Our vegan potato pancakes, otherwise known as latkes, are made with just a few basic ingredients, and they're so delicious. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, they're perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Serve them with our vegan breakfast sausage or our tofu bacon.
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Published Nov. 29, 2018 and updated Nov. 13, 2020.
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What to Expect
Even though this is a straightforward and easy recipe, we want to help you make the BEST potato pancakes you've ever eaten, so we're sharing some things that we think will help you, such as:
The best potato
Pro Tips
Baked or Fried?
How to Make
Make ahead
What to serve them with
More vegan potato recipes
The Best Potato
Although you can use any kind of potato you want, even sweet potatoes, we like to use Russet potatoes for this recipe.
Russet potatoes have a high starch content, which works as a binder.
They also make the crispiest potato pancakes.
Pro Tips
- Use Russet potatoes
- Refrigerate the onion so it doesn't burn your eyes when you grate it
- Grate the potatoes and onion with a box grater or food processor
- Submerge the grated potatoes in cold water
- Squeeze the excess water out of the grated potatoes
Baked or Fried?
So, normal potato pancakes typically use a bunch of ingredients and cooking methods that aren’t particularly healthy.
Lucky for you, we’re giving you two options here: the decadent version and the healthier version!
For the healthier version of our potato pancakes, bake the potato pancakes on a parchment lined baking sheet.
All you have to do is preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and place the pancakes on your baking sheet. Pop the pancakes in the oven and bake for twelve minutes per side!
Voila! You have healthy oil-free potato pancakes!
In addition to giving you an oil-free cooking option, we’ve also made this recipe gluten-free!
Yes, we’re aware that just because something is gluten-free it doesn’t necessarily mean that it's healthier. However, using a more whole-foods flour rather than a bleached white flour seemed like the better option.
In this case, we chose to use almond flour. Not only does it add more flavor than white flour, it’s also a great source of vitamin E, magnesium, and has even been suggested to lower cholesterol and blood pressure!
How to Make Them
STEP ONE
To start, you’ll need to grate the onions on a box grater and set them aside. Fair warning, this definitely burned my eyes (granted, they’re pretty sensitive) so be warned and plan accordingly.
We use a box grater for the onions so our food processor doesn't smell.
Hint: refrigerate the onions the night before and you won't look like you've been watching the end of The Notebook. 😉
STEP TWO
In a food processor, use your grating attachment to grate your peeled potatoes.
Feel free to use a box grater, just realize that it will take a while.
STEP THREE
Submerge your potatoes in a bowl of ice water and let them sit for ten minutes.
This will help remove the starch from the potatoes, so they become perfectly golden brown when frying!
If you don’t remove the starch, the pancakes will brown very quickly, but will not crisp.
We realize that we suggest using Russet potatoes because they have a high starch content, and here we are telling you to remove starch.
It sounds contradictory, but trust us, this works.
STEP FOUR
Wring the excess water out of the potatoes with a clean towel, preferably one that wasn't washed in scented laundry detergent or fabric softener.
STEP FIVE
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl until well blended.
STEP SIX
Form the potato mixture into pancakes.
STEP SEVEN
Heat the oil on medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet. If using another pan, make sure the sides are high enough to prevent any oil from spilling over the side. If you’re nervous, use a pot with a wide base!
STEP EIGHT
Once the oil is heated, add the potatoes slowly and carefully, one by one, into the oil. Cook the pancakes for two minutes per side or until crispy and golden brown.
STEP NINE
Remove the potato pancakes from the oil and place on a paper towel lined wire rack. The paper towel will remove the excess oil from the pancakes.
Can You Make Them Ahead of Time?
We suggest making them right after peeling and grating the potatoes so they don't turn brown.
You can fry them and then refrigerate or freeze them, and then heat them up in the oven.
We highly recommend serving potato pancakes hot! So, when you’re making these guys and want to make sure everyone is sitting down to eat together, heat your oven to 200°F (93°C) and place the potato pancakes on a baking sheet in the oven until they’re all fried.
What to Serve Them With
We recommend serving them with a couple of traditional options and one less traditional option!
Traditional
apple sauce (perhaps our home made apple sauce!)
sauerkraut
horseradish sauce
Less Traditional
More Vegan Potato Recipes You'll Love
Creamy Vegan Au Gratin Potatoes
Vegan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Make our savory vegan potato pancakes and let us know what you think. Tag us on Instagram and show us your beautiful creations!
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Spiced German Potato Pancakes- Gluten Free and Vegan
Ingredients
- 3 Russet Potatoes
- 1 Egg Replacer
- 1/3 Cup Almond Flour
- ¼ Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ Tsp Celery Seed
- ¼ Tsp Corn Starch
- ½ Onion
- 2 Cups vegetable oil
Instructions
- Grate the Onions on a box grater.
- Shred the potatoes in your food processor with the shredding attachment.
- Place the potatoes in a bowl of ice water and allow them to soak for ten minutes.
- Remove the potatoes and wring dry in a clean towel.
- Combine all the ingredients together and form the pancakes.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet (or comparable pan) on medium high heat.
- When the oil is hot, test it with a small piece of potato. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough, carefully add the pancakes one at a time to the pan.
- Fry the pancakes for two minutes per side.
- Set the pancakes aside on a paper towel lined plate.
TO OVEN FRY THE PANCAKES
- preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put the pancakes on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 12 minutes per side, or until they're crispy and golden on the outside.
Notes
Nutrition
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Christine @ Run Plant Based says
Oh my, these look wonderful and perfect for the holiday table. Can never go wrong with potato recipes here, thanks!
Linda Meyer says
Thanks! We totally agree, potatoes rule!
Victoria Hart says
My new FAVORITE potato pancake recipe! Thank you so much for posting it. I adapted/added a few ingredients to my seasoning preferences and the taste was incredibly delicious. For instance, I used fava/garbanzo flour, 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt (instead of 1 tsp sea salt), a sprinkle of black salt (for an "eggy" taste), a dash of rosemary, a dash of garlic granules, a dash of dried parsley, and a dash of onion granules (... because I didn't have quite 1/2 of an onion). Served the potato pancakes with vegan sour cream and a fermented cabbage/beet/apple soukraut.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Victoria! Thank you so much, we're so happy you liked our recipe. We love how you seasoned them to your taste, it sounds delicious! 🙂