Tortillas are one of those classics that everyone loves. They’re a crucial part of Mexican cuisine, and whether you want burritos, enchiladas, tacos or even tortilla chips, you can’t avoid tortillas.
As nice as they are, however, they are also known for being high in carbohydrates. They are not a keto friendly food item, because they contain ingredients that cause your blood glucose levels to spike.
But, there are always alternatives. These alternatives are low carb tortillas! Low carb tortillas are generally keto friendly, all because of the different ingredients.
Lucky for you, you won’t have to go out looking for them yourselves. We’ve done all the work for you, and you can just order them online with a few clicks.
About Keto
The keto diet revolves around the idea of ketosis. What is ketosis? Ketosis is a state that the body can enter when it is not given carbohydrates to fuel it.
Instead of using carbs from your diet, which actually turns out to be glucose, the body will burn fat. When you are on the keto diet, the main goal is to reduce your carbohydrate and sugar intake as much as possible.
As it is entirely unlikely that you can ever 100% cut out carbs or sugars, there will always be tiny amounts that find their way into the diet.
However, the point is to limit this as much as possible. As a weight loss option, keto has grown in popularity, but it is a very difficult diet to stick to.
Instead, many people opt for a low carb diet, which we will briefly discuss below.
Generally, however, in the keto diet, there are strict rules to follow. Dieters will try to cut out breads, pastas, and anything else that is known to be high in carbohydrates.
This also includes things like potatoes and a number of vegetables, legumes, and fruits, too. Instead, they will turn to high fat food.
These high fat foods might include things like fish, high-fat dairy, high-fat meats, and other similar things. Any vegetables consumed must be low carb, such as asparagus and leafy greens.
Does that mean that you aren’t allowed to enjoy your burritos and wraps anymore? Absolutely not!
Of course, you can always go with a “green” option and use lettuce to hold everything together, but not everyone wants that.
If you’re on a keto diet, you can still enjoy all your favorite foods (to an extent). You just need to keep an eye out on the ingredients in everything you buy.
When it comes to tortillas, there are some options out there that are considered to be keto friendly. They might not always be the easiest to find, but they exist!
If you can manage to get your hands on them, then you can enjoy that burrito you desperately want.
The Low Carb Diet – What You Need To Know
The low carb diet is a popular way to either lose weight, or keep the weight off. It’s no surprise that carbohydrates are one of the biggest factors that contribute to weight gain.
However, as more research has been done over the years, more and more people have taken to the low carb diet.
There are three basic options on a low carb diet, but they depend on the goal of whoever is dieting. These three options could be something like:
100-150g of carbs every day – ideal for someone who is on this diet to maintain their weight or does a lot of high-intensity workouts. This amount of daily carbs offers plenty of room for the dieter to enjoy fruits and vegetables, and even potatoes and some other starchy foods.
50-100g of carbs every day – ideal for someone who wants to gradually lose weight or maintain weight. This option also leaves plenty of room for the dieter to enjoy fruits and vegetables.
Under 50g of carbs every day – ideal for someone who intends on losing weight. Plenty of vegetables can be consumed, but fruit needs to be severely limited to berries that have a low GI.
Anyone who is taking part in a low carb diet needs to minimize their consumption of things like potatoes, grains, high-sugar junk food, and drinks high in sugar.
Because of the prevalence of these items, low carb diets can be very difficult to stick to.
This is especially the case when the most affordable food items are usually the ones that are high in sugar, and things like potatoes and grains.
When we are talking about tortillas and wraps, it can be even more confusing. Why? Because these foods are carbs, aren’t they? Well, to an extent, yes.
Tortillas and wraps will always have some carbs in them, but there are measures that can significantly reduce the carb count of these foods.
In fact, the amount of carbs in the tortillas listed below are low enough to be considered carb and keto friendly. Of course, that is only the case if you stick to the recommended allowance!
About Tortillas
Okay, so we know that tortillas aren’t generally the most healthy or low carb things out there. Your typical tortilla is likely made from either corn flour or wheat flour.
Of course, this gives them that delicious taste and texture, but they aren’t great options if you’re sticking to low carb.
Low Carb Tortillas – What Are They Made From?
When it comes to low carb tortillas, they’re usually made from whole wheat flour and gluten, as well as other high fiber ingredients.
Gluten is a protein, and by adding this and the other fibrous ingredients, the glycemic load and net carbs are lowered. In simple terms, these ingredients mean that these tortillas are made keto friendly!
But…
There’s always a “but”. Unfortunately, when these ingredients are added, the texture and taste of the tortillas gets changed.
Traditional tortillas are pretty much perfect as they are, and anything that makes low carbs tortillas taste different isn’t going to be what you want.
With that being said, most low carb tortillas have exponentially improved their tortilla recipes over time. So, while they might not have been that great a few years ago, now, they’re pretty delicious.
In fact, many people probably wouldn’t even be able to differentiate between a low carb tortilla and a regular one! A lot of these tortillas are now so similar in both texture and taste.
Why? Because they found a way to balance the ingredients correctly! If you want to check out some great low carb tortillas (one even has real corn in it!) stick around.
What You Can Use Low Carb Tortillas For
Before we get into things, did you know that you can use your low carb tortillas to make delicious tortilla chips? All you need to do is fry them up and pair them with your favorite guac and salsa!
You can get that crunchy, salty snack you’ve been longing for, without all the added ingredients.
The best thing you can do is fry these tortillas up in avocado oil.
That way, you will get a whole load of fats that are delicious and keto friendly. Not to mention, you will get an infusion of delicious flavors.
We’re talked about Susalia before – but they’re amazing! These tortillas are the only ones on this list that use real corn flour in their product – plus nopal.
If you aren’t sure what that is, nopal comes from the prickly pear cactus! It is very low in carbs, and makes for the perfect binder in a number of recipes.
When nopal and corn are combined, you can get products (like these) that are super low in carbs, but still taste delicious. In fact, you will only have to have 4 grams of net carbs in a single tortilla – that’s impressive!
Considering that this is the only tortilla with real corn in it, the net carb count is just as low as the others on this list.
You can have the benefit of enjoying the delicious flavor of the corn, making these tortillas perfect for anything you can think of.
From tortilla chips to tacos and burritos, you won’t even know the difference between this and a regular tortilla.
Total net carbs present per tortilla in grams: 4
Ingredients found in these tortillas:
Corn flour
Nopal
Chicory inulin
Vegetable fiber
Iodized salt
Potassium chloride
Calcium propionate
What About The Wheat-Based Tortillas Below?
When it comes down to it, the wheat tortillas are all super similar. The texture of low carb tortillas is very similar to that of wholewheat ones, so if you’ve had one of those before, you will know what to expect.
In the end, you can probably switch between each of these tortillas without batting an eye – they’re really that similar.
The only difference between these and regular flour tortillas is in their texture. These are typically a little more chewy and thicker. All that might be different is the availability, cost, and how fresh they are.
For anyone who is trying to stick to a low carb or keto diet, the net carbs are the really important factor that comes into play.
In our experience with these products, there really is little difference. That’s probably a good thing! This is even more true when you’re using the product as a wrap or something else, they’re all exactly the same.
So, before proceeding and reading about our top tortillas, just know – there is no real winner except Susalia, because they use real corn. Enjoy!
First up for the low carb tortillas, we have Mama Lupe’s Tortillas. These tortillas have a great texture and feel a lot like the traditional stone-ground feel. Despite this, it’s still soft and a little chewy, with an amazing taste.
If you try out these tortillas, you will want to refrigerate them after you open them.
They will last a few months if they are properly refrigerated, but only a few weeks if they are left out at room temperature.
If you know that you won’t get through them very quickly, you can freeze them, too! When freezing these tortillas, they should last around six months – that gives you plenty of time to enjoy them!
Total net carbs present per 36g tortilla in grams: 3
Don’t feel like Mama Lupe’s Tortillas? Get your hands on La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat Tortillas.
These tortillas are incredibly similar to the ones mentioned above, so if you’re a Mama Lupe fan, you’ll love these. You won’t be disappointed with the flavor and texture of these.
Total net carbs present per 36g tortilla in grams: 3
If you want a tortilla with a super soft texture, you have to try these ones. Mission is known for their soft tortillas, and it’s obvious that they wanted to keep that going, even with their low carb tortillas.
While their regular tortillas are around 23g of carbs for one tortilla, these come in at only 6g per tortilla. While that isn’t the best of this list, it’s still pretty impressive.
However, when you take into consideration that these weight 42g and other tortillas are typically less, you can be a little more forgiving.
Looking at these, you probably wouldn’t even think that they’re whole wheat – they’re pretty white, after all!
That might be appealing to many, especially considering they are soft and pretty big. If you are a fan of the texture of the regular flour tortillas, you will probably love these tortillas.
Total net carbs present per 42g tortilla in grams: 6
These are the biggest tortillas on the list, and they only have 5 grams of net carbs! Their size makes them ideal for things like burritos or quesadillas.
Although they are technically wraps, they are a great option for tortilla use.
The only real difference you might notice is their slightly flatter texture compared to tortillas with that classic stone ground feeling.
If the slight difference in texture is not something that you think will bother you, it’s worth giving these a try. They’re bigger, and in some ways, better!
Total net carbs present per 45g tortilla in grams: 5
If you’re looking for a brand that specifically likes to cater to the low carb and keto market, Tumaro’s is the brand for you.
Marketed as being ideal for replacing sandwich bread, these are pretty versatile. Like some of the other brands mentioned, these whole wheat wraps are a little flatter and are technically wraps.
That doesn’t mean that they aren’t amazing for burritos, though!
Total net carbs present per 40g tortilla in grams: 6
Ingredients found in these tortillas:
Water
Whole wheat flour
Oat fiber
Vital Wheat Gluten
Soy flour
Canola oil
Calcium propionate
Mono-diglycerides
Salt
Guar gum
Lecithin
Dried honey powder
Potassium sorbate
Fumaric acid
Natural flavor
Xanthan gum
Baking powder
Sodium bicarbonate
Cornstarch
Enzymes
Sodium metabisulfite
Final Thoughts
What do you think of your list of tortillas you can get while on the keto or low carb diet? You will never find the perfect substitute for these items.
The nature of tortillas and all similar food items is that they contain some amount of carbs. These carbs can be reduced significantly by using things like nopal powder, but it will never fully get rid of them.
Thankfully, you don’t have to be rid of them all. As long as you aren’t on a super strict keto or low carb diet, all the options listed above are great.
If you are committed to no carbs (or as low as you can possibly get), then it is best to simply avoid tortillas altogether. They will always be waiting for you when you change your mind.
If, however, you still want to have all your favorite foods while keeping it keto friendly and low carb, indulge!
These tortillas will help you keep carbs low, all the while allowing you to have those tacos and burritos you need. Just be sure to skip all the other carb heavy add ons you might usually go with!
Hi, I’m Aubrey, and I have been a chef for close to 8 years. Cooking has always been a passion of mine, as long as I can remember. I loved my play kitchen when I was a kid, and would offer my parents my own (albeit gross) cookie recipes to taste!
Here at ButterandSaltGatherings, I want to offer a wide range of ingredients, flavors, meals and recipes so that you can start living each day to the fullest, and enjoy only the best food.
