tortilla came out a bit hard (heat was on medium) luckily for me I have a Mexican mother who raised the heat to medium high and problem solved- the rest of the tortillas came out soft and yummy!
Helpful tip from our Mexican kitchen, don’t flip the tortillas more than once otherwise they will get hard and won’t cook thoroughly.
Would Tapioca work as a substitution for the Arrowroot?
Yes, however it may be a little more gummy. Potato Starch might be a better swap.
How long will these keep?
a few days, for longer keep them in the freezer.
I do not have a tortilla press either, but have had good luck with adding 1 tsp per cup of flour to help bind the ingredients. It works really well and I pressed them out with a heavy pot and then used a rolling pin to finish the job using waxed paper on my surface. No sticking, no crumbling, and if I get a tortilla press, I think I might be able to get them a bit thinner so they might fold a bit better. This is an excellent recipe, very tasty! Just what I was looking for!
*1 tsp xanthan gum
Tortilla presses can be lined with waxed paper, or parchment rounds from Amazon (they come in different diameters). I use my 10″ press with 10″ liners. and even bake directly on the liners, so no transferring of dough from press to pan.
I also use the Amazing Maria bread recipe with an ice cream scoop for dough measurement–2 scoops rolled into a ball make about an 8-9″ flat bread (when pressed) that’s freezable if separated by paper. Makes EXCELLENT pizza crusts, calzones, empanadas, or dessert turnover-type pies.
I’m glad to see you’re making use of the press–more people need to use one to avoid mess and hassle (like not having enough counter space to roll stuff out).
These are so good! I’ve been looking for a good grain-free tortilla that didn’t taste like a crepe! In my opinion, tortillas should NOT have eggs in them. I added more water & poured them very thin in a small skillet, perfect! Thank you so much for sharing!
Is there a way to replace the almond flour? perhaps another nut like filberts/hazelnuts? My brother is deathly allergic to almonds but I want him able to eat with everyone else so usually avoid almonds in anything except almond shells; whole they are easy to recognize and he knows to avoid them, but other people can enjoy. Sliver or grind them and cook them into something….it’s an accident waiting to happen to have around the house.
I used my tortilla press and they formed perfectly, but they did cook up stiff and inflexible in my cast iron pan, even though there were only a few brown spots… but we enjoyed tearing them up and dipping pieces in hummus anyway. The flavor was amazing! These would hold up well to dipping/holding curry dishes with sauce, as well. Would more water soften them up? Or maybe adding butter to the recipe? I’ll definitely try this again with variations.
Perhaps try a little more water. What brand of almond flour did you you? I only recommend this brand –> http://amzn.to/14rg2Ts
I used Bob’s Red Mill brand, so that must be it. It’s not as finely ground. I tried a variation today… added 1 tbsp. butter, 1 tsp Tapioca flour, and Garlic powder… they were much softer. Didn’t quite wrap yet. But I’ll try the brand of flour you recommended and see it if helps. They are still so delish when I’m craving bread!
Made these today and they were quite stiff.. Wouldn’t be able to wrap … Is this the way they are supposed to be or am I doing something wrong
it sounds like you cooked them too long, too high of heat or with too much fat. Just like with regular flour tortillas if they are hard you can reheat them in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil with a very lightly damp paper towel to soften them.
I made these last night w/out the tortilla press. Let’s just say … it was an “adventure.” The dough comes together very quickly and easily. But rolling it out was NOT fun. The plastic bags are a MUST, even if you are rolling it out – this dough sticks to EVERYTHING else (I tried both parchment paper and cling wrap). Until I found a paper bag, I was really struggling (& I managed to get arrowroot powder _everywhere_). So … I’m ordering a tortilla press TODAY. My family is so glad to have tortillas back on the menu! THANKS!
Aj- I’m so glad you ordered a tortilla press – it makes it so much easier!!! Let me know when you get it and make your first batch!!
got my press on Saturday and made my first batch with it while watching the Super Bowl last night! They turned out GREAT! I did cut the salt in half though – they tasted perfect and I can’t wait to make my NEXT batch. This will make it possible to bring back a number of our favorite dishes. 😀