Tonight a little miracle occurred at the dinner table! My kids ate soft, yes SOFT tacos with homemade Gluten Free Tortillas for the first time EVER!! Needless to say, we all did a little happy dance and the kids begged for seconds.
These Soft Gluten Free Tortillas actually roll, bend & wrap without cracking and have a wonderful taste & texture!
Thanks to Vanessa – The Crafty Gemini who recently posted an authentic Tortilla Recipe Video Tutorial (using regular flour & pastured lard), which inspired me to create a Gluten Free variation that’s also Vegan using my Erika’s All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Mix! Be sure to subscribe to Vanessa’s YouTube channel while you’re checking her out – she’s wonderful!
The Tools & Ingredients Used in this Recipe:
Soft Gluten Free & Vegan Tortilla Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 8" Tortillas 1x
- Category: Breads
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
Description
This Soft Gluten Free Tortilla Recipe is also Vegan. Makes approx. (12) 8″ Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 Cups of my Erika’s All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Mix
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 6 Tablespoons Palm Shortening
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- Extra Tapioca Starch or Corn Starch for dusting.
Instructions
- In your KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the Gluten Free Flour with Baking Powder, Salt & Palm Shortening.
- Mix on a Medium speed until everything is well blended – Your mixture will appear slightly moist, but much like how brown sugar grains look/feel.
- Slowly drizzle in the 1 Cup of warm water until the mixture forms a ball – the dough will be moist, but puffy & soft to touch… Better that the mixture be slightly moist, then too dry.
- Using a spatula, scrape the dough from the whisk back into the bowl and press all of the dough into a ball.
- Set the dough aside to rest while you pre-heat your skillet & prepare your work space.
- Pre-heat your cast iron skillet on a medium heat (5-6) for about 5-10 minutes, then turn down to a low setting (2-4) when cooking the tortillas.
- On a well floured work surface (I use a cutting board lined with parchment paper) take a small pinch (about 4 Tablespoons or 1/4 Cup) rounded ball of tortilla dough and roll it in your floured hands until you make a small disk about 3 inches in diameter.
- Place the dough on the floured surface and use your rolling pin (or tortilla press if you’re using one) to roll the dough out very thinly (maybe an 1/8″ thick). You may have to dust the surface or rolling pin again with flour if need be.
- Once the tortilla is rolled/pressed out, flip the parchment paper gently over on your hand or directly in the skillet to to release the raw tortilla and transfer it to the pre-heated skillet.
- Cook the tortilla approximately 30-45 seconds on each side. You may begin to see little bubbles forming as it cooks – that ok! Unlike regular tortillas, these shouldn’t make large bubbles.
- It’s important not to over cook the tortillas (this took me a few tries to figure out) – Otherwise, you’ll end up with a very crisp/fried disk that looks nice, but isn’t as tasty!
- If eating immediately after cooking, stack the tortillas on a plate covered with a kitchen towel to keep them moist & warm until serving. If you are saving some for later, keep the tortillas under the towel until you’re all done cooking them – then transfer them to a ziplock bag and keep them on the counter for up to 3-4 days. You can also warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds if need be.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Tortilla
- Calories: 130
Thank you for the tortilla shell recipe, which led me to the recipe for your homemade gluten free flour. My comment is, I know that some of Bob’s Red Mill products are labeled as Gluten Free and some are not. I noted that the flours you were using were not designated as gluten free. My concern is, even if the specific flours you used are NATURALLY gluten free, there is always the risk of cross contamination with wheat, rye, and barley flours during the manufacturing process. People who make a life style choice to avoid gluten would be fine using this kind of flour mix, but I fear that people with Celiac Disease or severe gluten intolerance might not be. I wanted to share this with you in case you are not aware that even the tiniest amount of cross contamination could be dangerous for people with serious gluten issues. Do you know if Bob’s Red Mill makes these same products in a Gluten Free version? That designation usually means that they were manufactured in a dedicated facility where no wheat, rye or barley have been processed, thus eliminating any cross contamination concerns.
You make a great point… if someone is Celiac or gluten sensitive, you should try to seek out labels that are certified Gluten Free. One of my sons is severely gluten intolerant (the drs say he could be Celiac, but because we’ve had so much success removing Gluten from his diet, they want to hold off testing him since he’s so young)… We haven’t had any troubles with these flours before, but it’s always a good idea to avoid as much as possible. Thanks for the comment! =)
God Bless!
~Erika
I have celiac disease and am extremely sensitive to cross contamination and have not had a problem with Erik’s flour mixture or the Bob’s Red Mill products it uses. Just FYI. :)
Hello there, I tried this recipe and while it was tasty, the tortillas broke instead of being flimsy enough to roll. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Christy!
So glad you tried them! With my trial and error, I found that they had to be very thin & cooked quickly on both sides – then stored under a warm kitchen towel to let the steam soften them before the rest are done. I’ll try to do a video soon which might help. In the mean time, you can always use the brittle ones in place of bread crumbs in meatloaf, veggie burgers, etc… so they don’t go to waste! =)
Hope that helps!
God Bless!
~Erika
Erika, i cant find the words to thank you enough!!! I just tried the tortilla recipe. After several years of failing more times than not, with many gf recipe’s, i have all but given up. The look on my 17 year old son’s face when i had him try these tortillas was heaven sent. May you and your family be blessed for your faithfulness in the healthy eating journey. My son is gf, df, egg free, nut free, and we limit the soy. What a joy to find your blog! I can’t say thanks enough times. God’s richest blessing on you and yours!!!
Hi Barb!
Thank you so much for the sweet note of encouragement! I am so thrilled that your son enjoyed the gluten free tortillas… Cooking for our special diet kiddos can be a hard labor of love – but one look at their sweet faces when they are happy eating again, makes it all worth it!
God bless you & your family too!
~ Erika
aLittleInsanity.com
I am going to try this recipe but do not have palm shortening. Have you tried this with any other fat? I don’t want to waste ingredients on failed efforts if I can help it. Thanks.
Hi Cheryl!
I have not tried this with any other fat, but I’m thinking that regular Butter, Crisco Shortening, or Old Fashioned Lard will work beautifully in place of the Palm Shortening. If you try one of those, let me know how it turns out! =)
God Bless!
~Erika
We used Crisco shortening, and did have a little trouble, first it took about another cup of water for the dough to do anything. but it seems from reading the comments it can be a bit knack y . we also used an electric griddle set to about 250 after trial and error and making sure as per instructions they were very thin and on floured parchment transferred to griddle not over cooked or under cooked not to fat and moving fast we were able to make a batch of tortillas that were soft tortillas (they still did crack more easily than a non gluten free tortilla would ) after trial and error and re-effort we deemed the attempt a success, though a lot of work. Conclusion: great recipe. a video would be marvelous. Crisco works, electric griddle works ,though might make things more difficult.
Hi Joseph! Awesome feedback… Tortillas can be tricky to get the hang of, especially gluten free ones – so I’m thrilled to hear you persevered and that the end result was enjoyed. =) God Bless! ~Erika
Hi Erika,
Wondering if you think coconut oil in place of the palm shortening would work? Thank you so much for everything you do with this blog.
My son was very sick and it didn’t take us long to realize he was gluten and dairy intolerant. Your blog is a god send, helps us so much. We are in the process of “healing his gut” and I think this would be a great start to re introduce a thin variety of bread.
I think I will just go ahead and give it a try with the coconut oil. Thank you so much!
Amanda xo
Hi Amanda!
Thank you for the sweet comment! I’m so grateful that you found out about your son’s intolerance to gluten & dairy. I’m sure over time, you will see the full benefits of switching his diet… But I know it’s a lot of work! You are wonderful momma!
I’m not sure if you tried using the coconut oil in place of the palm shortening, but I’d love to hear how it turned out.
God Bless!
~ Erika
Hi
I tried your gf tortilla recipe using coconut oil instead of palm and they were delicious! They also wrapped around the contents really well!
I’d love to know if the coconut is more eco-friendly than palm, it’s certainly more tasty!
Thanks for the recipe!
Isobel
Hi Isobel!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I’m not sure about how palm & coconut oils rank on being eco-friendly – but I know they both are great! I love coconut oil for recipes where the flavor complements the dish. Palm Shortening, has a higher melt point, and lacks any real flavor, which is perfect for recipes (like pie crusts) where you want a little more light or ‘flakey’ finish. Also, some people are allergic to coconut, so that would be another reason to use the Palm Shortening.
I hope that helps! Thanks for the comment!
God Bless!
~Erika
I am on a largely vegan diet for health reasons and found your site. You are certainly a very creative person and I thank you for your wonderful ideas and recipes. I have health issues which make going thru the process of preparing your gf tortillas difficult if not impossible for me. Have you thought about packaging the finished tortillas for shipping? I know there are some gf tortillas available in the stores, but they have many other ingredients which I try to avoid in my healthy way of eating.
Marilyn
I tried to make these last night and they were sticky and I couldn’t roll them out. I am using Red Mills GF flour and shortening. I’m not sure what I did wrong? Help!!!
Hi Shanna!
I haven’t used the Bob’s GF Flour in this recipe before… only my GF Flour Blend. Bob’s mixture is very different than mine, so I’m assuming that had something to do with them coming out so sticky.
Hope that helps! =)
God Bless!
~ Erika
Hi, I used Bob’s gf flour and they tured out great! I do need to work on rolling thinner though. Thank you for this recipe I’ve been searching for months for a keeper and think this just might be it!
Oh my GOSH. Thank you so, soo much! This tasted SO good, and I finally ate something different, tasty, gluten-free and vegan for the first time in months! I am going to make these all the time… I’m sick of crumbly little corn tortillas. THIS is life.
Notes: I used Bobs Gluten Free flour and vegan earth-balance butter instead of shortening. I discovered that it was indeed very, very sticky. So I just added a bunch more flour. I’d probably say that after you form it into a ball, just add another 1/4 cup of flour(I didn’t measure mine though). Also, I would suggest getting one of those cake lifter things. It might help a bit, I unfortunately didn’t have one, but I coped.
Hi Kyla!
I loved your comment and am SO happy that the recipe was a success for you! My little ones ask me to make them the ‘yummy’ tortillas all the time – It’s the little pleasures in life that make it all worth it! =)
God Bless!
~ Erika
Hello Erika!
I made this recipe this weekend and it was a hit, along with your pie crust and chocolate chip cookies…:-)! The process took a bit of practice. The first ones were misshapen. But by the time I finished the batch I had a fairly good idea of what to do going forward. Since some of mine were not “pretty” I decided to fill them with taco mixture, roll them up and place them in my casserole dish. I sprinkled cheese on top and melted in the oven. No one was the wiser and everyone raved about how great the tortillas tasted. Erika, I just cannot thank you enough! Your tips and ideas have already saved us money. And to be able to know I’m taking care of my family with food they love to eat thrills me! What a blessing!
Refined coconut oil has no coconut taste.
Have you tried freezing or refrigerating these?
I am estatic I found this recipe! One question–in your recipe you have baking powder, but in your directions you have soda. Do I use powder or soda?
Hi Joni!
Good catch… It’s supposed to read Baking Powder… I changed it. Thank you! =)
God Bless!
~ Erika
This recipe’s proportions were all out of whack. I made half a recipe but needed to add 1c water and more than 50% fat and they still broke and crumbled. Of course I used Robin Hood Gluten Free mix and added some guar gum. Perhaps using weights instead of volumes will help.
Hi Veronica! The recipe is based on my gluten free flour mix, so perhaps it didn’t turn out because you substituted Robin Hood Gluten Free mix & guar gum instead of using my blend. Hope that helps! =) God Bless! ~Erika
Oh my goodness…total game changer in our house! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, the store bought ones drive me crazy and end up cracked by the time I even get them home! Awesome!
I would love to make these burritos since I had to go gluten free because of hashimotos I have been missing my homemade burritos. I can not use a cast iron skillet because I have a ceramic cook top so I am wondering will the burritos come out the same if make in a stainless steel pan??
I am going to use organic leaf lard I do not have palm shortening.
Thank you so much for this basic recipe! I have several other limitations and tried this out with ONLY white rice flower and arrowroot flour and used bacon fat instead of palm oil. They were maybe a tad more likely to break, but it was not too difficult to manage.!
So great and easier than expected, Thank you!!!!!!
Thanks for the sweet comment Leah! I’m so glad to hear that your modifications worked. =) Enjoy & God Bless! ~Erika
I used coconut oil and they came out terrible. I always have good luck with your recipes but these were as tuff as nails. I don’t recommend doing it.
Hi Deb!
Thanks for the feedback… I appreciate you letting me/others know the Coconut Oil substitution didn’t work for you. I only use Palm Shortening when I make these and they turn out well – hopefully you will have better luck with the Palm Shortening. =)
Thanks & God Bless!
~Erika
Have you tested these for burritos? Do they freeze well?
Hi Lyz! Sorry, but I haven’t tried freezing them yet… they usually get eaten up! =) If you try freezing them, I’d love to know how they do! God Bless! ~Erika
Thank you so much for this and the other recipes. I found this one a little difficult to get the hang of but by the end of the batch things turned out pretty good. From my understanding tortillas are like that.
Is there a reason that you roll out the tortilla dough? I want to make these but would like to use a tortilla press instead of rolling it out.
WOW! That’s really all I have to say.
Tried various recipes for GF tortillas, with some success.. But these were the first ones worthy of praise!
Amazing! Thank you!
Thanks Haakon! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! =) God Bless! ~Erika
Just made these for lunch. We used coconut oil instead of Palm shortening and we were able to make them thicker like a flat bread. They cooked perfectly and rolled soooo nicely! What a perfect recipe!
Also I found that we had to stay on a medium heat with the slightly thicker roll and coconut oil. The lower heat didn’t cook them properly.
The flatbread style made larger bubbles and browned a bit more while staying fluffy, soft, and bendable. A new staple for us as a GF, vegan, sugar free family!
Hi Tori, Thank you so much for the sweet comment & for sharing your helpful tips! I’m so glad to hear you guys enjoyed the recipe… God Bless! ~Erika
I just made these tortilla with cup for cup GF Flour and butter. I cut the recipe in half cause I am the only one Gluten free in my family and I used a hand mixer ( messy) but they turned out great. so happy to have a great tortilla I am eating one now with melted cheese. Thank you for sharing
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