Cassava Flour Tortillas
351 Comments
Apr 20, 2022
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
These cassava flour tortillas are the best gluten-free and grain-free tortilla recipe. They’re soft, slightly chewy, and perfectly foldable for all your favorites – tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, wraps – you name it!
Fun fact – this cassava flour tortilla recipe came to fruition after chatting with the owner of Oka’s Bakery in Canggu, Bali years ago! It was there that I learned of the versatility of cassava flour in baking and cooking (cassava flour is heavily used in Indonesia). It’s used to make chips, muffins, breads, and of course, tortillas.
Inspired by my Bali trip, I tested this cassava flour tortilla recipe over and over when I returned home, until it tasted just like what I’d enjoyed in Bali! And while I might be biased, I think these homemade tortillas are better than any store-bought versions as well. They mimic that soft, pliable, chewy texture we all love, and taste utterly delicious – all thanks to cassava flour. Bonus, you can make a batch and freeze it for later use (hello meal prep).
Cassava Flour Tortilla Ingredients
Aside from cassava flour, there’s a few other ingredients you’ll need to bring these tortillas to life.
- Cassava Flour: After lots of testing, I’ve found that this flour is the best – and closest to what I used in Bali. Otherwise, your dough might be a bit gritty or sticky.
- Baking Soda: Like with most baked goods, just ¼ teaspoon is needed to help the dough rise.
- Cream of Tartar: It’s used in baked goods as a leavening agent and adds a little more fluff to the tortillas. If you don’t have cream of tartar, you can leave it off. The tortillas will still turn out fine!
- Oil: You can use virtually any oil or fat in this recipe. Palm shortening was used in the original recipe (as that’s what was used in Bali). But you can use olive oil, butter, or ghee as well.
- Warm Water: Make sure the water you use is slightly warm. This will help make the kneading process so much easier for the dough to form!
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
How To Make Cassava Flour Tortillas
To make these tortillas, all you need is a large mixing bowl and a non-stick pan or griddle. But to make the process even more efficient, I highly recommend getting this tortilla press. Your tortillas will turn out more evenly sized – in diameter and thickness. Otherwise, the rest is as easy as they come!
Make the initial dough. First, mix the cassava flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Then pour in the oil and knead the dry ingredients for about one minute. Note that the mixture will be dry and crumbly!
Finalize the dough. Add warm water into the mix and knead everything together for 2 to 3 minutes. It will be a bit sticky at first, but it will slowly thicken as the cassava flour absorbs the moisture.
Roll out the dough. Roll the dough into a log shape and slice it into 6 even pieces. Then roll each piece into a ball.
Flatten the dough. If you’re using a tortilla press, make sure to use a piece of parchment paper. Without a tortilla press, take each ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out into an approximate 6-inch circle.
Cook them up! Heat up a non-stick pan and cook a tortilla on one side for one minute. Then flip the tortilla, cook for an additional minute, and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat the process for the rest of the tortillas.
Use These Cassava Flour Tortillas For…
All the tacos, wraps, chips, and more! I personally love to make these anytime I whip up my Mexican recipes – such as carnitas or chicken fajitas. But there’s no wrong answer as to how you can use them.
- Tacos: If you’re a taco fanatic like I am – you’re in luck. I’ve got the best recipes for carnitas tacos, carne asada tacos, barbacoa tacos, and shrimp tacos!
- Fajitas: Fajita night is the best when you’ve got a crowd to feed – especially these chicken fajitas.
- Chips: You best believe you can slice these up into delicious herbed tortilla chips! Perfect as a snack with a dip, or use them to make sheet pan nachos!
- Wraps: From chicken burritos, to smoked salmon pinwheels, to chicken salad wraps – you’ve got endless opportunities for anything wrapped.
Ways To Store Cassava Flour Tortillas
One batch makes 6 small tortillas, which is great for a party of two or three. But if you’ve got more people, or simply want leftovers, make a double batch and freeze the rest! Here’s two ways to store them.
- To store: Place the tortillas in a sealable bag or container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
- To freeze: Before storing in a freezer-safe bag or container, make sure to put parchment paper in between each tortilla to avoid them sticking to each other. They will keep for up to 3 months.
Cassava Flour Tortillas Recipe Video
Just wait, these cassava flour tortillas are going to be your new go-to. Give them a try and let me know how you like them in a comment below!
Note: Recently I’ve been hearing from readers that other brands of cassava flour are gritty, sticky and/or don’t perform as well. I’ve been using Otto’s Cassava Flour for years and I think in the case of cassava flour, it seems the brand really does make a difference.
Cassava Flour Tortillas (Gluten-Free Tortillas)
Description
Ingredients
- 1 cup cassava flour, lightly packed (see notes below)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, butter, ghee, or palm shortening
- ⅔ cup warm water
Instructions
- Add the cassava flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar to large bowl and mix together.
- Add the oil and knead into the dry ingredients for a minute. The mixture will be dry and crumbly.
- Add the warm water and knead together for 2 to 3 minutes. At first the dough will be wet and sticky, but as the cassava flour absorbs the water it will become dryer and more pliable. The texture should be similar to soft Play-Doh. If it's too sticky, add a bit more cassava flour. And if it's too dry, add a bit more water.
- When you have a mound of dough, roll it into a log shape in the bowl (like a tube of cookie dough). Then, slice it into 6 pieces. Take each piece and roll into a ball.
- If you have a tortilla press, take each ball of dough, place it between two pieces of parchment paper and press into a flat tortilla (this method is much easier). Without a tortilla press, take each ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out into an approximate 6-inch circle.
- Heat a non-stick pan or flat griddle on medium-high heat. As the dry pan heats up, place one tortilla in the pan and cook for approximately one minute. Flip the tortilla and cook the other side for an additional minute. Continue cooking all tortillas and transfer to a plate with a paper towel.
- Eat immediately or freeze in batches for future use.
Lisa’s Tips
- The original recipe (as seen in the video) was made with palm shortening, as that’s how I learned to make them in Indonesia, but any oil/fat works.
- I scoop the cassava flour out of its container, which lightly packs it. The weight measurement of the cassava flour is 150g.
- The dough should have the texture of soft playdough. If it’s too sticky, add more cassava flour. If it’s too dry and crumbly, add more water. You can see the perfect texture in the video above.
- This is my favorite tortillas press and I’ve used it for years.
- I find it’s easiest to cook the tortillas in an enameled cast iron or ceramic non-stick pan.
- To freeze the cassava flour tortillas, let them cool, then place parchment paper in-between and place them in a food storage container in the freezer. Watch my meal prep containers video to see my favorite containers.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Note: This recipe was originally posted May 2015, but was updated to include new photos and my new video tutorial.
Hi Lisa …… in the recipe it is indicated the cassava flour weight is 120g but in the “Lisa Notes” you say “ I scoop the cassava flour out of its container, which lightly packs it. The weight measurement of the cassava flour is 150g. ” …….. if one were to use 150g, wouldn’t that mean the other ingredients would need changing? ……. can you clarify?
Many Thanks!
Hi Barbara – unfortunately, those metric amounts are automatically generated based on the imperial amounts (and aren’t necessarily 100% accurate). My note is the accurate amount, and you would not need to change the other ingredients. Hope that helps!
I followed this tortilla recipe exactly and found the masa to be a little dry, so I followed the instructions and added a little more water. Should nice I do the same when making corn tortillas, just looked for the same texture. The fish tacos turned out great. Even my mom, a tortilla connoisseur, loved them!
Hi Rosalinda – Good to hear they ended up turning out great!
Sooooo good and soooo easy!!!!
I loved this tortilla recipe!
It’s my new go-to recipe for tortillas. I shared it with my siblings!
💗
Hi Rosalinda – Thrilled to hear you’ve found a winning tortilla recipe!
Ummm… did not work. I kept adding more and more cassava flour to get it to stop falling apart when trying to flatten it in my press, but it failed again and again. Just not a good recipe for me.
What is the purpose of the cream of tartar here?
Can I replace it with something else?
Thank you
Hi Alina – it’s an acid that adds a little fluffiness to the tortillas. But you can always leave it off if you don’t have it. They’ll still turn out. :)
These cassava flour tortillas were wonderful! (And really were foldable!) I, too didn’t have any cream of tartar but I subbed with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and everything was perfect.
I procured the cassava flour from Otto’s Naturals (the brand you mentioned)–they offered organic cassava flour. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Carol!
So wonderful!!! Tortillas are a staple in our house. I’ve tried other grain free gluten free tortilla recipes and this one is by far the best!!! The taste and texture are so much better than any we’ve purchased ….and we’ve tried them all. Easy to make, simple ingredients, healthy and delicious, everything a tortilla should be! THANK YOU!!
Hi Carol – I’m so glad you found a tortilla recipe you love!
I substituted cream of tartar for baking soda because I didn’t have any on hand, and when I rolled out the dough the tortilla wouldn’t bind together, it just kept falling apart. Do you think it’s because I substituted cream of tartar? Otherwise the dough tastes amazing!! I want to get it right!!
Hi Mercy – I don’t think that substitute would have affected it. It sounds like your dough may have been a bit dry. Next time, try adding another teaspoon or two of water at a time, and re-kneeding it. Hope that helps!
I’ll try that, thank you so much!!!
Would it be possible to use tapioca flour instead of cassave flour? I cannot find cassave flour where I live.
Hi Rens – This recipe is best made with cassava flour as that is how I learned how to make it. You can buy the cassava flour I’m using, which is linked in the recipe card!
Hi Lisa,
Can you omit the Oil?
Thanks
Hi Sheryl – You will need the oil for these tortillas.
I have tried so many different recipes for gluten free and/or grain free tortillas and these are BY FAR THE BEST I have ever made!! The dough came together very easily and was a breeze to use in my tortilla press – no sticking and no tearing. The taste and texture of these tortillas was also AMAZING!! The have a really nice “chew” and they don’t fall apart. I cooked up some ground bison in an homemade Bulgogi sauce and topped it with a Paleo OMG inspired red cabbage slaw. It was outstanding and would not have been possible without these tortillas. Thank you so much!!
Hi Felicitas – Happy to hear you’re loving these cassava tortillas!
Good day, is cassava flour the only flour option to make it ?
Hi Vi – I’ve only tested this with cassava flour, which helps to give it that soft and stretchy texture.