Whole Wheat Tortilla Recipe

Made using applesauce instead of some of the oil, these Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas are a delicious, yet lightened up version of your favorite wrap!

How I Got Started Making My Own Whole Wheat Tortillas

I've only made Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas once before. I was cocky and overly ambitious and thought I could make delicious, soft, pliable tortillas only using whole wheat flour, water and a pinch of salt. Let me tell you now that it did not work.

At first they were edible, but after a day in the fridge they were almost as hard as tortilla chips...yes, pun intended. I didn't even let Brett try one, but wallowed in my shame by trying to eat them throughout the week. Yet no amount of zapping in the microwave with a damp towel could rejuvenate those sad, crusty tortillas. 

Lesson learned.

I knew the next time I made tortillas I would have to give in to using oil, but most of the recipes I found online called for larger amounts of oil than I wanted to use. I knew I could try to replace half of the oil with water, but I was nervous that I would end up with another batch of stiff tortillas and an empty stomach. So instead of substituting some of the oil for water I decided to try applesauce.

Y'all. These turned out PERFECT! They're moist, foldable, bendable, healthy, hearty, lightened-up, delicious AND edible. I think my job here is done.

Serving Size For This Recipe

This recipe makes 12 medium sized tortillas which Brett and I almost ate in one week! We've eaten them with peanut butter and sliced bananas, roasted veggies and hummus, and black beans and salsa. 12 whole wheat tortillas is perfect for us.

For Burritos

If you want to use your whole wheat tortillas to make burritos (where you actually roll and fold up a larger amount of stuffing) then you can make 8 larger tortillas. 

Are Whole Wheat Tortillas Healthy?

Yes. These whole wheat tortillas are made with simple, whole food, plant-based ingredients. These tortillas have healthy fats from olive oil in them, but not too much oil that your hands are glistening with grease after you eat one.

This recipe also uses whole wheat flour which means that these tortillas are made with whole grains. Whole grains are a better source of selenium, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, iron, and folate.

Homemade Vs. Store-Bought Whole Wheat Tortillas

And I can't finish this post without comparing the ingredients list of these Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas with those of the store-bought whole wheat tortillas. I've searched a number of popular stores in hopes of finding tortillas with only a few ingredients in them and they're not easy to come by. I did find some brown rice tortillas at Trader Joe's with a beautifully short list of ingredients, but they tore so easily that I decided not to buy them again. The ingredient list of these Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas are much more "stomach-able" compared to store bought whole wheat tortillas. Check out the difference:

Ingredients In My Homemade Whole Wheat Tortilla Recipe

• Whole Wheat Flour
• Olive Oil
• Unsweetened Applesauce
• Salt
• Water

Ingredients In An Average Store-Bought Whole Wheat Tortilla

Bleached Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Shortening (Palm Oil), Salt, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Corn Starch, Calcium Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Calcium Propionate, Potassium Sorbate, Sorbic Acid, Citric Acid (To Preserve Freshness), Cellulose Gum, Dough Conditioners (Sodium Metabisulfite, Microcrystalline, Dicalcium Phosphate), Fumaric Acid

Now that's a lot of ingredients! Many of which I'd rather not put in my body. I mentioned in a previous post the Be Food Smart website and I really think you should check it out! It's a great way to see whether certain ingredients are harmful to our bodies or okay to consume. 

I hope you try out these Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas! You're stomach will thank you!

How To Make Wheat Tortillas

See below for my step-by-step pictures of the process for making whole wheat tortilla... 

Step 1: Combine the whole wheat flour, olive oil, applesauce and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is flaky, stopping occasionally to push down the flour that rides up the sides of the bowl.

Step 2: While the mixer is running, slowly add in the warm water and continue to let the mixer run until the dough becomes a smooth ball, about 3 minutes.

Step 3: Take the dough out of the mixer, roll it into a log 10-inch log, and divide the log into 12 equal sections.*

Step 4: Roll each section into a ball then slightly flatten it and place it on a baking tray to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour.

Step 5: On a lightly floured surface, take a section of dough and roll it out into a 8 to 10-inch circle tortilla. Don't use too much flour or else your tortillas will become too dry and the flour will burn on the pan.

Step 6: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.

Spray your heated pan with cooking spray, or coat it lightly with oil, and transfer your rolled out tortilla to the pan. Let it cook for about 30 to 45 seconds before flipping and cooking the other side for another 30-45 seconds.

Step 7: Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of dough until all 12 tortillas have been cooked. 

Step 8: Enjoy warm or store in a plastic bag in the fridge for a week. Or freeze them for even longer!

How To Eat These Whole Wheat Tortillas

These whole wheat tortillas are especially comforting when heated up for a few seconds in the microwave, but they are also delicious eaten cold out of the fridge!

📖 Recipe

Whole Wheat Tortillas Recipe (Lightened Up!)

Faith VanderMolen

Made using applesauce instead of some of the oil, these Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas are a delicious, yet lightened up version of your favorite wrap!

4.34 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Breads

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 12 tortillas

Calories 127 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water

Instructions 

• Combine the whole wheat flour, olive oil, applesauce and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is flaky, stopping occasionally to push down the flour that rides up the sides of the bowl.
  
• While the mixer is running, slowly add in the warm water and continue to let the mixer run until the dough becomes a smooth ball, about 3 minutes.
  
• Take the dough out of the mixer, roll it into a log 10-inch log, and divide the log into 12 equal sections.* Roll each section into a ball then slightly flatten it and place it on a baking tray to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour.
  
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
  
• On a lightly floured surface, take a section of dough and roll it out into a 8 to 10-inch circle tortilla. Don't use too much flour or else your tortillas will become too dry and the flour will burn on the pan.
  
• Spray your heated pan with cooking spray, or coat it lightly with oil, and transfer your rolled out tortilla to the pan. Let it cook for about 30 to 45 seconds before flipping and cooking the other side for another 30-45 seconds.
  Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of dough until all 12 tortillas have been cooked.
  Eat warm or store in a plastic bag in the fridge for a week. Or freeze for even longer!

Notes

*If you want larger tortillas, divide the dough into fewer sections.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tortillaCalories: 127kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 243mgPotassium: 95mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!