Low Fat, Vegan Potato Latkes For Hanukkah With A Recipe For Dairy Free, Vegan Sour Cream

Mixture of yukon gold and sweet potatoes.

Potato latkes on a large, non-stick grill.

Don't You Have To Fry Latkes?

OK, you figured it out. I'm not Jewish. You're probably saying, "doesn't this shiksa realize it's the OIL that's traditional Hanukkah food, NOT the potatoes?" I do know that (after all, I was born in Israel Zion hospital in Borough Park, Brooklyn!) but for those of you who just feasted over the Thanksgiving holiday and are now watching your waistline, I will give you the option of making these tasty, low calorie latkes with less oil and with a vegan sour cream that only weighs in at 8 calories per tablespoon! And yes, they are cooked in a small amount of oil to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah - where one night's worth of oil lasted 8 nights!

This Recipe

I do a few things that aren't traditional. I've sliced and sautéed the onions instead of grating them with the potatoes and mixing them in raw. Grating makes the onions turn to water and gives the latkes a slightly bitter taste. I love the sweetness of onion once it's sautéed. I also use a mixture of Yukon gold and sweet potatoes instead of the traditional russet potato. I throw in some nutritional yeast with the flour for added nutritional benefits.

Compare to Full Fat Sour Cream

I love sour cream. I can eat it with a spoon. But full fat, dairy sour cream has 27.8 calories (vs. 8.3 calories in vegan sour cream), 2.8 g of fat (vs. 0.3 g), 1.6 g of saturated fat (vs. 0 g), and 7.5 g of cholesterol (vs. 0). I now have something that I can freely pour over my latkes or baked potatoes without the guilt!

Also, check out other Healthful Hanukkah recipes like Raw Vegan Walnut and Mushroom Pâté which makes a great substitute for chopped chicken liver. For dessert, try making Raw Chocolate Almond Macaroons. For a complete raw vegan feast, check out my Raw Vegan Hanukkah menu.

Happy Hanukkah!

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Vegan Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Latkes

[makes about 2 dozen latkes]

2 tablespoons ground golden flaxseeds

6 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 cups peeled and grated sweet potatoes

4 cups un-peeled and grated Yukon gold potatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons vegetarian support formula nutritional yeast

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, for frying

You'll need a large, non-stick griddle or frying pan.

Make 2 flax eggs by blending the ground flaxseeds with water. For a really gooey egg, blend it with a high speed blender but you can also do this by hand. Set aside.

Sauté onion in a teaspoon of olive oil until barely soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine onion with grated sweet and Yukon gold potatoes, salt, pepper, flour, nutritional yeast and flax eggs. Mix well.

Heat griddle (medium heat) and coat with a bit of olive oil for each batch.

Place one quarter cup of mixture on the griddle for each latke, flattening them with a spatula.

Cook for 3 minutes on each side being careful not to burn them. You may have to flip them more than once to cook them thoroughly and keep them from browning too much.

Serve immediately or keep in a warm oven. Serve with applesauce or vegan sour cream.

Per latke (24 per recipe): 34.5 calories, 0.9 g fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.2 g protein, 6.4 g carbohydrates and 1.1 g dietary fiber.

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Vegan Sour Cream

[makes 2 cups or 32 tablespoons]

1 pound soft or silken tofu

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons light agave nectar

Drain off excess liquid from the tofu.

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth but do not over process or it will get watery.

Refrigerate until needed. It will last about 4 days.

Per tablespoon: 8.3 calories, 0.3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0.6 g protein, 0.5 g carbohydrates and 0 g dietary fiber.