german potato pancakes

fried shredded potato and onion pancakes, German style

German Potato Pancakes

russet potatoes (shredded)

eggs

onion

Tablespoons all purpose flour

horseradish

sea salt and pepper

Peel and then grate the potatoes and onion into a large bowl.

Add the flour, eggs, and horseradish then season well with sea salt and pepper and give everything a good mix.

Cover the bottom of a heavy bottom sauce pan with an inch of vegetable oil then heat over medium heat.

You can test if the oil is hot enough by adding a SMALL drop of water - when it sizzles away, the oil is hot enough.

Add a heaping serving spoon of the potato mixture to the oil and use the back of the spoon to press it lightly into a flat round shape.

Depending on the size of the pan you can add another pancake, or maybe 2. You want to make sure that the pancakes are well spaced out - adding too many pancakes to the pan at one time will reduce the heat of the oil.

Fry the pancakes on the first side for about 2-3 minutes. Using a spatula, you can gently lift the bottom of the pancake to check for doneness. When the bottom is golden brown they are ready to flip.

Flip the pancakes and cook on the second side for 2-3 minutes before removing from the pan.

Keep in a heated oven until they are served.

potatoes

Large eggs

Tbsp. Flour

Pepper

Salt

½ C. Finely chopped onion

Baking powder

¼ C. Vegetable oil

Place the potatoes, eggs, flour, pepper, salt, onion,...

Place the potatoes, eggs, flour, pepper, salt, onion, and baking powder into a bowl, and knead well with your hands until combined completely.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high...

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat on the stove.

Add the potato mixture in small ¼ cup...

Add the potato mixture in small ¼ cup pancake shapes to the heated oil, and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.

Place the potato pancakes on a paper towel-lined...

Place the potato pancakes on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Enjoy!

German potato pancakes, called &quot;Kartoffelpuffer&quot; or &quot;Reibekuchen&quot;, are one of the most delicious German dishes! They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and have the best flavor. And be sure to serve them with sweet applesauce to fully enjoy this German comfort dish!

German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer)

potatoes (peeled and finely grated)

salt

black pepper

nutmeg

vegetable oil (more as needed)

applesauce (for serving)

First, peel and grate the potatoes and onion finely. You can also use a food processor to speed up the process.

Next, place the grated potatoes and onions in a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag and remove any excess moisture. Catch the liquid in a bowl and let it sit without moving it too much to separate the potato starch from the water.

Place the drained potatoes and onions in another bowl. Add the eggs, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg. Then stir until combined.

Now gently pour the leftover potato water into another small bowl to separate the potato starch from the water. The potato starch looks like a thick white mass that is sitting at the bottom of the bowl. Add the potato starch to the potato pancake dough and stir until combined.

Next, preheat the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Then add some of the dough to the pan and shape it into a pancake. Repeat until there is no space left in the pan.

Pan-fry the pancakes for 7-10 minutes per side over medium heat. Remove them from the pan and let the pancakes sit on a plate lined with paper towels to remove any excess oil. Add more oil to pan-fry the next batch if needed and repeat until there is no dough left.

Serve the pancakes with applesauce and enjoy!

These hearty, crispy fried potato pancakes are simple to make and delicious to eat! Served best hot, these pancakes are best eaten with a sweet apple sauce, a savory garlic sauce, or even a creamy quark!

pepper (if you want savory pancakes)

flour

Wash and peel one pound of potatoes and peel one small onion.

Grate the potatoes into a bowl using the grating side (the side everyone knows about and uses to grate cheese) of a four-sided grater. Grate the onion, too. If grating the onion doesn't work, you can very finely chop it with a knife.

If there is excess water in the potatoes (it drips out when squeezed in the hand), drain some of the potato water.

Add one pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper if you want the pancakes savory, flour, and the egg.

Mix everything together until the batter is well mixed. This works best if you do it with your (clean) hands.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan and add two tablespoons of batter per pancake. Make sure the pancake is not too thick or too large to ensure proper cooking. You probably won't be able to fit more than 2-4 pancakes into your pan at the same time.

Cook until both sides are golden brown (3-4 minutes per side), then remove them from the pan. Put them on a paper towel or similar to allow the oil to absorb. You can then put the pancakes in the preheated oven to keep them warm.

Repeat the process with the rest of the batter. Add more oil as needed.

Serve immediately with apple sauce for a sweet taste or sour cream, yoghurt, or quark for a savory taste.

OMG, i just LOVE german potato pancakes!!!  my mom used to make them using a cast iron skillet, many a times ending up with bloody fingers from grating so many potatoes for our large family.  we generally topped ours only with butter.  just last month, i told a family member that it would be a cold day in hell before these become a regular menu item but they are so good i may have to reconsider.  very delicious recipe!!!

Hi,
   We called them mock fish too.
No European influence in the family at that stage so not too sure where the recipe came from. Yum though, my kids used to love it too. My great grandkids are eating them now.

Yes dad, mum's food was excellent. Her Kartoffel pancakes were my favourite food. Sadly missed.

These delicious crispy potato pancakes are a favorite with children and adults alike. Serve sweet with some cinnamon and sugar or apple sauce. It also goes great with sauerkraut or smoked salmon.

German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer / Reibekuchen)

kg potatoes (35 oz, waxy)

onions

salt and pepper

apple sauce

Peel the onions. Then grate them roughly with a hand grater, or if you prefer a kitchen machine

Peel the potatoes and grate them with the hand grater or kitchen machine. Place the grated potatoes into a kitchen towel and squeeze out all the starchy water in a bowl. 

Whisk the eggs and combine them with the potato and onion. Season generously with salt and pepper (optional add some muscat). 

Now slowly pour out almost all the starchy potato water from the bowl. At the bottom of the bowl, you will find the remaining starch. Pour out the water and add the starch to the potato mixture as it will help the consistency (see picture).

Add a generous amount of oil or clarified butter to a large frying pan. The bottom of the pan should be entirely covered. Once the oil is heated, add your potato mixture into the pan. The size is up to your preference, mine had about 15 cm in diameter. Press them flat with the back of a fork, as you do not want them to be too thick. 

Fry your potato pancakes at medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side. They should have a golden colour. Test the first one, to check that they are cooked all the way through. 

Line a plate with some kitchen towel and place your finished Kartoffelpuffer in it. You can put your oven on low heat to keep them warm while you fry the remaining ones. 

Serve with apple sauce or see main blog posts for more suggestions.

Traditional Kartoffelpuffer made with this easy potato pancake recipe will bring back memories of Oma’s kitchen, for sure! Crispy and delicious, just the way they should be.

Traditional German Potato Pancakes Recipe – Oma’s Kartoffelpuffer

potatoes,

(75 g) onions, grated

(6 g) salt

(30 g) all-purpose flour

Butter and vegetable oil

Preheat the oven

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Put a cookie sheet into the oven to keep cooked pancakes warm.

Grate the potatoes

Grate potatoes using a box grater or the grating blade of a food processor.

Drain potatoes

Drain grated potatoes in batches by placing them in a clean dish towel and squeezing out as much moisture as possible.

Mix batter

Place the drained potatoes into a large bowl. Add eggs, grated onion, salt, and flour. Mix well to combine.

Heat the skillet

Heat oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Fry the pancakes

Using a large spoon, drop tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil. Flatten each portion with the back of the spoon.

Flip and finish frying

Fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and fry the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until crispy and cooked through. Reduce to medium heat if they are browning too quickly.

Drain and keep warm

Transfer cooked pancakes to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil, then move them to the preheated oven to keep warm.

Finish remaining batter

Continue frying the remaining batter, adding more butter or oil as needed.

Serve

Serve pancakes with applesauce and a sprinkle of sugar, or plain with sour cream on the side.

Crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, German potato pancakes (also known as Kartoffelpuffer) are a much-loved dish across Germany and most of Central Europe. Made with simple ingredients like grated potatoes, onions, eggs, and flour, this comforting German potato pancake recipe is equally at home as a savory side dish or a sweet treat with applesauce and sugar.  

2½ lbs starchy potatoes (peeled and finely grated (see instructions))

all-purpose flour

tsp sea salt

oil oil

Grate the potatoes using two different-sized graters: grate half of the potatoes on a large whole grater and the other half on a small one. You want the texture to be different so the pancakes can be soft but also have crispy edges. You can use a food processor with a large and small holes shredding disk attachment. 

Place the grated potatoes in a colander over a bowl and let them sit for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, carefully discard the liquid, making sure that you save the starch at the bottom of the bowl. Add the potatoes to the bowl.

Either very finely chop or shred the onion, or use a small food processor to achieve a fine consistency. Add the onions to the potatoes.

Add eggs, flour, and salt to the potato and onion mixture and mix well. 

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and place 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the mixture in the hot pan and flatten into pancakes with the back of a spoon.  Fry on both sides for about 3 minutes until the potatoes are golden and crispy on the edges. 

You can place them on a paper towel to remove excess fat. Serve with sour cream, apple sauce, sugar, or for the savory version with goulash or beef stew. 

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Top 7 german potato pancakes recipes from across the web

The most viewed german potato pancakes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

German Potato Pancakes

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The most viewed german potato pancakes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine