Classic German Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes are a simple old-fashioned recipe that still tastes great. A perfect light dinner, savory side dish, or breakfast. Serve this classic German recipe with sour cream and green onion or as a sweet side with applesauce or jam. No matter when you serve this or how you serve it, this Potato Pancake recipe is reachable for everybody and just tastes good. Give it a try!

Potato Pancake Recipe Summary

Start off by simply grating potatoes in your food processor, if you have one. If not, do it the old-fashioned way with a fine grater. Do the same with an onion.

Strain the moisture from your potatoes and mix with onion, egg, flour, salt, and pepper. Then, you will have a batter that will somewhat resemble a traditional buttermilk pancake. 

In a skillet with some frying oil, fry on medium-high until each side is golden brown. Once all of your pancakes are done, you can serve plain or with many different sides. Mainly if you use a food processor, this can be done in no time and is very easy to make. 

Difference Between Potato Pancakes and Latkes

For many, Latkes are potato pancakes, but there is a difference. Latkes generally have larger potato shreds, while potato pancakes are finely shredded and look closer to a batter rather than shredded potatoes. 

Using a Food Processor for This Recipe and Alternatives

The simplest method for this recipe is to use a food processor to cut the potatoes. It takes just 10-20 seconds, and you get a well-processed batch of potatoes that are ready to strain.

An alternative is to use a shredding box or a very fine cheese grater. I did this, as well. The potatoes were not as finely grated, and it was more work. The end product ends up fine, but I recommend using a food processor if you can.

Extract Water from Potatoes

An essential part of making this potato pancake recipe is straining water from the processed potatoes. There are probably a few different ways to do this, but I am sharing what I recommend. I use cheesecloth and a fine wire strainer.

Once I process the potatoes, I add them to a double-layered cheesecloth in a fine wire strainer. Wrapping the potatoes in cheesecloth like a ball and gently squeezing, I extract as much water out of the potatoes as possible. It takes a few minutes and a little patience, but it is simple to do. 

Another option, if you don’t have a cheesecloth, is to squeeze the potatoes with your hands. You will need a fine wire mesh strainer for this, though. Cup your potatoes like a baseball and squeeze. 

Frying The Potato Pancakes

Once you combine all of the ingredients, it is as simple as frying the batter. A few things to keep in mind as you are cooking these cakes up. First, choose your oil wisely. A high smoke point oil is appropriate for this. I use sunflower oil, as I think it reduces the fry smell in my house, but vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil would all work well.

Don't Crowd Your Pan

The batter is a bit mushy, so if they are too close to each other, they might start to bleed together. You can avoid this by just making sure you leave plenty of room in your pan or skillet.

I only cook three at a time in my 10 ¼-inch cast iron pan. I could cook as many as four, but three is what feels right to me. In addition to preventing crowding, use some common sense on timing.

Watch For Golden Brown

The goal is to have a nice fried golden brown color on each side. This could change based on your pan, the amount of oil in the pan, or just differences in stovetops. For me, it takes about 1 ½ to 2 minutes for each side. Cook until golden brown on each side.

Sides To Serve With Potato Pancakes - Savory or Sweet

There are many different ways to serve potato pancakes, and I will share a few. If you want to eat these as a more savory dish, consider serving sour cream and green onions. It would be an excellent side for sausage or chicken.

If you prefer to eat this as more of a sweet dish, serve it with applesauce. This is probably the most common way I have seen it served, but you could use any sweet syrup or jelly to go along with it.

What Ethnicity Are Potato Pancakes?

For me, these are German, but they are not exclusive to German heritage. Anywhere where potatoes are grown might have a version of potato pancakes. The thing about this dish is that it does not require many ingredients, and also, the ingredients are cheap.

Because it is so simple, it should be no surprise that potato pancakes have heritage worldwide, including England, Ireland, Iran, and even Korea. This is a global recipe that goes as far back as domestic potato farming.

Can I Use Left Over Mashed Potatoes?

Yes, you can use leftover mashed potatoes for this recipe. You will want to take special care in straining the liquid out of these potatoes, as additional liquids might be added. Often, milk and butter are added to mashed potatoes that increase the liquid content. Also, if you are interested in some great mashed potato recipes, check out my Sous Vide Mashed potatoes recipe and our Cheesy Mashed Potatoes recipe.

History of the Potato Pancake

As already mentioned, potato pancakes have origins all across the globe. This is a peasant food that has roots anywhere where potatoes have been domestically farmed. 

Potatoes could be stored in root cellars, and well into Winter could be preserved when other food sources were not readily available. You often find potato pancake recipes in Northern European countries, as potatoes could easily be grown and stored for the colder seasons. 

Potato Pancake Recipe Tips

• Use cheesecloth to strain your potatoes
• I use sunflower oil because it reduces smell, but any high smoke point oil will work. 
• Do not crowd your skillet
• Use as much oil as is needed!

Products Used In This Recipe

• Fine Wire Strainer
• Food Processor
• Metal Spatula
• Cast Iron Skillet
• Cheesecloth

Did You Make This Recipe

Awesome! That makes me really happy and thank you so much for trusting me in your kitchen. I hope you like this Potato Pancake recipe as much as I do. If you do, you could do me a real favor by leaving a comment with a rating in the comments area below. Of course, I would love for you to share this on Pinterest or Facebook. Mostly, thanks for visiting Ramshackle Pantry and I hope I see you again!

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