Vegan Tortilla- Spanish Omelette

Vegan tortilla, also known as Spanish omelette, is a delicious Spanish dish usually made from eggs and potato. This plant-based version is super tasty, using chickpea flour and tofu to make an easy, healthy recipe. Enjoy it for breakfast, brunch, or as part of a spring-time picnic or packed lunch!

Vegan tortilla on a plate with salad

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What is vegan tortilla?

Vegan tortilla goes by a few names- some call it Spanish omelette, or in the Spanish language ‘Tortilla Española’.  As the traditional egg base is not very vegan, I’ve come up with this delicious plant based version for you to enjoy! 

To keep this recipe on the healthier side, I’ve massively reduced the amount of oil used when cooking the potatoes and onions. The vegan tortilla recipe is just as easy, high in protein, and uses cheap ingredients.

What’s the difference between vegan Spanish omelette and frittata?

Both frittata and Spanish tortilla are a deep style of omelette, in comparison with the flat French style omelette that a lot of people are familiar with. Frittata is an Italian style deep omelette, and can contain any fillings that you have to hand. It’s also commonly finished off under the grill or in the oven.

Sliced vegan spanish omelette on a plate

Vegan tortilla Española traditionally only contains potatoes, and sometimes onion. To cook the second side of a vegan Spanish tortilla, the omelette is flipped part way through cooking. It’s also commonly served cold, unlike frittata, which is often served hot.

Which ingredients should I use for a vegan tortilla?

This recipe has just a few ingredients, keeping the cost and the complexity down to a minimum. It’s dairy free and gluten free, and I’ve also par-boiled the sliced potatoes- keeping the amount of oil used to a minimum.

It’s important that you choose the right kind of potato for this recipe. I like to use small potatoes like salad potatoes, which I find hold their shape well. Whilst floury potatoes are good for mash and recipes like pierogi, it’s important that the potatoes hold together in this recipe.

Ingredients for vegan tortilla

Vegan tortilla without eggs? 

I love making eggless versions of recipes, especially eggless frittata, scramble, and carbonara! It’s so easy to create great eggy dishes without actually having to use eggs, and this vegan Spanish tortilla is no exception.

Some recipes use just water and chickpea flour, but I find this route a bit dry and dense. Just like in my vegan frittata, I use a mix of chickpea flour and silken tofu for a softer texture. The tortilla tastes eggy because of the black salt, also known as kala namak. This salt has a higher sulphur content than normal salt, and gives vegan egg dishes a great eggy flavour. 

How to make vegan spanish omelette

Firstly, you need to get the potatoes on the go. I simmer my sliced potato for 10 minutes before putting them in the frittata, rather than frying them in large amounts of oil. Cover them with boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes, draining and rinsing with cold water once cooked.

Meanwhile, you can make the egg batter mixture. Add the chickpea flour, silken tofu, water, black salt, turmeric, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and a grind of black pepper to a blender or food processor. I love my Ninja 3-in-1 for jobs like this, as I have the choice of food processor, jug blender, or bullet sized blender. Blend the mixture until it’s completely smooth.

How to cook vegan tortilla

The pan you use to make this vegan Spanish tortilla is really important. You want to use a frying pan of approximately 20-25cm diameter, which has a good non stick coating. This will stop the tortilla from sticking to the pan and falling apart when flipping.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced onions and fry them for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned and softened. Then add in the cooked and drained sliced potatoes to the pan. Stir the potatoes and onions to mix, then make sure most of the potatoes are lying in a flat layer.

Pour the batter over the potatoes and onions in an even layer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the top has no runny liquid left sitting on it (it will still be soft).

How to flip a Spanish omelette

When the first side is cooked, it’s time to flip the omelette! The plate technique is the best way to do this, as it reduced the risk of the vegan tortilla falling apart. Take a large, flat plate, and place it upside down on top of the pan. 

With your hand on top of the plate, flip the pan upside down, moving the vegan Spanish tortilla onto the plate. Then, carefully slide the tortilla back into the pan on the uncooked side.

It can be a messy process! Don’t worry if a bit of the batter stays on the plate- this is normal and the vegan tortilla will still be great!

Cook for 3-4 minutes on the second side, then slide the cooked vegan omelette on to a clean plate to serve.

What do you eat with Spanish omelette?

Vegan potato omelette is great for breakfast or brunch, served next to a nice big salad and avocado. If you like your breakfast the English way, you can serve it with vegan sausages, baked beans, and roasted tomatoes!

As it’s great enjoyed cold, it’s also perfect for a spring or summer picnic! Pack slices of vegan tortilla alongside sandwiches, pasta salad, hummus and carrot sticks and some sweet treats like these bliss balls. Or in true Spanish tapas style, go for olives, sun ripened tomatoes, padron peppers, vegan banderillas and a jug of sangria! 

Slices of vegan tortilla also make for great snacks or additions to a packed lunch, for kids and adults alike!

Stack of vegan spanish omelette slices

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare vegan Spanish tortilla in advance?

As it’s best enjoyed cold or at room temperature, this is a great dish to prepare in advance. The omelette will keep for 4 days when kept in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze it in slices in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

How do I reheat Spanish tortilla?

This tortilla is definitely best enjoyed cold, but can be eaten warm if you would prefer. For best results, reheat in a covered oven-safe dish for 15 minutes at 180 degrees. Otherwise, you can microwave each slice for 1-2 minutes, until piping hot through.

How do I heat Spanish omelette from frozen?

If it’s frozen, it’s best let it defrost in the fridge overnight before eating cold or hot. If you want to eat it hot, you can put slices of frozen vegan tortilla in the oven for around 10 minutes until hot through, or microwave for 3-4 minutes.

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Vegan tortilla on a plate with salad

Vegan Tortilla- Spanish Omelette

Chloe from Forkful of Plants
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 6
Vegan tortilla, also known as Spanish omelette, is a delicious Spanish dish usually made from eggs and potato. This plant-based version is super tasty, using chickpea flour and tofu to make an easy, healthy recipe. Enjoy it for breakfast, brunch, or as part of a spring-time picnic or packed lunch!
4.67 from 3 votes

Ingredients
  

  • 350 g salad potatoes sliced
  • 150 g chickpea flour (1 cup)
  • 150 g silken tofu (~.5 cup)
  • 250 ml water (1 cup)
  • ¾ tsp black salt ground
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tsp garlic powder/granules
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium brown onion sliced

Instructions
 

  • Add the sliced potatoes to a saucepan, cover with boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes, draining and rinsing with cold water once cooked.
  • Meanwhile, make the batter mixture. Add the chickpea flour, silken tofu, water, black salt, turmeric, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and a grind of black pepper to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth.
  • Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a 20-25cm non stick frying pan frying pan over a medium heat.
  • Add the sliced onion and fry it for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned and softened. Add the cooked and drained sliced potatoes to the pan. Stir the potatoes and onions to mix, then arrange the potatoes in a flat layer.
  • Pour the batter over the potatoes and onions in an even layer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the top has no runny liquid left sitting on it (it will still be soft).
  • When the first side is cooked, it’s time to flip the omelette! Take a large, flat plate, and place it upside down on top of the pan.
  • With your hand on top of the plate, flip the pan upside down, moving the tortilla onto the plate. Then, carefully slide the tortilla back into the pan on the uncooked side.
  • Cook for 3-4 minutes on the second side, then slide the cooked vegan omelette on to a clean plate to serve.
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10 thoughts on “Vegan Tortilla- Spanish Omelette”

  • Anonymous says:

    Hey. Can we use regular tofu if silken tofu is not available

    • Hi! If silken tofu isn’t available then you could give this a go with regular tofu. I would try it with the softest tofu you can find, so would recommend against using any extra firm varieties, and make sure you blend it really well! If the batter looks too dry, you can add a splash of water to loosen it up. Enjoy!

  • 5 stars
    Absolutely amazing! Another delicious recipe, you never disappoint 🙂 Easy to make and a great result. Thanks!

    • So happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for the lovely feedback, I always appreciate it! 🙂

  • 4 stars
    I found mine took longer to cook than the recipe states, and I did lose a bit in the flipping, but it wasn’t bad for a first attempt. I think I was a bit too cautious with the cooking temperature because I was worried about it burning, it didn’t. I used smoked tofu so it had a real umami kick to it.

    • Thank you for the feedback Barbara 🙂 Yes, you do have to be a little bit confident with the heat on this one, to make sure it cooks through and doesn’t take too long to cook. I hope you try the recipe again. Smoked tofu sounds like a great addition!

  • 5 stars
    I fried tortilla with this recipe already 10+ times. It was always a success but I needed to fry it a little bit longer. I am also using regular tofu each time and maybe adding a little bit more of water. The best results I get when the butter is like sour cream.
    When I don’t have tofu, I am using only chickpea flower and it also works 🙂

    • Hey Talita, I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe and have made it so many times! It’s great that you’ve found different ways to make this recipe work for you 🙂

  • I’m going to make this sometime soon. I’m thinking that instead of flipping the frittata I will put it in the oven or under the broiler to finish cooking, like one would do with a regular egg frittata. Has anyone tried that?

    • Hi Laurie. I haven’t tested the recipe this way, but in theory it should work. My only concern would be the type of pan used. For example, if you used a cast iron pan, I fear that this recipe would stick, as the batter is a very different consistency to egg. However, if you have oven-proof non stick pans, this should work just fine. Please let me know how you get on!

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