All you need are 3 ingredients to make these super-soft, flexible red lentil tortillas! They are naturally gluten-free and can be used as a wrap or taco for your favorite filling.
I personally love having it as a flatbread, alongside stews and curries like my vegetable Madras, Instant Pot dal, or cabbage curry.
Lentils are a staple ingredient in our pantry. It is the ultimate budget-friendly ingredient, great for a variety of recipes, including moong masoor dal, roasted lentils, and red lentil carrot soup.
Lately, I have been loving these red lentil tortillas! Like my chickpea tortillas, they are a higher fiber, more nutritious alternative to regular tortillas.
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💚Why you will love red lentil tortillas
- A healthier alternative to regular tortillas that are soft and flexible
- Budget-friendly and only calls for simple pantry ingredients
- Versatile and can be used as a wrap, tortilla, or flatbread
- Great meal prep recipe that is freezer-friendly
🧂What you will need
- Lentils - Go with red split lentils for the shortest cooking time. If using whole lentils, increase soak time to at least 8 hours. I have yet to test with other types of lentils.
- Tapioca starch - A crucial ingredient to keep lentil wraps soft and flexible. Can be substituted with potato starch or arrowroot starch.
- Baking powder - An optional ingredient to yield slightly lighter tortillas.
💡Tip - Switch up the tortilla's flavor
- Making sweet tortillas - Omit salt and add 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite sweetener. Optionally, add a pinch of cinnamon.
- Spices - Feel free to use spices of choice, including smoked paprika, curry powder, cumin, onion powder, or garlic powder, to enhance the savoriness.
- Herbs - Any dried herbs you like. Some of my favorites include oregano, rosemary, thyme, and Italian seasoning.
- Vegetables - Add a handful of baby spinach for extra fiber and nutrients.
🔪How to make lentil tortillas
Step 1: Rinse the lentils thoroughly, then soak them in water for 2-6 hours.
Step 2: Once soaked, transfer the lentils along with the soaking water into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes.
Step 3: Heat a pan over medium heat and lightly grease it with oil. Pour in ¼ of the batter and use the back of a spoon to gently spread it out.
Step 4: Cook until the top appears dry with no wet spots, then carefully flip and cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter, then serve and enjoy!
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✔Helpful tips
- Speed up soaking - Instead of using cold water, use boiling water. Lentils will soften in 20-30 minutes.
- Use a high-speed blender - So that the lentils are blended up into a smooth batter instead of being gritty.
- Allow sufficient time for batter rest - This gives the grounded lentils time to rehydrate, yielding softer lentil wraps.
- Use a non-stick pan and a flexible spatula - To ease the cooking and flipping process.
- Reoil pan after each tortilla - Lentil tortillas tend to stick more. Re-greasing the pan between tortillas ensures they slide off the pan easily.
🌮Serving lentil tortillas
Make tacos - Fill them with your favorite filling. My go-to combo includes black beans and rice, tempeh taco meat, Chipotle salsa, shredded lettuce, and a generous dollop of tofu sour cream.
Use it as a wrap - We love slathering on paprika hummus or Thai basil pesto, then filling with roasted veggies and tofu feta.
Other great fillings include curry tofu scramble, shredded tofu, black beans, or veggie grounds!
Enjoy as a flatbread - Alongside stews and curries, including my pumpkin potato soup and soya chunks Manchurian.
Sweet fillings - Some of our go-tos include peanut butter and banana, cookie dough hummus, and Nutella (or chocolate hummus) with bananas.
Make lentil chips - Cut red lentil tortillas into triangles. Spray with oil, then sprinkle on salt and other seasonings of choice. Bake at 180 °C/350 °F for 10-12 minutes.
Or you can air-fry for 6-8 minutes at 180 °C/350 °F until crispy.
❄Storing suggestions
Storing - Transfer cooled tortillas to a zip-top bag, layering parchment paper between each layer. They can be refrigerated for 3-4 days, or frozen for 3 months.
Reheating - Allow frozen tortillas to thaw for 5-10 minutes, then warm them in the microwave at 15-second bursts. Or reheat them in a pan on both sides, until warm.
❔Commonly asked questions
A gritty batter means it needs a longer blend. Unlike high-powered blenders, standard ones require extra time to achieve a smooth consistency.
Also, make sure lentils are soaked until fully softened. Soaking split lentils for 2 hours is sufficient, but whole lentils require at least 8 hours.
Substituting red lentils with brown or green lentils is not recommended for making lentil tortillas. The green and brown varieties are tougher than red lentils and might not break down fully into a smooth batter.
Canned lentils are already cooked, making them vastly different from dried lentils. Hence, a 1:1 substitution will not work here.
📖 Recipe
3 Ingredients Red Lentil Tortillas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cup water
- 1 cup split red lentils *
- ¼ cup tapioca starch or potato/arrowroot starch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder ( optional )
Instructions
- Start by rinsing and cleaning your lentils thoroughly. Soak them in cold water for 2-6 hours, or hot water for 20-30 minutes.
- Pour in lentils along with soaking water, tapioca starch, salt and baking powder into a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.
- The batter will be on the runnier side. Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Heat up a non-stick pan over medium, and grease it with some oil. Once the pan is heated, pour in ¼ cup of batter.
- Using the back of a spoon, gently spread the batter out in a circular motion. Let it cook until the top side appears dry with no wet spots, around 2 minutes.
- Gently flip the tortilla over using a flexible silicon spatula, and cook for another minute on the other side.
- Re-oil the pan after cooking every tortilla, and repeat the cooking process until the batter is all used up. Your red lentil wraps are ready to be served!
Notes
- Speed up soaking - Instead of using cold water, use boiling water. Lentils will soften in 20-30 minutes.
- Use a high-speed blender - so that the lentils are blended up into a smooth batter instead of being gritty.
- Allow sufficient time for batter rest - This gives the grounded lentils time to rehydrate, yielding softer lentil wraps.
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Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
myriam says
do they stay soft and pliable when cold or do you need to reheat them ?
Meesha says
It is best to reheat them, but they will still be reasonably soft when cold. 🙂
Ranynne says
Can red lentil flour be used instead of the split dried lentils? If yes, how much red lentil flour should be used? Thank you
Jim Mee Sha says
I have not tested using red lentil flour; hence, would not recommend this substitution.
Chew says
hii can canned lentils be used for this recipe?
meesha says
No, the texture will not be the same. I highly recommend sticking to dried lentils ! 😊
Lisa M Headley says
I made these today! Very easy to make. The only thing I changed was to pour a little more than 1/4 cup batter for each tortilla. They taste good and cooked well!
meesha says
Happy to hear that! 😊
Marochane says
The ingredients mention arrowroot poweder and baking powder, where does it fit into the recipe instructions?
Meesha says
Sorry, I had forgotten to mention, but add them with the lentils and water to the blender before blending.
JACQUELYN says
I have done this with red lentils, water, spices, nutritional yeast. I blend it & put it in a 9" x 13" pan with parchment paper. I slice it into 8 squares & use for bread, wraps or pizza crust. Yummy.
meesha says
Oh ever thought of baking them, but sounds like a really great idea. Thanks for sharing !
Jen says
What temp and for how long do you bake this?