The Best Cassava Flour Tortillas Recipe (4 Ingredients)

These easy-to-make cassava flour tortillas only have four ingredients: cassava flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, and salt. Count on these gluten-free, lectin-free, and grain-free tortillas to be soft and pliable and easy to store and reheat.

Use them to make tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and tortilla wraps, or even use them as a base for a mini pizza or flatbread.

A tortilla recipe that can accommodate many diets

I’ve been making cassava tortillas since 2017. I still remember the first time; they were terrible, but I was nevertheless proud. At the time, there were not many store-bought alternatives, so the only option I had was to make them.

In the meantime, I made them over and over again and perfected them so you won’t have to go through the same painful process.

It does take a little bit of practice to perfect them, depending on how skilled you are at working with dough in general. But anyone can make them. They are closer in taste and texture to wheat tortillas than corn tortillas.

I love this cassava tortilla recipe because it can accommodate so many diets:

• grain-free
• nut-free
• paleo
• gluten-free
• lectin-free
• dairy-free
• vegan
• AIP (auto-immune protocol)
• whole-30
• low-histamine

Cassava flour

Cassava flour is such a great flour to work with. Cassava flour is made of yuca root, also called cassava root or manioc, a starchy root vegetable native to South America. To create the cassava flour, the root is peeled, ground, and sun-dried or slow-baked.

If you’ve ever been to a Brazilian restaurant or a churrascaria, you probably had the famous Brazilian cheese bread, Pao de Queijo, as a starter. Those are made of cassava flour.

I have two versions of Brazilian bread made with cassava flour:

• Auntie Jovita’s Brazilian Cheese Bread (made with cheese)
• Pao De Beijo – Vegan Sweet Potato Snack Bread

Tools you need to make cassava flour tortillas

A cast-iron skillet or griddle is best for making these tortillas. Alternatively, you can use a ceramic-coated pan.

The tortillas are cooked in a hot pan without oil; that’s why you need something that can withstand these conditions. They can be made on the stove, but during summer, we even make them on the grill (with the cover), using a cast iron plate. Don’t use non-stick pans made of Teflon or other toxic materials.

A kitchen scale

I feel is safer to measure 200 grams, as sometimes a cup measurement can be tricky due to the different textures cassava flour brands may have. If you don’t have a scale yet, the approximate measurement is 1 cup + 1 tablespoon. Don’t worry, though; you can always just the quantity of water if too much or too little flour.

A tortilla press (or a rolling pin)

I must confess, I don’t have one. Due to our nomadic lifestyle, a tortilla press seems like too much to carry around, so I stick to the old method, a rolling pin. It works very well, but it takes a slightly longer time.

Other tools: mixing bowl, parchment paper, non-slippery work surface

Sometimes I can roll them without a piece of parchment paper on top; sometimes, I can’t. You can try and see what works for you. I usually work on my kitchen table. If my table is too slippery for the parchment paper sheet, I use a silicone mat as a base.

Ingredients for 8-10 cassava tortillas

• 200 grams cassava flour (if there is an option for the type of flour, make sure is extra-fine)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

If you roll them out and want to shape them perfectly round, with the help of a round bowl, you will have some discarded dough, which you will use at the end to make one or two extra tortillas. That’s why the number of portions can vary from 8 to 10.

The size of these tortillas is about 7-8″ or about 20cm. They are not all perfectly equal.

How to make easy cassava flour tortillas

• Add the cassava flour, extra virgin olive oil, and salt to a bowl. Add one cup of water, mix with a wooden spoon or spatula and start adding the rest of the water. When you cannot use the spatula anymore, start mixing with your hands. For me, it almost always works with 1 1/2 cup of water, but if your flour has a slightly different texture, it might require more or less. Look for a play dough texture.

• This is the secret to a very elastic dough, so don’t skip this step. Once the dough becomes homogeneous, knead it for about five minutes until it becomes very elastic and you start to hear and feel pockets of air inside it. You have to stop before it becomes sticky.

• Shape it into a ball and portion it into eight equal parts, which you will shape into eight dough balls. While you are working on each tortilla, cover the rest, so they don’t dry out. If you feel they are a little dry, you can lightly wet your hand and knead it a little bit before rolling it out.

• There are two ways to do this. 1. You roll them all out first and place them in between squares of parchment paper. After rolling them out, you start to cook them. 2. Roll them one by one, and while one cooks, you can prepare the next one. I use the first method when cooking them on the stove. When I make them on the grill outside, I first finish rolling them out, and then my husband is in charge of cooking them on the grill.

How to cook cassava tortillas

• Heat a dry cast-iron skillet on the stove or on the grill. It has to be hot before you add the first tortilla.
• If the dough is really pliable and elastic (which it should be if you follow all the steps above), you just take the tortilla with your hands (see photo below) and throw it in the pan. If you feel they are not that sturdy, use the bottom parchment paper to flip them onto the pan.
• Cook for about two or three minutes on each side; they will start forming brown blisters and air pockets. Don’t worry if they don’t form the air pockets; they’ll still be good. Some things will come with practice. I noticed that when I use the grill, they’ll take a little longer to cook.
• Once cooked, put them on a towel and partially cover them. If you cover them entirely, steam will be formed, and they might stick to each other or get too soft. But even if that happens, you can separate them again. I actually prefer when they soften up, especially if I will reheat them. If the heat is too strong and you cook them for too long, they’ll become hard.

How to store cassava tortillas

You can eat these straight away, or you can make them in advance and quickly warm them up before serving (you can also use them cold).

You can store them overnight on the counter, wrapped in a towel, or in the refrigerator for one day, in a covered container or plastic bag.

I love to make big batches, stack them with parchment paper squares and freeze them. You don’t need to thaw them. Just drop them on a hot pan, and they’ll be ready in a maximum of one minute. They can also be warmed in the oven. Just be careful; if you warm them for too long, they’ll become chips or tostadas.

Gluten-Free Green Cassava Tortillas

I used this recipe as a base and made these beautiful and delicious Gluten-Free Green Tortillas. Try them out if you want to have more fun with color and even add more nutrition power to these lectin-free cassava flour tortillas.

How to serve cassava tortillas

Of course, they are best with tacos, but they can replace any type of bread. Use it for sandwiches, burritos, or as pita bread.

They are also perfect for trying the famous tortilla wrap hack. It makes for an amazing tortilla sandwich.

Let me know if you make them and how you use them! And don’t forget, practice makes perfect. My first ever cassava flour tortillas were terrible, but they are better every time I make them. Enjoy.

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