These one-ingredient Gluten-Free Yuca tortillas are soft, chewy, and completely versatile. Make a batch for your next taco night!
A yuca tortilla is a type of tortilla made from yuca root (also known as cassava or manioc). It is a popular alternative to traditional wheat or corn tortillas, especially for those following a gluten-free diet or looking for a variation in flavor and texture.
If you love yuca as much as I do, you may also like this Fried Yuca and Kielbasa or these Yuca Fries.
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If you are looking for a quick and easy way to make homemade gluten-free tortillas, look no further. Using cooked and mashed yuca as a base, these tortillas turn out soft, fluffy, and foldable. Perfect for stuffing, rolling, or turning into quesadillas, and enchiladas.
How Can I Use These Yuca Tortillas?
You can easily use these tortillas, or tortilla de yuca as some say, as you would regular tortillas; make these steak tacos or these spicy shrimp tacos and use these gluten-free tortillas instead. These easy beef enchiladas would taste great with these yuca tortillas as would these black bean enchiladas.
You can also use these tortillas to make a wrap and stuff them with this shrimp salad or just slather on your favorite nut butter and jam.
The options are endless!
Why You’ll Love These Gluten Free Yuca Tortillas
One ingredient: It doesn’t get any easier than one ingredient.
Simple: No complicated instructions, just press and cook.
Customizable: Feel free to add some fresh herbs, spices or garlic and make them your own.
Ingredients
- Yuca: All you need is yuca to make these gluten free tortillas.
How To Make Cassava Tortillas
- Step 1: Cut, peel and slice yuca and then boil until fork tender.
- Step 2: Transfer cooked yuca to a strainer to drain and cool down so it is easy to handle.
- Step 3: Mash yuca using a fork or potato masher, making sure it is soft and free of lumps and strings. Yuca should look like a sticky pile of mashed potatoes.
- Step 4: Transfer mashed yuca to a flat working surface. It helps if you grease your hands with butter before handling the yuca.
- Step 5: Using your hands, work on the yuca dough until it is no longer sticky or lumpy.
- Step 6: Divide yuca dough into 8 equal size pieces.
- Step 7: Place each piece of yuca in between two sheets of parchment paper and press down to flatten. Use a roller to fully flatten to a round that’s about 1/2 inch thick.
- Step 8: Remove the yuca from the parchment paper and place on another clean sheet of parchment paper.
- Step 9: Heat a non-stick skillet without any oil and place the flattened yuca into the hot pan. Cook until brown spots start to develop and then flip and cook on the other side.
- Step 10: Transfer cooked yuca tortillas to a plate and proceed with the remaining yuca dough.
Tips and Variations
Make sure to have greasy hands. The yuca dough is extremely sticky so having greasy hands will help with the handling. Make sure to start with dry cooked yuca, bot soggy. I leave my cooked yuca in a strainer for while it cools off this way all the moisture is out before I mashed it.
Add some flavor. Feel free to stir in dried spices like cumin, smoked paprika or anything else you have in the pantry. Dried garlic or onion powder would also add loads of flavor.
Mix in fresh herbs. Finely chopped parsley or cilantro would add more flavor to the tortillas.
Sweeten them up. yuca has a natural sweet profile, but If you want sweet tortillas stir in a touch of sugar or some cinnamon. These sweet tortillas de yuca are perfect served with chocolate spread and berries, much like a crape.
FAQs
I haven’t tested using cassava flour to make gluten-free tortillas but if you see a recipe using cassava flour you should follow it. This recipe uses only fresh yuca so this recipe won’t work. However if your dough is a bit too sticky feel free to add a few tablespoons of cassava flour to help bind it together
Yes, cassava and yuca are the same thing.
No, I didn’t use any oil in the pan and the tortillas turned out well. Make sure to use a non-stick skillet!
Yes, you can use frozen yuca. Just thaw it and remove any excess moisture.
Yes, reheat them as you would any other tortilla.
You don’t need to add anything other than the mashed yuca to make these tortillas. However if your yuca is hard to manage and sticky, feel free to add a few tablespoons of cassava flour or your gluten-free flour of preference. Be sure to only add one tablespoon at a time while you work the dough.
Make ahead and storage
Make Ahead: If you want to make these tortillas ahead of time they will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Storage: Store uneaten tortillas in an airtight container or plastic bag. Place a piece of parchment paper in between each tortilla so they don’t stick together. In the freezer, these tortillas will keep for up to one month.
RECIPE TIP
Make sure the pan is hot when you place the yuca dough into it. You want the dough to start cooking as soon as it hits the pan.
Looking for more gluten free recipes?
- Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Baked Gluten Free Apple Cider Donuts
- Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Zucchini Almond Cake Gluten Free
Gluten-Free Yuca Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 lb yuca cooked/ boiled
Instructions
- Cut, peel and slice yuca according to instructions above.
- Add yuca to boiling water and cook for 30 minutes or until fork tender.
- Transfer cooked yuca to a strainer and allow it to drain all the moisture and cool down almost completely so it is easy to handle by hand.
- Mash cooled yuca using a fork or potato masher. Make sure it is soft and free of lumps and strings. Yuca should look like a sticky pile of mashed potatoes.
- Transfer mashed yuca to a working surface like counter or marble block. It helps if you grease your hands with butter.
- Using your hands work on the yuca dough until it is no longer sticky or lumpy. Yuca dough should be soft and even.
- Using a knife or bench scraper, divide yuca dough into 8 equal size pieces.
- Place each individual yuca round in between two sheets of parchment paper. Press down firmly with your hand.
- Roll yuca dough out using a roller, gently press in all directions to form a flat round that's about 1/2 inch thick.
- This is the thickness that you are looking for…
- Easily peel yuca tortilla from parchment paper and place on a paper towel or another clean sheet of parchment paper. Do not place it on a plate, sheet pan or counter, it will stick to the surface.
- When all the yuca dough has been rolled out and the tortillas are ready to be cooked, heat a small non-stick skillet on medium-high heat, once hot place yuca tortilla without using any oil, butter or grease. Place it directly in the hot pan. Cook for about 30-40 seconds or until brown spots start to show, then flip it and cook on the other side for 30-40 seconds. Transfer yuca tortillas to a plate and proceed with remaining yuca dough.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Why not mention that you need to soak yuca (preferably overnight first to) remove the toxins? Do you not know that? What you’re doing is NOT healthy for you or anyone else.
Thank you for your concern Maria, I know yuca very well as I grew up eating it and my parents still grow yuca at their farm. While it is true that yuca contains cyanide, there is no cause for concern when purchasing yuca in the U.S. The yuca sold here is the sweet variety and the toxin levels are low enough that peeling and cooking the yuca well removes those toxins. The bitter variety of yuca however, is higher in cyanide and requires hours of soaking and cooking before eating. But that’s not the yuca that is sold here in the US. If that was the case all the yuca packaging would say that in BOLD letters yet they don’t. I hope this answers your question and concerns. Kindly, Silvia