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!
📖 Recipe
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 â…›" 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.
Ema says
Hi, I would love to make this recipe, but can't use the chickpea flour because I am intolerant. I've read in the comments that I can replace the chickpea flour with corn flour or cornstarch. Would you recommend I use the same amount of flour/starch and water indicated for the chickpea version?
Iosune says
Hi Ema! I've never made this recipe using only cornstarch, but I know some people did and it worked for them. I don't know the exactly amount of starch you should use, I'm sorry!
Bevy O says
I've never had Spanish ommlette before, but I'm vegan so I tried this simple & inexpensive recipe.
I halved the recipe for my husband & myself. I used the "healthy" version, added 1.5 tbsp of nutritional yeast and black salt. It turned out very well!! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Iosune says
Hi Bevy! I'm glad you liked it 😀
Susan says
I plan to make this. I have never heard of a Spanish Omelette, before. Would you suggest what to serve with it?
Iosune says
Hi Susan! I love to eat Spanish omelette with a huge salad 😉
susan says
Thanks!
susan says
I made this tonight and it came out wonderfully.
Iosune says
I'm glad to read that! 😀
Meagan says
I just made this today, it did not look nearly as beautiful as yours, but tasted very good... A little dense and very crumbly. I made it the unhealthy way and added nutritional yeast to the batter, do you (or anyone else) have an idea where I went wrong? Thanks so much, love the recipes! Visiting spain in a few weeks and was so excited to see how many vegan eateries/stores there are!
Iosune says
Hi Meagan! Maybe you should add more water to the batter... I hope you like my country! 🙂
Meagan says
Update and thanks. I think the water might be it. I have made this several dozen times and its always delicious, I have even made two at a time because we eat the first one so quickly. Thank you! Frittatas were my favorite thing before I went vegan, this has been an excellent replacement. (And, of course, visiting your country was amazing!)
Iosune says
Thank you so much Meagan!!! <3 I'm so glad you liked Spain 😉
Breakfast omelette says
This is virtuoso! Sticking! Saw it on FG and affection your pictures!
Iosune says
Thanks a lot!!! 😀
Vegoes says
My first trial of this recipe turned our far from an omelette. I wish I could include a picture. It looked nothing like pictures shown on this page and I am convinced the one pictured is made with egg. I made my chickpea flour with the vitamix and mixing it with water resulted in what looked like beaten eggs. took the healthier route. my potatoes and onion cooked great in oil/water mix. my final results, did not taste or look fluffy, no yellow color, and they had a taste and a slight resemblance to scalloped potatoes. they did not flip well, It fell apart even after cooking longer than recommended time.
2 stars because it was edible.
Iosune says
We are vegan, and we NEVER use eggs. I'm so sorry if the recipe didn't work for you, but lots of readers have made this recipe succesfully. The omelette you can see in the pictures is 100% VEGAN. Here in Spain there are vegan restaurants that made omelettes and you can't even notice they're vegan. We don't cheat our readers and we never will.
vegoes says
I got a new non stick pan and golden potatos. I used russets my first go. I really hope my second trial works out better. Now I want to go to Spain. what's area(s) has the largest vegan population?
Iosune says
You should visit Barcelona or Madrid 🙂
Stephanie says
How many potatoes did you use?
Iosune says
Hi Stephanie! About 4 medium potatoes 🙂
tami says
oh wow!!! Vegan spanish omelette! I can't wait to try this! We eat so many potatoes, this will be an exciting change. might add a little black salt to give it that slight sulfur/egg taste. Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Tami! I tried black salt a few weeks ago and I'm in love!!!! <3 I hope you like the tortilla!
tami says
we made this last night and both my boyfriend and i loved it! We added some cracked pepper and parsley. Going to try some different things in it next time - i think this will be one of our regular meals!
Iosune says
Great!!! I'm so glad you liked it!! Have a nice day 😀
siggy says
Tried this today. I used my non-stick pan and no oil. I did have to work at getting the bottom of the tortilla un-stuck to from the pan, but it did. I realize you need a nice crust to form on the bottom of the pan and then it will release easier. It flipped easily after it released from the pan. It was absolutely delicious, my family that is still learning to eat this way loved it as well. I am sad it is gone already. Oh well I just will have to make it again soon.
Iosune says
Hi Siggy! I'm glad you liked it!! Thanks a lot for your comment 😀
Alice says
Thanks. for your reply, you'r welcome. Sorry for the typo: it is Kala Namak (not Kalak Namak). Use twice the amount of regular salt and add at the end of a cooking process. In case of the tortilla: in the batter.
Iosune says
Okay! Thanks a lot 😀
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!