Hanukkah Latkes: An Easy Gluten-Free Potato Pancakes Recipe

Easy to prepare, these delicious gluten-free potato pancakes are an alternative version of my grandma’s traditional Hanukkah latkes. Depending on the toppings you use, they are also dairy-free.

Potato latkes are one of my favorite Hanukkah foods.

Covered in apple sauce or sour cream, they were one of the things I thought I would miss when I changed my diet. But, a bit of tweaking, and we have perfected our gluten-free potato pancakes. And, while no longer traditional, we still call them latkes.

Best of all, they still taste just like the latkes grandma used to make. A little bit crispy, and just greasy enough to taste authentic. In fact, our gluten-free potato pancakes are so good, no one at the table even realized we altered grandma’s recipe.

These gluten-free potato pancakes tick all of the boxes

• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free, if served without sour cream
• Vegan
• Fun and easy to make
• Taste just like the traditional latkes that grandma made
• Best prepared in advance and reheated
• So good, people will question whether or not they are gluten-

What you need to make our gluten-free potato pancakes

While the complete recipe is below, this will give you an idea of what you will need.

Supplies needed:

• Potato peeler
• Food processor
• Skillet
• Spatula
• Paper towels

Gluten-free potato pancake ingredients:

• Russet potatoes (or any other variety that is high in starch and low in water)
• Onions
• Eggs
• Gluten-free flour
• Baking powder
• Salt and pepper
• Cooking oil

Optional toppings:

• Apple sauce
• Sour cream
• Nothing at all. Sometimes I like them just out of the pan

Peeling potatoes – heed our warning

First, a word on peeling potatoes. We do this manually. Actually, I don’t know any other way. Last time we made a double batch to share with family, and still have some stored away for later in the week. So, we spent about 30 minutes peeling potatoes.

It was a family thing, so we had lots of laughs and made the entire process fun. Then we looked at this mound of potato peel in the sink and were instantly glad we had a garbage disposal. Well, heed my warning. This is a very bad idea, as we were soon to discover.

It started out good, running water, a wooden spoon to guide the peel down the drain, lots of chopping noise, until there wasn’t. Puzzled, we stopped pushing the peel down the drain, turned off the disposal, and watched the water fill up the sink.

To make a long story short, we needed a plumber to resolve this mess. But on the bright side, out gluten-free potato pancakes were not harmed.

Serving suggestions

Two main ways to serve latkes: with applesauce or with sour cream. Or, the third way – both. Personally, I like applesauce, and we often make our own. Here are a few of our favorite recipes:

• My favorite is also the simplest, a no-sugar-added 3-ingredient applesauce from the Minimalist Baker.
• Here’s a sweeter applesauce with maple syrup from Cookie and Kate.
• And a more traditional applesauce made with sugar from Simply Recipes.

We love potatoes

I’ll admit, latkes are one of my favorite Hanukkah treats, although we have been known to eat them the rest of the year. Then, we simply call them gluten-free potato pancakes. Over the years, we have collected several other recipes for our favorite latke varieties, and sometimes we even turn to our favorite Jewish cookbooks for even more options.

At our house, potatoes are a staple item. Sometimes, they are even the main course of our dinner. The rest of the time, they are a quick and easy side salad.

Our gluten-free potato pancakes recipe

This recipe is a family tradition.

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