Homemade Gluten Free Flour Tortillas was originally posted on April 30, 2021 and has been updated with new pictures, new copy, and more tips.
These homemade gluten free flour tortillas are SO easy to make, you don’t need any special equipment, they’re soft and pliable, and they won’t rip apart. Winner, winner, burrito dinner!!
Some of the items linked in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission.
I’m one of those people who, if I can find something in stores that is just as good as homemade, I’ll buy it because I’d rather not make it if I don’t have to. For instance, sometimes I can find really great gluten free pasta so I’ll buy it instead of making it myself. Especially when all I want to do is dump the box in boiling water. But all the gluten free flour tortillas I’ve ever tried have just been “okay,” not great. They’re usually likely to tear if they’re overstuffed (I’m looking at you, Mission Tortillas!) and I tend to overstuff all the time.
These gluten free flour tortillas, though. They’re different. They’re super soft and can be as thick or thin as you want to roll them. AND can be as big or small as you want. They won’t fall apart either. I’d say that’s enough convincing NOT to buy the $5.00 package of so-so gluten free flour tortillas, wouldn’t you? To boot, this dough can be made ahead of time, stored in the fridge, and when the craving for fresh tortillas hits (1, 2 or 8) they can be rolled out in no time!
Ingredients in Gluten Free Flour Tortillas
I’ve seen recipes all over the ‘net calling for baking powder or Expandex modified tapioca starch in homemade gf flour tortillas. This recipe is adapted from one of the many classes I took on Craftsy. It calls for only three ingredients–flour, salt, and a fat, such as lard, shortening, or butter. Water is considered a “freebie.” I modified it to be gluten free and it works beautifully!!
I rarely, if ever, have shortening on hand. But I ALWAYS have butter in my fridge so that’s what I use for these flour tortillas. If you have lard or shortening, feel free to use either of those as I know lard is the traditional fat in authentic flour tortillas.
how to make gf flour tortillas
- Whisk together gf flour blend and salt. Add softened fat of choice and mix thoroughly until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Add warm water, a little at a time, until the dough comes together and is slightly tacky, but not sticky. You may not need all of the water.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Tear off golf ball-sized pieces of dough and roll into a flat round (either on a well-floured surface or on a piece of parchment paper).
- Cook over high heat in a cast iron skillet (or medium-high in a nonstick skillet) until bubbles begin to form. Flip over and continue to cook for roughly 30 seconds.
- Remove and wrap in a tea towel to keep warm while cooking the remaining tortillas. Serve warm.
Soft Gluten Free Flour Tortillas FAQ’s
No, you can actually roll these tortillas using a rolling pin! I find it easier to use and you can roll them as small or large as you’d like. You can roll them directly on your floured counter or use a piece of parchment or a parchment circle to roll them on (my favorite way). Using parchment allows you to move the parchment and not the tortilla, making it easy to get nice and thin tortillas.
Yes, they are great for freezing! Freeze them flat in a large ziptop baggie, separated if desired by a layer of parchment or waxed paper. It’s not necessary to separate them if you plan on thawing all of them to use at once, however. Just leave them in the bag when you thaw them!! Reheat them, well wrapped in foil, in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 10 minutes.
Any kind of skillet or griddle works great for making tortillas. You can use a cast iron skillet, a nonstick skillet, a griddle, whatever you have! The trick is to not put anything in the pan or griddle and heat it over medium high heat (high heat for a cast iron skillet).
What’s so fantastic about these gf tortillas is that you can make whatever size you want. You can make mini “street taco” size, 6-inch, soft tacos size, or even burrito size! You are only limited by the size of your biggest skillet or griddle.
more Gluten free mexican recipes
- Mexican conchas
- Mexican chocolate cupcakes
- Mexican bean soup
- Gf Mexican wedding cookies
- Tres leches cake
- Churro cupcakes
- Copycat Baja Fresh salsa
- Churros (A Disney copycat recipe)
Get rollin’ and make these pliable and soft gluten free flour tortillas. They’re so easy, fast, and delicious!
Homemade Gluten Free Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups + 2 tbsp (333g) Kim's gluten free BREAD flour blend
- 6 tbsp (3oz or 85g) lard, shortening, or softened butter
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup (180ml) warm tap water, plus additional warm water as needed
- extra flour for sprinkling surface
Instructions
- In a large bowl (stand or hand mixer) add the flour, salt, and fat. Blend until the texture of wet sand. Slowly add the warm water (¾ cup or 180ml at first) and continue mixing until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. You may need more water, depending on your climate. Add a little more at a time until the texture of the dough is tacky, but not sticky.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to one week.
- When ready to make tortillas, remove the dough from the refrigerator, pinch off a ball the size of a ping pong ball for 6-inch, large golf ball for soft taco size, or a small baseball for large burrito size. Roll on a well-floured counter or a parchment circle one way out from the center, move the dough a quarter turn and roll out from the center again. Continue doing this rolling and moving the dough until you have the desired thickness and size of tortilla.
- Heat a dry skillet or griddle over medium high heat (or high heat for cast iron). Carefully add tortilla, cook on one side for about 20-30 seconds (or until you start seeing little bubbles). Flip using a spatula and cook for an additional 20-30 seconds on the other side. If large air bubbles form, you can pop them with the corner of your spatula if you'd like.
- Remove the tortilla from skillet and wrap it in a tea towel to keep warm until all the tortillas have been cooked. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Hi Kim, I love your recipes but this one was a total fluke for me. No matter how thinly I’ve spread the wraps they turned as hard as plates. I always use your flour mix recipe for bread flour and I only make one swap – I’m intolerant to xanthan gum so I use guar gum. Everything else is the same. I tried changing temperature level, using non stick pan, cast iron and pancake baker and still I got same results.
I added enough water to the dough that it was nice and pliable, like playdough, but I was left with at least 50ml after. Should I have added it all?
I do believe you didn’t add enough water. Did you watch the video? It should be somewhat tacky, almost like you added a little too much water, but once it sits in the fridge for 30 minutes the extra water will soak up from the flour. Did you use my flour blend? That’s another crucial step.
I gave these a preemptive 5 stars, because I know I will love them after having had great success with all your recipes I’ve tried so far. I just wanted to let you know that I used your bread flour mix to make a moo shu pancake recipe from Silk Road Recipes. I’ve never been able to find a really good recipe before, and I suspect your bread flour blend helped make the difference. Since it calls for kneading, I added psyllium husk powder, like in your bread recipes. The recipe calls for rolling out 2 pancakes at a time with sesame oil between them, and then cooking on each side before separating them. I’m pretty sure the bread flour with the psyllium made them pliable and easy to separate. Anyhow, thank you so much for all you do !!
That’s awesome!!! So glad you’re enjoying cooking and baking!
I absolutely loved this recipe! I’ve made it for my dad and it was incredible 🤩 still not like the wheat flour ones but AMAZING!! I mean definitely 10/10. I made them today and I prepared some quesadillas and they were delicious! It was really satisfying seeing them get bubbles 🫶🏼 nothing to envy to the regular ones
Would you use a GF bread flour for these?
P.S. For anyone thinking about a tortilla press. A good tortilla press is easy to use and should press your tortillas quickly and simply. I’d suggest an authentic made one. A good tortilla press makes tortillas so so so much easier!
Thanks for the recipe. For tortillas do you happen to have any substitution recommendations for the whey protein isolate and/or xanthum gum that are in your all purpose flour blend? I read the substitution notes for the blend but I’m just wondering specifically for tortillas if you have recommendations. My daughter is sensitive to gluten, dairy, and xanthum gum.
Why can’t I make these! I’ve had great success with your Hawaiian rolls and biscuits but have failed twice with tortillas! First time I didn’t use all the water so I guessed that was the issue.. this time I used almost all and of course couldn’t roll them. I tried adding more flour blend while rolling them but just like the first batch they weren’t pliable when cooked. Help!!!
Hmmm, I wish I knew what’s going wrong. Are you using my bread flour blend? I assume you are if you’ve made the Hawaiian rolls without problems. I often add a little more water to the dough than I think is necessary because when the dough sits in the fridge for that hour, the flour tends to soak up excess water.
I’ll try adding more water. Yes I keep your bread and AP blends on hand always. I don’t buy pre-made anymore. Thanks for the reply!
Hi Kim, I’ very new to your site & am so excited to have stumbled across it. I saw my naturopathic doctor who suggested I go gluten-free to help with my health. I am so glad to see that many of your fans have made me a believer to follow your recipes. I’ve just made up a batch of your GF Bread Flour Blend. My fiancee loves pizza & am so glad to see that there is a recipe for the crust.
Thank you so much for taking the trouble to create all these awesome recipes. Btw, I also have to be dairy-free, & I can sub the butter etc with non-dairy subs.
Thank you again & wish your family & you a very safe, blessed & Happy New Year ahead. (((HUGS)))
Awe, thank you so much for your kind words, Lily!! I hope you have lots of gluten free baking success😍😍😍
Love this recipe!! Can the tortillas be rolled out on parchment circles and then frozen for later use? That would make them even more convenient! Thanks so much !!
Uncooked? I’ve never tried it, but I bet it would work just fine, Deb 😍
I did try it and it worked great! I was able to rollout the whole batch at once and freeze them stacked with parchment in a Tupperware container. Now I can take them out as I need them and fry or make ahead for a larger group of guests! Game changer for me☺️
That is so awesome, Deb!! I’m so glad it worked. I bet that makes life so much easier and you can have fresh tortillas at a moment’s notice 😍😍😍
Could this be made with a store bought GF flour?
You could try it, but I have doubts. When it comes to my bread flour blend, there really isn’t anything that comes close to it in the stores. Hence, the reason I felt the need to create it. But, there’s a chance it may work with a decent brand (King Arthur Flour, Cup4Cup).
These look amazing! Will definitely try soon!
Curious if you have a substitute for the whey protein in the bread flour mix. I cannot have dairy but would love to try these tortillas!
There are several options for substitutions listed on the chart for the bread flour blend. Each of them is a clickable link to where you can purchase them as well 🙂
I have never been able to make a good tasting homemade tortilla shell. My husband always made them when we had burrito’s. We have not had good homemade gluten free shells since my Celiac diagnoses. So, I tried your recipe. I added the lower end of suggested water (about 3 Tbsp) at room temperature and placed it in the fridge but at the time, only had time to leave the dough in the fridge for an hour instead of the suggested two. My dough was still really sticky so I kneaded in some Masa Flour into the dough and let it rest for a bit. I then rolled out my shells and fried them up. I was soo tickled. My shells tasted really good and they were flexible like a tortilla shell should be. I was elated and most of all it worked. Next time I will use water at a little warmer temperature when not adding maza flour to the mix to see if that will make the dough slightly tacky. Great recipe. I have said it before and I’ll say it again…Thank you so very much for sharing your talent and love of cooking. You have brought life back into my kitchen and burrito’s, fajitas oh ya..I think I want to make homemade enchiladas next! Whoop! Whoop!
Awe, thank you so much, Candice!! You don’t know how much it means to me to read your really kind words, and I’m so happy that you are now able to have such a wonderful time in your kitchen 😍😍😍
First off, I loooooove your recipes and am so thankful for your site. So is my husband and two kids. I have Chronic Lyme’s disease and have to undo hard treatments that make me nauseated and the only thing I want to eat is bread. But since they also want me to eat gluten free, that really wasn’t much of an option until I found you! Thank you for the hard work you have put into crafting these recipes. We made your triple chocolate cupcakes for my husband’s birthday today and the recipe ended up making way too much for us so we shared them with neighbors who also loved them!! Please keep cooking and sharing! Your site is basically the only one I look at now for gluten free breads and pastries 🙂 Question about the tortillas, I made them the other day and they turned out ok, but I need to have better technique of transferring them after rolling them out. Do you roll them out on parchment paper and then flip them? I was trying to figure that out from your little video. Thank you so much for being amazing! We love you here in SC! The typical comment about everything I have made from your recipes is : “This is gluten free???” We can still have good food because of you!
First of all, thank you SO much, Merileigh, for the wonderful comment and words!!! I truly appreciate it 😍
As far as the tortillas, yep, I roll them out on the parchment circles and then flip them over into the skillet and peel off the parchment from the top. You don’t have to do it this way, especially if you don’t want them super thin, but I usually want mine thin enough to make a burrito and wrap it up so this methods seems to work better for me.
Hope this helps 🙂
My stand mixer is currently out of action and a friend borrowed my hand mixer so am trying this using a food processor. I have successfully been baking gf for a while so understand most techniques and try to follow new recipes exactly the first time. In this case, I measured by weight all ingredients right into food processor and as I was adding the warm water I stopped short of ¾ c due to liquid nature of batter. It was not a smooth dough but rather turning into pancake batter. I even added back in a couple extra Tbsp of your Bread flour recipe I mixed exactly. I got what I assumed was a better ‘dough’ that was smooth like playdough but still a little sticky and figured I may add a little more flour if it is still sticky when I roll out. While it is resting in fridge, Im hoping it will thicken but thought Id inquire as to thickness of dough as your recipe just states add water until dough is smooth. Are we talking playdough (soft but not sticky), much thicker or much thinner? Would using a food processor create my problem? Im at 3400ft above sea level in Canada which although is cool, is super dry climate so sometimes I adjust but don’t usually adjust for a recipe like this. Help as Im really excited about this recipe as flour tortillas seem the impossible find for us.
Hi, Linda! Did you watch the video? It shows the dough texture before going into the fridge and after it comes out. It is very similar to playdough, maybe a little thinner. I’m not sure whether the food processor would have done the damage, although I’d probably bet on it since it tends to puree things.
I would give it the recommended time in the fridge and when you take it out, if it’s still really liquidy, add a few tablespoons more flour as you suggested and try to roll them out. Let me know how it goes 🙂
I thought I’d never eat decent tortillas again. These are like a taste of home. This recipe has restored to me something I thought I’d lost forever. That’s actually true of every recipe of yours I’ve tried. Your commitment to getting these foods right rather than merely offering a gluten free version that we can “make do” with has brought back the joy I used to get from baking before I developed my food allergies. You’ve improved my quality of life. Thank you so so so much.
Oh my gosh, Clareann! Thank you so much for your kind words! You don’t know how much they mean to me. I’m just one of you refusing to give up on not only my passion for baking, but my love of great food. I’m so glad I can share my recipes with fellow Celiac and/or gluten sensitive people like yourself 🙂
Hi Kim, A big hello from Australia! A few weeks ago someone kindly posted a link to your website on the Gluten Free Sourdough Facebook page so I immediately clicked on it and, oh boy, am I glad I did. I have just made a batch of your tortillas which we had for dinner tonight with chicken souvlaki. They are absolutely the best wraps we have ever had. My fussy husband and son loved them and my Coeliac daughter couldn’t believe how good they were. The first recipe of yours I tried was the pizza base which everyone loved and it is now my go to recipe. Congratulations on creating such wonderful recipes that actually work the way you say they will and thank you so much for sharing them for people like me to try. I’ve been cooking gluten free since my daughter was diagnosed 13 years ago so appreciate the time it takes to get recipes just right. I’ve also tried your Naan Bread and Hawaiian Rolls which were both also incredible. I have been finding and making recipes on the internet for years and I have never ever commented but your recipes are that good I just wanted you to know there is a very grateful family on the other side of the world making and loving your recipes. Thank you, Liz
Liz, your comment actually brought tears to my eyes (and my husband’s). You don’t know how much it means to me to hear from people like yourself who are enjoying my recipes so much!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart 💓💓💓
You’re so welcome Kim, you deserve it. I’ve also now tried your pastry recipe and the rough puff which, of course, were both fabulous. I used the pastry in a quiche and the rough puff for Spinach and ricotta rolls and sausage rolls – YUM! It’s actually quite funny now because every time I make something new, the kids ask “is that a recipe from the pizza lady?” – that’s how much they love your pizza dough recipe! They know anything from you is going to taste good. Anyway, thanks again.
Thanks for another great recipe!!! I am having so much luck with all of your recipes (first good gf tortilla wraps ever!) …i want to thank you!!!
Awe, that’s wonderful Margo!! I’m so glad you liked the tortillas!
Thank you so much for the kind words 🙂
Thanks for the results! I’m so glad they worked and that you now have another meal to prep 🙂 I don’t know if you eat breakfast burritos but if so, there is another idea for you too. I’ve made ones with ground chorizo and diced potatoes and some other seasonings, so doesn’t necessarily have to be eggs in case you’re interested. I don’t have the exact ingredients at the moment but if you want, let me know and I can give it to you. I just made a batch of your pizza dough yesterday and it is in the fridge so I think tomorrow I will try to make some small pizzas with it. I’m confident they will turn out. I love your recipes and keep them coming 🙂
Thanks so much, Angela! I do love breakfast burritos, but never had any success with the other gf tortillas out there, so I’ll definitely be trying them again now, thanks to your wonderful ideas!!
You’re welcome, you are sharing all of your awesome recipes so the least I can do to repay is help with other ideas!
😊
Yay Kim! I’m so excited to try these!!! I found a recipe for cassava flour tortillas but have yet to try them, its a little time consuming with the yuca. I have missed soft flour tortillas so much, because you’re absolutely right, the ones from the store break apart so easily.
I just recently bought a little bag of cassava flour from Walmart and want to try to make something with it! But for now I love these flour tortillas and I love how the dough lasts for a while in the fridge so when I want a really fresh tortilla I can just make it real quick. It takes about 5 minutes!
I’ve made cassava flour tortillas before (using just cassava flour) and yes they are really great and pliable but it they aren’t cooked completely, there may be some ‘gummy’ spots but other than that they are great. If you use cassava flour as an ingredient, you will most likely want to use it as a mix with other flours/starches as well. I actually prefer going grain free instead of just gluten free but find there are just certain recipes that grain free just can’t come close to the real deal so I do gluten free for certain recipes and grain free for others, so if you start using cassava as an ingredient for some items, that would be cool. Otto’s Cassava Flour is supposedly the best one and works the best in recipes.
Good to know! I’ve been following Otto’s Cassava Flour instagram account and some of the stuff they make with it looks amazing! Especially the friend shrimp!! I’m always looking for ways to make things a little more healthy, but like you I want something that tastes and has the texture of the real deal and sometimes it’s near impossible to get that without using a blend of a lot of starches and rice flours. Things are ever changing, though, so I’m always up for trying new things 🙂 I’ll let you know about the burritos.
You’re the greatest 🙂
You’re too kind!
I made a burrito Friday night for dinner. I wrapped it with no problems, cut it in half and ate one half (it was too large to eat the whole thing in one sitting). I re-wrapped the other half in foil and placed it in the freezer. Yesterday for lunch I thawed it, still wrapped on the counter and then put it in the oven to reheat and it was just as good as when I first made it!!! So to answer your question, yep, they freeze perfectly 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks, Angela, for giving me the idea because now I’m going to make burritos as part of my meal prepping 🌯🌯🌯
Have you tried using these to make burritos to freeze? Just wondering if I made burritos and froze them, how to reheat and if the texture of the tortilla changes at all?
I haven’t tried that yet, but it would be a great idea! I would definitely suggest using shortening or lard instead of butter for this purpose. I’ll see if I can try that this weekend and let you know how it goes 🙂
awesome! yeah let me know, I’m excited!