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Patatas bravas are traditional Spanish tapas: fried potatoes with a warm sauce. This patatas bravas recipe is a vegan tapas rendition and just as delicious!
After our recent trip to Spain a few months ago, I’ve been dying to share this vegan patatas bravas recipe with you. It’s an incredibly delicious appetizer and perfect for snack dinner. And to me…it tastes like home.
I’m 5% Spanish (at least, that’s what Ancestry.com told me) and as a wannabee Spaniard, learning a tiny piece of my DNA was Iberian made me jump out of my chair! Of course, this doesn’t give me the cred to call Spanish food my own. But after studying abroad there and always feeling drawn to the country and language, I can at least call myself a Spanish food enthusiast. Even my recent open fire paella recipe had a real Spanish reader who raved that it “tastes like home.”
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I absolutely loooved this patatas bravas recipe! I ate them all the time when I was in Barcelona at various vegan restaurants and WOW I was blown away by this recipe! Definitely reminded me of being in Spain again. And my partner who had never had them completely swooned. Thank you so, so much for this-I’ll be using this recipe again and again!” -Katie
What Are Patatas Bravas?
Patatas bravas are a traditional Spanish tapas recipe. You’ll see them at literally all the tapas bars in Spain. “Patatas bravas” means fierce potatoes, and these little potatoes are crisp fried deliciousness. What makes them so fierce is the sauce, which varies based on each bar you go to.
When I lived in Madrid during college, I remember the bravas sauce being a savory red spiced sauce, made mainly of tomatoes. But another very traditional version of a patatas bravas recipe uses a creamy white aioli sauce. Sometimes the patatas bravas are topped with paprika red or a paprika oil. And many times they are sprinkled with a bit of fresh chopped parsley.
Upon my return to Spain a few months ago, the first thing Alex and I ordered was (you guessed it), patatas bravas! We hit up Málaga, Granada, Cartagena, Valencia and Barcelona and guess what: the patatas bravas we ordered always had the creamy white aioli sauce. And of course: they were always so, so delicious! So as much as I missed my red patatas bravas sauce, I wanted to create a version with the aioli sauce too.
Tips For Making Patatas Bravas at Home
There are many wonderful Spanish chefs who have books including an authentic patatas bravas recipe (for example, our favorite Spanish chef José Andrés). The thing about patatas bravas is that it’s a recipe for eating in a restaurant. The potatoes are flash fried in a deep frier, and they are always crispy and delicious.
I wanted to create a homemade patatas bravas recipe, and of course that means a healthier take. Also, when we posted some photos of patatas bravas while in Spain on our Instagram Stories, we had a reader request vegan tapas recipes, specifically vegan patatas bravas. So, I couldn’t get the idea of making a vegan patatas bravas sauce out of my head.
For my patatas bravas recipe, the potatoes are baked in a very hot oven until browned and crisp. Then they’re topped with bravas sauce, made with soaked cashews similar to our vegan potato salad recipe. Smoked paprika, called pimentón in Spain, to add a smoky flavor and red color. (Here’s more about smoked paprika.) And then of course, we’ve added a little confetti of chopped parsley.
The end result is a patatas bravas recipe that’s very tasty and a little lighter on the stomach than the traditional deep fried Spanish tapas. We served it for a “snack dinner” concept of all appetizers, with cheese and veggies and dips, and it totally hit the spot.
Make Ahead Tips
These vegan patatas bravas can easily be made in advance and reheated later, which is perfect if you have guests coming over but don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen while they’re visiting.
To make patatas bravas ahead of time, cook the potatoes as the recipe instructs and make the sauce. Let the potatoes cool to room temperature before storing them in a sealed container in the fridge. Store the sauce separately. When you’re ready to serve the patatas bravas, reheat the potatoes in a 350F oven, then drizzle with the sauce and dig in.
On Vegan Tapas Recipes
My trip to Spain reminded me that many Spanish tapas recipes can be heavy on meat, cheese or dairy. However, as a 5% Spaniard, I’m 100% passionate about the culture of tapas. Eating small bites together with friend and family and lingering over meals was a huge takeaway for Alex and me upon returning from Spain.
The way that Spaniards invest quality time in their friends and family over food is something we desire for our lives too. But instead of small bites that are mainly fried and meaty, at home we’re trying out some healthy tapas and vegan tapas recipes. And as I mentioned above, we got some reader requests for vegan patatas bravas too!
Hence, this vegan tapas recipe: baked, crispy, plant based, and de-lish. It tastes like home.
More Tapas Recipes to Try
Here are a few more Spanish tapas recipes that could work in a spread with these patatas bravas:
- Spanish Tortilla (Tortilla Española)
- Pan Con Tomate
- Classic Gazpacho
- Eggplant Involtini with Spanish Mojo Sauce
- Veggies with Romesco Sauce
- And, our Spain Travel Guide
Dietary Notes
This patatas bravas recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant based, gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free.
Patatas Bravas Recipe
Patatas bravas are traditional Spanish tapas: fried potatoes with a warm sauce. This patatas bravas recipe is a vegan tapas rendition and just as delicious!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 2 pounds russet potatoes (4 to 5 medium potatoes)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Parsley, for garnish
For the bravas sauce
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (pimentón)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Prepare the cashews: Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak them while making the recipe, at least 30 minutes if using a high speed blender and about 1 hour for a regular blender. If you think ahead, you can soak the cashews overnight (you can also make the bravas sauce in advance).
- Prepare the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Chop the potatoes into 1 x 1.5” pieces (slice them into thirds lengthwise, then in half, and then into chunks). In a large bowl, mix the potatoes with the olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper.
- Roast the potatoes for 35 minutes, stirring once, until potatoes are cooked through and lightly browned.
- Prepare the bravas sauce: Once the cashews have soaked, drain them. Then blend together all ingredients for the bravas sauce for several minutes until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Serve the potatoes warm from the oven with the bravas sauce. If desired, sprinkle with chopped parsley. (If you make the potatoes in advance, you can re-warm them in a 350F oven before serving.)
I absolutely loooved this patatas bravas recipe! I ate them all the time when I was in Barcelona at various vegan restaurants (the two things I ate almost daily were patatas bravas and churros con chocolate), and WOW I was blown away by this recipe! Definitely reminded me of being in Spain again. And my partner who had never had them completely swooned. Thank you so, so much for this-I’ll be using this recipe again and again!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for making.
I think a better translation instead of brave would be spicy or hot, since they are that!
This recipe is genius! I LOVE your vegan take on patatas bravas, especially since it is my favorite thing to order every time I visit Spain. I’ll never get tired of them. Can’t wait to try to recreate the magic at home! xx