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Hanukkah is a festive time of year that is accompanied by delicious food. Latkes in particular are a traditional part of this holiday. Latkes are shallow-fried potato pancakes, which are usually topped with a variety of condiments, ranging from savory sour cream, to sweet applesauce. They are naturally vegetarian, but often contain egg in order to bind the pancakes together when they are fried. But don’t worry, there are a ton of vegan substitutes that can be used instead of eggs, that will work just as well.

What you need for the latkes:

  • russet potatoes
  • white onion
  • flour
  • salt
  • pepper
  • vegan egg
  • nutritional yeast

What you do:

Start by peeling and grating the potatoes, and squeeze out their excess liquid as best you can. Place the onions in a separate bowl. Now, grate the onion, and add that as well as the seasoning and flour to the bowl with the potatoes, and mix well. Next, preheat the oven on a low heat according to the directions, add the batter onto an oiled skillet on medium heat. Fry the latkes until they’re golden brown on both sides, it should take just under 10 minutes. Place the fried latkes in the oven to keep them warm, until the entire batter is fried.

How to make easy vegan potato latkes & vegan sour cream

Source: Jenny Goldfarb/Youtube

Jenny Goldfarb shows us how to make these very easy homemade potato latkes and the vegan sour cream dipping sauce. Traditional potato latkes are usually made from a store-bought box, that almost always contains eggs and is drenched with a dairy sour cream. However, she reassures us that there’s another way. Her cruelty-free and healthier homemade version of latkes requires a couple of easy substitutes and can be whipped up in 15-20 minutes!

Vegan substitutes

Aquafaba

Aquafaba, also known as the liquid that comes inside cans of beans is one of the best substitutes for eggs. Grab a can of chickpeas, or any bean, and strain the liquid, using a fine-mesh strainer. Pour the aquafaba onto saucepan and bring to a boil, before reducing the liquid to a simmer. You can then add 3 Tbsp to your latke recipe just like you would an egg.

Chia and flax seeds

Both chia and flax seeds act as great binders for vegan latkes and vegan baking in general. They also help add moisture and help baked goods rise. To substitute for one egg, combine 1 Tbsp of seeds and 3 Tbsp water.

Check out these delicious plant-based latke recipes:

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

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