Tortilla (or Spanish Omelette) has always been one of my favorite dishes, since I was a child. It's a typical Spanish recipe, probably one of the most famous in our country. We call it "tortilla de patatas" (potato omelette in English) and it's made of eggs, potatoes, olive oil and salt, and some people add onion too. This is a vegan version and it's so delicious, you won't even notice the difference!
Traditional Spanish Omelette is made with potatoes fried in olive oil, it's really yummy, but it's not very healthy, so we're gonna share with you the traditional recipe and a healthier version, that only requires two tablespoons of oil.
Here in Spain we always use olive oil for cooking, but you can also use whatever oil you like. I love olive oil, I couldn't live without it!
We've used gram or chickpea flour with cold water instead of eggs, it's really cheap, simple and easy, and it tastes amazing. There are other alternatives to substitute the eggs but this is our favorite. This recipe is gluten, soy and dairy free and it's also vegan, requires 6 ingredients, or 5 if you don't want to add onion (but I really recommend it!). Have you ever tried tortilla or Spanish Omelette? It's really tasty, you're gonna love it!
Love it? Leave a rating!
Tortilla (Spanish Omelette). Vegan and Gluten Free
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 medium potatoes
- ½ onion
- 16 tablespoons gram or chickpea flour
- 16 tablespoons water, + 1 cup or 250 milliliters water if you make the healthy version
- Salt to taste
- Dash of black salt or Kala Namak, optional
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and wash them. Cut them in half lengthwise. Then, slice the potatoes in pieces approximately 3 mm or ⅛" thick. Peel and chop the onion into small pieces.
- At this step, you'll have to choose one version. Healthy version: In a non-stick frying pan, place one or two tablespoons of olive oil and when the oil is hot, add potatoes, onion, salt to taste and 250 milliliters or 1 cup of water and bring it to boil. You may need to turn down the heat slightly, so the potatoes do not burn. Cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally. Remove the potatoes and onion from the pan with a slotted spoon. Traditional version: In a non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat, add potatoes, onion and salt to taste. The oil should almost cover the potatoes. Cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally. Remove the potatoes and onion from the pan with a slotted spoon.
- In a bowl, place 16 tablespoons of gram flour and 16 tablespoons of water, add salt and beat by hand with a fork. Pour in the potato onion mixture. Mix all together.
- Place one or two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and heat on medium heat. Pour in the potato onion mixture and cook over medium heat for about five minutes. Place a plate over the tortilla and turn it around and cook the other side for about another 5 minutes. Turn the tortilla again if required until it's totally cooked.
- Add black salt to get a truly authentic egg-like taste.
Notes
- Follow steps 1, 3, and 4 in both versions.
Alice says
I made your recipe and was pleasantly surprised by the result.
May I suggest a third method for cooking the potatoes? Put a small layer of oil in the skillet. When warm add the potato and onion slices. Stir for a couple of minutes till all is covered with oil and has become warm. Put a lid on the skillet and turn the heat to low. Let it braise quietly till soft. I used a non-stich frying pan and stirred it twice to get an even result. Nothing sticked. This way you maximize the flavour with as little oil as possible.
It will taste even better if you replace the ordinary salt for Kalak Namak or Black Salt. This salt is actually pink and comes from India and is a Himalayan salt cooked with a special type of berry. This gives will give the dish an eggy, slightly sulfuric taste. It can be bought in Asian shops or online. (For the Netherlands: Salsamentum.nl).
In my experience when you start with making the chickpea batter and let it rest till used, the mixture will be far less likely to stick.
Iosune says
Hi Alice! Thanks a lot for the ideas!!! 🙂 Have a nice day!!
Karen Joslin says
Those are great suggestions! I love the idea of cooking the potatoes in a little oil with a cover on top. Will definitely try mixing up the chickpea batter first, too.
I just made the tortilla for dinner, and we loved it. It was a lot thicker than in the photo, so flipping was not going to happen. We ended up broiling the top in the oven (non-stick skillet with plastic on the handle, so putting the whole thing in and baking it wasn't possible). I'm going to watch the video to see how the flipping is supposed to work.
Great recipe, Iosune, thanks for sharing!
Iosune says
Hi Karen! Maybe you should add less flour next time 🙂 Thanks a lot for making the recipe!!!
Luis says
This is exactly how I've always made egg-based tortilla with not too much oil - with a lid, it works a treat and you get the same creamy potatoes and onions as with lots of oil - but don't use too little oil, it's got to be plenty but not inches of it! Also agree that the black salt is really worth hunting down!
Iosune says
Hi Luis! Thanks a lot for your comment 😀 Have a nice day!
Lila says
Holy Smokes! I can't wait to make this asap. Now if it were only Sunday morning and I could make it now!
Iosune says
Hi Lila! You need to try this recipe, I love it! I hope you like it 🙂
Carla says
Hola,
I just found this recipe and made it over the holidays and am in love! Simple egg dishes are one of the few things, really only thing, that I still miss from pregan days and this one tasted and had the texture of a true Spanish tortilla. I will try to bring myself to try the 'healthy' version or may just save this for special occasions when I really need a little extra fat. Happy to have found your site and Happy New Year.
Iosune says
Hola Carla! 🙂 Thanks a lot!!! This vegan tortilla tastes soooo good and is pretty healthy and cruelty-free, I love it!!! Happy 2015!!!
Juliana Towers says
Hi,
Thank you very much for this recipe. I cooked this for dinner last night. My hubby and I loved it. So happy to find this website. We will try your other recipes soon. We live in UK, but will be going to stay in Costa Del Sol this winter for five months.
Iosune says
Hi Juliana! I'm so happy you liked the recipe 🙂 I live in Costa del Sol, it's beautil and the weather is amazing 🙂 I hope you like it!
Svena says
Looks fantastic! Definitely I'm gonna try it soon. Thanks a lot!
Iosune says
Hi Svena! Thanks 🙂 I hope you like it!
Svena says
I could not turn it over perfectly, but it tastes so good. Next time I'll try to cook this tortilla in the oven to avoid turning;))
Iosune says
Hi Svena! It's not easy at the beginning to turn it over 😛 You can watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvlkYYdIBV0 (minute 2:28). It's not vegan, and it's in Spanish, but it could be useful 🙂
Svena says
Thanks for link, it really helps. I did the omelette again and it turned out perfect. Amazing recipe, amazing taste.
Iosune says
Great! 🙂
Natasha says
I've never had tortilla, but this looks amazing. I will use black salt to give it more eggy flavour.
Iosune says
Hi Natasha! I've never tried black salt, thanks for the idea!
Paula says
This looks amazing! I am doing a year of study abroad in Granada and I am gluten and corn free vegan, it not that easy for me to eat anything besides tomatoes and olives here! I want to experience the food as much as possible and your blog is making that possible! I have eaten tortilla twice since I got here, at a my landlord's party and at one of the cuevas in Scromonte barrio...neither were vegan but I felt like I was insulting my hosts, and I was really hungry! Do you know of any specialty stores in Granada? I am looking forward to trying your Spanish recipes! I have looked at your Spanish language blog as well, I am very pleased to have found you! If you have any suggestions for me and eating I would be most appreciative! Muchas Gracias
Iosune says
Hi Paula! It's hard to eat vegan and gluten-free here in Spain, but it's not impossible! I try to go to Asian or vegan restaurants. You should go to El Piano, it's vegan and gluten-free (https://www.el-piano.com/). Happy Cow is a great web to find vegan restaurants and stores (https://www.happycow.net/) and there's an Android app too. I hope you like it!
Leigh says
I was wondering does the recipe work as well if done with, say, broccoli, mushroom, and/or bell peppers along with the onion but minus the potato? I will try it with the potato but would also like to be able to change it up once in a while too. I'm gluten and egg free (gluten intolerance and newly developed egg allergy), but miss the fluff of real egg omelets, so I am super excited to find this recipe. Can't wait to try it! Thank you!! 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Leigh! I've always made this recipe with potatoes, but I think it could work if you use other veggies. I hope you like it!
Elena says
Hi, even though I am not a vegan, I am looking into recipes without animal product (I love animals!). One of my favorite dishes (or side dishes) is tortilla española. I was raised in Madrid and we ate tortillas very often. Your vegan tortilla española recipe popped up when I was doing my research and I am extremely happy and excited about making them following your recipe/ instructions. I love this vegan version and the pictures look amazing!
Alberto says
Hi! Glad you loved the recipe, Elena! 🙂
Hope you like the result!
Jackie M. says
Just made your vegan tortilla. So delicious! We lived in Spain for a few years when I was a teenager and this was my favorite food there besides the olives! I have a conversion chart that said 16 tablespoons equals one cup so that made it easier to measure. Thanks for sharing and greetings from Texas!
Alberto says
Thanks for the advice Jackie! Next time I make tortilla, I'll use one cup instead of 16 tbsp.
Louise Solari says
I made this today for the first time and it was fantastic! We live near Alicante and we missed tortillas, not any more 🙂 Thank you!
Iosune says
Hi Louise!!! I really love tortilla, and this vegan version is awesome 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
Luke says
Hi there!
Thanks for the recipe. I had a go, and I really like the consistency and the look of it, but for me the flavour wasn't quite there. Everyone else here seems impressed by the flavour so I don't know, maybe the chickpea flour I used wasn't so good. Or perhaps just not to my taste. I'm gonna have a go at making one using tofu instead of chickpea flour see how that works.
Cheers
Iosune says
Hi Luke! You can also use cornstarch or cornflour, it has a less intense flavor. You can use only cornstarch or half chickpea flour, half cornstarch. I hope you like it!
Susan says
Hi Luke, I also found that the taste wasn't quite there. I will make it again with more onions, more water in the chickpea flour and I think I might spice it up a little. Otherwise it was certainly filling and not unpleasant - just not what I expected.
Iosune says
Hi Susan! I'm sorry the recipe didn't work for you, but it's really similar to the classic Spanish omelette, aka tortilla de patatas 🙂