No Hanukkah meal would be complete without latkes, or potato pancakes. Of Eastern European origin and traditionally made with eggs, we use ground flaxseeds to hold everything together. Please see below for a few of the many variations that are possible. Take a break from spinning the dreidel and serve with vegan sour cream or apple sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Oil a baking sheet well. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. You can speed this process up by using the grater attachment on a food processor for the potatoes.
- Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mixture for each latke onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake for 8 minutes.
- Flip the pancakes and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes, before serving.
- Combine the vegan sour cream ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.
Variations
So many are possible!
- Make smaller latkes by using 2 tablespoons instead of 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake.
- Replace 1 cup of grated potato with grated sweet potato or yam.
- Add 1 tablespoon of minced fresh dill, parsley, or basil.
- Add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped green onion.
- Add 1 pressed or minced garlic clove and 1/2 teaspoon of seeded and diced chile pepper.
- Add ½ cup of peeled and grated parsnip or carrot.
- Create Italian latkes by adding 1 tablespoon of Italian spice mix.
- Go Mexican by adding 1 tablespoon of minced fresh cilantro and 1 teaspoon each of chile powder and ground cumin.
- Add ½ cup of grated vegan cheddar or mozzarella-style cheese for an over-the-top latke experience.
- For a gluten-free version, replace the spelt flour with brown rice flour.
If You Have More Time...
- Allow the batter to sit for at least 10 minutes before shaping the pancakes and baking.
- For traditional latkes, you can fry the pancakes in a liberal amount of oil. Cook until both sides are golden brown, about 5 minutes, pressing down with a spatula and flipping occasionally to ensure even coating. Place on a paper towel after frying, to absorb some of the oil.
Mark Reinfeld is a multi-award winning chef and author of seven books, including the best selling 30 Minute Vegan series and his latest book, Healing the Vegan Way. Mark has over 20 years of experience preparing creative vegan and raw cuisine. Since 2012, he has served as the Executive Chef for the North American Vegetarian Society's Summerfest. He has offered consulting services for clients such as Google, Whole Foods, and Bon Appetit Management. Mark was the founding chef of The Blossoming Lotus Restaurant, voted "Best Restaurant on Kaua'i."
