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Waffled Carrot Latkes are here to revolutionize your holiday spread with a crispy, flavorful spin that will leave everyone impressed.

 

Once up a time, many many years ago, I hosted a holiday dinner for Mom and my stepdad. Since my stepdad is Jewish, I tried to remain as kosher as possible. Granted, it wasn’t kosher beef, but I’m sure a kosher rib roast would have cost way more than the one I purchased.

 

I can’t even remember what else was served up with the tasty roast, but I do remember my stepdad, A, making some delicious latkes. How in the world had I not ever had or made these delicious potatoes piles of perfect goodness? Yes, yes I do like alliteration. Don’t you?

 

Ever since then, I’ve been meaning to make latkes. In my head, they’re a delicious marriage of a potato pancake and hash browns. They’re crispy but have a little more in the recipe than just straight up potatoes making them just slightly different than simply frying up small rounds of hash browns and calling them latkes.

 

 

What are latkes?

 

Latkes are a a staple in Hanukkah celebrations. The name itself means small fried pancake. This one just happens to be made from potatoes. Latkes are crispy potato pancakes that are fried to perfection.

 

No, potatoes are not required. You can make latkes with cheese, onion, zucchini, sweet potato, other root vegetables like parsnips, turnips, etc. You’re not limited to just potatoes, but they’re the most popular vegetable used to make these crispy and delicious pancakes.

 

 

Where do latkes come from?

 

Some version of the latke is traced back to the Middle Ages. These earlier latkes consisted of cheese fried in poppyseed oil or butter but if you were Jewish back then, it was schmalz which is rendered chicken fat. You see where this is going? Diary on dairy? If you don’t know, the Jewish tradition does not allow dairy and meat combined for the same meal. So they couldn’t have latkes for main meals where meat was also eaten.

 

When potatoes arrived in Europe in the 19th century, Jewish families started making potato latkes so they could have them at any meal. The popularity of these potato latkes grew so much that the two were almost synonymous with each other.

 

Over time, variations of the traditional potato latke have emerged, with some recipes incorporating different vegetables like zucchini, sweet potatoes, celery root, apples, beets, and, of course, carrots. Some recipes call for shredded potatoes and some call for pureed potatoes. This, to me, is more like potato pancakes, boxty, or potato farle from Ireland.

 

 

What ingredients do you need for Waffled Carrot Latkes?

 

To make these waffled carrot latkes, you will need:

• Shredded carrots – do not use pre-shredded carrots are they lack the moisture needed to make these latkes.
• Egg – this is the binder that brings all the ingredients together.
• Flour – combined with the egg makes these latkes stick together
• Cornstarch – this makes the outside of the latkes super crispy and delicious
• Salt and pepper – always to taste
• Spices of choice – you can use cinnamon if you want to make them sweater or use dill or garlic powder to make them savory

 

 

How do you make Waffled Carrot Latkes?

 

Shred the carrots. You can do this by hand, but I put mine in a food processor to make it quick and painless to shred them. Then you want to place the carrots in a towel to wring out the excess moisture. This can make or break your latkes if you don’t do this. They can be soggy and steam instead of getting crispy and delicious.

 

Combine the carrots with the egg substitute (or 2 large eggs), flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper, and spices of choice. Stir everything very well to make sure your latkes are evenly seasoned so they taste delicious, are super crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside.

 

 

Preheat your waffle iron. When it’s ready, lightly spray the grids with cooking spray or brush with schmalz or butter, and place 1/4 cup of the carrot mixture in the center of the waffle iron. Close the lid and cook until golden brown and crispy, making sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your waffle iron.

 

When they’re cooked, remove them to a wire rack. You don’t want to stack them on top of each other because they will lose their crispiness. So, a wire rack in the oven will keep them crisp and warm until you cook all the latkes.

 

 

Tips for Perfectly Crispy Waffled Carrot Latkes

 

Make sure to squeeze out any excess moisture from the grated carrots before mixing them with the other ingredients. This will help prevent soggy latkes. Secondly, preheat your waffle iron thoroughly before adding the latke mixture to ensure a crispy exterior. Keep an eye on the cooking time to achieve that golden brown color and ideal crispiness. With these tips in mind, your waffled carrot latkes are bound to be a delicious and festive addition to your Hanukkah menu. 

 

 

What do waffled carrot latkes taste like?

 

The carrots are caramelized and delicious on the outside. The inside is tender, sweet, and slightly salty. I added some dill and garlic salt to mine making them super savory and delicious. They were perfect to have with our holiday dinner. Easter, Christmas, even Thanksgiving! Because they’re super easy to make and taste delicious. I whipped up a feta and cottage cheese sauce to go with them.

 

Carrot Day is April 4 so I’m celebrating with this recipe. I love me some carrots, don’t you? We eat them often, but I don’t think I’ve posted many recipes with carrots. I know I’ve made a carrot ginger pancit, I’ve roasted carrots, I haven’t pureed carrots or made a soup. Hmm… carrot cake? Carrot muffins? Okay. You see where this is going. I need to share more carrot recipes to highlight this underrated root vegetable.

 

Creative Carrot Recipes

• Brown Butter Honey Roasted Carrots from Jen Around the World
• Carrot Almond Kheer from Magical Ingredients
• Do Chua from That Recipe
• Orange Glazed Carrots and Beets from Palatable Pastime
• Waffled Carrot Latkes from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

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