Crispy on the outside and soft, potato-y on the inside, these easy vegan croquettes are one of our favorite healthy sides. They pair beautifully with any salad, make for a lovely savory brunch addition and are undetectably nutritious.
Especially when dipped into some ketchup, tofu ranch or yogurt garlic sauce, vegetable croquettes are a flavorful treat that you’ve just taken to the next level.
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If you haven’t heard of croquettes before, they are like sausage-shaped patties oftentimes mostly made from potatoes and breaded on the outside — similar to tater tots.
Our version of vegan vegetable croquettes doesn’t require any frying or added oil, which makes them light yet totally moreish. Trust us, these savory snacks are a total hit at any vegan BBQ or party buffet!
So, get ready for crunchy vegetable-packed potato croquettes that even your kids will love!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Budget-friendly and easily customizable
- Perfect finger food
- Delicious both hot or cold
- Great to make ahead & bring along
- Kid-friendly and easy to make
- Super satisfying and hearty
- Secretly veggie-rich & healthy
Doesn’t that sound awesome?
In terms of kitchen tools, you will need a chopping board, sharp knife, skillet or pan, a large spoon, fork and one parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Ingredients needed
- White potatoes — form the base for our mashed potato croquette filling; you can use only white potatoes for this recipe if you like.
- Sweet potatoes — will be mashed along the white potatoes for some lovely color & added nutrients.
- Carrot & zucchini — finely chopped and sautéd, these vegetables get mixed into the mashed potatoes.
- Onion & garlic — these provide richer flavor in any savory recipes and are highly recommended!
- Fresh spinach — isn’t very noticeable in the potato croquettes but if you cater to picky eaters, just leave it out.
- Soy milk — our favorite pick for creamy and healthy mashed potatoes, but any vegan milk alternative works.
- Panko breadcrumbs — for the crispy coating!
These main ingredients are then seasoned with salt and pepper to taste or can be taken into a plethora of culinary directions — more on that below.
You can find the exact amounts in the recipe card below. We’ll also share some swaps in just a bit!
Here’s how easy it is to make our vegan potato and vegetable croquettes at home.
How to make vegetable croquettes
Before you start, preheat your oven to 400° F (200 °C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roast the potatoes
Wash, peel and cube your potatoes and place them on your lined baking sheet. Season to your liking with salt and pepper, toss, and make sure the cubes don’t touch each other so they bake evenly.
Put your baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.
Sauté the vegetables
Meanwhile, wash and dice the other vegetables you want to use for your filling. We chose onion, garlic, carrot and zucchini for our vegetable croquettes, but you can omit or swap any of these components.
Start by adding the onion with a splash of water to a cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan and sauté it over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid sticking, until the onion becomes translucent.
Now, add the garlic, zucchini, carrot and fresh spinach to the skillet. Keep cooking for 5 more minutes while stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat.
Mash the potatoes
Once the 20 minutes of baking time have elapsed, remove the potatoes from the oven but don’t turn it off.
Place them into a bowl and mash them with a fork, then add the soy milk and keep mashing and mixing until you have created a puree. You can use a potato masher if you have one — but there’s no need to end up with super smooth potato puree.
Combine & shape croquettes
Add the sautéed vegetables and finely chopped parsley to your mashed potatoes. Mix well to incorporate and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Put the panko breadcrumbs on a plate and line your baking sheet with fresh parchment paper.
Make sure your potato mixture has cooled enough to handle, then scoop it with a spoon and use wetted hands to form the sausage-like croquettes.
Roll them individually in the breadcrumbs for an even coating, then place the croquettes next to each other on your prepared baking sheet.
Bake and enjoy
Once all of the vegetable croquettes have been shaped, coated and placed on your baking sheet, put them back into the oven for another 15 minutes.
Check after 10 minutes to make sure your oven bakes them evenly without burning! Once they have become golden brown on the outside, remove the vegan croquettes from the oven and serve warm.
Storage & reheating
You can choose between serving the vegetable croquettes warm straight out of the oven or letting them cool off first for more kid-friendly finger food that ensures safe handling.
Especially on hot days, the baked and cooled croquettes make for lovely appetizers alongside an array of dips and sauces! You can find our 30+ favorite oil-free vegan sauces here.
If you end up with too many croquettes, you can store any leftovers in the fridge for a few days and reheat them in the microwave or oven for a few minutes or enjoy cold.
Alternatively, you can store your baked and completely cooled croquettes in a freezer-friendly container for a few months in the freezer!
Serving suggestions
Our vegan croquettes are best enjoyed with a dip like guacamole, almond ricotta, cashew mayo or even hummus!
We’ve also drizzled them with some low-fat vegan cheese sauce and vegan honey mustard dressing.
The flavor combinations are truly endless!
To create a well-rounded vegan meal with our vegetable croquettes, you can serve them alongside this vegan spinach fig salad, quinoa pasta salad or plant-based collard green wraps.
Tips & adjustment ideas
How to make vegan croquettes gluten-free?
You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs or just add about 4 oz of gluten-free flour to your potato mixture without coating them in anything, then bake for 15 minutes.
Can I use only potatoes for these?
Sure, if you aren’t keen on all of the added vegetables, you can easily make traditional potato croquettes instead! Either white and sweet potatoes combined or only white potatoes work well.
What else can I use for vegetable croquettes?
Try adding finely chopped bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, sweet corn, leek or peas to your croquettes. For a higher protein version, add white beans to the cooked potatoes before mashing them!
Any flavor suggestions?
Vegan croquettes are really versatile! From different herbs like dill, rosemary or thyme, to curry powder, paprika, nutritional yeast or shredded vegan cheese, anything goes.
You can also play around with all of the different dips and sauces to serve alongside this delicious appetizer to create some variety.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes, you can cook your ingredients and shape the vegetable croquettes without coating them. Then place them covered in the fridge or freeze them until you’re ready to make and serve the croquettes!
How to make the vegetable croquettes lower in carbs & calories
You can swap part of the potatoes (or all of them) for the same amount of cauliflower which you can then roast and mash.
Are croquettes usually vegan-friendly?
Although you can sometimes find frozen croquettes in grocery stores, most of them have at least some added dairy milk or butter. Some versions are even made with cheese or meat, but traditional potato or vegetable croquettes can easily be made vegan by using plant-based milk and butter if wanted.
More vegan sides
If you like this recipe idea, be sure to try these easy and delicious vegan sides & appetizers next!
Did you make our vegetable croquettes? We’d love to read about it, so be sure to leave a review and tell us more in the comments below. You can also Pin this recipe here!
Ingredients
- 4 oz white potato peeled, cubed (115 g)
- 4 oz sweet potato peeled, cubed (115 g)
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1 medium-sized zucchini cut into small cubes
- 1 carrot finely diced
- ½ cup fresh spinach 15 g
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp soy milk
- 1 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
Coating
- Panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
Roast the potatoes
- Preheat your oven to 400° F (200 °C) and prepare your ingredients.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the white potato and sweet potato cubes. Season everything with salt and pepper, toss, and bake for 20 minutes.
Sauté the vegetables
- In the meantime, heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat with a few tablespoons of water. Sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent.
- Add the zucchini, carrot, spinach, and minced garlic to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently, then turn off the heat.
Mash the potatoes
- Once the 20 minutes of baking time have elapsed, remove the potatoes from the oven but don’t turn it off.
- Place them into a bowl and mash them with a fork or potato masher.
- Add soy milk and mix with a large spoon to obtain a puree — no need to make it super smooth.
Create the croquettes
- Add the sautéed vegetables and finely chopped parsley to your mashed potatoes. Mix well to incorporate and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and put the panko breadcrumbs on a plate.
- Make sure the potato mixture has cooled enough to handle, then scoop it with a spoon and use wetted hands to shape sausage-like patties.
- Coat the patties in breadcrumbs, then put them on your lined baking sheet next to each other.
- Once all the croquettes are formed, place the baking sheet back into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the croquettes and enjoy warm or cold alongside a salad and some dips!
Notes
- Instead of roasting the potatoes, you can use pre-cooked or just cook them on the stovetop while sautéing the other ingredients in a skillet.
- For a lower calorie or lower carb version, you can swap some or all of the potatoes for cooked cauliflower!
- Serve the vegetable croquettes with dips like ketchup, sour cream, ranch or hummus.
- Instead of coating the vegan patties in breadcrumbs, you can add about 4 oz of any flour to the mixture and bake it without any coating.
- For a richer version, you can fry the croquettes over medium heat in a pan or air fryer!
- Find more flavor ideas & suggestions in the article above.
These crispy potato and vegetable croquettes are the perfect finger food for the whole family! Easy to make and very versatile, they are a crowd-pleasing appetizer or side at any party.