2-Ingredient Cassava Flour Tortillas {oil-free, vegan}

June 22, 2020

Grain-free, vegan, 2-ingredient cassava flour tortillas made without oil! They taste like classic flour tortillas, have 88 calories each, and and are quick & easy to make.

Easy Grain-Free Tortillas made with Cassava Flour

I admit it. I was wrong.

I told all of you that my 2-ingredient coconut flour tortillas from last week could not be made with any other flour.

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).