If you’re from a Jewish family then you know how much potato pancakes rock! But whatever religion you believe in or even if you don’t, potato pancakes are worthy of worshipping. Our potato pancake recipe will show you how to get this iconic pancake in a state of perfection. Enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks!
Best Potato Pancake Recipe
It might seem convenient to buy those potato pancakes from the freezer section. However, they taste so much better when you make them yourself. There’s not much to making the best potato pancake recipe on the planet. These are so good that everyone raves about them, so give them a try.
Easy Potato Pancake Recipe
Potato pancakes are remarkably easy to make. Even if you’ve never had them before or attempted making them before, we’re going to show you how to make them so that other potato pancakes will bow to them!
Potato Pancake Ingredients
- Russet potatoes – You’ll need to peel and grate them so you have 4 cups.
- Sweet onion – You’ll also need to peel and grate this one.
- Eggs – Choose large ones for the most binding power.
- All-purpose flour – Helps make this into a proper potato pancake.
- Seasonings – You’ll need kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
How do you make potato pancakes from scratch?
To make these easy potato pancakes, you’ll first get the potatoes and onion ready by peeling and grating. Then, squeeze as much liquid from them as you can and put into a large mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, add your eggs, flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Mix with a wire whisk, then add this mixture to the potatoes and stir well to combine evenly. Heat a large non-stick pan or skillet with vegetable oil over medium-high on the stove. When the oil is hot, carefully scoop in 1/3-cup of the mixture without overcrowding the skillet. It should sizzle as you do, a sign the pan is nice and hot. With your spatula, press down gently to flatten into a pancake. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip and cook until golden brown. Serve with chives and sour cream if you desire!
Expert Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Potato Pancakes Every Time
- Squeeze out that water. Too much moisture will ruin your potato pancakes and keep them from getting crispy on the outside.
- Make sure the pan is hot enough. The oil should sizzle when you scoop your potato pancake into the pan.
- Leave space between pancakes. When you overcrowd the pan, your potato pancakes will soak up more oil because it lowers the temperature of the oil in the pan.
- Keep them hot. If you need to keep batches of potato pancakes warm for friends and family, you can keep them in the oven on a tray at 250F.
What are potato pancakes made of?
Potato pancakes are made from Russet potatoes, sweet onion, eggs, all-purpose flour, and seasonings that include kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
What is the difference between latkes and potato pancakes?
They are mostly the same though potato pancakes tend to have a more rounded shape and are thinner than latkes.
How to cook potato pancakes?
Potato pancakes are cooked on your stovetop in a skillet with ample vegetable oil. Make sure you don’t crowd the pan and they’ll come out perfectly!
How do you keep potato pancakes from turning brown?
When exposed to air, raw potatoes can turn brown or gray and have an unappetizing appearance. To keep this from happening, drop your peeled potatoes in a bowl of water first until you’re ready to grate them.
How do you keep potato pancakes from getting soggy?
You can either put them on paper towels or dry them on a rack. This will soak up excess oil and keep them at the perfect texture.
Why won’t my potato pancakes stay together?
With this recipe, you shouldn’t have any trouble, though the key is to make sure you’ve squeezed as much liquid from the grated potatoes and onions before forming the batter. Another option is to add a little more flour to the batter to help hold it together.
Why do my potato pancakes fall apart?
Your batter might be too wet. This is why it is so important to squeeze that excess liquid from the potatoes and onions first so that all the other ingredients come together to bind it.
What goes well with potato pancakes?
Some people eat them plain. Others like a little salt and pepper on top. We like them with sour cream and chives, but we’ve also seen people eat them with applesauce and love it. If you want to feed a crowd and serve more than potato pancakes, bagels and lox are always a great idea.
How to store leftover potato pancakes?
If you made enough to feed a rock band and all their roadies but still have leftovers, you can wrap your potato pancakes in foil and put them in the fridge.
How long do potato pancakes last?
Potato pancakes are best when you eat them quickly. We recommend you eat them within 2 days or you can put them in the freezer to keep them longer.
Can you freeze potato pancakes?
Yes, you most certainly can freeze the potato pancakes you make with our recipe. Ideally, you should eat them within 3 months though.
How to reheat potato pancakes?
When you’re ready to eat those potato pancakes, you can reheat them in the oven. Preheat it to 375F and then put them on a baking sheet, heating through for 10 minutes. Then serve them with sour cream and chives or whatever you like.
Watch How To Make Potato Pancakes (Video)
Classic Potato Pancake Recipe
Equipment
- Potato peeler
- Grater
- Colander
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
- 4 cups Russet potatoes (peeled and grated)
- 1 sweet onion (peeled and grated)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- chives (optional garnish)
- sour cream (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and onion and grate into a colander. Next, place grated potatoes and onion in a nut milk bag or tea towel and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of them. You want to extract the loose moisture. Place potatoes and onions into a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add eggs, all-purpose flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Use a wire whisk and whisk until completely smooth.
- Add the wet egg mixture to the potatoes and stir well to evenly combine.
- In a large non-stick pan or skillet, add oil and heat over medium high on the stove.
- Once the oil is hot, carefully add 1/3 cup size scoops of potato mixture to the oil leaving enough space between each potato pancake. The oil should be hot enough to hear a them sizzle when they touch the oil.
- Using a spatula, gently press the top of each potato stack down to form a flat pancake shape.
- Cook each potato pancake for about 4 minutes until the bottom becomes a golden brown color. Using a spatula, flip each pancake and cook the opposite side until also golden brown. Add more oil as needed.
- Serve immediately while warm. Serve plain, with salt and pepper, or chives and sour cream. If you need to keep batches of potato pancakes warm, you can keep them in the oven on a tray at 250F.
