Keto Tortilla 2.0
6
servings10
minutes20
minutes167
kcal4
grams1
gram13
grams8
gramsEver since making my “dirty keto” corn tortilla, I’ve been on a quest to make a better tortilla. I wanted it to be clean keto, with minimum carbs while still maintaining the pliability of my original tortilla. I wanted it to be easier to make, and to not rely upon the expensive corn extracts that my other tortilla did. My inspiration came from Vernaz and her YouTube channel, where she used paneer to make a naan/flatbread. I ran with that idea and decided to call the dough “Pan Head” (a reference to Fat Head dough).
This recipe allows for many substitutions depending on availability, food restrictions, and/or allergies. I list these in the notes below.
Also, I experimented with numerous brands and quantities of corn extracts in an attempt to get a corn tortilla flavor. I found that even in amounts up to 2 tsp, I couldn’t achieve a true “corn” tortilla flavor. If you wan to add some extract, you may achieve a subtle corn flavor, but it is entirely optional.
Ingredients
200 grams paneer (Indian cheese)
1 TB hemp hearts (11g)
1 TB Lupin flour (9g)
2 TB psyllium husk powder (25g)
1 tsp xanthan gum (4g)
1/2 tsp sea salt (2g)
1 tsp taco seasoning (4g)
3/4 cup very warm water (177 ml)
1 TB lard (13g)
1/2 tsp corn tortilla extract (optional)
Directions
- Cut paneer into cubes and pulse in a food processor until it is finely crumbled.
- In a bowl, combine the hemp hearts, lupin flour, psyllium husk powder, xanthan gum, salt, and taco seasoning. I do this to ensure that the xanthan gum is thoroughly distributed.
- Add your dry ingredients to the paneer in the food processor and process until the consistency is similar to almond flour.
- Melt the lard in the hot water. Optionally, you may add corn extract to your water. Pour into the food processor while it is running and let the food processor run until the dough forms a ball that starts to clean the edges of the processor bowl.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest and hydrate for 20 minutes. See the video for a tip on how to do this in a way that makes portioning and pressing the tortillas easier.
- I recommend using two cast iron skillets to cook the tortillas. This speeds up the process and allows you to create an assembly line of sorts. If you have two skillets, set the first one to the low end of medium (a little over 3 on my stovetop) and the second one to the medium end of low (a little over 2 on my stovetop). Using an IR thermometer, I find that my first skillet is around 400F (205C) and the second is around 325F (163C). You may want to add a few drops of oil to each skillet and then wipe them with a paper towel to avoid sticking (you only need to do this prior to the first tortilla).
- Portion the dough into 6 to 8 pieces (see notes on serving size). In the video below, I share a pretty slick way to do this using a bench scraper. Press them, one at a time, using a tortilla press. Cook them for roughly 2 minutes on each side, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Repeat this process for all of your tortillas, assembly line style.
- Tortillas will store for at least a week in the fridge.
- If making these into tortilla chips, cut into wedges and place into a dehydrator set to 135F (57C) for 5 hours. Store chips in a ziplock back with a desiccant packet to keep them crisp.
Recipe Video
Notes
- The nutritional info is based on six 8 inch (20 cm) tortillas. If you do not have a large tortilla press, you should make eight 6 inch (15 cm) tortillas.
- You can make 1-for-1 substitutions for the following ingredients:
– Queso fresco can be substituted for paneer. Because of the higher moisture content, you may only need 1/2 cup (118 ml) water
– Coconut flour for lupin flour
– Almond flour or pork rinds for hemp hearts
– Any fat (tallow, schmaltz, bacon fat, olive oil, avocado oil) for the lard
This is a great recipe Steve! I have the tortilla press but wasn’t ready to hunt down lupine flour, xantham gum, hemp hearts or the paneer cheese this time. I adjusted with what I had on hand (Almond flour, coconut flour, flaxseed meal, Guar gum, cream cheese) and was very pleased! Thanks for doing all the legwork on these tortillas, they’re perfect!
Therese
Tried using homemade paneer and maybe it had too much moisture. Ended up just being a goop before and after letting it sit.
Going to see if I can find a nearby indian market to get paneer since it seems that costco, and all the other major stores near me dont sell it.
I found the paneer I am using has a higher water content too. I really need to dial down the amount of water I add so that I don’t have a gloopy mess.
Ugh, I had to throw my whole batch out. I’ll try again
That doesn’t give me much to work with.
Bought my medium cast iron tortilla press two months ago on Amazon for $19 (it shows as not available now)
Used mozzarella cheese instead of paneer cheese and garbanzo flour instead of lupin flour
chickpea flour works for keto?
These are wonderful, Steve. I’ve used Lupin flour for years for various applications, so picking up paneer was a no-brainer. It is readily available in the international section of our supermarket. Also, had some Amoretti corn flavor extract as well, which I think made a difference to the final flavor. Haven’t made these tortillas without the extract so really can’t compare.
However, I have tried over the years to make the “ultimate” keto tortilla without much luck, but now have to agree with you, these are the “BEST” by far. Thank you for all your hard work! From a dedicated fan. Running off to make some butter chicken.
These are fantastic! I couldn’t find paneer so I went with queso fresco. Forgot to re-read all the notes and added the full amount of water. Tried to fix it by adding more dry ingredients but the dough was just too wet and a bear to work with. They still turned out great, aside from the dough turning purple. I pretended it was blue corn. ? I just re-made the recipe with the correct moisture level and ground the psyllium myself. So much easier to work with and FABULOUS!!! And no purple dough.
Hi Mendi,
I am still trying to make this dough with modifications and it is still incredibly wet. I cut the water to 1/4 cup, still incredibly fragile. Could you tell me what you changed in the original recipe with amounts to get it to work for you? Thanks.
Mine are very wet as well….could not even get the parchment paper to peel off without a struggle. It helped if I dusted the disc with coconut flour before pressing it out, but going to try increasing the lupin flour to 2 – 2 1/2 Tbs to see if that does it. My guess it that paneer differs from one manufacturer to another….just need to compensate for the differences.
Might also try adding some dried/canned parm cheese….will let you all know how the two variations went.
I have been dying to try making these since the video came out. I had all the ingredients except the paneer cheese. I have been to EVERY store within a 50 mile radius. I finally settled for Oaxaca (a Mexican cheese). The nutritional information was almost exact. They came out great!
Now that I finally made them I found the paneer lol. Can’t wait to make them again and see the difference.
Glad it worked out for you. ??
I have tried so many Tortilla recipies and these are the best. I could not find paneer and Google’s substitutions and got Ricotta. Well even though I strained it, it was still to moist. Added more psyllium and lupin flour and they came out great. I will still be hunting for paneer though!!!
I am so very grateful for people like you, that have the interest and knowledge to create these kinds of recipes that make keto life more enjoyable.. Thank you
Now an amazing pie crust???
I made these with ricotta and added no water. It came out similar to using queso fresco and reducing water to 1/2 c.
Great info
This is a great tortilla recipe! I finally figured out how to make homemade tortillas (conventional) that don’t turn out like crackers, and then we decided to go Keto. Your video looked so good I decided to try these. The first batch was a little tricky. The first one squished out of the tortilla press altogether! Not too big of a deal, I just had the dough too wet even though it seemed fine. Added some almond flour and it was good. Thanks for the recipe.
We do have a question for you Steve. This is our 4th day of Keto and both my husband and I have been getting really sleepy after lunch for the last couple of days. Is that normal for beginners? Thanks for your time and all the effort you obviously put into your site.
Yeah, you’re at the phase where the “keto flu” kicks in. You’ll feel a little under the weather for a couple of days. If you can take some electrolyte capsules, you’ll feel a lot better.
I absolutely love these. I need to buy a dehydrator to make the chips. Couldn’t find the paneer at Costco and I live in Wisconsin. I have also made your bacon, yum.
Thanks for the recipe!! I am wondering if I make extra dough it can be frozen
I haven’t frozen the dough, but I have frozen and reheated the tortillas. If you have a FoodSaver to seal them in, that would be ideal, as it keeps frost from forming inside the bag.
Has anyone tried to deep fry these, like for taquitos or tostados.?
I’ve been doing some experiments. They don’t fry up well (for me anyway) “as is”. I have dehydrated them into crispy chips and tostadas. I’m wondering if there’s a middle ground — dehydrate for a while, to make them less oil absorbent and hopefully more “fryer ready”, then fry them in oil. If you get to this experiment before me, please let me know how it works out for you.
Thank you so much for the quick response. Trying some things this weekend. I will keep you posted.
I tried the recipe, i couldnt used the parchment paper the tortilla was totally attached to the paper, i have to used plastic wrap. do you know if they freeze ok?
They freeze fine. If you have a vacuum sealer (like a FoodSaver), I’d recommend vacuum sealing them to keep any frost from forming on them that could throw off the flavor.
Bought the tortilla press and all ingredients for these. Really good ! I was keto for 2 years and lost about 21kg. I maintained for about 6 months but with a combo of work stress and food boredom I stopped and the weight piled on. ( there is only so many babybels one can eat commuting!). This time the husband is going keto with me. It does work as a lifestyle. I just learnt to not talk about it. Many naysayers. Really enjoy your videos. Cheers!
Just made these the other day. Turned out amazing! Nice and strong, and hold up well. Have used them for some pork tacos, and also a couple breakfast burritos. Currently have some cut up in the dehydrator.. about an hour left to go.. they look promising. Appreciate you working so hard on these recipes!
Why are my tortillas purple?
I had never had that issue until the last two batches I made. I had just purchased a new bag of Now brand psyllium husk powder, and I suspect they may have changed something in their process or their source for psyllium, as my prior bag didn’t cause the tortillas to become purple. In my next batch, I’ll try out Anthoy’s brand. Which brand of psyllium husk powder are you using?
I read somewhere to run your psyllium husk powder through a food processor or coffee grinder. I just don’t get why that would work, but if I get purple products from my psyllium husk, I’ll try it to see.
Hi Steve, Thanks for another great recipe……made these today (finally) and am very impressed….they hold up really well and taste amazing…….made 8…..about to put 4 in the dehydrator to see how they go as chips. Happy New Year to you and yours 🥳🥳
Hi Steve, love your channel. Thank you, you give me lots of inspiration to cook. My mixture too was a gloopy mess. It must be the paneer water content.
That’s what it is. If you’re paneer doesn’t grind up in your food processor the way mine did, you’ll want to dial back the water by 1/4 cup (as a starting point), maybe more. You can always add water back in, but there’s not a lot you can do to salvage a gloppy batch.
Has anyone tried these I an enchilada casserole??
Yes! I made a glorious batch of chicken cheese enchiladas and my husband had given me permission to make them again. Lol 😂
This is the best recipe I have tried for Keto tortillas. I use Queso Fresco cheese found in the dairy section with other soft cheeses. I add one additional TB of lupin flour and it works out well and not too much moisture. If it is not creating a ball in the food processor, then add the extra flour until it does.
Hello Steve, thanks for an amazing easy and tasty recipe. Just had my first trial and they turned out very well.
My question: l used regular psyllium husk, not powder and it was too late to correct it so technically l didn’t follow the recipe 100%.
Did u grind the psyllium husk yourself or u used store bought?
For the next trial should l use the ground one or it doesn’t make such a big difference?
I’m asking since you probably tried all the variations and know the best.
Apologies if this question appeared somewhere and l missed it.
Also my paneer seemed “dry” enough but while adding water and melted lard l decided to add less (could also correlate with me using not the recommended form of psyllium).
Greetings!
I use psyllium husk powder. That may change in the future. The powder, it seems, has a tendency to turn purple when cooked. The powder also makes these tortillas VERY pliable (good if you like to really stuff a tortilla). The powder also absorbs A LOT of moisture, which would account for the lesser need for water when you made it.
I did a kitchen science video showing the behavior of the 3 types of psyllium: whole husks, husks ground into powder, and store bought powder.
i couldn’t locate paneer cheese so i used the firmest queso fresco i could find and my dough came out a gooey mess. i managed to break it up into small 1 oz balls and press it in the pan as it cooked (the tortilla press was too much & it wouldn’t peel from the parchment paper). I wound up cutting into chips and dehydrating so it wasn’t a total loss.
If you use queso fresco, you’ll need to really dial back on the water. You want to get a consistency like in my video, where the dough is starting to form a ball in the food processor. Good luck.
Thank you! I’m so excited about this recipe, most importantly because it makes delicious tortilla chips 😊. My blood sugars have already gone down in the few days that I’ve been eating them. Keep up the great work!
There is a new tortilla recipe coming out on Friday that I feel is the best I’ve made so far. It also has only a half a gram of total carbs per tortilla. Stay tuned…
Tried using citric acid in the tortillas so they don’t turn purple, and it worked! I know the taste doesn’t change but I swear they taste better when they’re not purple LOL
I had a feeling it was pH related, so I’m happy to see that you confirmed it. How much citric acid did you use?
Says to use half a teaspoon per tablespoon of psyllium husk powder, so I used 1 teaspoon.
I have some powdered lime (the citrus fruit, not the chemical). It might be interesting to see if a packet or two of that keeps the purple away.
I am going to try that too. I recall some corn tortillas have a bit of a lime flavor.
I’m definitely going to try this, too. You couldn’t tell my tortillas were purple because I made enchiladas with them – but they were indeed purple. Thanks for the tip! And thank you, Steve, for your incredible recipes!
Best low carb tortillas I have tried even though I forgot to add the hemp hearts. Mine turned purple too but that didn’t bother me. I am going to make up a some breakfast burritos and freeze them to see how that works.
Thanks so much for this recipe. It worked out great, even though I made a number of substitutions based on what I had at home.
– mozzarella for the cheese
– coconut flour for lupin flour (plus an extra spoonful because it seemed to need it even though I didn’t add all the water
– hemp heart powder
I also took a hint from your mention of “dirty keto” and added just one spoonful of masa harina to the dough. over 8 tortillas that’s not too many carbs.
The result was great. nice and pliable and tastes pretty close to the real thing. Now I can add quesadillas and fish tacos to my lunch menu. thank you!
Karen
I’ve honestly been knocking around the idea of using some MaSeCa to my dough too and was planning on doing it on my next batch.
Steve. Made this today without the help of the master chef AKA the wife….. it went well. Thanks for all your hard work it really pays off especially for a guy like me that isn’t always the best in and around the kitchen. All I can say is keep em commin.
Cheers from Alberta Canada.
Just want to say you have hit another one outta the park! We made 4.5x this recipe yesterday (our local store sells Paneer in 900g blocks so we figured we would just form an assembly line) 2 skillets and 1 large electric griddle and an hour of cook time later we had 48 awesome tortillas. Made quesadillas for dinner, froze a bunch, and looking forward to fajitas later this week.
Steve you have turned out to be my favorite go to for Keto. Your are the “Alton Brown” of the keto world. Thanks for all your hard work you put into the recipes and I second whoever said thanks for the recipe being right on the first page. Keep up the good work.
Someone mentioned Acetyl-Pyrazine as a corn flavouring. Have you heard of it?
Yes. I find that the smell is stronger than the taste and that it’s very much like a Frito corn chip.
Thank you for coming up with and sharing such a fantastic recipe. I followed it to a “t”, with the exception of the corn tortilla extract, and I’m so happy with how they turned out. They’re pliable and delicious. YAY! Thanks again!
I couldn’t find paneer cheese so I bought Halloumi cheese which worked great but at over $10 for a very small block I had to find a better solution. I tried making my own paneer cheese but when I processed the paneer it was a cream cheese consistency. That would be good for spreading on something but not for this. Then I came across this recipe for “firm paneer” and it worked! The key here is to boil the milk at least 10 minutes and reduce it down about a 1/4. Drain all the liquid you can out of out of the curds too. It would also be a good idea to let it sit over night in the fridge. Good luck! https://www.nithaskitchen.com/2018/06/homemade-firm-paneer.html
Hi, thanks so much for this wonderful recipe. Just wanted to let you know, here in Germany i do get paneer, bit I’ve tried this with two supermarket cheeses that i get easily here in Germany. I’ve is Turkish and called Ömur cheese and I’ve is a Russian variety. They are both relatively neutral in taste and have a drier consistency than paneer. They don’t melt. And the tortillas cake out perfect! Thanks again!
Great to hear!
Elvis Gutierrez – Thanks for the tip on using mozzarella instead of paneer. Will give that a try. Mozzarella is readily available at my local grocery; paneer isn’t.
I want to thank you for this recipe! The tortilla wasn’t eggy or slimy! They aren’t heavy either but filling. Thank you, I have diabetes and I have to eat low carb, it’s there only thing that controls my blood sugar. With this recipe, it’s not so bad at all!! Bless you!!!
First of all, THANK YOU for such a delicious “authentic tasting” tortilla recipe! I have been trying all sorts of other keto ones and stumbled upon yours after viewing many others on Youtube. Before making this recipe, I read almost all the comments (there were LOTS) and felt that with your recommended substitutions and those done by other subscribers, I could try with what ingredients I had on hand. I live in a tiny town of 400 people and a half hour from the nearest town, so I had to go with what I had. I read online that you could sub cottage cheese for paneer, so I rinsed, squeezed and weighted down cottage cheese and then used that. I also didn’t have coconut flour so subbed ground flaxseed meal for coconut. I made my own taco seasoning too. Everything thing came together very well, but I erred on the side of caution with the water after reading other comments and your response. I only used 1/4 cup of H20 as I did a 1/2 batch recipe. It worked perfectly. I also cut a plastic flexible refrigerator liner to fit my tortilla press which I intend to use over and over again. I only made three 8 inch tortillas. Since this was an “experiment” I didn’t want to wasted a bunch of ingredients. I ate one tortilla for a chicken taco right away (YUM!) and cut up the other 2 for tortilla chips which are in the oven right now. Thanks again! I tried your salad dressing yesterday and will be looking at other recipes you have posted as well.
Another great seasoning to add…. And savour …For an EXPLOSION of flavour is…
La Grille BRAZILIAN STYLE BBQ spice blend…. You know, the same company that produces MONTREAL STEAK SPICE AND MONTREAL CHICKEN…. (Which is even better on burgers than chicken!) available where ever you buy Montreal Steak Spice!
What a great recipe…and then Crackers…I drool, oh how I drool!
Gladys🇨🇦
Toronto🇨🇦
Oh, I forgot…. In honour of this recipe…🌮🌮🌮
I have purchased a Nesco 1000 watt food dehydrator.
A Brentwood electric tortilla press and cooker.
And a Brentwood Quesadilla Maker!
So…it IS tortilla time!🌮🌮🌮
Thanks, Steve!🌮🌮🌮
Gladys, 🇨🇦
Toronto, Canada🇨🇦
love you site, but I have to ask…
Without a dehydrator, can one make crispy taco shells?
Perhaps with your Carnivore Tortillas ? “)
I actually have a video where I fry up one of the carnivore tortillas in some oil to make a crispy hard shell. It works quite nicely.
Thanks for the reply. Hard Shell Taco true you mentioned it at the end but not the how? In the recipe notes you have “Plus it can be made into tortilla chips and hard shell tacos (link here once complete)”. Still working on it? I do have metal taco shell holders, what about rehydrating them in the oven @ 175. ??
Here you go: https://youtu.be/4-JjkIOOldQ
LOL Found it… the video! Very Cool
– Keto Hard Shell Tacos and Tortilla Chips!
Please I have to ask, For a crunchy taco shell for your three recipes which did you prefer?
– Keto Tortilla 2.0
– Carnivore Tortillas
– 90 Second Keto Tortilla
Thank you
the carnivore tortilla is the best for frying into a shell. I’ve used Tortilla 2.0 to make chips in the dehydrator.
Steve I am getting a tortilla press today and already have the ingredients. Will try it soon. This weekend is pork belly>bacon and green ham>smoked ham. Yes pork belly was awesome. We have a local pig farmer where pork is safe.
Fabulous! And thanks heaps for this recipe. Second time I made it…perfection, texture, taste and easy too. Thank you so much
(IPS my first try didn’t work – cheese too loose I think). This second try wonderful!!!!! Thank you. And thanks for the recommendation of the press too.
these made wonderful chicken enchiladas! (and quesadillas)..Just wondering if the hemp is just for texture, or does it have some other necessary property to make the tortillas work? I would like to try them without the added ‘crunch’.
Tonight I made the most delicious crispy lupin taco shells.. lupin and water. I added 2 tsp trader joes chili lime seasoning to the dough as well as 2 droppers of corn silk flavoring. I may have just come up with the elusive “corn tortilla’ copycat! (You had mentioned you were searching for such a thing) I fried in avocado oil. (you must roll them VERY THIN) the edges were crispy and the middle was slightly chewy like a corn tortilla warmed in oil… PERFECT fish tacos!! Im happy to give all the details if you’re ever interested.. thanks for all you do for our community- (and thx for all the birthday discounts- Ive used every one of them :-/)
I tried this recipe today, using the “bread cheese” that everyone is raving about, as I didnt have paneer. A pricey alternative, but it worked great. I will make these again for meat/cheese rollups and will add Everything Bagel Seasoning in place of the taco seasoning. I loved that these are made in the food processor with minimal cleanup required. Thank you!
I Made a double batch of these with the Queso Fresco sub. I did cut the water down but it was
still too wet when I was done mixing. After trying ( and failing ) to cook one, I threw the remaining dough on the counter and kneaded in 1 tablespoon of coconut flour at a time until it was just this side of not sticky. After that they cooked up well and were delicious. Adding the hemp hearts was a great idea for flavor.