Vegan Potato Croquettes

5 from 7 votes

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!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Small Bites

Cuisine: French

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 172kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

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

Nutrition