This potato latkes recipe is a classic staple for Chanukkah made vegan! I replaced the eggs altogether with a mixture of aquafaba (the drained liquid from canned chickpeas) and a little semolina flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill’s). The result is absolutely delicious–crisp on the outside and moist on the inside…YUM!! It’s a little bit of work, as homemade latkes typically are, but it’s …oh so worth it!! You can also replace the semolina with matzo meal for the perfect Passover dish.
Vegan Latkahs
** drained liquid from small can organic chickpeas measured to ½ cup. If you are gluten-sensitive, you can use Bob Red Mill's All-Purpose gluten free flour instead of the semolina. One of my followers told me it worked great in the recipe too!
Author: Catherine Katz
Serves: 10 latkes
Ingredients
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and rinsed
- ½ yellow onion (small)
- ½ cup aquafaba*
- 4 Tbsp semolina (pasta flour)
- ¾ tsp salt
- organic cold pressed canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Grate the potatoes and onion with a hand grater or food processor with a coarse grating blade.
- Place the grated potatoes and onion in a cheesecloth or clean dish towel and wring it out to get rid of the liquid.
- Place the aquafaba and semolina in a medium bowl and stir.
- Add the grated potatoes/onion to the bowl with the aqufaba and semolina mixture, add salt and stir.
- Take out about ⅓ of the mixture and place in a small microprocessor, and grind briefly.
- Add that finely ground mixture back with the rest of the grated potato mixture in the bowl and stir again.
- Fill a large skillet with ¼ inch canola oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil is very hot but not smoking. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of potato into the oil; if the potato sizzles steadily, the oil is ready.
- Working in batches, scoop the potato mixture by spoonfuls and add them carefully to the skillet.
- Fry, turning the latkes once with a spatula, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- serve with unsweetened applesauce.
Thank you for this article! I have never thought of the important of a grater. I usually just go to the store and pick out the cheapest one. Now, after reading this makes me think more on the things I buy. Especially when it come to cooking utensil. I’ll have to look at my budget and see if I can improve my arsenal of kitchen tools based on your recommendations.
These sound delicious, but I don’t know what a microprocessor is? Can you please tell me, thank you!
It’s a little food processor. It’s used for small amounts of food that would get too spread out in a regular-sized one. Sometimes called a mini-chop and used for herbs.
WOW! These were delicious, and a huge hit with our family. The bob’s red mill semolina worked just as you described. Because I grated the potatoes and onions by hand, there was no need to whirl some in a microprocessor. Besides, is it really the same experience if you come away without scraped knuckles? Just wondering if garbanzo flour would work instead of semolina.?
YAY Jan! That makes me so happy (and I got a good laugh out of your scraped knuckles, you are so cute!!) 🙂
I LOVED these! I was so happy to enjoy the same delicious crispy latkes that we’ve always had but in a vegan variety now that I no longer eat eggs! They were soooo good! ? Thank you for creating this recipe!
Thank you so much my Natalia!! I created these for you, you were my inspiration, so I LOVE that you LOVE THEM!!! 🙂
Great recipe Catherine! Next time I think of making Rösti, I will make this instead. Thanks for sharing!
That’s a great idea Julie!! Happy new year my friend! I look forward to all your wonderful recipes and posts! 🙂
Hello sir,
I doubt that there is sure difference in the nutritional value of the substituted product, aquafaba and that of the eggs, ingredient, replaced is of main concern. Please throw some light .
I would be grateful.
Hi Divya!
You are absolutely right, as eggs are quite nutritional and I still use them in various recipes when needed but my family is heading more and more toward a predominantly vegan diet for ethical and environmental reasons and it’s nice to be able to share with others who also espouse that view. My daughter Natalia who is completely vegan was especially excited that I could recreate one of our staples for the holidays into something she could enjoy wholeheartedly, and I was thrilled that they were just as delicious! 🙂
Wow! I must try, especially because of the no egg. Stay tuned!!
for gluten-free, can you use a gulten-free all purpose flour like Bob’s instead of the semolina?
Hm Dennis, I am not sure because what makes this crusty outside so perfect is the semolina, but having said that, I think that would work fine as there is not very much of it, so i say worth a try! Please let me know OK?
Hey Catherine – worked just fine with Bob’s All-Purpose gluten free flour. no problem with them crisping up.
YES YES YES!!! Thank you so much for letting me know for my gluten-sensitive followers! I Love it! Don’t forget to rate with my little hearts if you loved my recipe, it’s always so nice to hear! 🙂
By the way, this same combination of ingredients works exceedingly well making sweet potato latkes. There are a few adjustments since the yams don’t have the amount of starch as white potatoes. I added a little salt to the shredded yams before squeezing them out and used 1 1/2 the amount of flour and triple the amount of aquafaba. I used the most orange colored yams at the market as they were the sweetest. My guests had no idea they weren’t eating the egg based version and preferred them to white potato latkes.
What a great variation Dennis! Thank you! I love it! 🙂