Gluten-Free Brown Rice Flour Tortillas
Making your own gluten-free brown rice flour tortillas is so simple! With just a few ingredients you can make healthier tortillas at home. My recipe is egg-free and xanthan gum-free as well. I use a cast iron tortilla press to quickly press all of the tortillas, and then I cook them in a hot cast iron skillet on my stovetop. My children love to help with the entire process of making homemade tortillas too…otherwise I probably would not make them very often! Use this recipe during Phase 2 and Phase 3 of our Elimination Diet!
If you don't own a tortilla press you can roll the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper using a rolling pin. I've made so many versions of this recipe to try to figure out the best method for getting flexible tortillas. I've found that using boiling water works far better than cold or warm water. It makes a BIG difference in how pliable the tortillas are after cooking so don't skip this step! Beyond the boiling water, you can vary the amount of arrowroot powder to brown rice flour. More arrowroot equals really flexible tortillas, but they end up on the chewier side.
I'd love your feedback! So please let me know what ratio of brown rice flour to arrowroot you used and how they turned out for you in the comments section below. Thanks! :)
Gluten-Free Brown Rice Flour Tortillas
I use organic sprouted brown rice flour (from Planet Rice) in these tortillas (you can also use regular brown rice flour). I buy it in 25 pound bags from Azure Standard. You can also buy gluten-free sprouted brown rice flour from To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co. Sprouted flours are easier to digest and more nutritious. The recipe below is my favorite way of making brown rice flour tortillas, but you can also try this variation (which is really flexible): 1 cup of brown rice flour and 1 cup of arrowroot powder (salt and water stay the same).
Be sure to use boiling water in this recipe. Don't let it cool after boiling, just add it immediately to the dry ingredients. If your water is hot, but not boiling, the dough will turn into a sticky mess. The boiling water is key to getting the proper texture in the dough.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, arrowroot, and sea salt.
- Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Knead the dough a little in the bowl, then let it rest for a few minutes while the skillet heats up.
- Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the dough feels too dry.
- Preheat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
- Divide the dough into six equal-sized balls.
- Place a piece of unbleached parchment paper on the bottom of a tortilla press then place one of the balls in the center, cover with a second sheet of parchment, and press to form a thin, round tortilla.
- Add about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to the hot skillet.
- Gently remove the top sheet of parchment, place the tortilla into skillet, then remove the second sheet of parchment.
- Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
- Repeat making tortillas with the remaining dough.
- Transfer the cooked tortillas to a plate and flip another plate over the top to keep the tortillas warm and soft.
- Let them sit for about 20 minutes inside the plates; this way they will be nice and pliable for serving.
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About the Author
Ali Segersten
Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University and a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States. She is a Functional Nutritionist, the mother of five children, a whole foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them. Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book. Alissa is the founder and owner of Nourishing Meals®.Nourishing Meals Newsletter
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I have all of your books and I am not a cook at all. I make these tortillas a lot and I also make your almond flour tortillas. I cannot get them pliable no matter what I do! I love them and I still eat them but I have a tortilla press and mine still come out thick as heck.
I made these yesterday and but when I cooked them for 1-2 minutes, the tortillas were still not browned. Should the temperature be hotter than Medium High? I cooked them so they looked they were toasted as your picture but they turned out to be hard to eat. I'll try again.
I am so excited to try this recipe....it's going to be hard to wait! I've looked for years and years to make tortillas I could eat and these are perfect for my diet - I don't do coconut (senstivity) but will try olive oil. The bummer is that my old cast iron pan has been damaged - it was never seasoned properly so everything sticks. I don;'t have a budget for a new pan and press....so do you have any thoughts re saving this pan? Of course I'd love a proper skillet. I've got a 10 kilo bag of rice flour (brown and organic) just ready for these!
Thank you so much for your explanation...I can see it in my mind's eye and am excited to get started!
These turned out great as per your exact measurements. Highly recommend the boiling water. It kneaded so well & smooth. I made 8 balls & then I sprinkled brown rice flour all over them. I then rolled them using a rolling pin on a wooden chopping board and I sprinkled brown rice flour on both sides while i rolled it out & it did not stick at all. This is how we make Indian roti's to avoid sticking. I then cooked it on medium in a non stick frying pan & did not use any oils/fats. i stacked them under a towel once they were done so they did not dry out. After dinner, the ones we did not finish were cooled down & i wrapped them in saran wrap in 2's & froze them in a ziplock. Hope the consistency is ok next time i eat them. Thanks!
In theory this sounded great, but for something this simple, it was a nightmare. The tortilla dough stuck to everything, even after I added more flour. Any ideas or suggestion?
Recently found you and just made these tortillas. Very pleased! So much better than the store bought ones. The only problem I had was the coconut oil smoked quite a bit. I ended up making them without the oil (non-stick) pan and they are still great. Thanks!!
Hi! I tried to make the tortillas, but found it very hard to work with them. They were a bit sticky and too pliable. I ended up just making a thick tortilla. I am quite new to working with rice flour. Do you have any tips?
How do I reheat them by turning out soft again?
Hi ali, I so love this recipe. I have a question on how do I store leftover tortillas/wraps? And how do I reheat them? What's your suggestion on it?
Just tried the recipe, I used tapioca for the non stick function and used my rolling pin. It come up lovely even my kids that are not into what I eat, ate it. yahoo me.
I have researched the arsenic/rice issue from several reputable sources. The arsenic is not actually in the rice itself but found in the soil. If you simply put your uncooked rice in a pot and fill it with cold water and swirl it around, drain it and keep repeating this until the water is clear and no longer has any cloudiness to it the arsenic level is no longer an issue. I would stay away from instant or boxed rice mixes because you never know if they bother to rinse the rice before preparing it.
Thank you for sharing this corn tortilla alternative. I too used Arrowhead Mills and yes, the product is grainy, I could feel it as I eventually kneeded the dough by hand. My tortillas were a 10th pliable and on the dry side. Taste was good. Giving this another shot with Bob's Red Mills. Glad I read all the reviews, thanks all.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I am glad I found your site and will check out everything else you have to offer here! I just made these because I'm so sick of paying $5 for a tiny pack of gluten free tortillas at the grocery store that just fall to pieces when you try to wrap anything in them. I bought the press you suggested, too, and it's so awesome. I wish It pressed them a little thinner, but I could always roll them a little more I guess. I used Bob's Red Mill because that's what I have on hand, and it turned out well. They're a little gummy at first bite, but by the end of the little taco I just made I thought they were really great! I just put sunflower hummus, tomatoes, and sprouts in one. Thanks!
Made these they were delicious ... only, a little gummy. Did I not cook long enough or maybe not thin enough?
Sweet rice flour is naturally gummy. Make sure to use brown rice flour. You can use pure arrowroot powder in place of the tapioca.
If the dough is too sticky you likely had a bit too much water in there (easy to do in different climates). Lessen the water next time by 1/4 cup and see what happens. Also, make sure you are using BOILING water, if not, your dough can get sticky.
Thanks for your feedback. I believe Arrowhead Mills brown rice flour is a bit more "grainy" and does not work too well in certain recipes.
We used Bobs Red Mills brown rice flour in this recipe the first time and the result was great! Then I bought Arrowmills' one and repeated it - it was horrible. I think the flour makes a difference.
After spending over an hour fighting to roll these out on parchment greased with coconut oil, I ended up throwing out 1/2 of the batch unused. They stuck so badly to the parchment, even greased, that I was using my lifter to scrape them off the paper. And all the while the balls I had formed sat waiting to be rolled dried out and cracked on the outside and made them tougher to roll.
The flavour was good with the 3 I did manage to get into the pan, but there has to be a more efficient way to roll these as I do not own a press.
I use parchment paper a lot and never have to grease the paper. I had a bit of trouble initially, but the dough was still hot. As I continued rolling them out, I found it easier to slowly relaese the top parchment paper right after rolling then used the bottom, turned it over on the first parchement paper and lifting from the top again and laying it back on to the other paper. That sounds confusing but it worked easier for me when I lift off the top paper first, then put the dough on to my hand and layed it into the hot pan.
Can I substitute cornstarch for Arrowroot? Also, can I use a pizzelle iron? Thanks.
We'll all have to agree to disagree on this coconut oil issue. All I know is that it works! Try Dr. Mercola's newsletter and search benefits of coconut oil and while you're at it, search high cholesterol. He's right on the money....cut the sugar, white flour, white sugar white rice, pasta and your cholesterol will be down. True. I'm testimony. Best to all.
Spelt has gluten, but less than modern day wheat.
Can you substitute spelt flour for brown rice flour?
In our house we have a potato sensitivity tapioca is also a No-No. I tried this with a combination of corn starch and sweet rice flour but they definitely are a little thick to the palate and almost gummy. I'll be honest I'm not a baker and I don't get along well with flour :-) so any input on a way to avoid the tapioca and cornstarch and still get this to come out like a flour tortilla would be very helpful and greatly appreciated. Shana
There are different qualities of coconut oil. Never skimp when it comes to oils... Buy the best. Be kind to your body.
The brain is a very fatty organ. It needs fat to function. Coconut oil has been used to reverse alzheimer's disease - by an MD when her husband's brain was nearly gone. He came back. Google that. Coconut oil is liquid at body temperature. It's cleansing... and it's delicious. But the best always is organic.
I am Diabetic and I would like to try these, but I need to know what the carbohydrates and fiber count is in each tortilla. Could you break it down for me please and thank you.
I made this twice, and while edible, it wasn't great. I'll try the suggestion above and use equal parts flour and starch. The dough I made was very wet and sticky the first time, so I added a little flour and didn't add extra water the second time. Came out even wetter, although not as sticky. The final product is tough and not very tasty as a tortilla, but I'm finding it makes a great tortilla chip.
I disagree with what you say about oil. She is so right to cut oil out of her diet. It might be wise of you to look into the work of Dr. McDougall and Dr. Esselstyn before you tell people they shouldn't be worried about saturated fats. I too will be trying this without oil.
My husband and I both tried making this. Dough was way too wet. Any suggestions?
Awesome. I used tapioca instead of arrowroot as it is more widely available here in South Africa. As they came off the skillet I out them on a plate and covered with a damp cloth to try to keep them more pliable - my daughter eats her wraps cold with salad etc. I think we might finally have found a gluten free wrap that works!
I find that if I use equal amounts of arrow root and flour they don't stick to everything as much. Also, we use Pam spray instead of cocoanut oil or olive oil. We also used canola oil once and it was tasty. Thanks for this great recipe!
First, thanks for the recipe! Looks delicious. Second, coconut oil does in fact raise cholesterol in some individuals. It is a healthy fat, but like most things not healthy for all people.
What a fab recipe :-D
I've tried so many recipes, but the results led me to believe that I never would enjoy a tortilla again after going gf and vegan. But yesterday I tried this recipe, and I dare say I had my best tacowraps ever <3
In lack of sprouted rice flour I used superfine brown rice flour, and in same ratio as the recipe, had to nearly doubble the amount of boiling water, but the result was greate, a smooth, flexable dough, that did not stick. Ended up with seven fantastic tortillas and will make them again this weekend :-) <3
I'm generally not gluten free, but I do like variety, these look great, but because of lack of finances, I usually buy the grains I use and sprout them, then grind for the bulk of any baked goods. I think I'll experiment using sprouted brown rice, ground in the food processor with the other ingredients, and altering the liquid and see what I come up with. If all else fails, I can resort to adding extra liquid and some besan and make a sort of "crepe" that might work too? If I succeed in any event, I'll let you know. LOL
I've read that old tapioca flour can have a bitter taste.
We just made them..there is a learning curve..they need to be the right thickness or they will fall apart being too thin. If they are sticky,add a little more flour. I used spray as well to make an easier release from the parchment. Also u have to wait several seconds when peeling the second sheet off of the cooking tortilla. Hope this helps the last commenter..they were great btw. :)
Hmmm. I really wish I knew what I did wrong. Followed the recipe and couldn't get them off of the parchment. Sprinkling with rice flour before pressing didn't help. I managed to get a couple using heavy plastic from zip lock bags, but they ended up crumbly and didn't stay together. I was so hopeful and not sure where I went wrong.
I made these today and was hopeful that they would be easy and good (my first time to ever make gf tortillas). Wow! They were so good. I doubled the recipe, used freshly ground brown rice flour and cooked them in my electric tortilla maker. I did spray the top and bottom of the tortilla maker, for each one, with olive oil. I'm still not sure how long to cook them exactly but tried 25-50 seconds per side (longer was better).
Organic brown rice is not unhealthy. What is unhealthy is white rice. I am following a microbiotic diet for cancer, and rice is one of the ingredients.
badly
I made this recipe with the exact items and quantities called for. Here's some tips:
1. Use a tortilla press.
2. Brush a bit of coconut oil on the parchment before pressing.
3. lay the tortilla in the hot pan, let it sit for just a second and then the top parchment peels right off.
I found that some tortillas seemed more pliable than others, but the flavor and texture was as so close to a flour tortilla, I couldn't believe it. Next time I will try increasing the arrowroot a little bit to get a little more pliability. All in all, this recipe is excellent and a keeper.
I was diagnosed with Celiac disease recently, I am struggling to find new foods that don't have gluten in them. Now I read that rice isn't healthy for you, this only adds to my feeling overwhelmed!
You might be able to buy arrowroot powder in bulk at a local natural grocery store. that's how I buy mine. I happen to have some on hand, as I always used it in my homemade deodorant. Bulk is such a good way to buy a variety of items for recipes
Boiling water=genius! These are fantastic!
Thank you for the comment! Glad you enjoyed them! :)
Thanks for your feedback! :)
Briefly answered the arsenic in rice issue above and below in other comments.
Hi Em- I just answered this below. They key to remember is to eat less rice and less often and make sure it is sprouted and coming from California. :)