Pliable, easy low carb tortillas with only 4 ingredients! This recipe does NOT TASTE EGGY and is extremely versatile – you can use it to make burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, taco cups…or simply use it to make Keto wraps for a delicious, quick low carb lunch.
There are a lot of keto tortilla recipes out there that are either a glorified omelette or that use plenty of cheese. I’ve tried quite a few and I’ve done a fair bit of experimenting, but I never ended up with anything truly spectacular. I wanted to create a tortilla that does not use loads of eggs and whilst I love cheese (I have a great wrap recipe that uses mozzarella) I felt like dairy free paleo tortillas that work in Mexican recipes AND that work for a good everyday lunch.
Can you eat corn tortillas on Keto?
Traditional corn tortillas are very high in carbs, which causes blood sugar to spike. Basically, they’re not a good idea when you’re trying to keep your insulin in check. Think of this recipe as a heartier, more rustic version of corn tortillas. It’s really versatile – it’s a great match with my Turkey Chili or this classic Keto Chili con carne and my kids have used it as a base for grilled ham and cheese mini pizzas. The wrap you see in the images is stuffed with a quick healthy slaw, avocado and some roast chicken. Even better, these keto tortillas also give you a jumbo portion of fibre thanks to the flaxseed and the psyllium. Win-win!
Quick note: The colour of flax you use will dictate the colour or your wrap. I used golden as I think it yields a nicer colour but the brown would work too. If you don’t have milled flaxseed to hand you can easily make your own by buying whole flaxseed and blitzing in a food processor until fine.
Also: The psyllium is essential in these keto tortillas as it helps with the elasticity so they’re nice and bendy and roll easily. Make sure you know the type of psyllium you’re using: WHOLE psyllium husks may appear to be powder at first glance, but if you look closely, they look like little sticks. Psyllium husk powder is a proper powder and you’ll only need 1 tbsp.
How to make low carb tortillas – step by step:
1.) Place all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (almond flour, flax meal, psyllium husk and salt, if using). Mix well to combine.
2.) Add the egg and mix with a fork. Slowly add the water a few tablespoons at a time and mix to combine. Use your hands to massage and roll into a ball. Place in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.
The chilling time is essential because it will help you roll the dough out thinly without it sticking or becoming too fragile.
3.) Remove from the fridge and cut into 4 portions.
4.) Roll the dough between two sheets of greaseproof paper or a silicone mat and 1 sheet of greaseproof/parchment paper. Make sure you roll it out thinly.
If you loooove tortillas, you could consider getting a tortilla press to save time!
5.) Place a bowl or saucepan lid over the dough as a template and cut out a circle with a sharp knife. Use the cut-offs from each tortilla to make the 5th and 6th tortilla.
If you have leftover dough scraps, chop them up and toast as nachos!
6.) Heat a non stick frying pan or cast iron skillet with a little ghee, coconut oil, butter or olive oil. Fry each tortilla for about 1 minute on one side and up to 40 seconds on the other. Be careful not to overcook the tortillas to prevent stiffening. Re-grease the pan for each tortilla and repeat until all the tortillas are cooked.
Recipe Tips and Variations
This recipe makes 6 low carb tortillas @7 inch/18 cm OR 8 small tortillas @6 inch/15 cm.
It is essential that you roll the dough out thinly. If the tortillas are too thick they will break when you fold or roll them. This may take a little practice. Once you’ve made one that’s too thick you’ll know straight away!
You can only roll out the dough thinly if it’s cold – so definitely make sure your dough has chilled in the fridge sufficiently. If it’s room temperature it will be more fragile and may tear when you transfer it from the parchment paper to the frying pan.
When I made this recipe a second time I used the lid of a small metal saucepan to cut the circles. This worked really well.
Interested in substitutes? If you cannot have almond flour, I suggest you sub with sunflower seed flower 1:1. You can make your own sunflower seed flour by blitzing sunflower seeds in a food processor.
I have not tried this myself, but a god sub for psyllium husk is xanthan gum. I’d use 2 tsp in this recipe.
Make sure you’re frying your tortillas over a medium heat and don’t fry for too long so they stay pliable. You can see in the images that my tortillas don’t have the signature browned spots we know from corn tortillas. This is because I have found that they lose their flexibility if you fry them at a high heat.
However, you can totally make crispy tacos or tortilla chips with this dough!
How to make crispy low carb taco shells:
Use a saucepan lid or bowl with a diameter of 5-6 inch/12-15 cm to cut out thin, small circles. Fry the dough over a HIGH heat until it’s lightly browned. While the taco is still very hot, lay it over the rim of a large pan or bowl (a wok works well) and let it cool into a firm taco shape.
I have a great recipe for coconut flour taco shells – there’s an image on how I cool them if you’d like to see. It’s the same principle.
How to make easy Keto tortilla chips:
Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper into one large rectangle. Remove the top paper and, using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into triangles (I have a recipe for Fathead dough tortilla chips where you can check out how I cut the dough).
Bake in the oven @ 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit for about 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Rotate the baking sheet if the back browns quicker than the front. Baking time will depend on how thinly your dough is rolled out – the thicker, the longer it will take!
More flavour combinations for your low carb tortillas:
Garlicky – 1/4 tsp garlic powder + 1/4 tsp onion powder
Mediterranean – 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tbsp tomato puree or sun-dried tomato paste + 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Mexican – 1 tsp smoked paprika or cumin + 1 good pinch of chilli
Have fun experimenting with these keto tortillas and make sure you tag me in your creations. (And please don’t complain saying that this recipe really has 5 ingredients. I have done a quick survey in my house and we all agreed that water does not count as a proper ingredient!)
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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4 Ingredient Low Carb Tortillas
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour 150g (regular almond flour or ground almonds, not super-fine)
- 2/3 cup flax meal 80g
- 2 tbsp whole psyllium husks 8g (or 1 tbsp psyllium husk powder)
- 1 large egg whisked lightly with a fork
- 10 tbsp lukewarm water
- 3/4 tsp sea salt optional
Instructions
- Place all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (almond flour, flax meal, psyllium husk and salt). Mix well to combine.
- Add the egg and mix. Slowly add the water a few tablespoons at a time and mix to combine. Use your hands to massage and roll into a ball. Place in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the fridge and cut into 4 portions. Roll the dough between two sheets of grease-proof paper or a silicone mat and 1 sheet of greaseproof.
- Use a bowl as a template and cut around using a sharp knife to form tortillas. Use the cutoffs to make the 5th and 6th tortilla.
- Heat a non stick frying pan or cast iron skillet with a little ghee, coconut oil, butter or olive oil. Gently warm each tortilla for about 1 minute on one side and up to 40 seconds on the other. Careful not to overcook the tortillas to prevent stiffening. Re-grease the pan for each tortilla and repeat until all the tortillas are cooked.
Notes
Nutrition
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Leanne Richmond says
Hi, Can you use flax seed or linseed instead of the flax meal? Any help would be really appreciated x
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Leanne, as far as I’m aware flaxseeds and linseeds are the same thing, and flax meal is nothing but ground up flax seeds. Just make sure your flax is ground, and you’re good to go!
Yasmeen says
The best ever , I was trying and trying so many recipes but it doesn’t taste good like this one
Katrin Nürnberger says
That’s so good to hear!! Glad you like them 🙂
Andrine says
Hi! I love how these tortillas look! I’m thinking of trying them out. Can you freeze these tortillas and warm them up later? :))
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Andrine, I heave never tried this. But don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You’d definitely have to stick them back in the oven for a few minutes to crisp them up after defrosting though.
Mara says
Any substitute for the egg? Unfortunately I cannot have even a little bit of egg without dire consequences. This is limiting my low-carb options 🙁
Katrin Nürnberger says
The egg does make the tortillas more pliable. But you could try using a flax egg or a chia egg (ground chia seeds and water) instead. I think the tortillas may be more fragile, especially when cold. But they would still taste good.
Kathryn says
HI Katrin! I am wondering, what is greaseproof paper? Would the same be parchment paper or waxed paper? Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, it is parchment paper. We also call it baking paper
Bridget says
Most fantastic, so happy with your recipe
Katrin says
Hi Bridget, I’m really happy you like the tortillas!
Jo says
So delicious. I’ve had these for lunch all week
Katrin says
Nothing better than batch cooking! 🙂
Chas says
Hi,
I was wondering if there was a substitute for the egg in this recipe?
Thanks!
Katrin says
I think without the egg you’ll have trouble to keep them pliable and they may break when you fold them. You could experiment with adding 1-2 tsp of xanthan gum for flexibility and ground chia seeds and sufficient water to make a rollable dough. And I’d probable make them smaller, only about 10cm and serve them flat.
Lynn says
Can these be frozen before cooking? There is just myself and six is a lot of tortilla!
Katrin says
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see a problem with freezing. I freeze all my baked goods – anything almond flour freezes well, and I’ve made a flaxseed bread with coconut flour which I also froze and defrosted with no problems. I’d place parchment paper between the tortillas so they don’t stick.
Margie Larsen says
Hi,
I was wondering if there is a substitute for the flax in the tortilla recipe?
Thank you.
M
Katrin says
I would try with ground chia seeds, though I am not entirely sure if it would be a straight 1:1 replacement. I’d probably use the same amount (in weight – not cups, just to be sure) and see if the recipe needs more/less/the same amount of water.