These Vegan Flour Tortillas are easy to make with just 4 basic ingredients! They turn out soft, fluffy, and bursting with flavor. Homemade flour tortillas are perfect for wraps, burritos, quesadillas, and more!
Once you make your own tortillas, there is no going back! This easy recipe will show you how to make the BEST vegan flour tortillas with just a few pantry ingredients.
They're pliable, super soft, and go well with my vegan tofu fajitas and this Beyond meat chili.
For more vegan baking recipes, check out my Naan Bread without Yogurt, Onion Bagels, and this Vegan White Pizza with Homemade Dough.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made with simple ingredients you already have in your pantry.
- Better than store-bought. Fresh tortillas taste SO much better than the ones you get at a grocery store, and once you try these, you'll know exactly what I mean.
- No animal products are needed! This recipe is entirely vegan and dairy-free.
- Great for freezing. These vegan flour tortillas freeze great so you can make a big batch and store them for later use.
Ingredients and Notes
- Flour: Make sure to use white all-purpose flour for the fluffiest and softest tortillas. I haven't tried this recipe with whole wheat flour so I can't guarantee results.
- Neutral oil: You can use any vegetable oil including canola oil, light olive oil, or sunflower oil. Alternatively, refined coconut oil can also work.
- Baking powder: A leaving agent that will help the tortillas form bubbles and get puffy. However, if you don't have it on hand, you can just leave it out, it's optional.
- Water: For best results use warm water to hydrate the dough, not hot water or cold water.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and exact measurements.
How to Make Vegan Flour Tortillas
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients- measure the flour and stir in the salt and baking powder. Add in the oil and stir to incorporate it.
Step 2: Slowly, start adding in the water and mixing, ¼ cup at a time, or until a dough forms. The dough should be slightly sticky and not dry!
Step 3: Transfer the dough to a clean surface sprinkled with a little bit of flour. Oil your hands and start kneading for 5-6 minutes, or until it becomes smooth, elastic, and soft. At first, it may stick to the counter and your hands but don't worry, just keep greasing your hands and kneading.
Step 4: Then, using a knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into 8 balls (divide into 12 if you want smaller tortillas). Cover the dough with a damp towel or a few damp paper towels and rest for at least 30 minutes.
Step 5: If you have a tortilla press, use it to flatten the dough. If not, use a rolling pin to roll each dough ball into a thin disk. Roll from the center to the edges, instead of rolling back and forth at the same spot.
Step 6: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Carefully transfer the rolled tortillas to the hot skillet. Cook for 40-60 seconds, or until bubbles appear all over, then flip and cook for 30 more seconds on the other side.
Repeat the same process with the rest of the tortillas, making sure to lower the heat if brown spots start appearing too quickly.
Vegan Flour Tortillas Expert Tips
- Add the water slowly, not all at once. The amount of water you need will differ, depending on the batch of your flour. The best way to make sure that you don't add too much water is to add it slowly, then mix it into the dough, and add more if needed.
- Don't add more flour while kneading. Similar to when making vegan naan, you'll notice that the dough will be sticky at first. Don't be quick to add more flour, as this will make the tortillas dry! Continue greasing your hands and kneading, and the dough will eventually become smooth and elastic.
- Oil your hands as needed. As mentioned in the previous tip, instead of adding flour to prevent the dough from sticking, oil your hands regularly.
- Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax, which results in light and fluffy tortillas.
- Make sure your pan is hot enough. This helps the tortillas cook fast and form air bubbles. The best way to test if the pan is hot enough is to add a few drops of water. If they disappear right away, your pan is ready.
- Roll out the dough thin. If the dough is too thick it will prevent the tortillas from forming air pockets while cooking.
- Use a cast-iron skillet. I've found that a non-stick pan doesn't char the tortillas as nicely. By the way, this recipe is part of our 30 vegan cast-iron skillet recipes, which you may enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
In most cases, yes. However, traditional tortilla recipes are made with lard which is animal fat that comes from pork. To make sure your tortillas are vegan, check the ingredients on the packaging, and if you're in a restaurant make sure to ask.
Not adding enough water or adding more flour than necessary will result in dry tortillas that can crack. To prevent this, make sure your dough is sticky before you start kneading it. Also, don't add more flour to prevent it from sticking to the counter. Oil your hands and the counter instead.
Another reason is that you didn't allow the dough to rest and the flour to hydrate properly.
No. You can easily make this vegan flour tortilla recipe without baking powder since tortillas are meant to be flat anyway. I just like adding it because I've found that it helps them to form more bubbles when cooking.
Yes! Make sure they've cooled completely before transferring them to a freezer-safe container or a freezer bag. I suggest adding a piece of parchment paper between each tortilla to prevent them from sticking. Freeze for up to 3 months, and make sure to thaw on the counter before reheating and serving.
Store them in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap on the counter for 2 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. They can get moldy if stored too long outside the fridge.
I don't recommend substituting the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour. For a gluten-free option, check out these soft gluten-free tortillas.
I haven't tried making this recipe without oil, but I think it will work. You may need to add a splash of more water to hydrate the dough, but only if needed.
Serving
These vegan flour tortillas are perfect to use to make burritos, enchiladas, tortilla wraps, soft tacos, etc. My favorite way to use tortillas is with vegan tofu fajitas, or next to garlic-free hummus or this lemony white bean dip.
You can also make a wrap and fill it with my vegan chicken salad or chickpea egg salad.
Another fun idea is to make tortilla pizzas by spreading marinara sauce and adding cheese and your favorite toppings, then baking it until the cheese melts.
If you have any leftover tortillas that are becoming dry, you can use them in my air fryer pita chips recipe. Enjoy them with avocado pico de Gallo or my homemade guacamole without cilantro on the side.
How To Reheat Tortillas
Reheating homemade tortillas can be done in three ways:
- Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (180ºC). Wrap tortillas in a damp towel and place them on a rack in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the tortillas are warm.
- Stovetop: Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat (no need to add oil). Once hot, add one tortilla and heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, or until warmed through.
- Microwave: This is by far the easiest way to reheat homemade tortillas. Wrap them in a damp towel and microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until warmed through.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup canola oil or another neutral oil of choice
- ½ - ¾ cup warm water not hot!
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients- measure the flour and stir in the salt and baking powder. Add in the oil and stir to incorporate it. Slowly, start adding in the water and mixing, ¼ cup at a time, or until a dough forms. The dough should be slightly sticky and not dry!
- Transfer the dough to a clean surface sprinkled with a little bit of flour. Oil your hands and start kneading for 5-6 minutes, or until it becomes smooth, elastic, and soft. At first, it may stick to the counter and your hands, but don't worry, just keep greasing your hands and kneading.
- Then, using a knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into 8 balls (divide into 12 if you want smaller tortillas). Cover the dough with a damp towel or a few damp paper towels and rest for at least 30 minutes.
- If you have a tortilla press, use it to flatten the dough. If not, use a rolling pin to roll each dough ball into a thin disk. Roll from the center to the edges, instead of rolling back and forth at the same spot.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Carefully transfer the rolled tortillas to the hot skillet. Cook for 40-60 seconds, or until bubbles appear all over, then flip and cook for 30 more seconds on the other side. Repeat the same process with the rest of the tortillas, making sure to lower the heat if brown spots start appearing too quickly.
Notes
- Add the water slowly, not all at once. The amount of water you need will differ, depending on the batch of your flour. The best way to make sure that you don't add too much water is to add it slowly, then mix it into the dough, and add more if needed.
- Don't add more flour while kneading. When making this vegan flour tortilla recipe, you'll notice that the dough will be sticky at first. Don't be quick to add more flour, as this will make the tortillas dry! Continue greasing your hands and kneading, and the dough will eventually become smooth and elastic.
- Oil your hands as needed. As mentioned in the previous tip, instead of adding flour to prevent the dough from sticking, oil your hands regularly.
- Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax, which results in light and fluffy tortillas.
- Make sure your pan is hot enough. If you're using a cast-iron skillet, you'll need to preheat it for about 5 minutes, or until it's nearly smoking. This helps the tortillas cook fast and form air bubbles. The best way to test if the pan is hot enough is to add a few drops of water. If they disappear right away, your pan is ready.
- Roll out the dough thin. If the dough is too thick it will prevent the tortillas from forming air pockets while cooking.
- Use a cast-iron skillet. I've found that a non-stick pan doesn't char the tortillas as nicely.
- Fridge: Let them cool to room temperature, then transfer them to a ziptop bag or an airtight container, and store them at room temperature for 12 hours, or in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Make sure they've cooled completely before transferring them to a freezer-safe container or a freezer bag. I suggest adding a piece of parchment paper between each tortilla to prevent them from sticking. Freeze for 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
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