Tasty Vegan Latkes + 5 Toppings to Try

Vegan latkes are a kind of crispy potato pancake which is fried and served with the topping of your choice. They're traditionally served on the Jewish festival of Hannukah.

A latke is a potato pancake that is fried until crispy and served warm with a dip or sauce on top. Traditionally, the recipe contains eggs as a binder, but this recipe simply uses flour instead. They can be enjoyed all year round, but are a favorite snack during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

Traditional latkes contain eggs, but you’ll see that they aren’t at all necessary to get perfectly crunchy and delicious potato pancakes. This way, the latkes are completely free of animal products, avoid animal exploitation and have a lower carbon footprint at the same time.

Serve the vegan latkes with the topping of your choice — try our five exciting ideas below.

How to Make Tasty Vegan Latkes

After the potatoes are washed and peeled, they need to be grated. This can be done by hand or in a food processor with the correct accessory. After grating them, try to get as much of the water out of them as possible by letting them sit in a sieve or placing them in a cheesecloth or an alternative, and squeezing out the excess water. The reason for this: the more water that is removed, the crispier the latkes will be.

Yield: 10–15 latkes

Instructions:

• 2 lb potatoes
• 1 small onion
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 3 tsp wholegrain mustard (optional)
• 2 tbsp flour
• ¾ tsp salt
• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Wash and peel the potatoes (and use the peel to make potato peel chips later). Grate them using a thick-cut grater. Put the grated potato in a cheesecloth or dish towel and squeeze out as much water as possible.
2. Finely chop the onion and put in a large bowl with the grated potatoes, pepper, and mustard. Mix and then add the flour to thicken the mixture, mix well. Add the salt and mix again.
3. Take a large frying pan and cover the bottom with vegetable oil and heat on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and flatten it, repeat until the pan is full (maybe three or four latkes). Fry until the bottoms turn brown and then turn and repeat on the other side. Remove the latkes and place on a paper towel alternative to absorb excess oil.
4. Serve warm with the topping of your choice.

Five Toppings to Try

Vegan latkes are not complete without something on top, try these different toppings:

1. Non-dairy sour cream — Try this sour cream for dipping, made from cashews with a hint of lemon and mustard. It’ll taste delicious on your latkes.
2. Unsweetened applesauce — The most traditional topping, this recipe only has two ingredients and is really simple to make.
3. Onion butter — This vegan butter will melt nicely on warm latkes.
4. Avocado — Sliced, ripe avocado will taste delicious on the top of latkes, or even a sliver of guacamole, for something a little spicy.
5. Homemade vegan cheese substitutes — Whether you’re a fan of something smooth like Gouda, or something that can melt like mozzarella, cheese and latkes go really well together.

Why not plan a vegan menu for Passover next year? Check out our 21 best vegan Passover recipes!

Read more:

• Potato Cheese Recipe: The Cheapest Vegan Cream Cheese
• Mashed Potato With Skins: Zero Food Waste Recipe
• Recipe: How to Make Potato Milk

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Tags: Cooking Dinner Guide Holidays Recipes Snacks Vegan