Vegan Potato Croquettes

Vegan potato croquettes melt in your mouth. Crispy on the outside and soft and delicate on the inside, this recipe can be air-fried and baked. Served with a creamy vegan bacon dipping sauce, or select from a list of yummy vegan dips, they are like fried mashed potato balls!

Potatoes are a magical vegetable. What I love most about potatoes is the ability to transform a simple potato into a savory meal. So, if you are unfamiliar with potato croquettes, you are in for a special treat. And not only are these mashed potato croquettes savory and delicious, but my recipe is vegan and cheesy! So, let's make some yummy vegan croquettes! 

What are Potato Croquettes?

A croquette is a dumpling consisting of thick bread or fried binder. Although most croquettes contain meat, cheese, or vegetables, vegan potato croquettes are a veganized version of an otherwise savory treat. 

When researching the meaning and origin of the word croquette, croquette means 'crunchy' and originated in France. Traditionally, ingredients in potato croquettes are butter, flour, milk, whatever meat or vegetable you are using in the stuffing, salt, eggs, and breadcrumbs. But the secret to the gooey texture is mixing some ingredients into a bechamel sauce. Once the mixture has set, you make them into rolls, fry them up, and pop an endless amount into your mouth. 

But vegan croquettes are healthy, oil-free, made with whole foods, and air-fried or baked. 

Vegan Potato Croquettes Recipe Ingredients

• Potatoes:  I used peeled baking potatoes, cut them into equal-sized pieces, and boiled them for 15 minutes. 
• Oat Milk: I like oat milk because it's so creamy, but plant milk works well. But make sure you select unsweetened, unflavored plant milk. 
• Nutritional Yeast: This cheesy vegan ingredient gives it the creamy cheese taste. If you don't care for nutritional yeast, use any favorite vegan cheese, or skip the cheesy component altogether. 
• Flour Wash: A combination of garbanzo flour and water for a sticky wash to dredge before adding to a breadcrumb mixture.
• Bread Crumb Mixture: Bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder. Make your bread crumbs by toasting bread and processing them in a food processor (gluten-free or oil-free bread).
• Seasonings and Herbs: Garlic powder, Onion Powder, Salt, Pepper, Fresh Garlic, and fresh parsley. 
• Green Onions: Chopped finely.

As a result, the mashed potato mixture is thicker than a typical mashed potato. Because potatoes vary in size, add the plant milk slowly, possibly requiring less or more milk depending on the texture. So the final product is NOT creamy. 

Potato Croquettes Recipe Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose any type of peeled potatoes.
• Any unsweetened, unflavored plant milk works well with this potato croquettes recipe.
• If you don't have or dislike nutritional yeast, try substituting miso paste, soy sauce, or tamari (gluten-free option).
• Substitute any flour of choice (whole-grain or any flour of choice).
• Try store-bought breadcrumbs.
• Select your favorite herb combinations.
• Spring onions are often used to substitute green onions.

Dip Ingredients

As many of you know, I love dips and sauces. To me, a great sauce served with a savory potato is magical. For this recipe, I made a vegan bacon-flavored dip.

• Vegan Sour Cream: I make my own plant-based sour cream with cashews. But I also have a nut-free option for those who don't eat nuts.
• Vegan Maple Bacon Seasoning: I found this fabulous vegan maple bacon seasoning that my husband and kids love!

Additional Dipping Options

But if you don't like a smokey, creamy dip, there are many other vegan options. 

• Marinara Sauce
• Ranch Dressing
• Thousand Island Salad Dressing
• Oil-Free Pizza Sauce 
• Mustard Dipping Sauce
• Lemon Basil Dressing
• French Dressing
• Green Goddess Dressing
• Creamy Italian Dressing
• Maple Dijon Dressing

How to Make Vegan Potato Croquettes

1. Peel and cut potatoes into equal-sized chunks.
2. Place potatoes in a pot, and cover with water.
3. Add a small amount of salt to the water.
4. Bring the water to a boil.
5. Boil for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork.
6. Drain the potatoes.
7. Place the potatoes in a bowl.
8. The mashed potato mixture should be thicker than a typical mashed potato. Because potatoes vary in size, add the plant milk slowly, beginning with ½ cup and adding more as needed. The final product should be thick, not creamy. 
9. Add all the ingredients (add the plant milk slowly; you may need less than 1 cup), except for the parsley.
10. Mash until ingredients are mixed using a hand masher, electric mixer, or immersion blender; , blend until smooth. I used a hand masher.
11. Stir in the parsley and allow it to cool to room temperature.
12. Once cool, use a cookie scoop and scoop the potato mixture. Then, use your hands to form identical balls about the size of golf balls.
13. Prepare the breading mixture in one bowl.
14. Combine bread crumbs and the nutritional yeast in a wide-mouth bowl and whisk together.
15. Set aside.
16. In the second wide-mouth bowl, combine water and flour and whisk together.
17. Or, combine in a small blender to avoid clumps.
18. Set aside.
19. Dip each potato ball in the flour/water wash, covering each ball.
20. Then, transfer to the bread crumb mixture and cover the ball in bread crumbs.
21. Transfer to a baking sheet until all the potato balls are covered.
22. If freezing for future use, once the potato croquettes are formed, before dredging in the flour wash and bread crumbs, freeze the croquettes for up to 3 months. Then, thaw before dredging in the wash and bread crumbs before cooking. 
23. Or, form the croquettes and place them on a baking sheet covered for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. 
24. Another option is to make the mashed potato mixture and refrigerate it in a bowl until ready to form the croquettes.

Cooking Options

Air Frying

1. Preheat the airfryer to 400 degrees.
2. Work in batches and place the bread crumb coated balls in a single layer in the base of the air-frier basket.
3. Cook in a single layer; do not overlap or overcrowd the basket.
4. Cook for 5 minutes; then open and shake to rotate the potato croquettes.
5. Cook another 5 minutes.
6. Remove from the air fryer, transfer to a baking sheet, and place in a 325-degree oven to keep warm while cooking the remaining croquettes.

Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place bread crumb-coated croquettes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. Cook for 25-27 minutes, rotating the croquettes halfway through cooking.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Choose your shape. Croquettes are often oval-shaped or formed into a cylinder shape. Or, make them circular golf balls using an ice cream scoop or a cookie scoop for a bit-sized croquette. 
• Air-frying is my favorite way to cook croquettes, but baking is also an option if you don't have an air-frier. 
• Making smaller croquettes (cookie scoop size) reduces cooking time in half.
• For a gluten-free option, choose gluten-free flour and make your gluten-free bread crumbs by toasting gluten-free bread and using a food processor to process it into bread crumbs.
• Similarly, use oil-free bread, such as Dave's bread, toast, and a food processor, to make your oil-free bread crumbs. 
• Change the flavor of the vegan potato croquettes by changing the seasoning combination. For example, do you want a smokey flavor, add smoked paprika or a small amount of liquid smoke. Or, if you wish to  make Italian croquettes, add Italian seasoning and vegan parmesan cheese. Add cumin or chili powder for a Mexican flair as an alternative seasoning. In other words, the various ways to enjoy these tasty potato poppers are endless. 
• One slice of bread fields about ⅓ cup of breadcrumbs; the amount may vary based on the size of the sliced bread.

Even my grand dog, Lenna, wanted to try this vegan potato croquettes recipe. And she's very picky!  

More Fabulous Vegan Appetizers to Try

If you love this vegan potato croquettes recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

📖 Recipe

Vegan Potato Croquettes

Kathy Carmichael

Vegan potato croquettes melt in your mouth. Crispy on the outside, soft and delicate on the inside. Oil-free with both an air-fried and baked option. Served with a creamy vegan bacon dipping sauce or select from a list of yummy vegan dips. They are like fried mashed potato balls!

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Small Bites

Cuisine French

Servings 12 servings

Calories 172 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Croquettes

• ▢ 3 large baking potatoes peeled and cut into equal-sized chunks (about 3 ¼ to 4 ¼″+ diameter, or 1 ½ pounds)
• ▢ ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ▢ ½-1 cup unsweetened, unflavored plain plant-based milk
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1 bunch green onions chopped fine
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons parsley chopped

Bread Crumb Mixture

• ▢ 1 cup breadcrumbs gluten-free, or regular bread crumbs
• ▢ ½ cup nutritional yeast

Flour Wash

• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ ½ cup chickpea flour or flour of choice

Vegan Bacon Dip

• ▢ ½ cup vegan sour cream
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vegan bacon seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon maple syrup or date syrup

Garnish

• ▢ Additional chopped parsley

Instructions

 

Potato Croquettes

• Peel and cut potatoes into equal-sized chunks.
• Place potatoes in a pot, and cover with water.
• Add a small amount of salt to the water.
• Bring the water to a boil.
• Boil for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork.
• Drain the potatoes.
• Place the potatoes in a bowl.
• The mashed potato mixture should be thicker than a typical mashed potato. Because potatoes vary in size, add the plant milk slowly, beginning with ½ cup and adding more as needed. The final product should be thick, not creamy. 
• Add all the ingredients (add the plant milk slowly; you may need less than 1 cup), except for the parsley.
• Mash until ingredients are mixed using a hand masher, electric mixer, or immersion blender; , blend until smooth. I used a hand masher.
• Stir in the parsley and allow it to cool to room temperature.
• Once cool, use an ice cream scoop and scoop the potato mixture. Then, use your hands to form identical balls about the size of golf balls.

Bread Crumb Mixture

• Combine bread crumbs and the nutritional yeast in a wide mouth bowl and whisk together.
• Set aside.

Flour Wash

• In the second wide-mouth bowl, combine water and flour and whisk together.
• Or, combine in a small blender to avoid clumps.
• Set aside.

Preparing and cooking the croquettes

• Dip each potato ball in the flour/water wash, covering each ball.
• Then, transfer to the bread crumb mixture and cover the ball in bread crumbs.
• Transfer to a baking sheet until all the potato balls are covered.

Air Fry Option

• Preheat the air-frier to 400 degrees.
• Work in batches and place the bread crumb coated balls in a single layer in the base of the air-frier basket.
• Cook in a single layer; do not overlap or overcrowd the basket.
• Cook for 5 minutes; then open and shake to rotate the potato croquettes.
• Cook another 5 minutes.
• Remove from the air fryer, transfer to a baking sheet, and place in a 325-degree oven to keep warm while cooking the remaining croquettes.

Baked Option

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Place bread crumb-coated croquettes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Cook for 25-27 minutes, rotating the croquettes halfway through cooking.

Vegan Bacon Dip

• Mix ½ cup vegan sour cream with bacon seasoning and maple syrup.
• Stir together.
• Refrigerate until servings.
  

Serving

• Serve with an additional parsley garnish.

Notes

• Choose your shape. Croquettes are a canvas for your creativity. They can be oval-shaped, formed into a cylinder, or even made into circular golf balls using an ice cream scoop or a cookie scoop for a bite-sized croquette. Let your imagination run wild! 
• Making smaller croquettes (cookie scoop size) is not just a matter of preference; it's a time-saving hack. It reduces cooking time in half, allowing you to enjoy your delicious creation sooner.
• Air-frying is my favorite way to cook croquettes, but baking is also an option if you don't have an air-frying. 
• For a gluten-free option, choose gluten-free flour and make your gluten-free bread crumbs by toasting gluten-free bread and using a food processor to process it into bread crumbs.
• Similarly, use oil-free bread, such as Dave's bread and toast, and use a food processor to make oil-free bread crumbs. 
• Change the seasoning combination to change the flavor of the vegan potato croquettes. The options are endless, and the adventure is yours. Whether it's a smokey flavor with smoked paprika, an  Italian twist with Italian seasoning and Vegan Parmesan Cheese, or a Mexican flair with cumin or chili powder, there's a world of flavors to explore. 
• One slice of bread yields about ⅓ cup of bread crumbs; the amount may vary depending on the size of the slice.
• Because the main ingredient is potatoes, I suggest serving with a large green salad, Kidney Bean Salad, Chopped Kale Salad, Green Bean Salad Recipe, or steamed or grilled vegetables.

Other Dipping Options

• Marinara Sauce
• Ranch Dressing
• Thousand Island Salad Dressing
• Oil-Free Pizza Sauce 
• Mustard Dipping Sauce
• Lemon Basil Dressing
• French Dressing
• Green Goddess Dressing
• Creamy Italian Dressing
• Maple Dijon Dressing

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 6gFat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 317mgPotassium: 531mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 122IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 2mg

Tried our recipe?Let us know how it was!

Kathy Carmichael

Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂

www.kathysvegankitchen.com/about-me/