Cheese Latkas Recipe. Gluten-Free-Friendly

Cheese latkas make the best dessert!

I have my mother-in-law to thank for turning me on to cheese latkas, and indeed all latkas, which she used to whip up anytime we tugged at her heartstrings, Chanukkah or not, and often for a light lunch, as cheese latkas are only very lightly sweetened.   With this recipe, your cheese latkas will be every bit as delicious as hers.  Ricotta cheese Latkas – Fritters are a huge Italian dessert favorite, and a snap to make. Like mini cheesecakes. Gluten-Free diners can enjoy cheese latkas too! You will find them quite versatile, served as suggested here.

Frying scaring you? Read my guidelines on frying first,  Fear of Frying Therapy, which also includes several latkas recipes. I trust you will feel empowered to do it more often, and maybe even enjoy it!

If you decide to serve the cheese latkas as a savory dish, reduce the sugar to just 2 tablespoons, skip the vanilla or rum, and add some thinly sliced chives, a good pinch of nutmeg and some ground pepper to the batter. Proceed just as instructed, and if desired, top them with thinly-sliced smoked salmon and a dollop plain yogurt.

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup cottage cheese, low-fat OK
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese, low-fat OK
  • 1/3 cup sugar, a drop less if used as savory
  • 1 cup flour, any flour including Gluten-Free, a little more if necessary
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, or 2 tablespoons light rum or brandy (liquor stores)
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Pour the oil in a large skillet, coming up about 1/3 inch high, and heat on a high flame.

While the oil heats, mix all batter ingredients in a bowl and combine thoroughly. Add a little flour if necessary to form a malleable and firm batter.

Using 2 soup spoons, drop the batter in the hot oil, taking care not to crowd the skillet (which would cause the temperature to drop: the usual culprit for greasy latkas). Fry about 2 minutes on each side, until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. You will get about 2 dozen total. Serve warm. alone or with plain yogurt, vanilla ice cream, berries or applesauce (homemade would of course be best: My applesauce is delicious and a snap to make!) or maple syrup. I even tried with a little drizzle of Chocolate Syrup, and it was great!

2 replies
  1. beth
    beth says:

    These look great but I’m confused. Why does they look like grated potatoes when there isn’t anything that’s grated in the recipe. Am I missing something?

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Beth ooohhh good catch, it did have the wrong picture, so sorry about that. Thanks for telling me, I just put in the correct picture

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