These Perfect Paleo Tortillas {Grain Free & Gluten Free} are total game changers. If you’ve been missing flour tortillas in your healthy eating regimen, you are going to LOVE these.
It was love at first … well… press!
As soon as the dough came together (which is so super easy) and I pressed my first tortilla, I instantly knew these were going to be something really special.
Before we get into the magic of making these awesome tortillas, I want to quickly say that while I know many of you hate the idea of purchasing single use kitchen gadgets, like a tortilla press. I purchased my press over 10 years ago, and while I don’t use it daily or even weekly.. it’s still worth having.
There is simply NO COMPARISON when it comes to how much easier pressing is to rolling out tortillas. So just take the leap, grab THIS cast iron tortilla press then tell your friends/family that you have one and that they can borrow it – as my grandma Elsie would say “it’s nice to be nice.”
Once you start making these Perfect Paleo Tortillas, you’ll be totes hooked and so glad you grabbed a beautiful tortilla press, trust me.
Most often when you have a gluten or grain free tortilla they are lack luster and crumbly. They don’t bend, wrap or fold with ease. And there’s none of the stretchiness you typically find with wheat tortillas – total bummer.
But these Perfect Paleo Tortillas are different.
They are flexible, soft and even stretchy — but not gummy. The secret is using Cassava Flour.
Also known as yuca, cassava is a delicious root vegetable that becomes the perfect alternative for wheat when dried and ground. The most commonly used version of cassava is tapioca, which is the bleached and extracted starch of the cassava flour.Cassava Flour, on the other hand, is a whole food; the entire root, minus the peel. A Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, AND Nut-Free flour with the taste and texture of wheat!
There is only one brand of cassava flour I use; Otto’s Cassava Flour. It is the very highest quality cassava flour available. Other cassava flours are hand peeled and sun dried. That sounds romantic, but unfortunately hand peeling misses small pieces of peel, resulting in grittiness or a “sand-like”crunch in the finished product. If that’s not bad enough, sun drying presents its own issues. Because drying cassava in the sun takes so long, the cassava flour ferments and takes on a sour, musty smell and taste.
Otto’s Cassava Flour on the other hand, is thoroughly peeled and baked into a beautifully clean smelling and tasting flour you can count on again and again. This proprietary method leaves no chance for mold or fermentation to develop.
I use it often in my kitchen and have a few other recipes that you’ll want to check out; Buffalo Cauliflower, Saltine Crackers and Biscuits.
Feel free to use the Perfect Paleo Tortillas in any recipe or dish where you’d normally use a flour or corn tortilla. We love them for wraps, burritos, quesadillas and fajitas, but the sky is seriously the limit.
Check out my NEW Recipe for Paleo Freezer Breakfast Burritos for a creative and healthy way to start your day, using these Perfect Paleo Tortillas!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cassava flour
- 2 teaspoons Sea Salt
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1.5+ cups Water, filtered (up to 2 cups)
Instructions
- Using your stand mixer with dough hook, combine all ingredients and mix well - roughly 5 minutes - scraping sides as necessary. Dough will be smooth, like play dough. Not tacky or crumbly. Adjust water/flour as needed.
- Divide dough into roughly 18 equal size portions and roll into a ball, set aside.
- Heat a seasoned cast iron griddle or skillet over high heat. Do NOT add any fat.
- Using a tortilla press lined with plastic shopping bag rounds, press 1 round of dough flat.
- Yes. You read that correctly. SHOPPING bags are the PERFECT non-stick liner for your tortilla press. Nothing else works as well, trust me I've tried EVERYTHING.
- Then simply peel the shopping bag pieces off your dough. I feel it's best to press as you go, not working ahead.
- Light brown you pressed dough on hot cast iron griddle or skillet on both sides. The first ones can take a few extra minutes, as you work through the recipe, you may need to reduce the heat slightly.
- Remove from heat and place on a cooling rack for 1-2 minutes before stacking. If you stack while HOT they can stick together a little bit, but can be carefully pulled apart.
- Use immediately, store in an air tight container/plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week or the freezer for several months.
Would this recipe work if I used almond flour?
This recipe was developed using cassava, not almond flour. They aren’t interchangeable in this application.
Hi. how can i make these without a press? would a rolling pin work?
I’ve used a flat bottom skillet (cast iron best since it adds weight) to press the dough between parchment. Apply even pressure and check to see how thin the tortilla is. Re-press if too thick or ease back on pressure next time – you’ll get the hang of it after one or two tries. Avoid using a glass plate as it could crack and break under the force of pressing down.
What happened??? My mix never became a dough. It looks like pancake mix. I am a seasoned cook. There is too much liquid it seems
I wish I could add my picture. I am not a happy camper. I’ve gone over the ingredients several times. I was accurate. ??????
What brand of CASSAVA flour did you use? I can assure you this is a proven recipe as written.
Is this company’s cassava flour GMO free. They don’t have organic certification, but do you know if the cassava is cultivated without pesticide use. I strive to use everything organic and pesticide free. I hope you know the answer.
Thanks.
send them an email and I”m sure they will give you all the info you need info@ottosnaturals.com
None of my local stores carry cassava flour. What it another alternative?
None of my local stores carry cassava flour, so I suggest you order it, just like I do. My post is filled with links to the cassava I use and recommend.
I have made 2 dozen already, and I was wondering when you take them out of the refrigerator, how do you warm them up? Over the stove or in the microwave?
We don’t have a microwave for health reasons. I suggest rehearing in the oven on low heat.
Mine taste great but yours seems so pliable. Mine are hard. Am I cooking them too long?
yep
I have never used avocado oil before. Is there a particular brand or type or anything you recommend?
I link to the avocado oil that I use in the recipe portion of the post.
What size should these be rolled to? The link to the press is 8″?
You can make them small or large. You choose the size.
Do you oil/grease the skillet when you cook the tortillas?
No
Can these tortillas be used in a baked dish? I make baked chicken enchiladas, which requires rolling tortillas around a filling, putting 8 of them into a 9×13″ pan and then baking them covered with a sauce. I’m concerned that these tortillas won’t hold together in a baked dish such as this. Will they disintegrate or get mushy if I use them in my enchilada recipe?
I have used them to make enchiladas and they were just slightly softer than traditional tortillas but still really yummy.
Can I use tapioca flour instead?
No tapioca is not the same as cassava
Is there any way to season the iron to prevent sticking , I’m very concerned about the chemicals leaching off the plastic bags ?
I hear you Kristi – you can try unbleached wax paper but I have not found a way to season the cast iron making it nonstick. Personally, even though I’m very picky, since we don’t eat tortillas often I don’t worry about a few seconds of contact with a plastic bag as a part of the big picture of our overall health.
OK, I need help with this. I have made this recipe 15 times since I found it. I have one time (my very first time) made it to where the dough actually came together like it should. Every other time I have tried it the dough is either an ublic or super dry. What am I doing wrong. I have to say that the ublic is super easy to “roll” out and the recipe is still very tasty.
Thanks
I’m not sure, perhaps you are using a different brand of flours? if the dough is dry just add more water.
Hi,
I’m making these right now and mine are coming out very crispy and stiff like a tostatda. Any idea what I may be doing wrong?
Thanks,
Kariann
Cooking too long.
This looks like the perfect recipe to try!
I once tried making pasta with cassava flour and it fell apart- perhaps I should have worked it with a mixer?
I want to try these tonight and I don’t have a press – how should I do it for almost perfect tortillas?
you can roll them out or press between the bottoms of 2 cast iron skillets.
I did not know about this type of cassava flour until now. I have used some pretty awful paleo-friendly flours in the past so this was life changing. We used the brand you mentioned and picked up a tortilla press. They came out perfect. I can’t believe I actually made tortillas, by hand, myself. Thank you so much!
You are very welcome!
Haley,
Just learning to cook from scratch. Do not have a stand mixer yet. Can this be done in food processor or blender?
Kelly
You can mix them by hand. Blender and food processors have blades which, unless you have a dough blade, do not work.
Can another fat such as lard or olive oil be substituted for the avocado oil?
sure!
I have purchase the tortilla press, so tired of rolling.
I intend to make this recipe up into balls and store in the refrigerator and press as needed. Do you have experience with this? Wish me luck.
Thank you for all your great recipes.
I haven’t tried refrigerating the dough and pressing as needed – let me know if it works for you!
Yay, it works perfectly. I have tried so many other recipes and am grateful to have found the best recipe. Thank you Hayley.
This recipe will be perfect for my Son and granddaughter who is gluten and dairy free.
Do you know the carb count for the Perfect Paleo Tortilla
Roughly 12 g carbs (each is roughly 1/8 cup cassava flour)