Almond Flour Low Carb Tortillas

Name: Almond Flour Low Carb Tortillas | soft and flexible
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 13 tablespoons finely ground blanched almond flour; 1/4 cup coconut flour; 1 teaspoon xanthan gum; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 egg (at room temperature, lightly beaten); 2 tablespoons lukewarm water (plus more as necessary)

By Nicole Hunn | Published: February 28, 2018 | Posted In: Paleo, Tortillas, Weight Watchers-Friendly

5 from 237 votes

Prep Time : 20 minutes

Cook Time : 10 minutes

There are only 2 net carbs in these homemade low carb almond flour tortillas, and they're keto-friendly, and still soft and flexible. You won't believe how easy they are to make with almond flour and coconut flour!

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These low carb tortillas are made with a blend of almond flour and coconut flour, and the dough is amazingly easy to handle. With less than 2 net carbs per tortilla, they’re going to be your new favorite gluten free tortilla!

What makes these the best almond flour tortillas

Almond flour is kind of a magic baking ingredient. It’s not cheap, though, so it’s nice if you can extend both its reach and its versatility by combining it with another flour.

In the past, I’ve reached for tapioca starch/flour as a match for it as I did in these soft Paleo flour tortillas, in my beloved coconut flour pancakes which are so good and amazingly so fluffy, and in my almond flour muffins and almond flour cookies. It really is one of my absolute favorite baking ingredients.

Tapioca starch as it’s one of the most versatile gluten free baking ingredients of all. But it’s, well, a starch (even though it’s sometimes referred to as tapioca flour). It’s a really stretchy, useful starch, but it’s not really packed with health benefits.

What purpose does coconut flour serve in these low carb tortillas?

For these low carb tortillas, I chose to pair coconut flour with almond flour. It’s not only less expensive, it’s also very low carb and high in fiber. I really do love baking with almond flour, as it’s high in good fats and low in carbs, but I only like baking with coconut flour.

Coconut flour tends to require the addition of many, many eggs as it absorbs so much moisture. There is a tipping point, though, where whatever you’re baking can just taste like an omelet if you’re not careful. Instead, I’ve been experimenting with replacing some of that moisture with, well, water.

Shaping these low carb tortillas

Before you begin working with this dough, please read through all the instructions in the recipe card below. The instructions are pretty specific, but that’s only to help you understand what to expect.

If you mess up and find that the dough is just too wet to roll out properly, add more coconut flour by the pinch (literally—1/8 teaspoon) and knead it into the dough, then try again. Generally, it’s easier to add moisture than to take it away, so go slowly when adding water to the food processor.

Is this almond flour tortilla dough easy to handle?

Yes! This dough is actually very durable and therefore easy to handle. You’ll be amazed by how thin you can roll the dough and still move it from the rolling surface to a hot griddle.

Fun extra “equipment” to make your almond flour tortillas

If you’re curious about the “equipment” that I used, above you’ll find the Presto 15″ Tilt-n-Fold Griddle (that’s an affiliate link, but please feel free to shop around). I absolutely love this griddle for its size and the shape and use it for everything I can these days. It’s so easy to store, heats very evenly and was really reasonably priced.

The 6-inch cake cutter (affiliate link) that I used (scroll up for that photo) to get neat edges on the tortillas is a very useful little trinket to have in the kitchen, but it’s totally not necessary at all. The lid of a pot works great for the same purpose, or rough edges left intact are of course perfectly fine!

Are these almond flour tortillas considered Paleo?

I’ve become less and less interested in what’s exactly Paleo and what’s not. The definition of Paleo really seems to be such a moving target (now you can have dairy on a Paleo diet? come on!).

Plus, dogmatic adherence to what really are arbitrary rules (as opposed to a gluten free diet, which has established medical benefits for those who need it) tends to annoy me.

Almond flour tortillas: Ingredients and substitutions

About using almond flour

This recipe calls for finely ground blanched almond flour, which is really the only sort of almond flour I use for baking. You can’t use almond meal, which is a much more coarse grind and is made using almonds that still have their skins.

If you’d like to replace the almond flour entirely, you should be able to use finely ground cashew flour without any issue. To make this recipe nut-free, you can try sunflower seed flour, but the tortillas may turn green. ? The chlorophyll in the sunflower seeds reacts with baking powder, leading to a green color, but it’s harmless. Maybe perfect for St. Patrick’s Day?!

About using coconut flour

Generally, there is absolutely no substitute for coconut flour on a 1:1 basis. It’s entirely unique, filled with fiber and absorbs a ton of moisture.

But I tested this recipe with 6 tablespoons (48 g) of tapioca starch/flour in place of the coconut flour, and it still worked! The dough isn’t quite as resilient when handling, and the tortillas tend not to bend as well. I found that they were better the next day when stored in a sealed plastic zip-top bag along with a moistened paper towel. They will definitely have more carbs, though!

Do you have to use xanthan gum?

You really really need the xanthan gum in this recipe. Without it, though dough is very crumbly and you just won’t be able to roll it out and have it hold together long enough to even get it on the griddle.

Guar gum should work in its place if you prefer that. I do have a recipe for Paleo tortillas made without xanthan gum (that isn’t nearly as low carb) that you might prefer if xanthan gum is a problem.

Can you make these almond flour tortillas without an egg?

I haven’t tested this recipe with an egg substitute, but my favorite “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel) should work since it’s only one egg in the recipe.

About the baking powder in these almond flour tortillas

Baking powder is a mix of starch, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Conventional baking powders are typically made using cornstarch, which is not appropriate for a Paleo diet.

If you’d like to make these low carb tortillas Paleo-friendly, just use a Paleo baking powder, made with a starch like tapioca or arrowroot.

P.S. If you’re following Weight Watchers, each tortilla has 3 SmartPoints and is really satisfying!

How to make soft, foldable low carb almond flour tortillas

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Almond Flour Low Carb Tortillas | soft and flexible

Course: Bread, Tortillas

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 8 tortillas

Author: Nicole Hunn

Equipment

Food processor fitted with steel blade a miniature food processor is fine

Ingredients

13 tablespoons (98 g) finely ground blanched almond flour
¼ cup (28 g) coconut flour
1 teaspoon (4 g) xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) lukewarm water plus more as necessary

Instructions

Prepare the dough.

In a food processor (a miniature one will do), place the almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, egg and 2 tablespoons of water, and pulse to combine.
If the dough holds together well and feels moist but not wet, process until it forms a ball and mostly clears the dough from the bottom of the container.
If the dough feels at all dry, add more water by the teaspoonful, processing after each addition until it reaches the proper consistency. Continue to process until the dough forms a ball as directed.

Let the dough rest.

Transfer the dough from the food processor to a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the tortillas (up to 4 days). It’s best to allow the dough to chill for at least 10 minutes.

Shape and cook the tortillas.

When you’re ready to make the tortillas, heat a nonstick or cast iron griddle until hot (if using an electric griddle with a temperature gauge, heat it to 375°F).
Unwrap the dough and divide it into 8 pieces of equal size. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it into a ball between your palms and then press it into a disk.
Place on a large piece of unbleached parchment paper and top with another large piece of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a round about 7-inches in diameter.
For best results, periodically remove the parchment paper from either side, flipping it frequently to prevent the paper from sticking or wrinkling too much.
Carefully remove the top piece of parchment by pulling it away from the dough slowly and cut out a 6-inch round using a 6-inch cake cutter or the lid of a pot. Remove the excess dough and replace the top parchment.
Flip the dough over and carefully pull the paper away from the dough. It should now be rather easy to lift the dough from the papers entirely.
Place the shaped, raw tortilla on the hot griddle and allow to cook, flipping frequently and pressing down with a wide spatula, until it’s opaque on both sides and the tortilla has developed a bit of color.
Repeat with the remaining dough, stacking the warm tortillas on top of one another.

How to store the tortillas.

Serve immediately, or place a stack in a zip-top plastic bag. Place a moistened paper towel into the bag before sealing it tightly. This will help keep the tortillas moist until you are ready to serve them.
They can be refreshed in a hot, dry skillet before serving if desired.

Notes

These low carb tortillas are made with a blend of almond flour and coconut flour, and the dough is amazingly easy to handle. With less than 2 net carbs per tortilla, they're going to be your new favorite gluten free tortilla!

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy, using the calculator at Cronometer.com, but values are approximate and will vary based on real-world conditions, including the particular brands of products used among other factors.

I believe I adapted this from Farm To Jar, who seems to have adapted it from the new to me blog, Gnom-Gnom.com.