These quick and easy vegan latkes are crispy on the outside, tender and creamy inside, and loaded with flavor for a tasty appetizer or side!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
If you love hash browns but have never tried potato latkes, you've been missing out! While similar, these vegan potato cakes usually include egg and flour to bind, making denser pancake-like patties - perfect for serving with applesauce and/or sour cream at Hannukah, Rosh Hashanah, or anytime you feel like evnjoying them - and now I've made them 100% vegan.
These vegan latkes skip the eggs, using a simple egg replacer instead (just like in this vegan Just Egg fritatta and vegan Just Egg omelette). The result is golden, crispy edges with soft, potato-y middles that are savory and so tasty. Plus, most of the ingredients are pantry staples, and since you leave the peels on, you get more flavor and save time.
Looking for more ways to enjoy potatoes? Try a loaded mashed potato bowl, air fryer potato wedges, or crispy baked Hasselback potatoes.
The Ingredients
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients, substitutes, and quantities.
- Potatoes: The best potatoes for latkes are high-starch, like russet potatoes. The starch helps them bind and become ultra crispy. All-purpose Yukon Gold potatoes also work.
- Flour: Try all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, AP gluten-free flour, chickpea flour (which is also gluten-free), or matzo meal.
Recipe Variations
While these simple vegan potato pancakes don't NEED any extras, you can bump up flavor with:
- Fresh herbs: Like parsley, dill, scallions, chives, or cilantro.
- Seasonings: Add smoked paprika, cayenne pepper/ chili flakes, cumin, curry powder/ curry salt, etc.
- Vegetables: Swap some potato for sweet potato, parsnip, carrot, beets, or well-squeezed zucchini.
- Vegan cheese: Add vegan cheddar or parmesan.
- Apple: Grate an apple into the potato mixture + add cinnamon.
How to Make Vegan Latkes
Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Wash the potatoes, then use a box grater or food processor shredding dish to shred the potatoes and onions.
Step 2: Transfer to a thin kitchen towel or cheesecloth. Twist the top to seal, then squeeze out most of the excess liquid.
For extra crispiness, let the drained liquid settle for a few minutes, then drain the top and add the potato starch left at the bottom back into the mix.
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Step 3: Mix it in a bowl with the flour, Just Egg, salt, and pepper. The mixture should be a little sticky, but not overly wet. Then, heat ¼-inch of oil in a large pan over medium heat (3-4 minutes) until it shimmers. Use a ¼ cup scoop to form ½-inch patties.
Step 4: Carefully, transfer 1-3 latkes to the oil (depending on the pan size) and cook on each side for 3-5 minutes until crispy and golden-brown. Transfer them to a paper-towel-lined tray (to absorb oil), cover them with a kitchen towel to keep warm, and repeat with the remaining batter. Enjoy!
FAQs
You could store it in a plastic-wrapped bowl up to a day in advance; however, potatoes may brown if left too long.
You could use another egg replacer, like Bob's Red Mill egg replacer or a mixture of 6 tablespoon water + 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed (aka two flax eggs) as a binder.
Medium-shreds are most common and provide more texture. Fine shreds work for smoother, denser vegan potato pancakes.
Sure - though they won't be as crispy. Bake on an oiled baking sheet for 20-25 minutes at 425°F/220°C, flipping in the last 5 minutes. Broil at the end for extra crispiness. It should be possible to air fry latkes, too, for 15-18 minutes.
Pro Recipe Tips
- For quick prep: Use a food processor shredding disk. It's done in seconds!
- Peel or not peel: I prefer not to for the extra fiber/nutrients. Just scrub the potatoes well.
- Make sure the oil is hot: It should be 350-375°F/175-190°C. No thermometer? Dip a wooden spoon handle/chopstick into the oil. If bubbles immediately form around it, it's ready. Alternatively, a small amount of latke batter should sizzle immediately - no smoke. If it's not hot enough, the latkes absorb too much oil.
- Squeeze out the excess liquid: To ensure crispy latkes.
- Cook untouched: Leave them alone to allow a golden-brown crust to form before flipping, so they don't fall apart.
- To keep cooked latkes warm: Store under a kitchen towel or in the oven at 200°F/93°C while cooking the remaining latkes.
What To Serve With Vegan Potato Latkes
Enjoy these egg-free latkes as an appetizer, brunch, or main with your favorite latke toppings like:
- Vegan sour cream/yogurt + applesauce, apple butter, sauteed apples
- Vegan sour cream (or vegan tzatziki) + chives/scallions + cucumber ribbons
- Mashed or sliced avocado + pickled red onion + hot sauce/maple syrup
- Creamy hummus + pickled red onion
- Vegan lox + vegan cream cheese
- Vegan ricotta + maple syrup + flaky sea salt
You can also serve them alongside a simple leafy green salad or vegetables (like Instant Pot green beans, air fryer asparagus or even this garlic herb oven roasted vegetables recipe).
Storage Instructions
Store: Stacked in an airtight container, separated by parchment, for 2-3 days.
Freeze: Flash freeze on a tray, not touching, until solid. Transfer to a Ziplock/Stasher for 3-4 months. Reheat from frozen at 350°F/180°C for 20-25 minutes.
Reheat: In a skillet with a little oil OR in an oven (10-15 minutes) or air fryer (5-8 minutes) at 350F/180C.
More Vegan Appetizers to Consider
If you tried this vegan latkes recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Vegan Latkes
Ingredients
- 2 large russet potatoes (about 3 cups) halved
- ½ of a medium-sized red onion
- ¼ cup of flour
- 7 tablespoons of Just Egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- High-heat oil as needed, for frying
Instructions
- In a food processor with the shredder attachment, shred the potatoes and the onion.
- Place a clean thin kitchen towel over a large bowl. Transfer the potato mixture onto the towel. Grab the end of the towel and close the potato mixture in the towel. Give the towel a couple of twists to fully encapsulate the potato mixture. Squeeze until most of the liquid is extracted. Do not over-squeeze. Leave some moisture to ensure your latkes are not mushy or dry. Discard the liquid.
- Place the potato mixture into the bowl and add the flour, Just egg, salt, and pepper. Mix well until fully combined. Set aside.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat, add ¼ inch of oil, and wait 3 to 4 minutes until the oil is hot.
- Using a ¼ cup, scoop the mixture into your hand and form a patty, about ½ inch thick.
- Carefully place it on the hot oil and cook each side for 3 to 5 minutes or until nice and golden. Remove it from the oil and place it on a tray lined with paper towels to absorb some of the excess oil. Repeat the process until there is no more potato mixture left.
- Enjoy hot.
Notes
- Make sure the oil is hot: It should be 350-375°F/175-190°C. No thermometer? Dip a wooden spoon handle/chopstick into the oil. If bubbles immediately form around it, it's ready. Alternatively, a small amount of latke batter should sizzle immediately - no smoke. If it's not hot enough, the latkes absorb too much oil.
- Squeeze out the excess liquid: To ensure crispy latkes.
- Cook untouched: Leave them alone to allow a golden-brown crust to form before flipping, so they don't fall apart.
Andrea says
Love how quick and easy these are to make!