Vegan Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

Whether you’re celebrating Hanukkah or looking for a delicious family-friendly side dish, these vegan potato pancakes (or latkes) will disappear in no time! Made with russet potatoes, and bound together with flour, they are simple to make and come out crispy and flavorful!

Growing up I was fortunate enough to have a Jewish best friend, who welcomed my family into their home to celebrate the Jewish holidays. As a kid, one of my favorite holidays to celebrate was Hanukkah. As we grew up, we remained best friends, and now she welcomes my family of four into her home to celebrate at least one night of Hannukkah with them each year.

My kids absolutely love it! They play dreidel with her kids, and of course, we all indulge in her famous latkes! She told me that latkes are eaten during Hannukah because they are fried in oil, and the holiday is in part about the miracle of the olive oil that was barely enough to last one night to light the Menorah, lasting 8 nights long.

Unfortunately, my family has moved away from my best friend, and we no longer live close enough to celebrate Hannukkah with her family. But I knew I could recreate part of the experience for our family by making a vegan version of latkes or potato pancakes.

These vegan potato pancakes are flavorful and crisp, with a golden brown color. They hold together nicely even though they don’t have an egg to bind them.

💗 Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Handful of simple ingredients
• No fancy equipment needed
• Egg-free
• Dairy-free
• Gluten-Free Option
• Vegan-Friendly
• Crispy and Golden Brown
• Holds Together
• Perfectly Seasoned
• Savory Taste
• Hold up well in the fridge

🥣 Ingredients and Notes

Russet Potatoes: There are so many different varieties of potatoes, however, when I was doing some research, I found that russet potatoes work the best for potato pancakes. This is because they are very starchy, which helps them to bind and hold together when frying.

Soy Milk: Use plain unsweetened soy milk. You can also use almond milk or oat milk if you prefer.

Corn Starch: Helps to thicken the moisture in the potatoes and the soy milk which helps them bind.

Baking Powder: Used to help create a fluffy inner texture.

Seasoning: These potato pancakes are simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and scallions. You can add more seasoning if you like, but I like to keep it simple. If you don’t have scallions, feel free to use finely chopped onion or shallots.

📋 Instructions: Vegan Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

Step 1: Wash and peel the russet potatoes. Using a grater, shred the potatoes. You can also use a food processor to shred the potatoes to save yourself some time. Once all of the potatoes are shredded, place them in a cheesecloth, and squeeze out all the excess water and moisture. If you don’t have a cheesecloth, use paper towels to absorb the moisture. Place the grated potato in a medium-size mixing bowl.

Step 2: Add the soy milk, flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, pepper, and scallions to the bowl. Fold together to combine. Make sure all of the flour gets incorporated. Working the flour into the potatoes will help build the gluten, which in turn helps the pancakes bind together when cooking.

Step 3: Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoon of canola oil, and swirl around so that it coats the pan evenly. Using an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup, pack the potato mixture, and add to the pan. Use the back of the scoop to flatten out the pancakes. Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip, and cook an additional 3 minutes or until golden brown on the other side.

Step 4: Remove from the pan, and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Continue cooking the potato pancakes until all of the potato mixture is used. Add more oil to the pan between each batch. You should get about 12-15 small latkes.

Step 5: Serve topped with chopped scallions, dill, and a side of sugar-free applesauce or vegan sour cream.

💭 Expert Tips

• Use russet potatoes, but if you don’t have russet potatoes, use another starchy potato such as Goldrush, Norchip, or Long White.
• Be sure to throughly squeeze the excess water from the potatoes before adding the rest of the ingredients. The potatoes give off quite a bit of moisture when shredded. A cheesecloth is the best tool for this. Add all of the shredded potatoes to the cheesecloth, place over the kitchen sink, and ring out the water.
• If you don’t have cheesecloth, use heavy duty paper towels to absorb the moisture.
• Use your creativity to change the flavor of the potato pancakes, by adding different spices. Add some cayenne pepper for extra spice, paprika for a smoky finish, or garlic powder, and onion powder to amp up the flavor.
• Make sure the pan is on medium-high heat, and the oil has had a chance to heat up before you add the potato mixture. You want it to sizzle when it hits the pan.
• Don’t skimp on the oil! Usually, I use miminal to no oil in my recipes, but for latkes you really need the oil to create a golden brown crisp on each side.

❓ Recipe FAQS

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Potato pancakes are typically a side dish or appetizer. Make this a complete meal, by serving it with other popular Jewish recipes.

• Serve with Vegan Matzo Ball Soup.
• Make a Roasted Whole Cauliflower as a main dish.
• How About Vegan Corned Beef with Tofu?
• Or create a hearty Vegan Stew.

❄️ Storage and Reheating

Transfer the vegan latkes to an airtight container. I recommend placing a paper towel between each layer to keep them from becoming soggy. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in an air fryer for 3-5 minutes to crisp them back up nicely. Or reheat in the microwave.

You can also freeze them by transferring them to a freezer-safe container. They will keep for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight, and reheat in the air fryer or microwave.