Healthy Zucchini Soft “Taco” Tortilla Shells
This popular zucchini tortillas recipe is one of our most popular recipes on our site, originally published in July 2015. 
Low Carb Tortillas Made with Zucchini
Last year in 2014 it started with this crazy zucchini tortilla inspiration because we couldn’t hardly find any reference to zucchini tortillas online. So we said “let’s make healthy zucchini taco shells!” Why not? Everyone was making pizza crusts with cauliflower so why not use up all this leftover zucchini? As odd as it many have sounded it actually has become one of our favorite year round recipes and can’t believe we’re finally sharing it almost a year later. We should have shared it right away when we made it last year, but our busy commercial photography lives got in the way.
When we drowning in zucchini recipes for our future magazine project, we had these zucchini soft taco tortilla shells on the top of our list. We invited 5 of our neighbors over for taste testing on the majority of our magazine recipes and these zucchini taco shells had some of the most enthusiastic responses. Maybe it was unique and something they had ever seen or tasted before. Or maybe it was healthy. What ever it was, it was always mentioned as the memorable and delicious tasting zucchini recipe they’ve ever had.
Think beyond the taco tortilla shell and these zucchini tortillas are also a great snack. We just made these again tonight and snacked on the shells alongside a martini and whiskey sour. That alone is a great pairing, you should try it with your favorite beer or cocktail! More taco recipes using these low carb tortillas coming to the blog soon!
-Diane and Todd
Video: Healthier Zucchini Tortillas Recipe :
How to Make Tortillas Made with Grated Zucchini 
Here’s our current–> Zucchini Recipe Collection and Zucchini Noodle Recipes
Healthy Zucchini Soft "Taco" Shells
Squeezing out as much excess water in the grated zucchini will make the taco shells a little more “firm”. One method is to microwave the zucchini till moisture releases, then squeezing out the water. Or lightly sautéing the zucchini for a few minutes, then squeezing out the water. Just be careful to not cook the zucchini too much or use too much oil, or else you’ll get mush.
Ingredients
- 4 cups zucchini (950ml) , coarsely grated
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (120ml)
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs (60ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 450° F.
- Remove as much moisture as you can from the zucchini. Add zucchini to large bowl and mix in remainder of the taco shell ingredients (egg, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and cumin).
- Cover baking sheets with parchment paper or oven proof baking mat. Scoop about ¼ cup of mixture and press down on baking pan into a thin circle, about 5” wide. Repeat for remainder of mixture.
- Bake shells for about 25 minutes, or until the shells look “crisp’ and brown around the edges. We like to bake the shells a little longer for a more charred texture and flavor. Just be careful to not bake too long or else the shells dry out and are hard to peel off.
- After zucchini soft taco shells are cool, gently peel them off the parchment paper.
Did you make this recipe?
Let us know what you think!
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I love zucchini so these were a must try! Boy were they delicious! I made them for the whole family and even the kids loved them!!
We absolutely love these!
They have become a ‘staple’.
I use whatever cheese I have in the fridge to go along with the Parmesan.
I love these for Taco Tuesday!
Yes, we love them!!!. Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!
I’ve never had these before — I can’t wait to try them!
These are just brilliant and such a good alternative for the low carb lifestyle. Love this recipe.
Thanks so much! These definitely are lower carb and delicious.
We tried these and they are fantastic! Thanks for the great recipe!
We are starting a healthier diet and this is such a great way to enjoy our favorite tacos without the extra carbs! Brilliant!
I just love how versatile zucchini is! Can’t wait to try these!
This is a great idea for our low carb taco night!
Made these today.(substitued flax meal for bread crumbs. Used on chicken tacos with homemade salsa verde. Wow!! What a hit!!
Hi Barbara, we’re thrilled that you enjoyed these! And love homemade salsa verde!
I made these for the second time today, they were delish the first time…. my ongoing confusion is to measure the zucchini before or after squeezing the water out? Also, this is a wonderful thing for gardeners, saves having to anonymously leave zucchini on neighbors’ doorsteps! I grate, squeeze dry and freeze so they’re ready go for wraps, adding to sauces, etc.
Hi Marsha, glad you are enjoying the recipe the 2nd time around. Our measurement for the zucchini is before we squeeze out the water. And yes, it’s a great recipe for anyone who has an excess of zucchini!
Just made these and they came out great! I put the zucchini in a mesh colander and put another bowl inside it and pressed the heck out of it. Then I let it sit in the colander for about an hour before I mixed it with the other ingredients. My math is bad and somehow ended up with 7 instead of 8 but they cooked in 25 minutes and didn’t stick to the parchment paper at all. Will definitely make them again!
I made these today and they were delicious, I think I will try flax seed next time as I didn’t put bread crumbs in it (in ketosis right now). Going to make again next week with fish tacos. Thanks for the recipe, it will be in my arsenal as I continue down my journey to be more healthy.
Regards
Used a potato ricer to get the liquid out….worked beautifully! Thanks for this great recipe, so many options.
I had to make a few substitutions. I only had 3 cups of grated zucchini so I grated a yellow squash and added it in too. The little grocery store that I went to did not have fresh parmesan so I used 1/2 grated monterey jack and 1/2 cup dry parmesan/romano blend. I also did not have plain bread crumbs and used Italian. They were delicious the only thing I will do different next time is to not add the salt since the parmesan supplies enough, and I might try making a batch without the bread crumbs. I don’t know if using the Monterey Jack made the difference but mine did not stick at all the parchment paper. I was able to pick them up without peeling the paper away.
Just made these and they were easy and worked perfectly as soft taco shells. I thought they were better than cauliflower.
So excited about this recipe! I squeezed the zucchini really dry. For some reason, I didn’t have parm, but I used a little Mexican cheese blend with cotijo instead. I was worried about them sticking so I put in a couple teaspoons of olive oil, but with the extra cheese it wasn’t necessary. Next time I’m going to try a little almond flour instead of the bread crumbs. I also left out the garlic and cumin powder and used a little of that Costco salt substitute and some Lawry’s. These are really good and hold up well for tacos.
Has anyone stored these after making them??
Have you ever tried to freezer these taco shells. They are so yummy and wondered if this was an option.
What can I use instead of breadcrumbs? I do not eat grains. Thank you.
Panko makes Gluten Free! I don’t know if that is your concern or if you don’t eat any grain at all! But if it’s a gluten issue, these work great
Instead of baking this, can I use a tortilla press or maker?
Has anyone tried this with flax seed instead of eggs?
I just made these, they are so good! Did not have any breadcrumbs on hand so I ground up some oats and it worked perfectly. This will be a definite repeat in the future – thanks.
You have so many recipes with Zucchini 🙂 I will try them 🙂
For those of us on low carb diets, will this recipe work if we omit the bread crumbs?
I replaced the bread crumbs with 1/4 c of what ever kind of cheese I wanted, I have used mozzarella and I have used hot pepper jack, both work fabulously!!! I love these and I use them like bread!!! LLLLLOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! <3<3
I love this idea!! We are dairy free what could we do instead of the Parmesan??
Yey, finally healthy taco recipe! 🙂
Well! So much discussion about substituting flours and cheeses. What about subbing for the main ingredient? Instead of zucchini, what about other veggies? Sweet potato? Kale? I imagine anything that could go in a quiche might work. After all, hat is what these look like: little flat toasty quiches!
I would love to see the nutritional information on these!
go to nutritiondata.com and plug in the recipe…they break it down totally…awesome site
Do you think I can subistitute parmasan? Maybe I could do this with old cheddar cheese?
We’ve never used old cheddar cheese and not sure how it would bake. If you try it, let us know how it goes! Thank you.
I made these with some crushed gluten free corn cereal instead of the bread crumbs and grated Mexican mix cheese. Delicious! I made them a little smaller too. Enjoyed the different options for seasoning like my taco seasoning and paprika. They baked up so nice. Thank you!
It’s great idea, however sounds like a lot of work. I frequently use lettuce shells as a taco shell when eating low-carb.
Hello! I love this. I have cut out sugar and starch. I am going to try this in enchiladas or like crepes! What a great idea. I love inventive cooks!!!!
Aloha All:
I created the Tortillas with the following recipe changes ***
As they were freshly made and I had several clients that day….they all had one, just as a snack…by that evening I had several requests for the recipe. SOOO GOOD!!! One of my clients asked if I would adopt them…LOL…and invited me to their home for dinner next time I am in town.
Blessings, Anne
Ingredients:
4 cups (950ml) zucchini, coarsely grated *** I used the KitchenAid Spiralizer and cut noodles
1 large egg
1/2 cup (120ml) grated parmesan cheese *** I used 3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup (60ml) bread crumbs *** I used brewers yeast
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin *** I used 1/2 teaspoon
HI since I can’t eat things like wheat, corn or white flour or rice or high in arginine or that basically digest into sugar. But i can eat things high in lysine do you know what I can substitute the flour or bread crumbs with? Thanks
I used ground flax seed with great results!
how much flax seed
Made these today they were amazing! Thank you for your creativity!
These were amazing!!! First time I made them I had a problem peeling them off the parchment so this time I used non-stick aluminum and it worked perfectly.
I seemed to follow the recipe, but managed to smoke up the entire apartment and set off the fire alarms. Any idea what I did wrong?
did you use wax paper instead of parchment? Daughter did that & got a smokey kitchen
These are ridiculously good! Great idea for zucchini
Has anyone tried using a juicer to extract all the moisture?
Is there a way to make these gluten and dairy free?
Substitute the bread crumbs with Katz’s gluten free bread crumbs!!
is there something I can replace the bread and cheese? IM having to go gluten free and dairy free and its been hard to find stuff I can eat with both
I made these last night -they turned out great. Even my hubby who is a staunch zucchini-hater liked them.
How long will these last if you want to make a bunch ahead for a meal? Would you put them in fridge and then reheat? Or leave them out at room temp? Thanks!
Hi Susanna, we’ve eaten them right away and haven’t stored them yet. Hopefully a reader who has stored the will give us some feedback. thanks!
I made a batch yesterday and placed them in the fridge, with parchment paper between each tortilla. I reheated them in the microwave for about 15 seconds and they were great!
*I would not leave them at room temp with eggs and cheese in it 😉
If you are intolerant to anything. Don’t do it. It is disgusting reading comments asking for substitutes for almost most of the ingredients! a Zuchinni Tortilla without Zuchinni!
This recipe is perfect!!!! Just cut out the breadcrumbs and served it with a side of Mexican riced cauliflower. Great keto/low carb meal. Everyone in my house was impressed.
Thank you for your comment! My first thought in reading the recipe was, I wonder if I could use a touch of arrowroot powder instead of breadcrumbs. I can just eliminate the crumbs altogether. This looks very promising!
We have something similar to these here in Thailand, although they make them thicker – sort of in between a soft taco shell and an omelette. They are delicious and are great paired with so many different things. I sometimes eat mine with a bowl of rice, some potatoes in massaman curry and the zucchini omelette/taco thing. So good. Must try to make yours 🙂
I didn’t use breadcrumbs at all, I used 3/4 cup of the cheese instead of 1/2 cup and they turned out perfect. Good for those who are gluten intolerant and/or low carbing. Yum, thanks for the perfect idea!
i SO NEED a garden, just made these for lunch w fish, oh my STARS, they will be made again and again try different spices but so good,
I totally need to make this recipe. My fridge is loaded with Zucchini from my garden. Oh, and I took your food photography course on Creative Live and I loved it! I learned soooo much from it; thanks guys!
“Is there anything I can use to substitute the zucchini? I am vegetable intolerant.” Come on people, if you know your diet restrictions you should know your substitutions too. Leave the poor people alone. I understand some people can’t eat wheat and some people can’t eat dairy and some people are vegan. Do your own homework.
Can’t wait to try this
These are in the oven and smell but even using less than a quarter cup I still only got six. Did I not pack the zucchini down enough?
Do you have nutritional information on these? Thanks
Sorry, no we don’t.
I plugged the ingredients into my MasterCook recipe software, and obtained the following nutritional information:
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 55 Calories; 2g Fat (38.4% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 30mg Cholesterol; 192mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fat.
Calorie count?
Not sure, but high on delicious.
I plugged it into My Fitness Pal and it came up with 55 calories apiece if you get 8 out of the recipe! Blows flour or corn tortillas away!! I’m thinking about making bigger ones to use making sandwich wraps.
Do you have a suggestion to substitute for the egg?thnx
Crystal, I am vegan, so use powdered egg substitute. It has worked the same as eggs in any recipe so far.
you can also use 1 tbsp flax seed meal and 2&1/2 tbsp water to make a “vegan egg”. Google it and you will find more info
Hi Crystal, You could use 1 tbsp flax seed meal and 2&1/2 tbsp water to make a “vegan egg”. If you google it you will find more info!
This looks like a great concept and as a vegan was wondering how the recipe could be tweaked? I can use egg substitutes , whole grain bread crumbs, but I know the melted cheese is critical to the chemistry of why this works….ideas for a functional substitute? Thanks!
I’d add a tablespoon of ground flax seed, or crushed chia seed. They’ll both absorb the moisture from the zucchini and become gelatinous enough to hold everything together. You might even need to add a teaspoon or two of water if they zucchini isn’t juicy enough. 😀
I am wheat free so will try this with another type of flour. Rice flour will not do so maybe almond flour or coconut flour. I will let you know how it turns out when I try it.
Garbanzo bean flour would work well
Please let me know, I am also wheat free and I was thinking the same thing…Sounded great and then I saw the bread crumbs in the recipe.
I am planning to use gluten free bread crumbs…I toast UDI white bread and make crumbs in my food processor 🙂
I was wondering the same thing. I also thought about using oatmeal ground up in my blender. I just tried these last night and they were amazing. I hope to hear about your trial of different the different flour used.
I tried these last night with Alton Brown’s steak recipe: http://altonbrown.com/steak-on-coals/. Then topped the meat with homemade pico de gallo and lime juice…..so amazing!!
I have one question: I’m lactose intolerant. Is there something I could do to replace the parmesan cheese? Like maybe add more bread crumbs?
I just recently heard you can replace the cheese with brewers yeast. It actually tastes very similar to the flavor cheese adds to recipes. I am making mine right now and did this. Hopefully I’m right! LOL!
Wait! I was told that there was no lactose in cheese, was I misinformed?
take a look here for lactose & cheese info:
http://lifehacker.com/the-best-cheeses-to-eat-if-youre-lactose-intolerant-1563386663
Can’t wait to try this!! Looking into substitutes for the parmesan and bread crumbs. Saw flax and yeast suggestions. I imagine that rice flour would work, it’s gluten free.
Can you tell me which of your Pinterest boards this is pinned on? I cannot find it under healthy or zucchini.
if you scroll in the upper left corner of any of the picture the pin it comes up or right at the end of the recipe it says pin 😉
Omg my husband ate 4. Used traditional hamburger, taco seasoning, cheese, lettuce, tomato, taco sauce. Better than regular taco shells!
These taco shells are a big newsflash to me! Holy smokes they look good and there’s zucchini in there, wow wife is gonna love this. She’s always trying to get me to eat more veggie to help with my cholesterol.
These are absolutely so creative! I have to try them sometime!
Zucchini is everywhere this summer, we can’t wait to try them as our taco shells! They look delicious, but very delicate — any tips for how to keep them in one piece after cooking?
I wonder if you can use frozen grated zucchini? After it is thawed
Is there a non-dairy substitute for the parmeson?
We haven’t tried any substitutes for the cheese. Maybe someone else out there has and can answer.
Try nutritional yeast, available at health food stores. Tastes like parmesan. And at my local store, it’s available in the bulk section.
My daughter can’t have dairy so she uses goat cheese
Sarah, health food stores sell non-dairy parmesan in a can. The Daiya cheeses are also wonderful substitutes, & they freeze well!
Tried freezing them and if so?
Laura- no we haven’t tried freezing them yet, but hoping a reader does and let us know the outcome!
This recipe is straight genius! Love it!
What is the outcome of cooking on a griddle sprayed with nonstick?
If you really want remove as much water as possible, you could shred the zuchinni and then add a tablespoon of kosher salt, toss and let sit 30 min.. Then squeeze off the excess water which will have wept out by now and rinse the salt off and dry. This same trick is used for crispy hash browns and will work wonderfully.
Fun idea! I might try with almond meal instead of bread crumbs.
Have you tried the almond meal yet? My daughter can’t have the bread crumbs so I was thinking like you.
I used almond flour instead of bread crumbs…less than 1/4 cup. Looked just the pictures. I used my leftovers to make me a grilled cheese sandwich with sliced avocado. It didn’t get crisp like today but still….yum! I also only had a smallish zucchini …less than 3 cups grated. Still turned put fine..just fewer tortillas made.
I’m looking forward to gluten free substitutions that others try. I don’t do gluten free bread. The recipe sounds yummy though! Can’t wait to hear what others try.
Hi Gina, I put a gluten free english muffin, 1/2 cup corn meal and 1/4 cup flax seed meal in the food processor to make my breadcrumbs. Once processed I used 1/4 cup of that mixture. The flax seed meal is a good binder.
I would think adding salt first let it sit for a bit would get more moisture out as once u add salt it’s going to create a lot of unnescary moisture right back in that u have tried to get rid of if that makes sence lol
Meagan- yes, that totally makes sense! But so far, the small amount of salt didn’t seem to have release too much moisture because it went straight into the oven. But it’s definitely a thought for anyone who makes the mixture the night ahead. Thanks!
This idea is the BOMB! I have a veggie garden + it’s summer, which means more zucchini than we know what to do with (as you know). I can’t wait to try these. Thanks for sharing! 😀
Would these freeze well?
Hi Jeannine – we’ve never frozen them, but if any reader has we’d love to know how it works!
I was wondering the same thing…wanted to use them instead of flour tortillas for breakfast burritos for the freezer. I may just try it anyway.
This looks fab! Anything I can sub for the parmesan?
Those look delicious! Like zucchini crepes. And zucchini and Parmesan is a winging combo always! Will use homemade GF breadcrumbs for them, have to try!
These look phenomenal. I love zucchini noodles, so I’m guessing I’ll love these. Love how pliable they look!
What a terrific idea! It seems to me that they are a bit like very thin zucchini patties, which everyone loves! Thanks for your innovative recipe! Definitely making these.
Do these keep well if made ahead of time or do they have to be made right before eating?
MaryAnn- They still taste good when they’re cold, but just not as soft.
Do you think that I could sub almond or coconut flour for the breadcrumbs? I’m carbohydrate-challenged and this looks fantastic — I’m about cauliflowered out. 🙂
Yes, you can use try to use it. We don’t see why it would’t work. Let us know how it turned out!
How about Flax? I find that as a good low-carb replacement!
Do you think I could use pork rings in place of breadcrumbs for low carb?
Hi Donna, we’ve never cooked with pork rings to replace breadcrumbs before. It does sound interesting. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
They look amazing and I’ve always wanted to make zucchini pizza crust but never have…these look even easier! I love that they’re baked and not fried and that it’s just really just zucchini, cheese, and breadcrumbs. I can totally see how snacking on them would be great with a drink in hand 🙂
Can I use shredded fresh parmesan instead of grated parmesan? (By grated parmesan I assume you mean the kind in the jar.)
Hi Penny- We used the fresh parmesan, not the kind in the jar. So it’s the same as your interpretation of shredded fresh parmesan. Thanks!