Easy Gluten Free Flour Tortillas (Only 5 Ingredients!) - The Loopy Whisk (2024)

These gluten free flour tortillas are the real deal – wonderfully soft and flexible, they’re perfect for folding or wrapping. They’re also incredibly quick and easy to prepare, requiring only 5 ingredients, all of which are gluten free pantry staples. And you couldn’t possibly guess that they’re gluten free!

Friends, I’ve got a real treat for you today. These gluten free flour tortillas are so good, you honestly could never guess that they’re gluten free at all. In fact, my non-gluten free taste testers couldn’t tell the difference!

I’ve been making them on repeat for the last two weeks, I simply can’t get enough of them. They are everything a proper tortilla should be and more: soft and flexible so you can roll them into wraps without tearing, as well as incredibly quick and easy to prepare.

The recipe requires only 5 ingredients – and that number includes water and salt! The tortilla dough itself is a joy to work with: you can knead it like you would a “regular” wheat dough and the individual portions are easily rolled into lovely round tortillas (you definitely don’t need to cut the circles or anything like that).

I know, it probably sounds too good to be true, but it’s 100% real and so very delicious. Below, I’ve included all the information and step-by-step photos you will need to become a gluten free tortilla master in no time.

Here’s why you’ll LOVE these gluten free flour tortillas

1. The perfect texture: soft, pliable and flexible. These tortillas being gluten free, you might expect them to be dry or quick to tear when you roll them – but that’s not the case at all! They’re perfectly soft, and you can twist and roll them whichever way, they won’t tear or crack. At the same time, they’re not gummy, but rather have the perfect soft and slightly chewy crumb typical of a proper tortilla.
2. Incredibly quick and easy to make. The tortilla dough comes together in about 5 minutes and then you just need to roll them out and cook them (about 45 seconds to a minute on each side). That’s it!
3. Only 5 ingredients!!! And they’re all (gluten free) pantry staples: gluten free flour blend, psyllium husk, salt, oil and water. Yes, that’s all you need to make the most amazing gluten free tortillas.
4. The recipe uses a store-bought gluten free flour blend, but you can mix your own. I developed this recipe with convenience in mind, so I decided to go with a ready-mixed gluten free flour blend. However, you can also prepare the tortillas using your own blend (the proportions of my suggested blend are listed in the recipe below).
5. The dough is easy to work with. Like all of my gluten free bread recipes, the dough for these tortillas can be kneaded and handled like you would a regular dough made from wheat flour. You don’t need to worry about it being crumbly – it’s wonderfully elastic and supple.
6. You can roll them out and shape into circles/rounds without cutting. I know that many gluten free tortilla recipes will ask you to cut out circles after you’ve rolled out the dough. Not this one! After you’ve divided the dough into individual portions, it’s easy to roll them out into nice round tortillas with a rolling pin.
7. Can’t guess that they’re gluten free at all!! I know I say this for all of my gluten free recipes, but it’s 100% true. Serve these to your friends or family, and there’s no way they will be able to tell that these don’t contain any gluten.

Before we get to the bits and bobs of making these amazing tortillas – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest recipes and tips!

Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.

How to make gluten free flour tortillas

As I’ve mentioned above, these gluten free tortillas are incredibly easy to make. You only need 5 ingredients: plain gluten free flour blend, salt, oil, psyllium husk (I recommend using the whole/rough husk form), and water.

Now, let me take you through the whole process step by step.

Making the tortilla dough

To make the gluten free tortilla dough:

1. Whisk together the gluten free flour blend and salt.
2. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the oil.
3. Then, add the psyllium gel (that you’ve prepared earlier by mixing together the psyllium husk and warm water).
4. Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together until the dough starts coming together.
5. Then, give it a thorough knead by hand. I like to squeeze the dough through my fingers and work my way around the bowl. Make sure that there are not patches or clumps of dry flour.
6. The final dough should come away from the sides of the bowl and be very springy to the touch. It shouldn’t be too sticky. Don’t worry if doesn’t have a perfectly smooth surface – so long as it’s hom*ogeneous with all the ingredients well combined and no clumps of flour or psyllium gel, you’re ready for the next step: portioning out and pre-shaping the dough.

Dividing and pre-shaping the dough

Once your tortilla dough is ready:

1. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Divide it into 12 equal portions. I recommend that you use a scale to make sure that they’re all of equal weight.
3. Shape the pieces of dough into balls.
4. Don’t worry if the surfaces of the dough balls aren’t perfectly smooth – that’s due to the lack of gluten and won’t matter in the end, as you’ll be rolling them out anyway. As you move onto the next step (rolling out the tortillas) keep the pieces of dough covered with a dish towel to prevent them from drying out.

Rolling out the gluten free tortillas

To prepare the gluten free tortillas:

1. Place a dough ball onto a lightly floured surface and dust its top with more flour.
2. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into an approximately round tortilla. Make sure to rotate it frequently to prevent it from sticking to the surface and also to maintain the round shape (but don’t worry if it’s not perfectly round). As necessary, dust the surface and the top of the tortilla with more flour.
3. The final tortilla should measure about 9 inches (23cm) in diameter.
4. You want the tortillas to be very thin, about 1mm –this will make them easy to use as wraps, while also ensuring that they will puff up while cooking in the pan.

I usually roll the tortillas while cooking them at the same time (that is, while one tortilla is cooking, I’m working on rolling out the next one). However, you could roll out all the tortillas first and then cook them. In that case, stack them with pieces of baking/greaseproof paper between them to prevent sticking and cover with a dish towel to prevent them from drying out.

Cooking the gluten free tortillas

I recommend cooking the gluten free tortillas in a large non-stick frying pan. I don’t recommend using a cast iron skillet – but more on that below.

It’s best to cook the tortillas on medium to medium-high heat and pre-heat your pan a few minutes before you start cooking them. The pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles on its surface.

To cook the tortillas:

1. Place a tortilla into the hot non-stick frying pan and cook it for about 45 seconds. You need to flip it once you see bubbles appearing on the surface and its underside is dry with occasional light brown spots.
2. Once you flip it, it should puff up in places with bubbles appearing. Cook it on the other side for about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
3. The tortilla is done when you see large dark brown spots on its underside.
4. Transfer it to a dish towel and cover it well – this will trap the steam and ensure that it stays nicely soft and flexible. Continue cooking the other tortillas.

How do I make my gluten free tortillas soft and flexible?

If you follow this recipe to the letter, you should be left with beautifully soft and flexible tortillas. Here’s why:

• Psyllium husk – The most important part of the recipe that keeps these tortillas soft and pliable is the psyllium husk. It’s an indispensable binder used frequently in gluten free baking, and it’s especially crucial when it comes to gluten free bread. If you want to read more about it, I’ve explained its function and importance in The Ultimate Gluten Free Bread post.
• High hydration – In general with gluten free bread, a relatively higher hydration is required than you might be familiar with from wheat-based bread. That’s because gluten free flours absorb more moisture than wheat flour. So, to keep these tortillas soft and flexible, you need to use quite a large amount of water.
• Oil – The addition of oil is a further factor that helps keep these gluten free tortillas soft – both on the day they’re prepared and the day after.
• Keeping the tortillas wrapped in a dish towel – This is a crucial step, so don’t be tempted to skip it. Wrapping the tortillas in a dish towel immediately after cooking traps all the steam that they’ve generated while still hot, and this trapped steam helps soften them.

Why doesn’t the recipe include any baking powder?

Many tortilla recipes (both regular ones made with wheat flour and gluten free ones) include the addition of raising agents, usually baking powder, that help the tortillas puff up during cooking.

I’ve tested this recipe both with and without baking powder and I personally prefer them without. Without any raising agents added, the tortillas still puff up nicely to create bubbles, but they’re thinner, which makes them more convenient to use for wraps and similar. Other than that, the addition (or absence) of raising agents doesn’t have any noticeable effect on the texture.

However, you can try them both ways – with and without the baking powder – and decide for yourself which version you prefer. Per 12 tortillas, you can use 1/2-1 teaspoon of baking powder.

What’s the best pan/skillet for cooking gluten free tortillas?

I’ve seen many people cook tortillas in a cast iron skillet but I’ve observed much better results when using a large non-stick frying pan.

That’s because when using a cast iron skillet, the tortillas seem to stick to the surface (which makes it difficult to correct their shape if they’ve folded over while you were putting them into the skillet), puff up less and dry out more quickly.

Cooking them in a non-stick pan, on the other hand, gives you much better control over the rate at which they’re cooking. They also puff up beautifully.

Should I grease the pan when cooking the tortillas?

It’s best to cook these tortillas in a hot, dry non-stick pan – so, no need to grease the pan.

How long do gluten free tortillas keep?

The tortillas are definitely at their best while still warm immediately after cooking, but they keep well in a zip-lock bag or wrapped tightly in cling film for 2-3 days. If they’ve dried out slightly, you can easily soften them up again – more on that below.

How do I make the next-day tortillas soft and pliable again?

To soften next-day (or day 3) tortillas, you need to re-heat them, while also re-introducing some moisture.

To do this, heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and lightly spray the tortilla with some water. Then, cook it in the hot pan with the lid on, for about 45 seconds to a minute on each side. Finally, once re-heated, cover and wrap it for a few minutes in a dish towel to trap the steam.

There you have it: a perfectly softened tortilla ready to enjoy.

And that, my friends, it pretty much everything you need to know to make THE BEST gluten free tortillas. I’m sure it may seem like information overload, but I really wanted to make sure that I answer any possible questions and provide you with all the necessary details.

I hope you’ll enjoy these as much as I do. I’ve actually finished the last one of the previous batch just a short while ago, so I better go make a new batch. (Yes, I’m making these on repeat and I don’t see myself stopping any time soon. They’re that good.)

Happy tortilla-making!

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