3-Ingredient Plantain Tortillas

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Wood cutting board with homemade 3-Ingredient Plantain Tortillas covered with a towel to keep them warm

While experimenting with plantain chips and garlicky guac (<- a must-try recipe, btw), I had a few leftover plantains and was up for some experimenting.

Per usual, the big, wide internet didn’t let me down. And, in fact, it led me to discover that, among the many things you can do with plantains, you can make TORTILLAS with them.

I know! It’s crazy. It’s magic. It’s delicious. Let’s do this!

Chopped green plantains ready to be made into plantain tortillas for grain-free tacos

Origins of Tortillas

It is believed that the first tortillas were made of corn and were created in Mesoamerica around 10,000 BC. They were a staple for Aztecs and Mayans and have since become a staple in Mexican cuisine and beyond!

In this recipe, we apply the concept of the tortilla to green plantains!

How to Make Plantain Tortillas

This recipe is so easy, requiring just 3 INGREDIENTS. Again, I know! It’s crazy!

You start by boiling sliced green plantains for 15 minutes to soften and tenderize the fruit. Then you just peel, throw them into a blender or a food processor with salt, and blend until you have a sticky “dough.”

Boiling green plantains to make homemade grain-free vegan tortillas
Cooked green plantains and salt in a blender

Next, to roll out, I went with tapioca flour to keep this recipe both gluten-free and grain-free.

You can also try smashing the tortillas between wax paper or plastic bags, but I found this to yield super sticky dough that was unmanageable – tapioca to the rescue!

Using a pizza cutter to make round Plantain Tortillas

All that’s left is a quick cook in a skillet (5-6 minutes total) and you have real-life tortillas on your hands!

I know what you’re thinking – they are probably doughy in the middle and gross and not sturdy. But no! They cook all the way through, aren’t doughy in the slightest, and are SO sturdy I would bet money they’d hold more toppings than a traditional corn tortilla.

Yeah, I said it.

Cooking a grain-free plantain tortilla in a cast-iron skillet

I hope you LOVE these plantain tortillas! They’re:

Easy to make
Tender
Customizable (add garlic or herbs!)
Flexible + sturdy
Neutral in flavor
& Super delicious

These would make the perfect vessel for things like Vegan Barbacoa, Vegan “Pulled Pork,” Quinoa Taco Meat, Garlicky Guacamole, Roasted Jalapeño Vegan Queso, Saucy Portobello Mushrooms, and 10-Minute Chimichurri. I also bet they would work wonderfully for enchiladas (next on my list)!

I also think, if baked, they would make a delicious tostada. Or, if sliced and then baked, they would make a delicious chip (see notes)!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistaker on Instagram so we can see your tortillas in action. Cheers, friends!

Cutting board with grain-free Plantain Tortillas filled with Barbacoa Lentils and guacamole

3-Ingredient Plantain Tortillas

Amazing, 3-ingredient plantain tortillas! A delicious and simple grain-free option for Mexican-inspired dishes and more. Entirely vegan and both gluten- and grain-free.
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Homemade plantain tortillas wrapped in a linen on a cutting board
4.85 from 73 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 10 (tortillas)
Course Side, Snack
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Mexican-Inspired, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

  • 2 large green (unripe) plantains
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ~1/4 cup tapioca starch for rolling out (or sub gluten-free flour or arrowroot starch with varied results)
  • coconut oil or avocado oil (for cooking)

Instructions

  • Slice plantains into 4 sections, and then halve those sections lengthwise (top to bottom // see photo).
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil and add plantains. Boil for 15 minutes to tenderize the plantains. Then drain and let cool slightly.
  • Peel plantains and discard the peel. Then add the plantain and salt to a blender or a food processor. Blend until a ball forms (~30 seconds) – it will be sticky (this is normal).
  • Dust a clean surface with tapioca and take small (~3 Tbsp) amounts of the dough and dust with tapioca. Dust a rolling pin with tapioca and roll out until almost paper thin (see photo). The dough is sticky so add more tapioca as needed. Repeat until all tortillas are formed (~10-12 as original recipe is written).
  • Optional: you can use a knife or pizza cutter to make the edges a perfect circle, but this is optional!
  • To cook, heat a large skillet over medium heat and lightly grease with coconut or avocado oil. Once hot, add one to two tortillas at a time (or however many fit comfortably in the pan) and cook until dried out and slightly browned on either side (~ 3 min per side). Continue until all tortillas are cooked (no need to continue adding more oil). See notes for baking instructions.
  • Enjoy immediately as a vessel for things like Vegan Barbacoa, Quinoa Taco Meat, Guacamole, and more!
  • Store cooled leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days (though best when fresh), or in the freezer up to 1 month. If frozen, thaw before use. Heat in a 350 degree F (176 C) oven, or on the stovetop.

Video

Notes

*If baking, bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 375 degrees F (190C) for 10-15 minutes or until dried out and slightly crisp on the edges, flipping once to ensure even baking. I also think if baked until very crispy, they would make a delicious tostada. Or, if sliced first and then baked, they would make a delicious chip (as long as they are rolled thin enough)! Alternatively, you can make plantain chips this way!
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Recipe heavily adapted from the talented DoYouEvenPaleo.

Nutrition (1 of 10 servings)

Serving: 1 tortillas Calories: 54 Carbohydrates: 14.1 g Protein: 0.5 g Fat: 0.1 g Saturated Fat: 0.1 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 189 mg Fiber: 0.9 g Sugar: 5.5 g

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    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Other flours should work! Chickpea flour may add too strong of a flavor. Something more neutral like brown rice flour may work better!

  1. Mark Borkowski says

    OMG!!! I just made these with pork tenderloin fajitas and chipotle salsa. They held up better than any gluten free tortillas I ever bought, and they tasted way better than any flour tortillas possibly could have with this meal. I am a trained chef and a former restaurant owner. My wife has no food issues, and she couldn’t believe how these added so much dimension to our dinner. Well done minimalist baker, well done!!!!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Whoop! We’re honored that you enjoyed these so much, Mark. Thank you for the lovely review! xo

  2. Meg says

    These are amazing. My plantain was still hard but getting some brown spots on it (between green and yellow) and still produced beautiful tortillas. Will def. make these nutritious and delicious tortillas again and again!

  3. Sara Mendez says

    this was a super post. I came across your recipe about 2 weeks ago and I decided to try it out with plantain flour. Luckily I found this brand “tundelaniran foods” on qualityafricanfoods.com, the packs came in yesterday and I had to give this testimony here today. It tasted perfect. My son loved it so much. Thank you for enlightening us

  4. Carol says

    These tortillas were fantastic! I didn’t roll them by hand but instead put the dough between two pieces of parchment and used a tortilla press. I didnt need any additional starch or flour as the tortillas peel off the parchment nice and easy. I made a batch of 8 tortillas (from 2 plantains) in about 30 minutes. Took 10 min to boil, 5 min to puree in my food processor and about 15 min to press and cook them on the stove. I used one stainless steel skillet and one titanium skillet and made sure to heat them up for about 10 min ( dry) prior to cooking the tortillas. I used only a tiny bit of oil to season the skillets for the first batch but then didn’t need any more. Voila! Perfect tortillas. Thanks so much for the inspiration. This will be in my GF tortilla repertoire along with cassava tortillas and almond flour tortillas.

  5. gen says

    taste ok.
    I think it is long to do and long to cook, and complicated.
    I will try unboiled plantain next time.
    There is a lot of recipe with raw plantain tortilla, simpler and faster.

  6. Allison says

    I absolutely LOVE this recipe! So easy and the honestly taste sooo close to corn tortillas… maybe even better!! Thanks for sharing!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Allison. Thank you for the lovely review! xo

  7. Scot R. says

    I made these with 1 ripe plantain and 1 green plantain (I only had the one green one). I boiled the green plantain for 4 minutes before adding the ripe plantain and then cooked them the remainder of the 15 minutes. I used King Arthur all purpose GF flour because I was too lazy to go digging for the tapioca starch. I tried rolling them out with a rolling pin (well floured) and it stuck almost immediately, so I switched to forming them by hand, applying flour to my hands as the tortilla felt sticky. They came out really well. The flavor was awesome, and they functioned like a regular tortilla, which was awesome. Most of the GF tortillas I’ve had were flavorless and crumbled easily. I will definitely be adding these to the rotation. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  8. Jill says

    Well what a dream of a recipe. Easy, pliable, tasty, and sturdy. How do you do it? I used a cookie scoop and a tortilla press with lightly flour dusted wax paper top & bottom. I found a fish spatula to be helpful if I failed to re-flour. Cooked on a non-stick skillet, no oil required.
    Excellent!

  9. Sara @Fed by the Farm says

    I made these and they were *the-best-tortillas* I’ve ever had in my life…by a landslide. Incredible. They were a lot of work though, and messy to make, but damn delicious!

  10. Rachel says

    If you convert the amounts to metric, it says that two large plantains weigh 400 grams. But is the 400 grams for two large unpeeled plantains? Or after you peel them? Can’t wait to try this recipe!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Rachel, good question! We’d suggest using 2 large plantains vs. the weight measurement as it’s just an estimate.

  11. Robin says

    Oh my goodness!!! These plantain tortillas are heavenly! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I made them for my bean burritos last week and, while the squeakiness of the tapioca flour makes me shiver a little, I loved them so much and I started thinking how else I could use them. I don’t have room for a rolling pin right now, so used a thermos and I didn’t get them paper thin, but I cooked them for longer on low heat (flipped them twice on both sides) and it was fine. Yesterday I dreamed of a warm sandwich with peanut butter and the homemade berry jam my friend made me- using these tortillas to substitute for bread. I made that this morning for breakfast and it was soooo delicious! I just used my hands to pat the tortillas flattish this time to save washing the thermos, and that was fine for me. Thank you again!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Amazing! We’re so glad you’re enjoying them, Robin! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo

  12. Juanita says

    These came out great! I recommend using the greenest plantains you can find. I tried different ways of rolling it out and other than tortilla press (which I want to invest in now) is to lay wax paper down and cover a rolling pin in cling wrap. No tapioca needed. I cooked them in a nonstick pan with no oil. I also made extra tortillas and layered them in wax paper uncooked and kept in the freezer. They cooked well straight from the freezer to pan.