There are so many different ways to make potato pancakes, you’ve likely had some form of this recipe! This delicious crispy version is so easy to make and only requires a few common ingredients. They are also so fun to eat with their fluffy and savory interior and crisp, golden exterior. They also go with everything, and you can serve them as an appetizer, side dish, light dinner, or a snack! It’s a simple old-fashioned recipe that the whole family will love.
Crispy, tender, and savory, these potato pancakes will melt in your mouth. Trust me when I say you’ll want to make them again and again. They’re a staple in my household for a reason! Want another recipe your kids will love? Try my fried chicken recipe, fried ice cream recipe, or old fashioned donuts recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Potatoes — the best potatoes for potato pancakes are starchy potatoes like russets potatoes as they don’t release much water and make for crispy potato pancakes.
Onions — the onion adds a subtle savory flavor. I use a yellow onion, but you can also use a sweet onion or whatever onion you have on hand.
Egg — the egg helps bind the potato mixture together.
Flour — along with the egg, the flour helps hold together the potato pancakes and helps create the pancake “batter.”
Oil — I use vegetable oil to fry the potatoes. It’s important to use oil with a high smoke point, or the oil will break down and leave a rancid taste. Neutral oils such as avocado oil, canola oil, corn oil, and peanut oil.
How to Make Potato Pancakes
1. Peel the potatoes and onion, and discard the peels. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the potatoes and onion.
2. Place the grated potatoes and onion in a colander. Let stand for 5 minutes. Using your hands, gently squeeze the potatoes and onions to drain off excess liquid.
3. Place the drained potatoes and onion in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg and stir to combine.
4. Add the flour, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
5. Heat ¼ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, scoop four ¼ cup mounds of potato mixture into the hot oil, and flatten with the back of a spatula to form pancakes.
6. Fry on each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the pancakes and place them on the paper towel-lined plate. Then transfer the pancakes to the baking sheet in a 200°F oven to keep warm until ready to serve. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture. Serve pancakes topped with sour cream and sprinkled with chives.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- The pancake mixture will turn gray or brown as it sits, so I don’t advise making it too far in advance. A couple of hours should be fine if plastic wrap is pressed to the surface and tightly covered.
- You’ll want to remove as much moisture as possible from the potatoes so they’ll hold their shape and crisp up in the oil. You can put the shredded potatoes in a kitchen towel or cheesecloth and squeeze them out as much moisture as possible. They’re also more likely to fall apart if there’s too much moisture.
- Make sure the oil is hot, or the potatoes won’t cook through before the exterior is crispy and brown.
- Avoid adding too many scoops of the potato mixture into the oil at once. If you add too many, it’ll decrease the temperature of the oil. Tightly packing the potatoes into the skillet will also cause them to steam instead of crisping up. It’s also easier to flip the pancakes in the skillet if you don’t overcrowd it.
- Add more oil as you need it to cook the pancakes. Just make sure you allow the oil to get hot before adding the pancakes to it.
- If you’re not a fan of serving potato pancakes with sour cream, try serving them with applesauce or yogurt.
- You can fold a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese for a cheesy version of these pancakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the oil is not hot enough, the potato pancakes will end up soggy. If the oil is not hot, it’ll take the pancakes longer to cook through and absorb more oil than necessary. Also, if you don’t drain the potato pancakes on a paper towel afterward, they’ll absorb oil on the surface of the pancakes, leading them to become soggy.
Latkes and potato pancakes are very similar as they both use potatoes and eggs as the main ingredients and are fried in oil. However, latkes use matzo meal and baking powder in the batter, and they tend to be thicker.
To store leftovers, allow the pancakes to cool to room temperature, then wrap them tightly in or put them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can reheat them in the oven just until heated through.
Fried potato pancakes can be frozen in a single layer until firm and then transferred to a freezer container for up to 3 months. Cook in a skillet over medium heat with a thin layer of oil.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Potato Pancakes recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Potato Pancakes
Equipment
- Vegetable peeler
- Box grater
- Colander or strainer
- Large mixing bowl
- Baking Sheet
- Large skillet
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 3 large russet potatoes (2½ pounds/1125g)
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30g)
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Sour cream for serving
- Chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and onion, and discard the peels. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the potatoes and onion. Place the grated potatoes and onion in a colander. Let stand for 5 minutes. Using your hands, gently squeeze the potatoes and onions to drain off excess liquid.
- Place the drained potatoes and onion in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg and stir to combine. Add the flour, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 200°F with a baking sheet inside. Line a plate with paper towels.
- Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, scoop four 1/4 cup mounds of potato mixture into the hot oil, and flatten with the back of a spatula to form pancakes.
- Fry on each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove pancakes and place them on the paper towels to drain for a couple of minutes. Then transfer the pancakes to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture. Serve pancakes topped with sour cream and sprinkled with chives.
Notes
- The pancake mixture will turn gray or brown as it sits, so I don’t advise making it too far in advance. A couple of hours should be fine if plastic wrap is pressed to the surface and tightly covered.
- You’ll want to remove as much moisture as possible from the potatoes so they’ll hold their shape and crisp up in the oil. You can put the shredded potatoes in a kitchen towel or cheesecloth and squeeze them out as much moisture as possible. They’re also more likely to fall apart if there’s too much moisture.
- Make sure the oil is hot, or the potatoes won’t cook through before the exterior is crispy and brown.
- Avoid adding too many scoops of the potato mixture into the oil at once. If you add too many, it’ll decrease the temperature of the oil. Tightly packing the potatoes into the skillet will also cause them to steam instead of crisping up. It’s also easier to flip the pancakes in the skillet if you don’t overcrowd it.
- Add more oil as you need it to cook the pancakes. Just make sure you allow the oil to get hot before adding the pancakes to it.
- If you’re not a fan of serving potato pancakes with sour cream, try serving them with applesauce or yogurt.
- You can fold a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese for a cheesy version of these pancakes.