Vegan Potato Croquettes

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, these vegan potato croquettes are so delicious, healthy and fun to eat! Serve with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce, they make for a great side dish, appetizer or finger food for kids or toddlers.

I thought I was overdue to make a recipe for all my potato lovers!

It's been a while, right?

The thing is that I am more of a sweet potato kind of person. I use them in everything, like sweet potato sushi, spiced granola or breakfast cookies. They are so naturally flavorful and sweet! And our kids loves them so much.

On the other hand, white potatoes are more subtle in taste and to me, simply a less exciting food. Unless you fill them up to make loaded baked potatoes. Then you are talking. But otherwise, I'll take a bowl of pasta over any kind of potatoes.

Except for these vegan potato croquettes. They might win over the noodles. Because they are so amazing!

Loaded with so much flavor and studded with crunchy pieces of sweet corn and peas, they are tasty and fun for dipping in sauces. It's like eating flavorful little logs of fluffy mashed potatoes surrounded with a crunchy shell. They are such a perfect finger food for gatherings!

And these vegetarian croquettes are quite easy to make. Once you made the savory mash with the potatoes, spices and frozen veggies, then you can shape the mixture into mini bites, roll them in breading and bake in the oven until crispy and golden brown.

They are great for festivities and to serve for appetizer, but also kids/toddlers love them.

Traditional croquettes

The word croquette comes from "to croque" in French, which means to bite or crunch. They are usually made by breading potatoes, fish, bechamel, meat or vegetables into bites and then deep-fry until crispy. You can find all sorts of croquettes all around the world with a large array of flavoring and ingredients, but they all have something in common: fried finger food that's crispy and breaded with a savory filling.

In this case, I combined mashed potatoes with corn and peas to make the savory filling. The vegetables add some fun texture, flavor and color, which makes them even more appetizing. Although usually deep-fried, I baked my veggie croquettes in the oven, which worked out perfectly and made this recipe totally oil-free and healthier.

What's to love about this recipe

• Very flavorful
• Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside
• Easy to make
• Kid friendly
• Great appetizer
• Healthy
• Versatile
• Filling
• Dairy-free, oil-free, soy-free and nut-free

Ingredients you'll need

• Potatoes: I used Russet potatoes for their floury texture.
• Flour: I used all-purpose flour, but whole wheat or gluten-free should work too.
• Nutritional yeast: it adds lots of flavor to the mash and make the mixture a little cheesy too.
• Garlic powder: adds flavor, can also use fresh crushed garlic.
• Frozen corn and peas: I used frozen veggies. Use other kinds such as frozen carrots or broccoli too. Chop them small before using so they fit well in the croquettes.
• Green onions: add a subtle onion-y flavor. Can also use dried chives.
• Dried parsley: or use dried basil, oregano or an Italian mix instead.
• Plant-based milk: any kind will work, as long as it is unflavored. Used to make the breading.
• Breadcrumbs: I used regular breading, but you can use flavored ones such as Italian breadcrumbs (if they contain salt, avoid adding any more). Avoid panko breadcrumbs in that case and use a gluten-free one if necessary.

How to make them

Make the savory mashed potato filling

Peel and quarter your potatoes. Then, cook in boiling water until tender without turning mushy, about 15-20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, thaw the frozen veggies. I'll usually simply soak them in hot water for 5 minutes or so, then drain very well. Pat dry the vegetables with a towel to remove all water.

Drain the potatoes using a colander and add them back to the pot. You can transfer the pot back on the stove for 1-2 minutes to help dry out the potatoes and remove the moisture that's trapped.

Then, add the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt and dried parsley. Roughly mash the potatoes with a hand masher. You want the mixture mostly smooth, but also with some texture, so leave some small chunks in there.

Add the thawed and pat dry corn and peas and stir. Taste and adjust flavor. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Bread the croquettes

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 400º.

You will need 3 shallow bowls for the breading: one with the flour, one with the milk and one with the breadcrumbs + nutritional yeast + salt.

Then, take 2 tablespoons of the mashed potatoes at the time and press in your hands to shape a mini log. Set aside on a plate and keep going with all the potato mixture. You should have about 20 croquettes.

Then, one croquette at the time, roll in the flour, then in the milk and then completely cover with the breadcrumbs. Transfer on the prepared baking sheet and keep going with all the croquettes.

Bake and serve

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Flip them half way through.

Serve right away with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce.

Watch how to make them

Tips

• Try using a floury kind of potato. They are dryer and will help you shape the mash into mini logs. I like using Russet potatoes as they are easy to find, but other kind of floury potatoes include Desiree, Estima, King Edward and Maris Piper. I did try using Yukon potatoes and although the croquettes were creamier on the inside, they were harder to shape and more delicate during the breading too.
• Be sure to cover the whole croquette at each step of the breading.
• While breading the croquettes, try to keep one hand for the dry ingredient (flour + breadcrumbs) and the other hand for the milk. That way your fingers won't get super sticky.
• To make the filling creamier and more decadent, you can add a little vegan butter or vegan cheese to the mashed potatoes. 1-2 tablespoons of milk can make it creamier too, but go slow and don't add too much so you can easily handle and shape the mashed potatoes without them falling apart.
• The mashed potatoes will tend to stick to your hands while shaping them, especially after rolling a few. You can wet your hands a little so the mixture don't stick too much.

Serving suggestions

These vegan croquettes are amazing served with a side sauce! Ketchup or dijon mustard always work well, but also try serving with:

• Avocado green goddess dressing
• Vegan chipotle mayo
• Vegan buffalo sauce
• Smoky ketchup
• Vegan tzatziki yogurt sauce
• Vegan cashew mayo

They make for a great side dish during the holidays or even a fun appetizers to serve to guests. I served them with my smoky tofu and it was delicious!

Storage

Transfer any leftover croquettes in an air-tight container in the fridge. The croquettes will lose on their crispiness while storing, but will stay very good.

To reheat, you can fry them in a pan until warmed up or heat up in the oven (400º) for a few minutes. You can use the microwave, although they will end up softer.

How to make them ahead

To make the croquettes ahead, simply make the mashed potatoes, shape them and bread them, but transfer them in the fridge instead of baking them. You can also freeze them at this point.

When ready to eat, bake in the oven as directed. If you bake them straight from the freezer, then you will have to bake them longer.

More potato recipes you might like

• Lentil Mexican baked potatoes
• Potato and spinach soup
• Mashed potato stuffed mushrooms
• Roasted miso potatoes
• Lentil shepherd's pie
• Cauliflower, leek and potato soup
• Vegan white queso sauce

I hope you will love these vegan potato croquettes as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let us know how they were.

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