A sweeter spin on the classic potato fritter, these sweet potato apple latkes are a delicious dish whether you celebrate Hanukkah or not.
Sweet Potato Apple Latkes
It’s officially latkes season! While I absolutely love the classic potato latkes, I wanted to try something different this year. These sweet potato apple latkes came out so good, and were a fun change from the usual fried potato pancake.
They’re sweet, lightly pan-fried, and so delicious with your choice of topping.
What are latkes?
Latkes are basically a fried patty, or pancake, made of grated potatoes, onions, eggs, flour and light seasoning. Typically, you serve them with applesauce or sour cream, but they’re honestly delicious just as is.
You’ll find tons of variations available online for how to make them, and what to put in them. They’re a staple for Jewish people during the holiday of Hanukkah. Traditionally during the holiday, we eat foods fried in oil like, latkes and donuts, to remember the miracle of Hanukkah where a jug of oil meant to last 1 day lasted for 8 days
On Hanukkah, its a custom to eat latkes that are fried in oil- and truthfully, they taste much better that way. I’m all for baking or air-frying to keep things lighter from time to time, but I also believe that food should be enjoyed in its original form, especially when holiday customs are involved.
Everything in moderation, right?
Grating the potatoes and squeezing out the water is key in latkes making. You can use a hand or box grater, or a grating blade in your food processor. It might be more time consuming, but it results in a much crunchier potato latke.
What do you top your latkes with?
Last week, I took a poll on Instagram to see if people preferred applesauce or sour cream on their latkes. Majority voted for sour cream (58% of voters!), and a few people even messaged me saying they add both.
Personally, I prefer applesauce, but actually enjoyed these sweet potato apple latkes with both sour cream and applesauce. I think it balanced out the sweetness perfectly.
I love to garnish these with pomegranate seeds, microgreens and chives for a pop of color.
I served them for dinner with my maple dijon salmon and the combo was perfect! You guys are going to love this recipe, however you choose to serve it. Check out some ideas below:
Salmon Couscous Salad
Farro and Beet Salad with Mint Vinaigrette
Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Sweet Potato Apple Latkes
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled
- 1/2 large apple
- 1 small yellow onion, or 1/2 large
- 3 tbsp spelt flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- Avocado oil, to fry
Top with:
- Sour cream
- Applesauce
- Pomegranate seeds
Directions
- Grate the sweet potato, onion and apple into a large bowl. I used a hand grater, but you can use a grating blade attachment in your food processor.
- Wrap the mixture in a cheesecloth or thin dish rag, and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. You can also grab a handful of the mixture and squeeze the water out between your fingers, then repeat with remaining mixture. Discard the liquid and place the mixture back into the bowl.
- Add in the egg, spices and flour and mix until well combined.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat with about 1/4 cup avocado oil. Once hot, scoop 2-3 tbsp of the mixture into the pan and flatten gently with the back of the measuring cup or a spatula.
- Let one side cook for about 2 minutes, then flip for additional 1-2 minutes. Place the cooked latkes on a cooling rack as you prep the rest of the latkes. Add an additional 1-2 tbsp of oil into the skillet as needed, and repeat the process until the batter is done.
- Serve with your desired toppings
Thanks for the tip! Ended up doing them with 1:1 gf flour. They are such a fun twist on the classic. Served with apple sauce and sour cream.. and also did a fun one with a little bit of wasabi, avocado and smoked salmon. All amazing!
Any chance you can sub spelt flour for gluten free flour (or any other gf flour)?
You can use a 1;1 GF flour blend! I’ve also made latkes with oat flour before 🙂