32 Frugal Ways To Use Tortillas (and 15 Types You’ve GOT to Try)

Ah, tortillas! They’re cheap, easy, and simple. Honestly, you can throw anything in a wrap, and you easily have a transportable meal on the go. Everyone knows about tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, but have you ever thought beyond that? Here’s a list of some of my all-time favorite uses of this amazing food… 

But first, a few facts.

Okay, so I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for some interesting facts and history, so let’s dig into the tortillas a little before we dig into the tortillas. 

Did you know that the oldest tortillas we’ve found date as far back as 10,000 BCE? When I first read that fact, it literally (okay, figuratively) blew my mind. I knew these bread pancakes had been a staple in places like Mexico and South America for ages, but I didn’t realize just how long. The original tortillas weren’t that far off from a modern-day corn tortilla. Thousands of years ago, tortillas were one of the staples of the Aztecs. Back then, they were made of maize (more commonly known these days as corn).

Once considered just ethnic food, tortillas are found in pretty much every single grocery store in North America, with approximately 120 million being consumed a year in the United States alone. How can you incorporate this frugal-friendly ingredient into your thrifty kitchen, though? Let’s take a look…

Kid-friendly uses for tortillas

1. Peanut butter and jelly roll-up
2. Banana peanut butter roll-up (a quick, easy breakfast for the kiddos.)
3. Peanut butter and honey roll-up
4. Peanut butter and Nutella roll-up
5. Peanut butter pizza (This is a term my friend’s son coined years ago. Basically, you just slather peanut butter and sometimes jam and eat it open-faced, pizza style!)
6. Pan-fried s’mores (a handful of marshmallows, a dab of Nutella or some chocolate chips, and if you want to get really fancy, a little peanut butter to spice it up. Cook it all just like you would a normal quesadilla )

Tortillas for breakfast

1. Breakfast wraps with scrambled eggs, any desired breakfast meat (I usually go with bacon), and cheese
2. Breakfast quesadillas
3. Tortilla omelet
4. Tortilla baked eggs
5. Stacked tortilla casserole

Lunch with a tortilla

1. Tuna wrap (tuna, mayo, some vegetables just for fun, and you’re set)
2. Chicken salad wrap (similar to the tuna version)
3. The classic BLT
4. Egg salad
5. Salad on the go -take all your normal salad fixings and instead of a bowl, put them in a wrap.
6. Greek wraps

Dinner date with a tortilla

1. Tortilla pizzas (take your tortilla, cover it in pizza sauce, cheese, and all your favorite pizza toppings, and back in the oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.) These make for a fun dinner the kids can help with too.
2. “Pizza pockets” – Kinda like a quesadilla, but with pizza toppings for filling.
3. Enchiladas
4. Falafel wraps
5. Tortilla soup
6. Taquitos
7. Tostadas 
8. Taco Lasagna
9. Mexican pizza (this was one of my all-time favorites growing up) – top with refried beans, salsa, meat if you’re feeling splurgey, and shredded cheese – bake until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is crisp

Snacks that incorporate tortillas

1. Homemade chips in the oven
2. Pinwheels – if you haven’t heard of these, they are absolutely amazing. They’re basically normal wraps, but they’re rolled tightly, stabbed with toothpicks, and sliced for easy two-bite servings. 
3. Cinnamon sugar chips (these taste amazing with a fruit “salsa”)
4. Caramel apple taquitos 
5. Tortilla cinnamon buns
6. A quick, easy replacement for tart shells in a pinch

There are so many kinds…

Honestly, I knew there were a wide variety of tortillas one could purchase or make, but upon scouring Pinterest, my eyes were opened even more.

If you’re looking to spruce your wraps up a little, try making your own with one of the recipes below! Honestly, a lot of these can probably be made with food you already have lying around.

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1. Of course, you’ve got your basic white tortillas,
2. Whole wheat tortillas
3. Corn tortillas
4. Spinach tortillas – these were always my favorite kind of tortilla (even if kids thought it was weird I was eating green “bread”)
5. Try sweet potato tortillas
6. Chickpea flour tortillas
7. Rice flour tortillas
8. Lentil tortillas
9. Cauliflower tortillas (this one surprised me, but honestly, it shouldn’t have. Cauliflower is the magical vegetable that can be turned into literally anything, after all.)
10. Coconut flour tortillas 
11. Zucchini tortillas
12. Your everyday gluten-free tortillas
13. Tapioca flour tortillas
14. Cheese tortillas
15. These quinoa ones, I think, are my favorite.

There are numerous other flavors and alterations (including chocolate – um, yes, please!)

Will you try any?

I know in my research, I found a few recipes that I definitely want to try. How about you? Do you have a favorite way to use the humble tortilla that I failed to mention? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section.

Happy eating!

About Chloe Morgan

Chloe Morgan grew up living with a tight budget. In her late teens and early 20’s all the lessons she’d learned started to slip, like it does for many college age students on their own for the first time, and with their first credit card. As she’s gotten older, she’s started to deal with the repercussions and has taken on a frugal way of living, keeping her costs low, as she pays off debt and saves for her future. Chloe lives in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, with her partner and their two cats.