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.
How to make these low carb 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.
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).
How to rice cauliflower
Buy it 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.
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.
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.
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
However you rice the cauliflower, once you’ve riced, you have to wring out all of 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.
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.
Dairy
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.
Eggs
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.
Tapioca starch/flour
If you can’t have tapioca or you don’t want to add any more carbs to this recipe, leave out the tapioca starch/flour. It helps keep them soft and flexible even when completely cool, but it’s not an essential ingredient.
Grain Free Cauliflower Tortillas
Ingredients
4 cups raw cauliflower florets (about 12 ounces) (from one medium head of cauliflower)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 eggs (100 g, weighed out of shell)
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.
First, “rice” the cauliflower. 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 of the moisture. There will be more moisture than you expect. Keep wringing until the cauliflower is clumped and almost entirely dry. Set it aside. 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.
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. 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.
This 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.
Adapted from Slim Palate. Originally published on the blog in 2016. Video, some photography, some text all new, recipe tweaked only slightly.
JeddahLina says
I loved them! First I thawed the TJ frozen cauliflower, then just cooked the desired amount for about 4 minutes. Then followed your recipe adding almond mozzarella cheese and nutritional yeast. They were amazing! I topped them with corn, tomato, kale avocado salad. Hmmmm yummmy!
You are actually tempting me to buy your book so that I can have all this homemade goodness at my fingertips!
?for this site.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad the almond mozzarella worked well for you! Thank you so much for the kind note and letting me know.
Patricia Carey says
Hi, what are the measurements when using frozen riced cauliflower? 12oz is 1 cup. Do I use 12oz or 48 Oz?
Thank you :)
Nicole Hunn says
When I make this using frozen riced cauliflower, I just use 12 ounces. It works great, Patricia. Sorry if that wasn’t completely clear from the instructions. I’ve attempted to clarify in the text of the post.
Carleen says
Thank you so much for your recipes Nicole. Living in France I have to convert pints, inches and onces in grams and centimeters, :-) I’m used to do so by now.
Thank you for this recipe, I did a good job with a cauliflower pizza crust, and I was looking for other ways of using riced culiflower. Tell me if you have other ideas and what you suggest to eat with them.
Nicole Hunn says
Please use the search function, Carleen, for more recipes using riced cauliflower. Just search “cauliflower”
Lenora says
These really were GREAT! Worked so well with my Sheet Pan Pork Fajitas! Reheating after freezing went so quickly and the pliability and texture were like fresh. I’ve tried both with and without tapioca flour and they both worked well:) So great for my Keto lifestyle! THANK YOU!!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Lenora. They don’t seem like they’ll work, but then they do!
Lenora Enns says
Here in Canada I found Via Emilia brand organic frozen riced cauliflower at Costco at a very reasonable price (in comparison to buying organic and doing all the work yourself), 3 lbs for $8.39. It is packaged in four 12 oz. separate packages. I have my 4 cups thawing now and am looking forward to “Keto” tortillas:) If this works as well as it looks I may become a riced cauliflower hoarder (just kidding):) Thank you for all your work and using your ingenuity to provide us with all these great recipes. I have a celiac daughter-in-law and grands with various food issues and love using your recipes and ideas.
Nicole Hunn says
I find that it’s really worth the minor extra cost to buy frozen riced cauliflower if you can find it, Lenora, so well done there. I think we’re all fighting the urge to hoard many things these days. Thank you so much for the kind words. They mean more than you may know!
Tia says
Hi. I wonder two things. 1 can I use frozen cauliflower florets to rice? 2 what about juicing the frozen florets, thus remaining is simply cauliflower with presumably no liquid.
Nicole Hunn says
To use frozen florets, Tia, you’ll need to defrost them without cooking them any further before ricing them. Sometimes, that’s possible with cauliflower and sometimes not. If you defrost gently and it’s kind of sad-looking, I’m afraid I don’t think it would work to rice without its becoming essentially liquid. I don’t think you could rice it frozen. I wish I had better news, but of course I don’t know for sure since I haven’t tried it…
Shelley says
Cauliflower is a fortune here (Canada) right now, so I don’t know about these, BUT I made your low carb almond flour tortillas a couple days ago, for quesadillas and they were THE BEST gluten free (or any, really) tortillas I have ever had!
You are an angel for keeping us in these “use what you have in your pantry” recipes. Thank you. ?
Nicole Hunn says
I’ve heard it’s a fortune in Australia as well, Shelley, right now. No clue why! So glad you loved those low carb almond flour tortillas. You’re so welcome for the use-what-you-have recipes. We’re all in this together. ?
Mary R says
I have frozen riced cauliflower from Trader Joes. Would that work here? Ingredients are cauliflower and salt. It’s sold in the frozen veggy section. Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Good question, Mary. I have seen frozen riced cauliflower, and I have tried to think of how it could be used in this sort of recipe. My concern is that it won’t hold its shape once it’s thawed. You’d either have to experiment, or wait for me to get my hands on some of the frozen riced stuff, try it and report back. :)
Mel says
I just made these, Nicole. FABULOUS! Seriously very yummy and my kids were fighting over the last one. I followed your directions to the letter (subbing nutritional yeast for the Parm as you suggested) and using another commenter’s suggestion to rice the cauliflower in the blender. Loved them. Thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
That’s so awesome, Mel! So great to have something new and simple in your repertoire. :)
Muzzie says
Love your site, your recipes, photos and your attitude. So many good gluten-free recipes depend on eggs for binding and flavor. Now my darling guy has developed a major allergy to eggs. I suspect there will be some recipes that can’t be done without eggs, but can you recommend a substitute that works at least some of the time?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Muzzie,
My rule of thumb is that, if a recipe has 2 eggs or fewer, a “chia egg” usually works fine. More than 2 eggs and you’re best off finding another recipe. That being said, since this particular recipe is so incredibly simple, I don’t recommend trying it with an egg substitute. That’s the mixed-good news.
The 100% good news is that my gluten free recipes do not generally depend upon eggs any more than conventional recipes do. You shouldn’t have more trouble around here than you would with conventional recipes. :)
youngbaker2002 says
Happy New Year Nicole!
Jennifer Swenson says
Can I throw in a suggestion? I stumbled across the EASIEST WAY TO RICE CAULIFLOWER EVER, no kidding! Cut apart a head of cauliflower into florets, hurl them into a blender, yes, you heard me, then fill the blender with cold water and pulse it or blend for about four seconds. Perfect riced cauliflower, just needs to drain well in a colander, no messy cleanup or cauliflower particles everywhere, and the blender is easily rinsed. Much less trouble than cleaning a food processor, in my opinion. Since discovering this, I have never looked back!
Nicole Hunn says
Jennifer that is total genius and I absolutely loathe using my food processor so this is particularly exciting for a whiner like me. Thank you so much for making that suggestion! I am 100% going to do that next time I make these tortillas or, say, cauliflower pizza (which my kids literally beg for). Thank you x 1 million!!
Erin Coppedge says
Can these be frozen, do you think? I’m only cooking for 2, and making more than that at one time is always problematic.
Nicole Hunn says
I think they would freeze very well, Erin. Just wrap them tightly—and if they get icy during freezing at all, just heat them briefly in a hot, dry skillet. They’ll be fine.
Erin Coppedge says
Thank you, you’re awesome! :)
Tiffany says
Hi Nicole, and Happy New Year! These look so good!! Is there a substitute for the eggs?
Nicole Hunn says
In this recipe, I’m afraid not, Tiffany. It’s just too simple a recipe. So sorry! Happy New Year to you, too!
Mare Masterson says
How do I love thee? How can I not love thee?!?!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! A grain free recipe I know I can trust!!!
Nicole Hunn says
This one’s for you, Mare!!
yvonne says
Had to chuckle with all your sidebar comments.Thank you for all your experiments :)
Nicole Hunn says
You bet, Yvonne! That’s why they call it “work,” right? ;)