The Best Keto Alternatives For Tortillas

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According to American Fitness Professionals & Associates (AFPA), the keto diet initially developed when physicians began studying it to treat epilepsy. The first case study took place in France in 1911, but it wasn't until the 1990s that the keto diet gained more traction due to an episode of Dateline. The episode that aired in October 1994 highlighted the story of a little boy named Charlie who was put on the diet to help reduce his seizures — inspiring many to research and try it for themselves. Now, the search for keto alternatives to tortillas, bread, and other popular carb-heavy foods is a common quest.

Healthline explains that the term keto is short for ketosis, which is the name of the process of body fat being burned for fuel. The average person's body is usually burning glucose instead since most of the food we eat contains many carbs. Eating low-carb food is the key to mastering the keto diet as the central tenants of keto recommend having no more than 50 total grams of carbohydrates each day.

Losing weight might be difficult while experiencing food cravings for (delicious) higher-carb foods such as tacos, burritos, and wraps. Corn and flour tortillas alone are exceedingly high in carbs that are not beneficial for your health. Fortunately, eating a taco will no longer be impossible when on a keto diet, thanks to these alternative tortilla ideas.

Coconut flour is a great option when baking most sweet treats like muffins and cookies. It's also just as useful for curries, soups, and bread. Coconut flour is especially useful for tortillas when you're on a keto diet and want to use alternatives for wheat flour.

The way coconut flour is processed aids in reducing its fat in comparison to many other types of flour in which the amount of fat will remain unchanged. Healthline explains that an ounce of coconut flour contains 18 grams of carbs. This may seem rather high for keto dieters, but that number will spread out once you mix it with a large amount of water and eggs. Because coconut flour is excessively absorbent, there's no need to use more than ¼ cup to make your tortillas. If there are any noticeable lumps in your coconut flour, use a sieve to disintegrate them. You'll then be left with a bowl of smooth coconut flour that you can form into tortilla disks.

Coconut on its own provides many benefits for keto dieters in particular, and for overall nutrition. This superfood has water high in electrolytes, which Cleveland Clinic says helps people balance fluids outside and within their cells. If you consider the combination of slightly sweet and mildly wholesome to be a power couple, coconut tortillas will take your and your keto diet on a double date.

Not all vegetable-based tortillas are good for the keto diet. Thankfully, cauliflower is one of the good ones, either as a keto side dish for your next dinner party or as a replacement for flour in tortillas. It has a great low-carb profile, and a cup of cauliflower carries three grams of carbs, according to the USDA Nutrient Database. This vegetable may not be everyone's favorite due to its bland taste, but to be fair — tortillas don't have a prominent flavor either. Putting these two together creates keto-friendly food that will go well with other low-carb ingredients that can pack more flavor.

Cauliflower tortillas are the whole package as this concoction is gluten, grain, and nut-free — an exceedingly accessible option for not only keto-dieters but many people with food sensitivities. It's important to note that the amount of carbs per serving depends on the size of the tortilla. If you are extremely cautious about how many carbs you want to include in your meals daily, it might be best to refrain from making larger tortilla shells. Additionally, Sure Keto recommends it as a better step to make homemade cauliflower tortillas since many store-brand versions — such as Caulipower and La Tortilla Factory — contain 40 to 50 net carbs.

Nori is the whole package when it comes to a keto diet — it's low in calories, carbs, and fats. Sure Keto explains that if you serve 10 grams of nori, it will only include 0.5 grams of net carbs.

Since nori has such a small amount of carbs and fats, it's beneficial to use it as an addition to the dish you create as long as the other ingredients also have low carbs and more fats in comparison. The keto diet helps you burn fat instead of glucose, so you'll need to incorporate a sustainable amount of foods with healthy fats to keep you energized, full, and nourished throughout the day. Some examples of keto-friendly oils that contain healthy fats and go well with nori sheets are virgin olive oil and MCT (Medium-Chain Triglycerides) oil. The way nori is processed is also helpful as it's protected from oils, sweeteners, and other food additions that aren't keto-friendly. Blue Dragon's nori sheets are a strong example of this.

Nori sheets have a faint salty taste that blends well with other ingredients. Incorporating tofu and some slices of cabbage will make your wrap delicious while continuing to be keto-friendly. If this sounds like a good meal, make sure to drizzle some water on the edges of the nori sheets before you wrap everything up. Moisture is needed to keep the sheets glued together since they're naturally dry.

Pita bread can be relatively high in carbs which wouldn't be good for your keto diet. On another note, you can buy or make a keto version of pita bread which can be helpful to use as a keto-friendly tortilla. Carb Manager explains that the average pita bread is created with white flour, which results in it having 28 grams of net carbs out of 29 carbs in total, while keto-friendly pita bread has four grams of net carbs out of 10 total. 

Keto pita bread also includes a range of keto-friendly ingredients that are great to use for any kind of tortillas you want to make or use for your dishes. Almond and coconut flour helps reduce pita bread net count from 28 to approximately four carbohydrates per serving. Psyllium husk is also a great alternative that keto bakers can add to their pita bread recipe instead of wheat flour,  as it doesn't contain fat, reduces cravings, and stabilizes blood sugar levels. Ground flax can be just as useful for making keto pita bread as it is for forming wraps with a flaxseed base. It can also be used as an ingredient in flour replacements.

Do you want to use tortilla shells that are both beautiful and healthy? Options such as beet wraps from Angelic Bakehouse can satisfy multiple needs at once. These reddish tortillas are flavored with beet juice and are accessible to those who are lactose-intolerant, vegan, and allergic to nuts. 

On another note, you should be cautious about beets and any food they're a part of because Medical News Today notes that a single cup of raw beets includes 13 grams of carbs. Although the beet wraps contain whole wheat flour and have more net carbs than other keto alternatives, they're still nutritious. However, it does require more attention to your macronutrient counts in order to include them within your meals. Naturally, this extra planning step may not be ideal. Still, each tortilla you use will only have two grams of fat and sugar. Beets don't require additional sugar as it's inherently sweet with an earthy taste. 

The naturally red vegetable may not be the most recommended ingredient for your keto diet, but you don't have to avoid it entirely. Using less than one cup of beets or making a dish with a single beet tortilla should be fine on any given day. Just make sure to pay attention to the nutrition facts and manage accordingly if you're concerned about breaking the diet.

Similar to the nopal cactus, jicama is another well-loved ingredient in Mexico. The vegetable works well for the keto diet, especially in tortilla form, like those from the brand eaturXica, which contain only 0.7 grams of net carbs per serving (via Whole Foods). Jicama has been described as very similar to turnips, which is another keto-friendly vegetable. Both jicama and turnips are root vegetables with a sweet and nutty flavor. With that being said, ingredients that contrast the sweetness of jicama are the ones that are best included in your next wrap. 

Lime juice is a popular and keto-friendly choice often included in most dishes that include jicama. However, it's important to note that just because something doesn't inherently break your keto diet doesn't mean you shouldn't measure your ingredients. Using too much lime juice (or other acidic ingredients) will ruin the purpose of you using the jicama tortillas in the first place. Choosing Nutrition notes that a single lime has five net carbs. If you don't want to risk breaking your diet, stick to using less than one lime on your jicama wraps.

Incorporating jicama tortillas into your diet will give you two victories for the price of one — you get to try a vegetable you've most likely never tasted or even heard about before, and you get to maintain your state of ketosis.

Sometimes the most effective tortilla to eat on a keto diet is one that's not a tortilla at all. Think of something fresh that doesn't require dough, for instance. Presenting lettuce — one of the most popular green vegetables to eat while on a keto diet. Is it Keto? notes that an entire head of lettuce is nearly 5.6 grams of net carbs — that is a strong indicator that you will have an even smaller intake of carbs by cutting lettuce to make your wraps. A single cup of shredded lettuce includes just over one gram of net carbs.

The keto diet doesn't discriminate against any type of lettuce, as all kinds are keto-friendly. Eating lettuce with a darker shade of green is highly recommended as they contain more nutrients, according to Eat Right. On another note, lettuce with larger leaves, such as butter and romaine, and even lighter green kinds like iceberg lettuce will be easier to use as wraps for your keto-alternative dishes. You may have to trade size for total overall nutrition; however, lettuce is a good keto tortilla option however you look at it.