Vegan Gluten-Free Latkes
Vegan Gluten-Free Latkes???? What the heck? For the non-cook, you’re probably thinking that potato latkes are just fried shredded potatoes and onions, but to many of us (I used to be called the Latke Queen at my kids’ school), we know better. You need eggs and flour to bind them together and hold them into little discs.
Well, I’ve got news for you…you can accomplish delicious, crispy potato latkes that don’t use eggs or flour! Instead of eggs, we make a binder of chickpea flour and water. Instead of the flour, we use potato starch. In one fell swoop, these latkes are now vegan AND gluten-free. They are delicious and I promise that no one will know the difference. I’m not even telling anyone that they are vegan (except the vegans, of course)!
I grated these potatoes a little thicker than I typically do, just to try something a little different. Once you grate the potatoes and onion, transfer them to a piece of cheesecloth and wring as much liquid as you can from them. You will get a lot! Maybe 1/2 cup or more. It’s very important to do this or your batter will be a loose mess! Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze!
In a medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour and water and whisk it until it’s smooth. This is the binder that will hold the latkes together.
Add the squeezed-out potatoes and onions to the chickpea “egg” along with potato starch, baking powder (for fluffiness) and salt (for taste). Now, if you don’t want to be gluten-free or can’t find potato starch, you can use regular all-purpose flour.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat and once it’s hot, add small mounds of potato batter to the oil. You can use your hands to form them or you can drop them into the batter and form them using a couple of forks.
Fry the latkes on each side until nicely browned. This will take about 3 minutes or so per side. Once cooked, transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Serve them topped with apple sauce or vegan sour cream, along with chopped chives or parsley.
Happy Chanukah!
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Vegan Gluten-Free Latkes
Makes: 20 3-inch latkes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and grated (2 large potatoes or 2 & 1/2 cups grated)
- 1/2 cup grated onion (1/2 small onion yields 1/2 cup)
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour (to make chickpea “egg”)*
- 2 tbsp water (to make chickpea “egg”)
- 1/4 cup potato starch (see Chef’s Note)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more for topping)
- 1/2 cup avocado or other neutral, high heat oil, divided
For Serving (Optional):
- Vegan Sour Cream (for store-bought, we like Forager)
- Applesauce
- Thinly sliced green onion or chives
Instructions
Grate the peeled potatoes and onion using the large side of a box grater or the grating attachment on a food processor. Place the grated potato and onion into cheesecloth or a clean dish towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine chickpea flour and water and whisk until smooth to create a chickpea “egg.” Then add the squeezed-out potato onion mixture, potato starch, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine.
Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Form latkes using 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture and pressing it between your palms into a flat patty with jagged edges (this creates a delicious crispy outer rim — yum!). Once the oil is hot (test it by adding a small piece of the potato mixture…it should sizzle), add as many latkes as will fit comfortably in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until deeply golden brown and crispy. Reduce the heat slightly if browning too quickly.
Transfer the cooked latkes to a plate lined with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Add the remaining 1/4 cup oil to the skillet and repeat the cooking process with the remaining latkes. If making a large batch or not serving right away, you can keep them warm in a 200°F oven.
Serve warm topped with vegan sour cream and applesauce (optional but classic!).
Best when fresh, but leftovers will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
Chef’s Note:
If you can’t find potato starch, you can substitute all-purpose flour but they won’t be GF.
Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker
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