Potato Pancakes
Classic German Potato Pancakes (German: Kartoffelpuffer) are made from freshly grated potatoes fried to golden brown perfection.
Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.
German Potato Pancakes – Kartoffelpuffer
You might know this German Potato Pancake recipe by another name – Kartoffelpuffer.
If you’ve ever been to Germany in December, you might have run into these savory treats while visiting one of the country’s many Christmas markets.
In the summertime, you’ll often find easy Kartoffelpuffer on many beer garden menus. But you don’t have to travel to faraway lands to make your own. Thankfully they are quite easy to make at home.
Grated potatoes and onions are combined with eggs, flour, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Quickly fried golden brown and served with a side of apple sauce.
You might have come to find this recipe by searching for Reiberdatschi, Kartoffelpfannkuchen, Reibekuchen, or any of the many, many names Germans use to describe potato pancakes. So what are they?
In short, we are talking about grated raw potatoes and onions combined with eggs, flour, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. And fried until golden brown. It’s one of those easy recipes you’ll make again and again.
Why Potato Pancake Recipe Works
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS – In the past, this dish was known as peasant food. Why is that good? Because the ingredients are simple and easily available. And chances are good. You’ll already have everything in your fridge and pantry.
FUN FACT – Germans store eggs in the pantry, not in the fridge. But that’s a story for another day.
BATCH READY – Got a big family? No problem. You can easily double or triple this recipe.
Ingredients
Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.
POTATOES – Look for a good all-purpose potato such as Yukon Gold. Here’s why. Some prefer waxy potatoes for their pancakes. However, some German recipe books recommend a starchy variety (i.e., Russet potatoes). I use Yukon Golds because they offer the best of both worlds.
ONION – I like to use sweet onions because they fry up beautifully. But you can also use yellow onions.
EGGS – Adds richness to the dough. Take the eggs out first so they have time to reach room temperature.
FLOUR – All-purpose flour works well. You could use potato flour or potato starch if you have some, but when I don’t, I’ll just use regular plain flour, which works.
SEASONING – To season our German Potato Pancakes, you’ll just need some nutmeg and salt. Pretty simple.
How To Make German Potato Pancakes
For detailed, printable instructions, please check the recipe card.
- Grate the potatoes and onion, then firmly squeeze them in a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the grated potatoes and onion with eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt until well mixed.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet. Add pancake-sized scoops of the mixture to the hot oil and lightly press to flatten.
- Fry until golden brown on both sides, then transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil.
Leftovers
STORE – Place in an airtight container and refrigerate. Consume within 2-3 days.
FREEZE – Layer pancakes between parchment paper in a freezer-safe bag. Can be stored for up to a month.
REHEAT – Warm in an oven at 350º Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
Recipe Success Tips
- Depending on how watery your potatoes are, you might need to add more flour.
- Make sure you take enough time to squeeze the potatoes through a clean dish towel. Removing the excess water is key and will prevent the potato pancakes from falling apart.
- My Oma used to fry potato pancakes in ‘Schmalz’ (lard), but it’s something I don’t keep. Instead, I use unflavored vegetable oil such as canola or sunflower oil.
More Popular German Side Dishes
What To Serve With Potato Pancakes?
This might be an unusual question, but it depends a little on whether you serve German Potato Pancakes as a main dish or a side dish. In my house, potato pancakes were the main dish. But you can also serve it as a side dish. Serve fewer pancakes per person.
- APPLE SAUCE – The classic that you can’t go wrong with.
- CREME FRAICHE – a thick, creamy cultured cream. You’ll typically find it in your supermarket’s fancy cheese section.
- SOUR CREAM – is similar to Creme Fraiche but much easier to find. And a dollop of sour cream is delicious.
- YOGURT DIP – something like a Cucumber Dip is another great side to serve with potato pancakes.
- SMOKED SALMON – add a few slices of smoked salmon, sprinkle with some chives or green onions and enjoy
- COLESLAW – a small side of creamy coleslaw or Broccoli Slaw goes well with the potato pancakes
If you’re serving the pancakes as a side dish, try them with Schnitzel and German Red Cabbage. Add a side of creamy Cucumber Salad, and you’ve got yourself a delicious meal.
Finish with a slice of freshly baked Streuselkuchen (German Crumb Cake), and you have a tasty German dinner and dessert.
More Easy and Delicious Recipes
Bacon Rolls – Stuffing rolled in bacon!
Knödel – German Bacon and Bread Dumplings
Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Grate potatoes and onion. (I use a box grater.) Transfer shredded potatoes onto a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze excess moisture.
- Combine grated potatoes, onion, eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Drop a ¼ cup of the potato pancake mixture into the hot oil. Use the back of the cup to lightly flatten the pancake. Add 3-4 additional scoops (depending on the size of your skillet or frying pan). Make sure to leave space between the pancakes.
- Fry until golden-brown on both sides, flipping once.
- Transfer onto a paper towel-covered plate. Allow excess oil to drip off. Serve with a side of apple sauce.
Equipment
Video
Nutritional Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Cheerful Cook team members are not trained nutritionists or medical professionals. Calorie information and nutritional values are estimates. If you have nutritional concerns, we recommend using a nutritional calculator.
Maike Corbett is the founder and food blogger of Cheerful Cook, a popular recipe website featuring comfort food recipes from the US and Germany. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the AP Wire and MSN.
This is the exact recipe my Mom used when I was growing up! Thank you for sharing! Fantastisch!
This would be so good. I am 83. My grandmother came from Sweden, my grandfather from Germany. She would make, when I was a child, a noodle dish that she called “Ka-NEF-lee.” It was noodles with I think cubes of toast. Do you know of anything like this? I would love to make it.
This dish sounds wonderful, Sharon. Unfortunately, I don’t know it. I grew up with a lot of Northern German cuisine which has some similarities with Swedish cuisine.
It reminds me a little bit of German ‘Zimtnudeln’ (Cinnamon Noodles). A sweet noodle dish with cinnamon (my husband first thought it sounded gross … then he tried it and loved it 😁). It’s definitely a recipe I should add to the blog. 🙂
My grandma came from germany so i have a very similar recipe that I know from heart as I was helping from about three . Gram always served these with Sauerbraten and applesauce. i only liked homemade applesauce. But good job with the recipe.
Never thought of using nutmeg and applesauce. Dont know what nationality my husband got his recipe from, Polish, Ukrainian, Austrian? But garlic was a big part of it. Goes great with sour cream and green onions. I’ll have to try your recipe though. Sounds good.
I do not add oil no need to, I use the starch from the potato after putting them threw the grinder and I fry them in bacon fat
I make them with instant mashed potatoes! mmmm, so good.
Was wondering if I can put the potatoes in a food processor and slightly slice(bad choice) them up ?
If the food processor has an attachment that shreds them, I don’t see why it should be a problem. Just make sure you’ll place them in a clean towel afterward to express the extra moisture. Hope you’ll enjoy the pancakes.😀
Can you substitute left-over mashed potatoes and get the same results.
Great question. You can use leftover mashed potatoes, but the texture is going to be quite different. Not worse, but different. There’s a different recipe where you could shape the leftover mashed into a disc, bread it, and then sauté it. That’s what we sometimes used to do at home (it’s delicious!). It’s a kind of simple potato croquette.
Hi! The word “purpose” is misspelled as “purose” at the bottom of one of the photos. Also, “schmaltz” is not lard (which is from pigs), it is rendered chicken fat.
Good recipe!