Grain Free Cauliflower Tortillas

By Nicole Hunn | Published: April 3, 2020 | Posted In: Breads, Flatbread, Paleo, Tortillas, Weight Watchers-Friendly

hand folding cauliflower tortilla from stack

4.96 from 24 votes

Prep Time : 20

Cook Time : 18

Soft, flexible low carb cauliflower tortillas made simply with riced cauliflower, Parmesan cheese, and eggs. A healthy, grain free flatbread that holds together!

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These soft, flexible cauliflower tortillas, made with just 3 main ingredients, are grain free, and have less than 2 net carbs each. There's even a Paleo option.

Cauliflower tortillas in a stack, a hand taking the top one.

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How to make these low carb cauliflower tortillas

These low carb, grain free cauliflower tortillas are soft and bendy, and are made of just three basic ingredients. They are cauliflower, eggs, and grated Parm. They're not quite as thin and versatile as gluten free flour tortillas, but they're not intended to be.

If you'd like to make them Paleo, replace the cheese with 1 ounce of nutritional yeast. Scroll down to the Ingredients and substitutions section for additional dairy-free information.

I promise these tortillas don't taste eggy. Only actual omelets should taste like them, not tortillas.

The best thing about these tortillas is really their texture, which has bite and chew. But there's also plenty of flavor from the cheese.

You can't cook these tortillas in a skillet. You can only brown them a bit in a hot skillet after they have been baked in the oven. Ask me how I know that for sure. ?

Can you make flour from cauliflower?

The cauliflower is simply “riced” cauliflower, not actual dried flour that you have to purchase. Scroll down a bit for details on how to rice cauliflower (or buy it already riced).

If you buy frozen, already riced cauliflower, you'll need 12 ounces as frozen. Then, defrost without heating (on low power in the microwave usually works).

Low Carb Grain Free Cauliflower Tortillas, Step by Step

How to rice cauliflower for cauliflower tortillas or any other recipe

Buy your cauliflower riced and frozen

Since I originally shared this recipe, I've been buying already-riced frozen cauliflower at my local Trader Joe's grocery store regularly. The regular grocery store now even carries their brand as well.

I simply place the frozen riced cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it on low power for about 4 minutes. Alternatively, you can defrost it at room temperature, which takes much longer but is very easy to do.

The cauliflower preparation can all be done days ahead of time. In fact, I recommend you rice and fully prep at least 2 heads of florets.

Then, store them in the refrigerator a few days before you plan to make use of them. The rest of the recipe is truly a snap.

If you begin with raw cauliflower, you must first rice it, and then cook it a bit as instructed in the recipe. There is more than one way to rice it, though.

Rice cauliflower in a food processor

If you can't find frozen, riced cauliflower, it's very easy to make your own. The easiest way to rice whole, raw cauliflower.

Simply chop the raw vegetable into relatively fine grains. The easiest way is to pulse the florets in a food processor.

Rice cauliflower with a box grater

If you don't have a food processor, ricing can also be done with a handheld box grater. Be careful not to end up with any big chunks, though.

Or rice cauliflower in a blender

A reader named Jennifer Swenson shared her favorite raw to rice cauliflower. Others have tried it with success, so it's worth sharing here.

Simply cut apart a head of cauliflower into florets and place the florets in a blender. Fill the blender with cold water, blend for about four seconds, and then drain the now-riced cauliflower.

You must remove all the moisture to bake cauliflower tortillas

Whatever way you rice the cauliflower, once you've riced, you have to wring out all the moisture in it. If you've never done this before, you'll be amazed by how much moisture there is in lightly cooked cauliflower.

If you don't squeeze out all the moisture, your cauliflower tortillas won't dry in the oven during baking. That means that they will be limp, and not pleasantly flexible.

Cauliflower tortillas: Ingredients and substitutions

These are a really, really nice healthy, low-carb alternative to tortillas. They're not only grain-free; they don't have a grain substitute.

But they're not true tortillas in every sense, as they can't be made much larger or any thinner. You may prefer our recipe for Soft Paleo Flour Tortillas. Or one of the other 9 recipes for gluten free flatbread that I swear by.

Gluten free dairy free cauliflower tortillas

The finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese gives these tons of flavor, but also dairy. If you'd like to make these dairy-free and by definition Paleo, you can substitute the cheese with 1 ounce (28 grams) nutritional yeast flakes.

I've also tried replacing the dairy cheese with Daiya grated cheese alternative. It makes the tortillas kind of puffy, and I really prefer nutritional yeast.

Can you make gluten free egg free cauliflower tortillas?

The eggs are what is largely responsible for the structure of these tortillas, so replacing them is risky. I'm afraid I can't promise success.

You can try replacing each with a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel). If you do that, I highly recommend using the optional tapioca starch/flour.

Do you have to add tapioca starch/flour to make proper cauliflower tortillas?

No! Tapioca starch is not an essential ingredient. If you can't have tapioca flour or you don't want to add any more carbs to this recipe, leave it out. It helps keep them soft and flexible even when completely cool, but it's not an essential ingredient.

Cauliflower tortilla recipe

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Cauliflower Tortillas Recipe

Soft, flexible low carb cauliflower tortillas made simply with riced cauliflower, Parmesan cheese, and eggs. A healthy, grain free flatbread that holds together!

Course: Tortillas

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 18

Yield: 6 tortillas

Author: Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

4 cups (12 ounces) raw cauliflower florets (from one medium head of cauliflower) (See Recipe Notes)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
2 tablespoons (18 g) tapioca starch/flour (optional; not included in nutritional information)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line large rimmed baking sheets with bleached parchment paper and set aside.

“Rice” the cauliflower. (See Recipe Notes)

Rinse the cauliflower florets thoroughly, and pulse them in a food processor until they are the texture of short-grain cooked rice (or grate the florets as finely as possible on a box grater).
Place the riced cauliflower in a large, microwave-safe bowl (or a medium, heavy-bottom lidded stockpot), add about 2 tablespoons water and cover tightly with plastic wrap (or the stockpot lid).
Cook on high for 3 to 4 minutes (or over medium heat for about 5 minutes) until the cauliflower is more tender but still firm.
Uncover the bowl or stockpot, and allow the cauliflower to cool until no longer hot to the touch.
Transfer the cooked and riced cauliflower to a large tea towel, cheese cloth, or fine mesh bag, gather the towel, cloth or bag tightly around the cauliflower and wring out all the moisture. There will be more moisture than you expect.
Keep wringing it out until the cauliflower is clumped and almost entirely dry. Set the cauliflower aside.

Make the tortilla mixture.

Place the prepared, riced cauliflower in a large bowl, add the salt, pepper and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and toss to combine. Add the beaten eggs and mix until well-combined.
Add the (optional) tapioca starch/flour and mix again to combine. This is particularly useful if you think you may not have squeezed all the moisture out of your riced cauliflower.

Shape and bake the tortillas.

Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, and roll each into a loose ball with wet palms. Place about 6 inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheets.
With wet hands, pat the balls into rounds about 1/4-inch thick and 4 1/2-inches in diameter, making sure the parchment paper doesn’t show through the rounds at all.
Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.
Remove from the oven, and using a wide spatula, carefully flip the tortillas over. Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes more, or until dry and firm to the touch.
You can finish and/or rewarm the tortillas right before serving by browning the side that is relatively pale (the tops, before the tortillas were flipped) in a hot, dry cast iron or nonstick skillet. Serve warm.

Notes

About ricing the cauliflower.

This step can be completed days ahead of time. Place the prepared cauliflower in a medium-size bowl, seal it tightly and store in the refrigerator until ready to proceed with the recipe.

You can also use frozen, riced cauliflower. Just defrost it according to the package instructions, and wring out the moisture first.

The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy, is approximate, and is not to be taken as medical advice, which I’m not qualified (or attempting to) provide. You’re of course responsible for your own health and diet.