Grain-free, vegan, 2-ingredient cassava flour tortillas made without oil! They taste like classic flour tortillas, have 88 calories each, and are quick & easy to make.
Just to make sure, I experimented with cassava flour, another grain-free flour. Like coconut flour, it can be tricky to work with. Sure enough, it did not work as a 1:1 replacement for coconut flour in my original recipe. But with some further tweaking and experimenting, Eureka! The cassava flour worked like a dream!
While the preparation here is much like the coconut flour recipe, the resulting tortillas are markedly different in texture. Specifically, rather than soft and fluffy, these cassava flour tortillas taste spot on like regular (all-purpose/white flour) tortillas!
Oil-Free Cassava Flour Tortillas
Cassava flour tortilla recipes abound, but they are mostly variations on the same recipe, all of which contain a significant amount of oil (at least 1/4 cup per recipe).
These tortillas are oil-free and rely on psyllium husk, a natural egg replacement, to hold them together. The delicious result is hearty, pliable flour tortillas that can be rolled, folded and filled like any flour tortilla. Hooray!
Easy to Make with 2 Ingredients
To make these tortillas you’ll need cassava flour and psyllium husk. Salt is optional; I love salt in my food, but its use is entirely optional and variable according to your needs.
Lightly measure the cassava flour into a bowl (i.e., lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cups to avoid compacting it). It is very easy to add too much flour to the recipe if it is firmly scooped into the measuring cups (resulting in dry tortillas).
Add the psyllium husk and (optional) salt to the bowl, too.
Whisk or stir the dry ingredients until blended. If you are relatively or entirely new to cassava flour, note that it is ultra-fine and powdery. As such, exuberant stirring or whisking can send it flying! Keep calm and stir with restraint to avoid a light dusting.
How to Make the Cassava Flour Tortilla Dough
To transform the dry ingredients into a dough, pour in 1 cup (250 mL) of water.
Should my Tortilla Dough Look Wet?
Yes!
When the dough is first stirred, it will look very wet. All is good! That’s exactly how it should look after the initial stir. Do not add any more flour at this point. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes. This allows the psyllium to activate by absorbing water and thickening the dough.
Following the five minute rest, the dough should be firm, but still moist. If the dough feels dry, add a tiny bit more water. Conversly, if the dough is still loose, add a small amount of cassava flour at a time until the dough is thickened.
Shape the Tortilla Dough
Use your hands to shape the dough into a smooth, even ball. This literally takes seconds as the dough is easily manipulated and not sticky.
Next, cut the ball into 4 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball.
Three Methods for Pressing the Tortillas (with Ease)
Method One: A Tortilla Press
The fastest way to shape the tortillas is with a tortilla press. I held off buying one for the longest time–I regret waiting so long, it is so fast and easy to use! Simply place a piece of parchment paper (or wax paper, or plastic wrap) on the bottom of the press and then position one of the balls in the center.
Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of the dough ball. Don’t forget this piece or the dough will adhere to the top of the press. Not a disaster (the dough can be reshaped into a ball and repressed without issue), but definitely irritating (been there!).
Close the press and apply some pressure. This is strangely satisfying.
Lift the lid and check your press. If the tortilla did not press out all the way to the edge, close and press again.
Slowly peel of the top piece of parchment paper to reveal your freshly shaped tortilla! Go ahead and lift the tortilla off of the bottom piece of parchment, or wait until you are ready to cook. It should lift off with ease!
Method Two: A Rolling Pin
This is the way I’ve pressed tortillas for years. Use two pieces of parchment paper/wax paper/plastic wrap, just as you would with the tortilla press method. Roll the dough into a 7-inch (17.5 cm) circle.
No rolling pin? No problem. Use a wine bottle or large can to roll the dough.
Method Three: Use your Fingers
This dough works perfectly for hand-pressed tortillas! Place the dough on a piece of parchment and press into an even circle. The top will not be perfectly smooth, but the bottom side will be when it is peeled from the parchment paper.
Cook the Tortillas
To cook the tortillas, spritz a medium or large skillet with cooking pray and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add a tortilla and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottom side of the tortilla is covered in brown spots (use a metal spatula to lift the tortilla and check).
Flip the tortilla with a spatula and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer until the other side is also covered in brown spots.
That’s it! Transfer the tortilla to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
The tortillas are incredibly filling and delicious. They bend just like regular flour tortillas:
Roll with ease:
And are perfect with all of your favorite toppings and fillings!
Grain-free, vegan, 2-ingredient cassava flour tortillas made without oil! They taste like classic flour tortillas and are quick & easy to make.
Ingredients
Scale
3/4 cup cassava flour (very lightly spoon to measure)
2 tablespoons (10 g) whole psyllium husk (see notes for psyllium powder)
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (more or less to taste)
1 cup (250 mL) water
Instructions
In a small mixing bowl, whisk the cassava flour, psyllium husk and (optional) salt.
Add the water to the bowl, stirring until combined. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken and then shape dough into a ball (it should feel moist, but not wet).
Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a ball.
Place one dough ball between two large pieces of wax paper or parchment paper (plastic wrap will also work). Using a tortilla press, rolling pin, or fingers, roll or press dough into a 7-inch (17.5 cm) circle.
Carefully peel off top layer of paper, then peel tortilla off of bottom piece of parchment (it should release easily).
Lightly spritz a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Place tortilla, dough side down, into skillet and carefully peel off second piece of paper.
Cook the tortilla for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottom is browned in spots (when you lift tortilla with a spatula). Flip the tortilla and cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes longer until the other side browned in spots.
Transfer tortilla to a metal cooling rack and repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
The tortillas are best eaten warm (rewarm for a few seconds in medium-hot skillet on the stovetop, wrapped in foil in the oven, or on a plate in the microwave
Notes
Storage: Store the cooled tortillas in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 2 days, therefrigerator for 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 6 months.
Psyllium Powder Option: Use 2 teaspoons (10 g) of psyllium husk powder in place of the 2 tablespoons whole psyllium husks.
I finally made these and I wish I had made these sooner!
They are so tasty and flexible.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Camilla
Thursday 14th of January 2021
So happy they were a success! :)
Bsab
Tuesday 5th of January 2021
Hi, thanks for the recipe! Do you think i could use Tapioca instead of cassava flour? if so, do you think i should add anything extra?
Thank you in advance, looking forward to try your recipe
Karen
Monday 4th of January 2021
Hi
can I use green banana flour in stead of cassava flout as I cant have a lot of the others
thanks Karen w
Rebecca Jones
Monday 21st of December 2020
Hi Camilla!
Do you think acacia fiber would work in place of the psyllium?
Thanks so much,
Rebecca
Camilla
Sunday 27th of December 2020
Hi Rebecca!
Apologies, I am not familiar with acacia fiber (well, now I am , I googled it).
I googled to see if I could find information about using it in baking, and see that it is also known as gum arabic and indeed is used in baking bread (especially in industrial baking). But I also came across a reddit thread that indicated that it does not thicken/gel with liquids, like psyllium does. It would be worth experimenting, but I do not think it can be used as a direct substitute for psyllium.
James
Monday 5th of October 2020
would flax meal work in place of psyllium husk? It get's gummy when mixed with water as well.
Camilla
Monday 5th of October 2020
Hi James,
I did not have success making these these with flaxseed meal.
I’m Camilla, food writer, author, runner, and spin instructor. PowerHungry® is where I share my easy, minimalist, plant-based recipes, designed for living a healthy, delicious, empowered life.
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K MEYER
Thursday 14th of January 2021
I finally made these and I wish I had made these sooner! They are so tasty and flexible. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Camilla
Thursday 14th of January 2021
So happy they were a success! :)
Bsab
Tuesday 5th of January 2021
Hi, thanks for the recipe! Do you think i could use Tapioca instead of cassava flour? if so, do you think i should add anything extra? Thank you in advance, looking forward to try your recipe
Karen
Monday 4th of January 2021
Hi can I use green banana flour in stead of cassava flout as I cant have a lot of the others thanks Karen w
Rebecca Jones
Monday 21st of December 2020
Hi Camilla!
Do you think acacia fiber would work in place of the psyllium?
Thanks so much,
Rebecca
Camilla
Sunday 27th of December 2020
Hi Rebecca! Apologies, I am not familiar with acacia fiber (well, now I am , I googled it).
I googled to see if I could find information about using it in baking, and see that it is also known as gum arabic and indeed is used in baking bread (especially in industrial baking). But I also came across a reddit thread that indicated that it does not thicken/gel with liquids, like psyllium does. It would be worth experimenting, but I do not think it can be used as a direct substitute for psyllium.
James
Monday 5th of October 2020
would flax meal work in place of psyllium husk? It get's gummy when mixed with water as well.
Camilla
Monday 5th of October 2020
Hi James, I did not have success making these these with flaxseed meal.