These crispy vegan latkes are golden and lacy on the outside, soft and tender in the middle, and made without a single egg. Shredded russet potatoes and red onion get squeezed dry, mixed with Just Egg and a little flour, then pan-fried until golden. Serve them with applesauce and vegan sour cream for Hanukkah, a holiday brunch or any night you're craving a plate of crispy potatoes!
Latkes are practically a Hanukkah must-have, and they're the savory partner to my vegan sufganiyot (jelly donuts). Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, and since you leave the peels on, you save time and get more flavor. And if you love crispy potatoes for breakfast, my air fryer hash brown patties are ready in 9 minutes straight from frozen.
Jump to:
What Are Latkes?
Latkes are crispy fried potato pancakes made from shredded potatoes and onion, held together with egg and flour or matzo meal. They're a classic Hanukkah food, because the holiday celebrates a small amount of oil that lasted eight nights, so frying is part of the tradition. Hash browns are usually just potatoes, while latkes add a binder, so they hold together as thicker pancakes with tender centers.
Are Latkes Vegan?
Traditional latkes aren't vegan, because they're made with eggs. This recipe uses Just Egg, a plant-based egg made from mung beans, so the latkes hold together the same way with no eggs at all. I use it in my vegan Just Egg frittata and vegan Just Egg omelette too.
Why You'll Love These Vegan Latkes
Vegan Latke Ingredients
- Russet potatoes: The best potatoes for latkes are high-starch ones like russets. The starch helps them hold together and get extra crispy. Yukon Gold potatoes also work.
- Red onion: Shredded right along with the potatoes for flavor.
- Flour: Just a little all-purpose flour helps bind the shredded potatoes.
- Just Egg: The plant-based egg that holds everything together.
- Salt and pepper: Simple seasoning that lets the potatoes shine.
- Oil: A neutral high-heat oil like vegetable oil, for shallow frying.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and amounts.
For extra crispy latkes, let the liquid you squeezed out settle for a few minutes. Pour off the water on top, then add the potato starch left at the bottom back into the mix.
How to Make Vegan Latkes
Here's a quick look at each step. You'll find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Shred the potatoes and onion. Use a food processor with the shredding disk, or a box grater, to shred the potatoes and onion.
Step 2: Add them to a towel. Line a large bowl with a thin, clean kitchen towel and add the shredded potatoes and onion.
Step 3: Squeeze out the liquid. Gather the towel, twist it closed and squeeze out most of the liquid. Leave a little moisture so the latkes don't turn out dry.
Step 4: Mix the batter. Put the potatoes back in the bowl with the flour, Just Egg, salt and pepper, and mix well. It should be a little sticky but not wet.
Step 5: Fry the latkes. Heat ¼ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until it shimmers. Shape ¼ cup of the mixture into a ½-inch-thick patty and set it in the oil. Fry 1 to 3 at a time, 3 to 5 minutes per side, until golden and crispy.
Step 6: Drain and serve. Move the latkes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain, cover them with a kitchen towel to keep warm, and fry the rest. Serve hot.
Toni's Recipe Tips
- Use a food processor: The shredding disk does the job in seconds.
- Skip the peeling: I leave the skins on for extra fiber. Just scrub the potatoes well.
- Make sure the oil is hot: It should be 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (175 to 190 degrees Celsius). No thermometer? Dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil. If bubbles form around it right away, it's ready. A little batter should sizzle as soon as it hits the oil, with no smoke. If the oil isn't hot enough, the latkes soak up too much of it.
- Squeeze out the liquid: This is the secret to crispy latkes.
- Leave them alone: Let a golden crust form before you flip them, so they don't fall apart.
- Keep them warm: Cover cooked latkes with a kitchen towel, or keep them in a 200 degrees Fahrenheit (95 degrees Celsius) oven while you fry the rest.
Easy Variations
These latkes don't need any extras, but here are two ways I like to switch them up:
- Fresh herbs: Mix in chopped parsley, dill, scallions, chives or cilantro.
- Sweet potato latkes: Swap some of the russet potato for shredded sweet potato.
What to Serve with Vegan Latkes
The classic latke toppings are applesauce and sour cream, and I love both together. Here are more ideas:
- Vegan sour cream or yogurt with applesauce, apple butter or air fryer apples
- Vegan sour cream or vegan tzatziki with chives, scallions and cucumber ribbons
- Mashed or sliced avocado with pickled red onion and hot sauce
- Creamy hummus with pickled red onion
- Vegan lox with vegan cream cheese
- Vegan ricotta with maple syrup and flaky sea salt
For a holiday brunch, serve them with the best tofu scramble. For dinner, add a vegetable side like Instant Pot green beans, air fryer asparagus or garlic herb roasted vegetables.
Looking for more ways to enjoy potatoes? Try a loaded mashed potato bowl, air fryer potato wedges or crispy baked Hasselback potatoes.
How to Store and Reheat Vegan Latkes
Store: Stack leftover latkes in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers, and keep them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Reheat: Warm them in a skillet with a little oil, in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or in the air fryer for 5 to 8 minutes, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
Ideas I Haven't Tried Yet
I haven't tested these yet, but they'd be fun to try:
- Air fryer latkes: Brushed with a little oil and cooked in a single layer.
- Freezing: Freezing the cooked latkes in a single layer on a tray, then moving them to a freezer bag and reheating them in the oven from frozen.
- Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer: In place of the Just Egg.
- Other flours: Whole wheat flour, gluten-free all-purpose flour, chickpea flour or matzo meal.
- Spices and cheese: A pinch of smoked paprika or cumin, or some vegan parmesan.
- Zucchini latkes: Swap some of the potato for well-squeezed shredded zucchini.
- Apple latkes: Grate an apple into the mixture and add a pinch of cinnamon.
If you try one, let me know in the comments!
FAQs
Traditional latkes aren't vegan, because they're made with eggs. This recipe uses Just Egg instead, so these latkes have no eggs or dairy.
I use Just Egg, a plant-based egg made from mung beans. It binds the shredded potatoes so the latkes hold together when you flip them. I've also made them with flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tablespoons water), which work too.
Latkes are made from shredded potatoes and onion, a binder like egg, and flour or matzo meal, then fried in oil. These vegan latkes use russet potatoes, red onion, flour, Just Egg, salt and pepper.
Hash browns are usually just shredded potatoes. Latkes add onion and a binder, so they hold together as thicker pancakes that are crispy outside and tender inside.
Russet potatoes, because their starch helps the latkes hold together and crisp up. Yukon Gold potatoes also work.
Usually there's too much liquid left in the potatoes, or the oil isn't hot enough. Squeeze the shreds well, heat the oil until it shimmers, and let a golden crust form before you flip.
Yes, though they won't be as crispy as fried latkes. Bake them on an oiled baking sheet at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius) for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them in the last 5 minutes. A minute or two under the broiler at the end makes them extra crispy.
You can keep it in a covered bowl in the fridge for up to a day, but the potatoes may start to brown if they sit too long.
Medium shreds are the most common and give the latkes more texture. Fine shreds make smoother, denser latkes.
Did you make these vegan latkes? I'd love to hear how they turned out! Leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below and let me know which toppings you chose.
More Vegan Appetizer Recipes
Vegan Latkes
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & get this sent to your inbox! Plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!
Equipment
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 large russet potatoes about 3 cups shredded, scrubbed and halved
- ½ medium red onion
- ¼ cup flour
- 7 tablespoons vegan liquid egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- neutral high-heat oil, such as vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Scrub the potatoes. Using a food processor with the shredding disk or a box grater, shred the potatoes and onion.- Line a large bowl with a thin, clean kitchen towel and add the shredded potatoes and onion. Gather the towel, twist it closed and squeeze out most of the liquid. Leave a little moisture so the latkes don't turn out dry. Discard the liquid.
- Put the potato mixture back in the bowl and add the flour, vegan liquid egg, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Heat ¼ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until it shimmers, about 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (175 to 190 degrees Celsius).
- Scoop ¼ cup of the mixture and shape it into a patty about ½ inch thick. Carefully set it in the hot oil. Fry 1 to 3 latkes at a time, depending on the size of your pan, for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until golden and crispy.
- Move the latkes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and cover them with a kitchen towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Serve hot.
Notes
- Make sure the oil is hot before you add the latkes. A little of the mixture should sizzle right away, with no smoke. If the oil isn't hot enough, the latkes soak up too much of it.
- Squeeze out as much liquid as you can for the crispiest latkes.
- Let a golden crust form before flipping, so the latkes don't fall apart.
- To keep cooked latkes warm, hold them in a 200 degrees Fahrenheit (95 degrees Celsius) oven while you fry the rest.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
- Nutrition is an estimate per latke and includes about 1 teaspoon of absorbed frying oil.
Andrea says
Love how quick and easy these are to make!
Toni Okamoto says
Thank you so much for the 5 stars, Andrea! I'm so glad you enjoyed them. Which toppings did you go with?