Enjoy Cauliflower Latkes as a delicious, veggie-packed side dish for Hanukkah or any day.
Cauliflower Latkes (Pancakes)
As a child, Hanukkah meant 3 things; presents, chocolate gelt (coins) and potato latkes (pancakes). Anyone who has ever made potato latkes or lived in a house where they have been prepared knows the scent of oil and onions that linger for days. Even the dog’s fur smelled like potato latkes- no kidding. I will always LOVE the greasy, salty flavor of traditional potato latkes but to me, they are a once a year treat.
I really wanted to create a recipe that I can serve to my family much more often and riced cauliflower is the perfect ingredient to substitute for potatoes. Cauliflower Latkes are a tasty alternative to the fried favorite that’s veggie packed and sautéed in little oil. This easy recipe for latkes is way less work than traditional potato latkes and no smelly kitchen either 🙂
Where to buy riced cauliflower
If you are not familiar with super trendy riced cauliflower or cauliflower rice, you can make it or buy it. Trader Joe’s and Costco have been known to feature this convenience item and Trader Joe’s used to put a limit on the number of bags you were allowed to purchase. Now that TONS of brands have caught on to the trend, you can find frozen cauliflower rice in most supermarkets.
I’ve also seen “cauliflower crumbles” in the fresh produce section of my supermarket. I tried this recipe using that version and it didn’t work as well because the pieces were a bit too chunky. Make sure the cauliflower is small but not pureed. If the pieces you pre-purchase look like tiny squares, they are still too big. Just make sure to grind it up a bit in the blender or food processor until it’s the size of rice or even a tiny bit smaller.
A little oil goes a long way
There’s no need to deep fry these either. I use a few tablespoons of oil for the whole recipe because you can still achieve a crispy product without them dripping in grease. There are no rules here. If you think the family won’t go for full cauliflower, mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with grated potatoes. Any added veggies are a bonus!
Cauliflower Latkes (Pancakes)
Cauliflower Latkes
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package of riced cauliflower approximately 4 cups***
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg white or 3 Tablespoons liquid egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup reduced fat 2% cheddar or Mexican blend shredded cheese
- 1 large scallion chopped (about 3 Tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine all ingredients except oil and mix well.
- Heat a large saute pan on medium to medium-high heat and add 1 Tablespoon of oil.
- Pack a 1/4 cup measuring cup with cauliflower mix, add to pan and gently flatten. (Cook 4 pancakes at a time in the pan)
- Saute for a few minutes until bottom is browned and holding together. Gently flip pancakes and cook second side until nicely browned.
- Remove pancakes from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Repeat the process 2 more times for a total of 12 pancakes.
- Makes 12 pancakes. Serve with sour cream, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. They are also good with applesauce. For an extra kick, add some sriracha, red pepper flakes or smoked paprika.
Nutrition
***You can find riced cauliflower premade in the produce section or freezer section of the supermarket. Fresh chopped cauliflower crumbles are not small enough to make these pancakes. If purchasing these crumbles, toss them in the blender and pulse until you have the consistency of rice, the smaller the better to make these stick together. To make your own as I did, add about ½ of one head of cauliflower broken in pieces to a blender or food processor and gently pulse until it’s the consistency of rice.
–Gluten free option: substitute a gluten free flour blend or almond flour for the white whole wheat flour.
Cauliflower Latkes (Pancakes)
Have you cooked with riced cauliflower? What have you made and did it work well? I’d love to have some more recipe suggestions to make with this versatile ingredient.
PIN FOR LATER:
Low Carb Cauliflower Latkes
I’m always looking for new latke variations (I have one coming to my blog soon!!!), but CAULIFLOWER?!?! Genius!!! I cannot wait to make these for Chanukah this year!
Thanks, Chelsey! Let me know if you make them!!
I am SO making these!!
I love that you used cauliflower for these Lauren! Yum!
Very cool, Lauren! I LOVE latkas, but never thought of making them from cauliflower. Wonder what my Jewish friends would think about it… lol
Looks delicious! I love the idea of using caulilflower. 🙂
I’ve never been a latke fan (gasp! I know, how not Jewish of me!), but cauliflower latkes?! You’re talking my language!
I have a bag of riced cauliflower in my freezer waiting to be made into these guys!! 🙂
These look awesome, and I had no idea that you can buy riced cauliflower at the supermarket. That sounds awesome because I can never get all of the water out of mine!
These look absolutely amazing!
What a great idea! I don’t celebrate Hanukkah but I WILL be making these soon 🙂
Such a funny image to think of the dogs fur smelling like onions and oil! That made me giggle! I love your swap of cauliflower. That’s so clever, and much less indulgent I am sure.
I love that you used cauliflower in latkes!! My kids love latkes and I make them every year for Hannukah. I need to try adding cauli this year. Thanks for the inspiration.
I’ve made potato pancakes in a muffin tin and they came out fine. I think you could do that with these and reduce the calories and fat a bit.
That’s a good idea, I’ll have to try it out next time 🙂
These cauliflower latkes sound delicious! What a great, healthier, alternative to traditional latkes… I can not wait to try these!!!
Thanks Meredith!
Can you freeze them
To be honest, I’ve never tried. They always disappear too quickly 🙂 I would think that you could freeze them and reheat in the oven vs the microwave. I’ll do it the next time I make them!
I read that this was Keto-friendly but saw that there was wheat flour in it. Yikes. I am determined to experiment & make true Keto & Palio friendly latkes. Thanks for some ideas 😀
You can easily substitute almond flour! Not a problem, it’s a small amount so the recipe won’t be affected. Enjoy!
Could I use nutritional yeast instead of cheese?
Thanks for your question. I would not recommend using nutritional yeast in this particular recipe. The cheese is necessary for structure and texture wise, it’s very different. 🙂
My family liked it. I did make a few changes though. Left out egg whites and flower and added poterhouse seasoning to the ingredients. I strained the cauliflower mixture and fried it in pan.
I used frozen savory herb rice cauliflower but cooked it for 1 less minute than steamer bag called for. When cool enough to handle ,I put it on a 3 layers of paper towels to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Added it to bowl with 2 eggs, the flour, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Added chopped onions because I didn’t have actual scallions. Seasoned to taste because steamer bag was already seasoned. Turned out delicious! Thank you!
Amazing!! I love to hear when customizations turn out great!