These gluten free potato pancakes are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and incredibly delicious! They are made with a combination of raw shredded potatoes, mashed potatoes, and almond flour, and are seasoned with scallions and butter. If you use ghee in this recipe, these become Whole30 potato pancakes.

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Gluten free potato pancakes on a plate with greek yogurt on top.

I absolutely love these potato pancakes. They are inspired by the Irish boxty that I ate when I lived in Ireland. Irish boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake and they are SO good. My recipe is naturally gluten free, since it is made with almond flour and tapioca flour instead of all purpose flour. But it is just as good as the traditional recipes.

I am planning on making these potato pancakes for St. Patrick’s day, along with my dairy free Irish cream liqueur and my lamb shepherd’s pie.

These potato pancakes can be made any time of year, though. They make for a wonderful side dish and are incredibly filling. They taste great with eggs, sausage and smoked salmon. Oh and they also taste amazing with some greek yogurt on top. YUM.

Table of Contents

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make these healthy potato pancakes.
  • They have so much flavor and are a wonderful side dish.
  • They are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
  • This recipe is Gluten free, grain free, and Paleo. To make them Whole30 compliant, use Ghee instead of butter. These can also easily be made dairy free by using non dairy butter.
  • You can eat these potato pancakes for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack.

Recipe Ingredients

Ingredients needed to make gluten free potato pancakes.
  • potatoes– gold potatoes or russet potatoes work well here.
  • grass-fed butter– any good quality grass-fed butter works. I like using Kerry gold.
  • almond milk– or any type of milk that works for you and your dietary needs.
  • eggs– these help bind the pancakes together.
  • green onions/ scallions- also called pencil onions, you’ll be using the white and green parts of the onion.
  • garlic powder– this seasons the pancakes.
  • almond flour– this is used as an all purpose flour replacement.
  • tapioca flour- this helps thicken the batter.
  • baking soda– this lightens the texture of the batter.
  • avocado oil– this is used to fry the pancakes in.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Additions/ Substitutions

  • If you want this recipe to be dairy free, you can use Vegan butter instead of grass-fed butter.
  • If you want this recipe to be Whole30 compliant, you can use ghee instead of butter.
  • Instead of green onions, you can use onion powder.
  • Instead of tapioca flour, you can use arrowroot powder.
  • Instead of almond milk, you can use regular milk ( though this will no longer be Whole30 compliant or Paleo), or any non-dairy milk of choice.

Step by step instructions

Potatoes in a pan with water before boiling.
Step 1

Step 1: Slice and boil half of the potatoes.

Straining shredded potatoes over a bowl.
Step 2

Step 2: Grate the other half of the potatoes. Mix the shredded potatoes with salt and place in a sieve to drain the excess liquid from the potatoes.

Leftover potato water.
Step 3

Step 3: Throw away the leftover potato water.

The dry ingredients mixed together in a bowl.
Step 4

Step 4: Mix together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set it aside.

The boiled potatoes in a bowl with butter and almond milk ready to be mashed.
Step 5

Step 5: Mash together the boiled potatoes with butter and almond milk.

Adding pencil onions, eggs, and garlic to the mashed potatoes.
Step 6

Step 6: Add the garlic powder, eggs, and scallions to the mashed potatoes and mix.

The flour mixture added to the mashed potato mixture.
Step 7

Step 7: Add the almond flour mixture to the mashed potatoes and mix.

The shredded potatoes mixed into the mashed potato mixture.
Step 8

Step 8: Dry the shredded potatoes with a paper towel and then stir them into the mashed potato mixture.

The potato pancake batter on a frying pan.
Step 9

Step 9: Cook the potato pancakes in a frying pan with avocado oil and butter. Cook for about 3 minutes a side.

Potato pancakes cooked on a pan.
Step 10

Step 10: After a few minutes, flip them.

Cooked healthy potato pancakes on a paper towel.
Step 11

Step 11: Place freshly cooked potato pancakes on a paper towel.

Recipe FAQs

Are potato pancakes gluten free?

Normally no, because all purpose flour is used, but this recipe is gluten free because almond flour and tapioca flour are used in the batter.

How do you serve these potato pancakes?

You can serve them with a protein, like sausage, eggs, or salmon. You can serve them as is with greek yogurt on top. You can also add apple jelly on top.

Can you freeze these?

Yes! To do this, freeze them on a sheet pan in a single layer. Then once frozen, place them in a freezer bag.

Note: This recipe is adapted from the Traditional Irish Boxty Recipe from Fusion Craftiness. I relied on her tips and techniques and tweaked the recipe to make it gluten free.

Whole30 potato pancakes on a plate, stacked on top of each other.

More healthy potato recipes you’ll love

If potato snacks are your thing, ( how can they not be?!), I highly suggest checking out these Gluten-Free Croquetas from Eat at Our Table.

If you like ranch dressing, I check out this Dill Ranch Potato Salad with Avocado and Eggs.

These Dairy-free Scalloped Potatoes have an amazing texture and taste.

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

Gluten free potato pancakes on a plate with greek yogurt on top.

Gluten free Potato Pancakes (Whole30 option)

Dominique
Potato pancakes that are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and incredibly delicious and comforting.
5 from 13 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 24 mins
Total Time 54 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Irish
Servings 12 pancakes
Calories 189 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs gold potatoes
  • 5 Tablespoons grassfed butter divided ( note: use ghee for Whole30)
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 cup sliced green onions/ pencil onions ( about 5 pencil onions, including the green parts)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 Tablespoons avocado oil (and a little extra for cooking multiple batches)

Instructions
 

  • Divide the raw potatoes in half. Slice half the potatoes into 3/4 inch slices. Put the sliced potatoes into a large pan filled with water. Boil the water and cook the potatoes until fork tender, about 20-25 minutes.
  • Take the other half of the potatoes and grate/shred them using a grater. Put the shredded potatoes into a sieve/colander and place over a bowl or in the sink. Add 1 tsp of salt to the grated potatoes, mix, and then and let the potatoes rest for 15-20 mins. During this time, excess moisture will drain out. Then, throw away the potato water, and pat down the shredded potatoes with a paper towel. Set aside.
  • While the potatoes boil, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 cup almond flour, 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to a medium bowl and mix with a fork until combined.
  • Drain the boiled potatoes, and then put them into a large bowl. Add 4 Tablespoons of butter or ghee and the almond milk to bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Then, add the eggs, garlic powder, and sliced green onions and mash into the potatoes. Add the flour mixture and mix. Add the shredded potatoes and stir.
  • In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tablespoons of oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Using a ½ cup measuring cup, scoop the batter and pour into the pan. Pat down to flatten a little.
  • Cook each side of the potato pancake until golden brown. For me this was 3.5-minutes on each side for my first batch and 2.5 minutes on each side for the second batch. ( You may need to add more oil and butter to the pan in between batches). ( You may also need to reduce the heat to medium if the pan gets too hot).
  • Place the cooked potato pancakes onto plates covered in paper towels.
  • This recipe yields 12-14 potato pancakes.

Notes

  • If you want this recipe to be dairy free, you can use Vegan butter instead of grass-fed butter.
  • If you want this recipe to be Whole30 compliant, you can use ghee instead of butter.
  • Instead of green onions, you can use onion powder.
  • Instead of tapioca flour, you can use arrowroot powder.
  • Instead of almond milk, you can use regular milk ( though this will no longer be Whole30 compliant or Paleo), or any non-dairy milk of choice.

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 389mgPotassium: 516mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 242IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!