Vegan Potato Pancakes are a delicious way to serve up your favorite spud. Load up your taters with onion, flour, flax egg, and salt, then fry them to crispy perfection. Pile on your favorite toppings and you've got yourself a meal!
Pancakes are a fun and tasty way to enjoy your potatoes. You can use fresh potatoes for this recipe or last night's leftover mashed potatoes. The texture of the pancakes changes a bit when you use mashed, but they are still tasty.
This Vegan Potato Pancake recipe is...
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
How to Make Vegan Potato Pancakes
- Start by preheating your skillet with frying oil.
- Wash, peel, and grate the potatoes and onions.
- Squeeze out excess liquid with a paper towel or cheesecloth.
- Return potatoes and onions to bowl.
- Add in the flax egg, flour, and salt. Mix well.
- Scoop mixture into circles and place in skillet with hot oil. Flatten circles with spatula.
- Fry on one side, then flip. Cook until both sides are golden and cooked through.
- Serve with dairy-free sour cream and onions.
Tips & Tricks for Vegan Potato Pancakes
Don't Rinse Potatoes
Once you've shredded your potatoes, resist the urge to rinse them. Only rinse the potatoes once after you peel the skin off—but before shredding. The starch in the potato shreds will help them stick together into potato cakes.
Remove Excess Water
After you shred your potatoes and onion, make sure to squeeze out all the excess moisture into a paper towel or cheesecloth. This step is very important! If you leave the excess liquid in, your potato cakes will fall apart.
Use Hot Oil
Make sure your oil is fully hot and the pan is evenly heated before frying. Otherwise, your potato cakes will not hold up as you cook them.
Variations to Vegan Potato Pancakes
Flavoring
Add different spices to change up the flavor of your potato cakes. Try some lemon pepper, cajun, bbq seasoning mix, or whatever your favorite spice may be!
Garlic
Take a garlic clove and grate it along with the potatoes and onion for a bit more flavor in your potato cakes. I love adding the flavor of garlic to my potato cakes!
Toppings
You can use pickled onions, diced jalapeños, dairy-free ranch drizzle, and more to top your potato pancakes. The options are endless—and all delicious! Feel free to add on whatever you want, or simply eat them plain.
Vegan Potato Pancake FAQs
How can I keep potato pancakes warm?
Keep your potato pancakes warm by turning the oven on to 200°F. Then place the finished cakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and store them in the oven until ready to serve.
Do Vegan Potato Pancakes store well?
Potato pancakes are best served fresh, right after cooking. However, you can store the potato cakes in the fridge for 2–3 days. Warm them up in the microwave or in a skillet when you're ready to eat them again. The texture will be softer, but the flavor will be the same.
How do I make flax seed eggs?
Mix together 3 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon flax seeds, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then use this mixture in place of one egg.
Vegan Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs russet potatoes 5 small or 3–4 large
- 1 medium onion
- 1 flax egg or 3 tbsp dairy free milk
- 1 tbsp flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup oil for frying
- dairy-free sour cream or plain dairy-free yogurt for optional garnish
- green onions sliced, for optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat with enough oil to make a ⅛” layer on the bottom.
- While oil preheats, wash and peel the potatoes and onion.
- Using a grater, shred the potatoes and onion. Then stir shreds together in a large bowl.
- Using a clean kitchen towel or some paper towels, squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the potatoes and onion. Then return shreds to bowl and set aside.
- Use a fork to mix the flax egg (or dairy-free milk), flour, and salt together. Then pour this mixture into the vegetable shreds and stir well.
- Use a scooper or large spoon to transfer circle-shaped scoops of the potato mixture into the preheated frying pan, then flatten scoops with a spatula.
- Allow potato pancakes to cook for 3–4 minutes or until the edges start to brown, then flip and continue cooking them for an additional 3–4 minutes.
- Repeat until all the potato shreds have been used up. You may need to add additional oil between batches.
- Serve pancakes garnished with dairy-free sour cream or yogurt and green onions, if desired.
Notes
- Do not rinse the potato shreds; their starch will help the pancakes stick together.
- Both sides of cakes should be golden brown when done cooking.
- You can keep finished potato pancakes warm in the oven in a baking dish at 200°F while you finish cooking the rest.
- Garnish your potato cakes with dairy-free sour cream, or dairy-free plain yogurt, and green onion.
- You can add some of your favorite seasonings to the potato mixture to change it up. Try a cajun spice blend for a new twist!
- To make a flax egg, mix 3 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds. Let sit for 5 minutes. Then use this mixture in place of 1 egg in your recipe.
Helene says
Try substituting flax meal for the matzo meal, and I have been frying in grape seed oil.
Happy hannukah
Jenny says
can these be baked instead of fried?
Nava says
Jenny, I haven't tried baking it, but coincidentally, just today I thought I'd try. I would put the latkes on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, spray them with a bit of olive oil cooking spray so they'll crisp up, and flip them after about 15 minutes (at 400 degrees). If it works out as I think, I'll post this variation. Happy Hanukkah to all!
Jenny says
Just made it by baking it, it was delicious and my whole family enjoyed. thank you!
Nava says
Jenny, I also made them baked and really liked it -- it was easier and less oily than the traditional fried kind. I'll add the baked variation to this recipe, as it was a keeper!
Elizabeth C says
I do grated russets, Mrs Dash herb and onion, some red pepper flakes in one bowl. Mashed sweet potato, a bit of GF flour and flax water mix in another. mix separately and then combine. put on baking dish lined with parchment and bake. Just before serving I put on a tiny drizzle of olive oil for ceremony - it is about the oil after all...
Nava says
That sounds like a fantastic way to make them, Elizabeth. I recently started to bake the latkes and it's so much easier and cleaner. Happy holiday!
Ruth says
How long will these last? I am doing two channucah parties, two days apart, )and quite fancy getting all the work out of the way in one go!
Nava says
Hi Ruth — I think that especially if you make the baked version, you can do it all in one go. Then just pop them into hot oven for a few minutes until they crisp up. Happy holiday!
Sara says
Last year made them with quinoa and fried and they were okay, but tonight I made them with GF oats, GF matzo, and baked them and they were wonderful.
Nava says
Thanks, Sara. I too, now prefer baking them and since GF isn't a concern for me, I use regular oatmeal. Glad these were successful for you!
lena says
the applesauce is on the stove in a pot. now I'm onto the latkes.
I was getting ready to use the quinoa flakes - since you recipe for matzoh brie was fantastic. but it seems (?) like everyone and you prefer the oatmeal. what do you think??
also, what about using a food processor for the potatoes. how about not peeling??
Nava says
Hi Lena — both the oatmeal and quinoa flakes work well; it's a matter of preference, though I do think the oatmeal is a slightly better "glue." Of course, a food processor makes the whole process easier. Not sure how or why I left that off it has been added.
I did specify that the potatoes can be scrubbed rather than peeled. Hope you enjoy these, and happy Hanukkah!
lena pfeffer says
oh my gosh!!! I've been a vegan for 27 years. latkes have never been the same. until now!!! these are delicious!!! I made them with oatmeal and baked. absolutely yummy. oh, and the applesauce..the best!!!
thanks so much!!!
lena says
Yum!yum!yum!!! I've been a vegan for 27 years. Potato pancakes have never been the same. I used oatmeal and baked them. These are delicious!!! Hubby has a stomach ache from eating too many!!!
Thanks!!!
Nava says
So glad this worked out so well for you, Lena! I can't wait to make my batch this weekend.
Patsy says
Hi,
I'm hoping to make the baked version as a surprise for my husband tonight. I'm wondering if you make this without squeezing the liquid out of the grated vegetables? Most recipes I see call for wringing out as much "juice" as possible, and some say to let the potato starch that's extracted settle, then add that back in.
Love the idea of not using flax meal or a commercial egg replacer!
Thank you.
Nava says
Hi Patsy, I find that if I make the batter and bake right away, it doesn't get all runny and liquid-y. I just made a big batch the other night with no problem!I hope these work out for you and that you and your hubby enjoy them.
Lynda Kirkness says
Happy hannukah 2015 this will be my third year celebrating Hannukah. I am not Jewish but I know that the feasts that God tells us to celebrate are for every believer. I am vegan and pleased to see a vegan latke recipe. Latkes are similar to East Indian pakoras.I wonder if using chickpea flour would be "kosher "
Nava says
Lynda, I'm not sure it would be technically "Kosher" but I'm pretty sure that's not what you're asking! If you're asking whether chickpea flour can be used in place of regular flour, I'd say yes, and in fact, it would probably be even more tasty. I'm going to try that next time myself ...
Hilit says
Made them this evening and they came out delicious. Very easy to make, especially when using the food processor. Thanks for the recipe, Nava!
Happy holiday all!
Rebecca says
Can one substitute quinoa flour for quinoa flakes?
Diana says
Thank you for this fabulous recipe. I used a beet instead of a carrot and baked the latkes. They were the best I've ever tasted and so simple and quick to make. YUM!
B says
Gotta be honest, these were fantastic!
...I got a little bit carried away and ended up spreading avocado on top of them with a slice of dill pickle... Amazing.
Nicely done
Thanks for the recipe
Claudia says
Just wondering.Can the entire recipe be made with zucchini or would that be too overwhelming? Also, if so, how many grated cups of zucchini does 2 medium zucchini translate to? Someone brought me a very large one from their organic garden.
Nava says
Claudia, you could give it a try. This would be a good use of your zucchini! Try not to use the seedy part. Since "medium" is also subjective, it's hard to say how many cups it would translate to.
Lisa says
Does this work with Russet potatoes?
Nava says
Lisa, russet potatoes work very well for this recipe. Enjoy!
Tracie says
So delicious!!! Thank you for the recipe, and Happy Hanukkah.
Nava says
Thank you, Tracie, and same to you!
Craig says
I was excited to try your suggestion of quinoa flakes to make gluten-free latkes for my annual Hanukkah party, but my grocery store didn't have any and I was resigned to making them just vegan. When I went to get the oatmeal, I was thrilled to discover that Quaker has gluten-free instant oats: http://www.quakeroats.com/product/hot-cereals/Gluten-Free-Quick-one-minute-oats.aspx
I was also really pressed for time, so I cheated with pre-shredded, frozen potatoes. Ore-Ida brand is also gluten-free: http://www.oreida.com/products/s/shredded-hash-brown-potatoes#.WGdAysMrLnA
One cup of shredded potatoes equals about one potato, so I just combined 6 cups of potatoes with 1.5 cups of prepared oatmeal and it was perfect! Thanks again, and happy holidays!
Claudia says
For some reason, I haven't been able to get quick rolled oats. I happen to have Coache's Oats, an organic oatmeal I picked up at Costco. Although it's listed as cracked and toasted oats on the front of the package, the ingredients say organic whole grain oats. I've used them for baking cookies without a problem. If I pulse them a few times in a food processor, will they work as a substitute for the quick-cooking oats and matzo meal? I think I asked you about this once before but couldn't find the post. Making these Thursday for Channukah.