Potato pancakes are an absolute favorite of mine! This recipe is made with shredded potatoes mixed with flour & eggs to create the perfectly crispy pancake!
Whether you are from a Polish, Irish, or German heritage, you’ve likely had a version of this at some point! It is a yummy change from standard mashed potatoes (although you CAN make mashed potato pancakes with leftovers), and goes with anything!
What Potatoes to Use
Potato pancakes are also called latkes, boxties, or draniki depending on what culture you draw from, but the basic recipe is the same: potatoes, onions, seasonings, and sour cream or applesauce!
Russet potatoes are perfect for this recipe because they are extra starchy which helps bind the other ingredients. They fry up really well without absorbing extra oil.
Making Sure They Stick Together
While this recipe is easy to prepare there are a few tricks to making them stick together perfectly when cooking!
- Moisture You’ll want to remove as much moisture as possible from the potatoes. Once grated, I put them in a kitchen towel and squeeze them out as much as I can by twisting the towel.
- Binder The real trick to perfect potato pancakes is the right amount of binder (flour, egg) to potatoes!
- Heat Make sure the oil is hot enough, the pancakes should sizzle when dropped in. (Make sure it’s not too hot or the potatoes won’t cook through before the outside is crisp).
- Size Be sure they are uniformly flat so they cook at the same rate and come out perfect every time!
How to Make Perfect Potato Pancakes
Once your potatoes are prepped this easy recipe comes together quickly! Just combine, fry, and enjoy.
- Combine all ingredients together (see recipe below).
- Fry scoops of potato mixture, pressing into pancake shapes.
- Drain excess oil by placing on a paper towel.
Serve these pancakes for breakfast or as an easy side dish that everyone will love.
My Favorite Potato Pancake Toppings
Traditionally, potato pancakes are topped with applesauce or sour cream. But, what doesn’t go with potatoes? Think of them like hash browns, what would you put on hash browns?
Here is a list of my favorite toppings:
- Sauce: ketchup, salsa, guacamole, nacho cheese sauce, or sour cream.
- Toppings: black olives, jalapenos, bacon bits, or chives.
Potato Dishes You Can’t Resist
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes – made with 5 simple ingredients
- Easy Cheesy Potatoes – loaded with creamy goodness!
- The BEST Mashed Potatoes – perfectly creamy every time!
- Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes – just 5 mins prep
- Perfect Baked Potatoes – soft & fluffy inside!
- Scalloped Potatoes Recipe – an elegant side dish
- Sweet Potato Hashbrowns – so easy to make!
Potato Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes peeled and grated (approx. 4 cups)
- 1 sweet onion peeled, and grated
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable oil more may be needed
- Applesauce optional
- Sour cream optional
Instructions
- In a colander add potatoes and onion. Wrap in a tea towel and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the mixture.
- Add potatoes and onions to a large mixing bowl.
- In a small mixing bowl add eggs, flour, kosher salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Whisk until smooth and no flour lumps remain.
- Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and stir to combine.
- Add oil to a 12-inch skillet and set over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot add four ¼ cup sized scoops of the potato mixture into the hot oil. If you do not hear a sizzle when the potato mixture enters the oil is not hot enough.
- Gently press the potato mixture down to make a pancake.
- Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side or until deep golden brown.
- Continue cooking, adding more oil if needed.
- If desired, serve with applesauce or sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine German© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Looks Great. I can’t wait to try this one out.
… Now how do I get the russet stains out of my towels? I didn’t know potatoes would stain and let the towels dry without rinsing. I’ve washed several times, air drying. Oxyclean soak didn’t work. Anybody know what does?
These are excellent. I substitute matzo meal for the flour.
Soo good!! I have been craving some latkes, so I made half a batch. It made six and I only got to have one my adult children lived them so much.
You will have to make a full batch next time Darcie! Glad they were loved by everyone.
Made these tonight and they were delicious! Recipe is easy to follow and grating in the food processor makes quick work of it.
Glad you enjoyed them, Fran! :)
This is the worst recipe I have come across in years…. 4 russet potatoes peeled and grated??? Russet pototoes come in different sizes. Evedently the author was not aware of this. 4 russet potatoes?? Is that 4 cups of grated potatoes? Maybe 3 cups? Potatoes are the main ingredient and I have 4 that weigh 1 1/4 lbs each.
Hi Ricky, 4 potatoes are approximately 4 cups of grated potatoes. I hope that helps.
Really delicious and using a food processor to shred the potatoes and onions makes for easy work. This is a family favorite. Thank you!
Easy, crispy and delicious! Very happy with this recipe!
Very difficult to use this. I am unable to print this out in a simple way to take into my kitchen to use.
Sorry to hear that Thomas. There is a print recipe button at the top of the recipe that should help print a clean, easy to ready version to take to the kitchen!
Thank you i finally found the recipe, i always wonder how to make one of this good fast foods and this is a malaysia food too.
Glad you found it Baker. Enjoy!
my mother has been making these for decades, especially on Good Friday! She has now figured out that the food processor will do the work, however this year she put them through twice and it was very similar to how she used to grate them….without the time and work involved!
Great idea Susana!
My mother use to make potato pancakes for us. While staying with my son and his family he asked me to make them. I needed the recipe since mine was back at home. I noticed the recipe did not state the potatoes were to be grated nor the onion either. Was this mistakenly omited?
Hi Elaine, just behind the ingredient itself, it states they should be peeled and grated!
I dont have a tea towel ….what can you substitute that with ?
Any towel should work to remove the moisture Ruth!
These were so yummy . Easy to put together and simply delish. However, I switched out the sweet onion for green onions. Thank you for sharing ❤
Do you add the flour mixture in or dredge the pancake in it?
It is mixed in (the flour mixture is the egg mixture that is added in step 4).
Really need to rewrite step 4 about the flour being added to mixture!
Sorry steps were changed now it’s Step 6 that needs to be rewritten.
It isn’t flour, it is FOUR pancakes of ¼ cup in size each. The step is correct as written, I hope that helps.
Apple butter on top.
Great idea Melissa!
Yes, this is always my favourite topping!
love new recipes
Can these be prepped and froze?
Hi Mandi, we have never tried freezing these but another reader has with success.
This is THE BEST recipe for Potato Pancakes (aka Latke) ever! I recently started using Yukon Gold potatoes, b/c the skin is so thin that you don’t have to peel them (but of course I gently scrub ’em clean). Also, they come out nice & crispy on the outside, when fried in a cast iron skillet.
If you use the shredded hash how much do you use?
About 4 cups.
They also freeze well. Layer on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Remove paper to re-warm in the oven when needed.