These amazing vegan gluten free tortillas are made with cassava flour, a wonderful grain-free alternative. Over the past three weeks I plowed through five pounds of Otto’s brand cassava flour and made about fifteen batches of these tortillas (I honestly lost count). All of the fun kitchen testing has run its course and now I’m excited to unveil my recipe – as well as all of the tips that I learned along the way for working with this flour and dough.
What is Cassava Flour?
Cassava flour comes from the starchy tuberous root of the yuca plant (yoo-cuh). The flour ground from yuca root is a whole-food, plant-based, grain-free, gluten-free, and nut-free substitute for all-purpose wheat flour.
Not to be confused with the yucca plant, the yuca plant readily grows in tropical and sub-tropical climates. It is an important calorie-rich staple crop in many developing countries. It is also called manioc among other names.
I wrote a post called What is Cassava Flour? where I go into much more detail. Since cassava is an integral part of this vegan gluten free tortillas recipe, you may want to take a look.
Method Overview
This dough is very easy to put together and work with!
- Make dough.
- Cut dough into 6 equal pieces.
- Press or roll each piece into a six-inch round.
- Cook briefly in a preheated dry cast iron griddle or skillet. Please note – if you plan on making quesadillas, or plan on filling and rolling the tortillas to make baked enchiladas or the like, slightly undercook them so they’re easier to roll.
How to press/roll the vegan gluten free tortillas
- I prefer to use my tortilla press. If the tortillas aren’t thin enough after pressing, I also roll them a bit with a rolling pin.
- No tortilla press? No problem. Simply use your rolling pin to create thin six-inch circles.
- Always press or roll between two pieces of parchment paper to prevent the dough from sticking.
Vegan Gluten Free Tortillas
Equipment
- tortilla press and/or rolling pin
- cast iron griddle or skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup cassava flour, such as Otto's Naturals brand
- 3 Tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed (golden)
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons refined avocado oil, refined without chemicals
- 2/3 cup lukewarm water
Instructions
- Begin preheating a dry cast iron griddle or skillet over the lowest heat setting.
- Whisk or stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Massage the oil into the dry ingredients using your fingers until evenly distributed.
- Add the water and knead with your hand until the ingredients are well combined. Form the dough into a ball; the dough will feel moist.
- Cut the dough ball in half, then form each half into a log. Cut each log into 3 equal pieces. Form each piece into an even mound (see photo gallery). Cover all of the dough with a slightly damp kitchen towel (or paper towel) to keep from drying out.
- By now your cast iron pan should be evenly warmed up. Turn the heat to medium-high so it gets hotter. The handle will even become hot, so use a pot holder and be careful.
- While the pan is getting hot, press and/or roll the first mound into a thin six-inch circle Whether pressing with a tortilla press or rolling with a rolling pin, the dough should be between two pieces of parchment paper.
- Place the round onto the griddle/skillet being careful not to wrinkle. After about a minute it will form bubbles; that's your signal to flip.
- After you flip the tortilla, watch for more bubbles to form on the second side. When you see bubbles, flip again and cook for 5 to 10 more seconds.
- At this point the tortilla will be floppy and easy to roll, albeit a bit undercooked. This level of doneness is perfect if you plan on making quesadillas, enchiladas, or a similar baked dish (if filling and rolling – do so while the tortillas are still warm since they will be a bit harder to roll when completely cooled).
- If you don't plan on making quesadillas, enchiladas, or the like – I suggest cooking each side a bit longer until dark spots form. Remove the tortilla from the pan and cool single layer.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Notes
Nutrition
These vegan gluten free tortillas are versatile flatbreads; enjoy with many dishes including Roasted Golden Beet Hummus, Foul Mudammas and Broccoli Rabe with White Beans.
4 Comments
Anonymous
March 1, 2020 at 2:48 amWill any grain-free flour work with this recipe?
Judy DeLorenzo
March 1, 2020 at 11:13 amHello! Good question.
All of the measurements and ingredients for this recipe are specific to using cassava flour. I don’t know what the results would be if you substituted. Is there a reason you can’t have cassava?
I’ve seen tortilla recipes online that use a gluten-free flour blend, garbanzo bean flour, coconut flour, or almond flour – but I haven’t tried any of them.
Daniel
April 8, 2020 at 1:50 pmWhat could I sub arrowroot flour for? Thanks
Judy DeLorenzo
April 9, 2020 at 1:39 amHi Daniel. You can use tapioca starch/flour – or just add 3 more Tablespoons of the cassava flour.
Let me know what you decide and how it turns out.