Best Recipe for Potato Latkes Ever (Crispy Vegan Savory Pancakes)
The best recipe for potato latkes without eggs, cheese, or dairy. These crispy potato fritters are vegan and gluten-free. Also, these savory pancakes are quick and easy to make at home with only 8 simple everyday ingredients.
Easy Recipe for Potato Pancakes
Are you craving warm, tasty, and super crispy snacks?
Looking for truly special and delicious appetizers, brunch, or side dishes ideas?
Or maybe you bought a big bag of potatoes and now you need easy and uncomplicated recipes to use them up?
A batch of richly golden latkes will surely hit the spot! Yum!
You can check out other vegan potato side dishes ideas at the end of this post.
What Are Potato Latkes?
Latkes are traditionally cooked as a classic Jewish food for Passover. Hannukah or Rosh Hashanah celebration. But that doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy them any time of the year.
These filling fritters are simply a mix of shredded potatoes, onion, chickpea flour, and spices fried in vegetable oil.
This recipe for potato latkes makes the perfect meal any time of the day. Yes, you can serve them for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. They are so versatile and beyond scrumptious. Kids love them as much as adults. Even the pickiest of eaters will hardly resist them. I know this recipe will become your new favorite once you give it a try.
It’s an ideal way to use up extra potatoes you may have on hand, indeed.
Ingredients for Vegan Potato Latkes (No Eggs Needed)
We’ll make these spicy potato fritters without eggs, matzo meal, or food processor. You’ll need a few pantry staples that are super cheap and affordable, I’m sure you’ll already have them in your kitchen. No excuses for not trying them right away! Here is what’ll need:
- Potatoes (Yukon Golds or Russets work the best)
- Onion (yellow or white)
- Chickpea flour (to keep our latkes gluten-free)
- Flax egg (flaxseed meal + water)
- Sunflower oil (or other neutral vegetable oil for frying)
- Salt, ground pepper, dried dill (you can skip the dill if you don’t like it but I assure you that it makes all the difference here)
As always, you can find the full recipe with a list of ingredients with measurements in a printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Time needed: 40 minutes.
How to Make Homemade Potato Latkes Without Eggs? (step by step instructions with pictures)
- Grate potatoes and onion
First, prepare your flax egg. In a small container, mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp water. In the meantime, grate potatoes and onion on the coarse side of the grater.
After that, over a fine-mesh strainer, with clean hands, squeeze out the excess liquid as much as can. Pour out the liquid out of the bowl. You can use a cheesecloth for this step.
To achieve the perfect crispiness, the potato-onion mixture must be as dry as possible.
- Make latke mixture
In a big bowl, mix all the ingredients together, except for the oil, until everything is well incorporated.
- Form latkes
Next, scoop 1/4 cup of the batter, form latkes with your hands, or just place it directly in the heated frying pan and flatten slightly with a spatula or fork.
- Fry your latkes
You don’t need much oil to fry your potato latkes but it’s important to heat up the oil on high BEFORE you start frying the latkes. In this way, you’ll keep them from sticking to the pan or becoming too greasy. They should sizzle immediately after entering the oil.
At this point, reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook each side for about 5 minutes or until your latkes are golden-brown on both sides. I cook 4 at a time.
After frying, place cooked latkes on a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Serve and enjoy
Our favorite way to enjoy them is directly from the frying pan, while still hot and crispy with this ultra-creamy ranch dressing (without mayo), homemade hummus, sugar-free applesauce, or avocado dip as a starter, side dish, or simple snack.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in a freezer-friendly container (after completely cooled) for up to 1 month.
How Do You Serve Potato Latkes
You can make these flavorful latkes for your vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, all plant-based friends.
Serve them with a dollop of this creamy homemade ranch dressing and freshly chopped veggies for an extra healthy touch. Alternatively, pair them with a 5-minute DIY avocado dip or this vibrant Mediterranean sauce. I just love to enjoy them with a wholesome cucumber salad or a crunchy butter lettuce salad as a light, weight-loss-friendly meal.
Also, you can serve them with homemade applesauce.
These mouthwatering potato fritters will certainly please everyone! They’re guaranteed to be the hit at the next gathering or dinner party. My advice is to make a double batch because they’ll be gone in a snap!
It’s best to use starchy potatoes like Yukon Golds or Russets. Because of their high-starch content, they won’t fall apart and you’ll need less flour to bind the mixture.
After frying, keep them on a plate lined with a paper towel-lined in one layer or rack instead of keeping them in one stack.
That’s because shredded potatoes and onion are not squeezed well. In this case add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, to get a manageable consistency (see the images above).
Sure, you can make them one day ahead, they still taste amazing. You can eat them cold or reheat them in a preheated oven at 350°F / 176°C layered on a baking sheet for up to 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn them out!
Yes, this recipe for potato latkes is entirely gluten-free. That’s why we used chickpea flour, known as gram or garbanzo bean flour.
Why You’ll Love These Potato Pancakes? They’re:
- Hearty
- GF
- Kid-friendly
- Herby
- Budget-friendly
- Picky eaters-approved
- Crowd pleasers
- Fancy
- Delicately irresistible
- So satisfying!
Looking for More Vegan Potato Recipes?
- Cozy and Warming Low-Calorie Soup
- Spicy Oven-Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Eggless Baked Potato & Zucchini Fritters
- Mediterranean-Inspired Potato Salad (No eggs, No Mayo)
Best Recipe for Potato Latkes Ever (Crispy Vegan Savory Pancakes)
Equipment
- Non-stick frying pan
- Grater
- Spatula
- Knife
- Bowl
- Measuring cups
Ingredients
- 35 oz or 1 kg Yukon Golds potatoes approx. 4 cups shredded potatoes (before squeezing)
- 1 yellow onion approx. 1/2 cup grated onion (before squeezing)
- 1/2 chickpea flour you can use all-purpose flour as well
- 1 Flax egg 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water)
- 6 tbsp sunflower oil for frying the amount of oil used for frying will depend on the size and quality of the pan, add more oil , as you fry, if needed
- 1 tsp salt add more to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper freshly ground
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
Instructions
- First, prepare your flax egg. In a small container, mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp water. In the meantime, grate potatoes and onion on the coarse side of the grater. After that, over a fine-mesh strainer, with clean hands, squeeze out the excess liquid as much as can. Pour out the liquid out of the bowl. You can use a cheesecloth for this step. To achieve the perfect crispiness, the potato-onion mixture must be as dry as possible.
- In a big bowl, mix all the ingredients together, except for the oil, until everything is well incorporated.
- Next, scoop 1/4 cup of the mixture, form latkes with your hands, or just place it directly in the heated frying pan and flatten slightly with a spatula or fork.
- You don't need much oil to fry your potato latkes but it's important to heat up the oil on high BEFORE you start frying the latkes. In this way, you'll keep them from sticking to the pan or becoming too greasy. They should sizzle immediately after entering the oil. At this point, reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook each side for about 5minutes or until your latkes are golden-brown on both sides. I cook 4 at a time. After frying, place cooked potato latkes on a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Our favorite way to enjoy them is directly from the frying pan, while still hot and crispy with this ultra-creamy ranch dressing (without mayo), homemade hummus, sugar-free applesauce, or avocado dip as a starter, side dish, or simple snack. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in a freezer-friendly container (after completely cooled) for up to 1 month.
Notes
- It’s best to use starchy potatoes like Yukon Golds or Russets. Because of their high-starch content, they won’t fall apart and you’ll need less flour to bind the mixture.
- The secret for extra crispy fritters is to squeeze as much moisture as possible from grated potatoes and onion.
- To keep the potatoes from browning, you need to quickly make and fry the latkes.
- If you are using a good non-stick frying pan and heat the oil before frying, you won’t need much oil. If your latkes start to stick on the pan, add more oil, as needed.
- Use any neutral vegetable oil for frying: sunflower, canola, grapeseed oil.
- If the mixture is too soggy and doesn’t hold its shape then frying, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time, to get the right consistency as shown in the pictures.
- To check if each side is cooked well when you flip the latkes, they should hold together and not break apart.
- Cook each side for 4-6 minutes, adjusting the heat if necessary.
- Feel free to add more seasoning to the mixture.
- Make the latkes as thin or thick as you like by pressing them down with a spatula or fork.
- Potato latkes are the crispiest when served immediately, reheat them in the oven layered on a baking sheet at 350°F / 176°C for 10 minutes to retain their crispiness. Be careful not to burn them out!
- This recipe yields 10 latkes, double or triple the recipe for a crowd.
Nutrition
Did you try this easy recipe for potato latkes? If you tried it, please rate it, leave a comment below, and share your photo on Instagram with the tag @go_eatgreen and hashtag it #go_eatgreen. I would love to hear about your experience and your comments just make my day!
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Love, Marinela💚
It will be my dinner for sure 🤍😋
Mmm, I simply adore them for dinner with a big salad bowl 🙂 Thank you, Aneta, for your lovely comment!
I love these crispy potato latkes! So quick and easy to make – I’ll be making them again soon!
That’s great! I’m glad you like it, Emily, thank you for your lovely comment.
Loving this recipe for latkes! These were so easy to make and so delicious!
I’m glad you like the recipe, Kayla. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us, I really appreciate it!
These potato latkes are fantastic! So crispy and light! We love them as a side dish, kids like them too!
I’m so glad you liked these easy latkes, Meryl. And yes, kids just adore them. Thank you for commenting, I really appreciate it!
I love these crispy potato pancakes. So delicious. I’ll be making them often
I’m happy you loved my potato latkes recipe, Shilpa, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!
What an awesome easy recipe! Thanks so much 🙌
Thank you for your comment, Aleisha!
Marinela, these vegan potato latkes are absolutely perfect! They are crisp and delicious. My toddler is so picky so it’s nice to find recipes he approves of. These made the best snacks!
That’s awesome, Anaiah! I’m so happy your toddler loves them, too. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us, I really appreciate it!
These were delicious and they looked pretty too. my family devoured them really quickly so I think we’ll be having them again soon.
The same happens in my home whenever I make these crispy potato latkes 🙂 I’m glad your family loved them, Julia, thank you for your lovely comment!
Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe! Loved the step by step instructions
I’m glad you found these step-by-step instructions helpful, Daniela! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Why didn’t I even think of using flax egg to my latkes before. This is just perfect and it works so well. Now I can make these as often as I need to 🙂
Yes, flax egg is such a good replacement for regular eggs, it perfectly binds these easy vegan latkes together. Thank you, Sandhya for sharing your feedback with us, I really appreciate it!
these potato pancakes are so bomb!! i
I’m happy you loved them, Nancy! Thank you so much for comemnting.
So satisfying 😋
Thank you, Aneta!