A fun twist on a classic party dip, these spinach artichoke latkes are flavorful and nutritious! A healthier baked potato pancake, these versatile latkes make a great snack, appetizer, or even a meal if you’re so inclined.
Hey Internet, I published these spinach artichoke latkes in 2019, but it’s almost Hanukkah again so I’m bringing ‘em back!
So, if you know a bit of background about Hanukkah, you’ll know that we eat oily foods to celebrate the victory of the Maccabees, a small group of Jewish rebels. To rededicate the second temple of Jerusalem,they lit an oil menorah. The oil was only supposed to last a day but it lasted 8 days, which allowed enough time to find a new supply of oil to keep the menorah lit within the temple at all times.
Whew, I’m out of breath now. If you’re interested in learning more about the story of Hanukkah, here’s a great resource.
Seriously, though, we eat oily food on Hanukkah because it’s symbolic. Except if you’re me, and you don’t like to consume oil (it’s not healthy for arteries, and also personally it upsets my stomach), you make baked latkes!
They’re also delicious dipped in my high protein / low fat vegan sour cream.
I always loved latkes when my mom made them. I think it was likely one of my most requested meals (and yes, I always ate them as a meal. Lots of them.).
But as mentioned earlier, they are fried in oil, and I wanted a way to make them for myself and have them be something I felt good about eating.
We can eat them and still appreciate the symbolism of the oil, yes?
They’re also one of four (yes, four) latke / potato pancake recipes in my new cookbook Plant-Based Jewish Recipes! I also have a family recipe for applesauce that will ruin all other applesauce for you. Sorry, but it’s delicious.
ANYWAY, these spinach artichoke latkes are such a fun appetizer or meal. You could also roll the uncooked mixture into a ball, bake or air fry, and place a toothpick in the center for an easy party dish.
Wait, What’s a Latke?
Latkes (pronounced either lot-keys or lot-kuhs, depending on who you talk to), are basically just shredded potatoes, sometimes other veggies, eggs, flour, and oil to fry in. They get packed together in little flat clumps, somewhat like fritters, and are often dipped in applesauce and sour cream.
But these crispy, chewy, savory latkes don’t have to be regarded as a once a year treat. I present my version, free of oil but just as delicious. I’ve customized this recipe with spinach and artichoke hearts, and it tastes just like a popular dip with chips.
You’ll need only a few ingredients for this delicious twist on a classic Jewish dish.
What You’ll Need
The feature in these baked latkes is spinach and artichoke. I used frozen spinach (thawed, squeezed, and patted dry with a towel) and canned artichoke hearts (separated and patted dry) as the main flavor ingredients.
I was able to find the artichoke hearts in water for this at my regional chain grocery store, at Trader Joe’s and at Whole Foods.
I particularly like using peeled russet potatoes for latkes because they’re hard and hold up well, but you could use any you like. You don’t need to peel the potatoes, but if you use a thick skinned potato like russet, I recommend peeling for texture.
You can even use other vegetables. For 3 fun variations including Traditional Potato Latkes, Sweet Potato Latkes, and Root Vegetable Latkes, as well as many other Jewish recipes and passed-down-through-generations Applesauce with a secret ingredient, check out my Plant-Based Jewish Recipes eBook!
The flour in this recipe is actually ground garbanzo beans, so it’s higher in protein and gluten + grain-free. You can substitute it for regular flour if you like.
For the eggs, I like ground flax seeds mixed with water, but I’ve also used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer with a lot of success.
The other stuff in the latkes is just herbs and spices. You can add any that you like, but I love the combination of garlic, onion, and dried chives in this recipe. I’ve also used a bit of sea salt.
How to Make Baked Oil-Free Latkes
- Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit (205° Celsius).
- Mix the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and let sit to gel.
- Thaw frozen spinach or cook fresh spinach so that it’s wilted and mixable. Squeeze as much water out of that spinach as you can, then pull it apart with your fingers so it’s not clumped together.
- Open the can of artichoke hearts, drain, and separate the leaves out, drying them with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. You can either use, snack on, or discard the mushy base of each artichoke heart.
- Wash, peel, and grate your potatoes. Funnily enough, I refused to even try to make latkes for the longest time because I didn’t want to peel the potatoes. I hated having to peel anything. Until I found this peeler on a whim on Amazon. This is not me trying to sell you a peeler. This is completely true!
- The easiest way I’ve found to shred the potatoes is to run them through a food processor that has a grating plate. But if you don’t have a food processor with this function, you can use any type of grater, like a box grater. If it’s strenuous, well, switch arms often and count it as your workout. Holiday cooking is a sport, anyway.
- Squeeze excess water out of potatoes with a clean kitchen towel. Get out as much water as you can--my husband sandwiches the shredded potatoes between two kitchen towels and uses a rolling pin to press the liquids out.
- Add the shredded potatoes, spinach, artichoke hearts, chickpea flour, and spices to a bowl and mix well with clean hands. Next add your flax egg mixture and again mix well with hands.
- Form patties with your hands, making into a ball and flattening until about half an inch thick. Use approximately half a cup of the mixture per latke. Place each latke on a silicone mat or parchment lined baking tray, about half an inch apart. Repeat until all of the mixture is used up.
- Bake latkes for 25 - 26 minutes. Carefully flip at this point--I like to use a metal cookie spatula. Bake again until top is lightly browned, about 18 - 22 more minutes. You could also air fry them in a single layer--I’d do 10 minutes each side at 400° Fahrenheit (205° Celsius).
- Serve warm with a little fresh parsley and vegan sour cream.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 5 days. I suggest reheating in the oven, air fryer, or a toaster oven to retain crispy texture.
What to Serve with Spinach Artichoke Latkes
My number one favorite thing to eat with these latkes is my vegan sour cream recipe. It only takes 3 ingredients and a couple minutes to whiz up in the blender and it’s delicious.
You could serve these latkes with traditional applesauce, but I like this particular combo to stay savory.
It would go really well with some vegan mac and cheese, vegan cream of chicken soup, or a pomegranate salad.
For extra Jew cred, serve it with my Vegan Matzo Ball Soup and a slice of Vegan Challah.
Want More Jewish Recipes?
I grew up eating a ton of awesome Jewish foods. However, I haven't had many of them since going vegan 3 years ago. So I've set out to veganize my favorites!
My Plant-Based Jewish Recipes e-book is now available for purchase and has 36 vegan Jewish recipes perfect for Chanukah, Passover, Rosh Hashanah and more.
Purchase and immediately receive your e-book that you can read digitally or print out and make tons of delicious Jewish comfort food recipes such as latkes, kugel, knishes, lox (!), black and white cookies, babka, and more! This book contains over 20 exclusive recipes that will never be released on the blog.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you I’ve got one more thing to tell you about this book. Over the next year or so, I’ll be releasing new versions of the book with new recipes for each major Jewish holiday (think Hamantaschen for Purim and flourless cake for Passover) and if you’ve already purchased my Plant-Based Jewish Recipes e-book, you’ll automatically get an updated version free of charge. Yup.
Click here to purchase or read more about the book.
Anything Else?
As always, I hope you love this recipe--I know I do, and Mr. Zardyplants does, too. He always eats them while we’re loading up our plates.
These spinach artichoke latkes are:
- Soft but a lil’ crisp on the outside
- Flavorful
- Savory
- Satisfying
- And perfect for a party with family, friends, or a party in your mouth!
Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)
Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!
<3 Liz
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Oil-free Spinach Artichoke Latkes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 latkes 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A fun twist on a classic party dip, these spinach artichoke latkes are flavorful and nutritious! A healthier baked potato pancake!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded
- 1.5 cups canned/jarred artichoke hearts in brine/water, drained, separated, dried
- 16 oz frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained, excess water pressed out
- 1 cup garbanzo bean flour (see note 1)
- 3 tbsp ground flaxseed + 9 tbsp water (see note 2)
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried chives
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit (205° Celsius). Mix the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and let sit to gel.
- Spinach: Thaw frozen spinach or cook fresh spinach so that it’s wilted and mixable. Squeeze as much water out of that spinach as you can, then pull it apart with your fingers so it’s not clumped together. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
- Artichoke hearts: Open the can of artichoke hearts, drain, and separate the leaves out, drying them with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. You can either use, snack on, or discard the mushy base of each artichoke heart.
- Potatoes: Wash, peel, and grate your potatoes. Squeeze excess water out of potatoes with a clean kitchen towel. Get out as much water as you can--my husband sandwiches the shredded potatoes between two kitchen towels and uses a rolling pin to press the liquids out.
- Mix: Add the shredded potatoes, spinach, artichoke hearts, chickpea flour, and spices to a bowl and mix well with clean hands. Next add your flax egg mixture and again mix well with hands.
- Shape: Form patties with your hands, making into a ball and flattening until about half an inch thick. Use approximately half a cup of the mixture per latke. Place each latke on a silicone mat or parchment lined baking tray, about half an inch apart. Repeat until all of the mixture is used up.
- Bake: Bake latkes for 25 - 26 minutes. Carefully flip at this point--I like to use a metal cookie spatula. Bake again until top is lightly browned, about 18 - 22 more minutes. You could also air fry them in a single layer--I’d do 10 minutes each side at 400° Fahrenheit (205° Celsius).
- Serve: Serve warm with a little fresh parsley and vegan sour cream.
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 5 days. I suggest reheating in the oven, air fryer, or a toaster oven to retain crispy texture. You can also freeze up to 3 months in a freezer safe container.
Notes
- Note 1: You can substitute the garbanzo bean flour for regular flour if you like. But I like the taste and texture of the garbanzo bean flour, also known as chickpea flour, gram flour, or Besan. You can find it in the Bob’s Red Mill section of a supermarket, or at Indian groceries, health food stores, or online. It’s also higher in protein and nutrients than regular flour.
- Note 2: I’ve also used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer with a lot of success. Use 2 tbsp water per 1 tbsp of this egg replacer instead of the 3:1 ratio for flaxseed.
- Note 3: Funnily enough, I refused to even try to make latkes for the longest time because I didn’t want to peel the potatoes. I hated having to peel anything. Until I found this peeler on a whim on Amazon. This is not me trying to sell you a peeler. This is completely true!
- Note 4: The easiest way I’ve found to shred the potatoes is to run them through a food processor that has a grating plate. But if you don’t have a food processor with this function, you can use any type of grater, like a box grater. If it’s strenuous, well, switch arms often and count it as your workout. Holiday cooking is a sport, anyway.
- Category: Snack, Jewish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Jewish, American
Keywords: Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, oil-free, Latke, Hanukkah
I made these last night and they were delicious. I pretty much followed the recipe, though used fresh chives. The only thing I would do differently is to made them a little thinner, as the thinner ones came out crispier. The tofu sour cream was great. I added half of a jalapeño pepper to it and the meal was a hit. It was wonderful to have latkes without all the grease. My husband gave them and “A,” jokingly subtracting the plus for lack of grease. Thank you for this recipe.
I could eat a mountain of these. They are so yummy and they're not fried!
★★★★★
They’re the real deal! I didn’t believe baking them without oil would work so I reserved some of the mixture and pan-fried them in EVOO to compare them. To my surprise, the baked latkes were great! Be patient and wait to flip them for a perfect crust. No peaking!
I prefer them smaller/thinner, but using the same technique should work. The bonus is that they should bake faster and be crispier if they’re smaller. And you yield more!
The pan fried latkes were slightly more flavorful because of the EVOO, so I would suggest adding some additional seasoning to the baked ones to make-up for that. I used a couple green onions that were chopped finely, so maybe more green onions.
The nice thing with this recipe is that you can customize it to your taste!
★★★★