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This recipe for gluten free zucchini flour tortillas is made with fresh zucchini and squash pureed in place of water.
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Even though eating your “greens” can seem to be a sort of punishment for some, what if your “greens” were just as good for you, but didn't taste green (despite looking green)? And what if this were just.one.more.way. to use up that summer zucchini.
Here's the big difference in this recipe: instead of straight-up water, the liquid is pure zucchini puree. That's it. No additional water. And if you have zucchini that demands to be used up right now before it shrivels up and dies, make the puree right now, stash it in the refrigerator and use it within a couple of days to make these flour tortillas.
You can also use that puree for our gluten free zucchini bread, but you'll need some more shredded zucchini to make that recipe.
So although they don't taste “green,” they do have a slightly different taste than the more traditional gluten free flour tortillas. It's more like a bit more depth of flavor than it is a totally different flavor.
They're still clearly flour tortillas, and they behave just the same for all your tortilla needs. But everyone in my family loves them, including my one no-I-don't-care-for-any-vegetables-at-all-not-really oldest child.
Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned it before, these flour tortillas (and the traditional ones) are absolutely 100% perfect for making wraps for your child's school lunchbox. Score!
Gluten Free Zucchini Flour Tortillas
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
- 6-inch or 8-inch metal cake cutter (or top of pot)
Ingredients
- 1 medium or 2 small fresh zucchini, washed, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 1 ¾ cups (245 g) all purpose gluten-free flour blend, plus more for sprinkling (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full info on appropriate blends)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ¼ cup (36 g) tapioca starch/flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
- 4 ½ tablespoons (54 g) vegetable shortening, I like Spectrum brand; you can also use virgin coconut oil
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, place the chopped zucchini and blend until as smooth as possible. The zucchini may be pureed and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for at least 2 days before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
- In a large bowl, place the all-purpose flour, xanthan gum, tapioca starch/flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the vegetable shortening and toss it in the dry ingredients.
- With the tines of a large fork, break up the shortening into small pieces about the size of small peas. Create a well in the center of the mixture, and add 3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) of the pureed zucchini. Mix to combine.
- The dough will come together and be thick. Press together into a ball, cover with a moist tea towel, and allow to sit for about 20 minutes. The dough will stiffen a bit as it absorbs more of the moisture.
- Heat a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Divide the dough into five pieces. Begin with one piece of dough, and cover the rest with a moist tea towel to prevent them from drying out. On a lightly floured surface, with a rolling pin, roll out the first piece of dough until it is a bit more than 1/8 inch thick (as compared to the regular recipe for gluten free flour tortillas, these can be a bit harder to roll very thin and still be stable enough to transfer to the skillet).
- Cut out as many rounds as you can (should be three or four) with a 6- or 8-inch metal cake cutter.
- Stack the raw tortillas on top of one another, dusting lightly with flour between them, if necessary, to prevent them from sticking.
- Gather the scraps and set them aside. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, including gathering and rerolling all of the scraps together.
- Once all the tortillas have been rolled out and cut, place them one at a time in the center of the hot skillet and cook on one side until bubbles begin to appear on the top surface and the tortilla darkens in color a bit on the underside (about 45 seconds).
- Flip the tortilla over with a wide spatula, and cook on the other side until more bubbles form and the tortilla darkens in spots on the underside (about another 45 seconds).
- Remove the tortilla from the pan, place on a moist tea towel, and cover gently. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Using the tortillas.
- They can be used right away
- They can be placed, still wrapped in the towel, in a plastic bag to seal in the moisture and used within a few hours; or
- They can be cooled completely, wrapped very tightly in a freezer-safe wrap and stored in the freezer for at least 2 months. When you are ready to use frozen tortillas, defrost at room temperature and then refresh in a hot, dry skillet to restore pliability.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow these look great! And no eggs.
Can I just use regular tapioca starch?
Anyway to make these grain free?
Definitely not, Whitney! You’d need an entirely different recipe for that. Sorry!
Nicole I don’t have a cast iron skillet. Will non stick work?
Sure, Lorraine. Cast iron works best because you can get it nice and hot, so you can brown the tortillas quickly without overcooking them. In a nonstick skillet, you just can’t get it as hot so you’ll have to cook them low and slow. They’ll still turn out great, though. :)
Could somebody tell me what the Expandex’s for in this recipe? I my country we have readily available tapioca starch, so I’m pondering about replacing the Expandex for this one.
Rose, You cannot replace Expandex with regular tapioca starch. Try looking online. I buy mine from Amazon.com
Yum! love your tortillas because they are bendy and strong! I bought some udi’s and the broke to pieces before we even got them home. super mad about that one and NEVER again!
Unfortunately, the Udi’s tortillas are awful, Jennifer. I did test the Rudi’s tortillas a while back (post comparing them to the homemade ones here), and they weren’t bad but they’re so hard to get and really expensive that it’s still just no contest!
Always looking for new ways to use up zucchini! Made the granola bars this morning, soooooo good! Many thanks Nicole!
So glad, Lucy! :)
I bake with zucchini a lot at work, and I can tell you, you can make your puree during the summer and freeze it (pre measured) for a burst of summer in the deep of winter. :)
Interesting, Becky!
These appeal to me, even though I only got four (four!!) zucchini this year. I guess I do not have your husband’s zucchini green thumb! Makes me a little sad, actually, do you think he would come plant mine next year?
Yes, Anneke. I think he’d totally be into that. Usually zucchini plants are feast or famine, so I’m shocked that if you got any, you got only 4! Clearly, you need his expert thumb. ;)
Clearly! :)
Were they planted in the same spot? Did they get enough water? Did critters eat new shoots( ie rabbits, quail, etc)? Are the seeds old? Did the area get enough sun? Was planting to early/late? Did a neighbour put a curse on the plants? Hehehe. Try again next year WITH hubby. Maybe he kisses the seeds first and sings a lullabye while planting? Good luck but keep at it!
Photo is of GF crepe cake. Quick and easy way to celebrate four fabulous zucchini!
Suzanne in Kelowna, BC
Hi Suzanne — I have tried zucchini for years! Years! And never, ever had good luck. Different spots, different seeds, different everything — same neighbors, though . . . I end up with different problems each time, too, which is frustrating. Sometimes no fruit, sometimes they shrivel, sometimes they rot, sometimes they get eaten. The rest of my garden, BTW, is excellent, the zucchini really mess with my self esteem!
Anneke – maybe you don’t have enough bees to pollinate. I have hand-pollinated in the past. Google that for a tutorial :)
Oh, Stephani, I have tried that, too! Then something else happens. This year, I planted in what was the base of my old compost pile, at least I got four more than last year!
I love the regular flour tortillas and I’m excited to try these zucchini ones! I find that when I make the other ones they are amazing the day I make them but do not store well because they seem to dry and crack, what am I doing wrong? Thank you! I would love to be able to have these as leftovers the next day!
Deanna, no fresh flour tortillas are going to stay fresh at room temperature until the next day. Please see the instructions for how to use/store them in the recipe.