Kartoffelpuffer (German Potato Pancakes)
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Delightfully crispy and flavorful, these authentic German potato pancakes, Kartoffelpuffer, are fun to make and even more delicious to eat! They can be sweet or savory depending on the toppings you choose or what you serve them with. Made the way my Mutti and Oma made them in authentic German fashion!
A quintessential German treat beloved across every region of Germany, Kartoffelpuffer (German potato pancakes) are not only a favorite dish to serve at home but are also a popular street food found at local Volksfests and holiday events like Fasching, Karneval and Christmas markets.
In particular these German potato pancakes bring back memories of going to my Oma and Opa’s house. Throughout my childhood and through young adulthood my Oma would regularly make these when we went over to their house. My brother and I would play cards at kitchen table with my Opa while my Oma stood over the stove with the crackling sounds and smells of frying Kartoffelpuffer filling the air. Before long, plates of hot Kartoffelpuffer were set out on the table and we helped ourselves to a sprinkle of powdered sugar and generous heaps of applesauce. My Oma knew to make big batches of these Kartoffelpuffer because my brother and I could rarely get enough of them.
What Are Kartoffelpuffer?
Depending on the region of Germany, Kartoffelpuffer are also known as Reibekuchen, Reibeplätzchen, Reiberdatschi and Grumbeerpannekuche.
You may also be familiar with Swiss Rösti. But those are something different. The key difference lies in the size of the grated potatoes: Rösti are shredded whereas Kartoffelpuffer are finely grated. Also, with Rösti the potatoes are sometimes grated raw but more often are parboiled whole in their skins for a few minutes so that the center is still hard, then peeled and grated once they’ve cooled down. Because the potatoes are grated/shredded on the largest setting (in German, “grob geraspelt”) to get large, long strands, parboiling them first prevents the outside of the Rösti from burning before the potatoes are thoroughly cooked through. Grated onions are usually added and sometimes bacon and cheese, depending on the region. Rösti are also fried longer until they are light brown and crunchy.
Kartoffelpuffer on the other hand are made from potatoes that are grated raw and grated finely (allowing them to cook quickly and evenly). The shredded potatoes are wrung out in a clean dish towel and then mixed with egg, finely grated onion and flour and then fried to light golden. The end result is a crispy exterior and soft interior.
How to Serve German Potato Pancakes
Kartoffelpuffer can be served either sweet or savory. Most commonly they’re served dusted with powdered sugar and/or some apple sauce or other fruit compote. But in some areas of Germany they are also served with savory toppings such as herbed Quark, yogurt-herb sauce, or smoked salmon. Or served as a side with beef or pork and drizzled with gravy like Rahm Sauce, Mushroom Gravy or Onion Gravy and accompanied by Rotkohl or Sauerkraut. Try your German potato pancakes both sweet and savory style, they’re delicious both ways!
Kartoffelpuffer Recipe
Let’s get started!
Use a grater or food processor to finely grate the potatoes. You don’t want thick strands. Either place the grated potatoes in a colander and thoroughly squeeze the liquid out with your hands or place them in a clean dish towel and wring it to squeeze out the liquid.
Place the drained grated potatoes in a bowl along with the grated onion, eggs, flour and salt. Use your hands to knead the mixture together until you have a thick, tacky mass. Don’t let this mixture sit for long before frying it.
Heat some oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1/3-1/2 cup (depending on size preference) of the potato mixture to the frying pan and flatten it with the back of a spoon to form pancakes. Fry the Kartoffelpuffer on both sides (about 3-5 minutes) until golden brown. Place the fried potato pancakes on paper towels to briefly blot them and then immediately serve them while hot.
Serve with applesauce, fruit compote, or powdered sugar or serve it savory-style with some herbed yogurt, quark or creme fraiche or with meat and gravy.
Guten Appetit!
For more authentic German recipes be sure to try my:
- Spaetzle
- Kaesespaetzle
- Schnitzel
- Jagerschnitzel
- German Goulash
- Schweinshaxe
- Currywurst
- Sauerbraten
- Rouladen
- Rotkohl
- Maultaschen
- German Potato Soup
- German Potato Salad
- Semmelknödel
- Königsberger Klopse
- German Potato Dumplings
- Zwiebelkuchen
- German Bread (Vollkornbrot)
- Obatzda
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Kartoffelpuffer (German Potato Pancakes)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds starchy potatoes, peeled and very finely grated (RAW, not cooked)
- 1 small yellow onion, very finely grated
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- neutral-tasting oil for frying
Instructions
- Thoroughly wring out the liquid in the grated potatoes by placing them in a colander and squeezing them with your hands or by placing them in a clean dish towel and wringing out the liquid.
- Place the drained grated potatoes in a medium-sized bowl with the grated onion, eggs, flour and salt and use your hands to work it into a tacky mixture. Add a little more flour if needed. Do no let the mixture sit for long before using it, use it immediately.
- Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the mixture (depending on size preference) in the hot pan and flatten into pancakes with the back of a spoon. Fry on both sides for 3-5 minutes until the Kartoffelpuffer are golden. Place them briefly on paper towels.
- Serve immediately while hot with applesauce, fruit compote or powdered sugar. For a savory version serve with herbed yogurt, quark or creme fraiche or with meat and gravy as part of a meal.
Nutrition
Originally published October 24, 2017
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I love them! However, in Germany, potato pancakes are not served with gravy. They are served with sour cream and or applesauce. Always applesauce; but it depends upon your region or affiliation in Germany whether the sour cream comes into it. Spatzle are served with gravy. I don’t doubt though, that you can eat them whatever way you enjoy them.
Applesauce, sour cream and yogurt are the most common for sure but they’re definitely served with gravy/sauce as well. Champignon-Sahne-Soße (creamy mushroom sauce) is one popular example.
when it’s served with a sauce – and some meat – it’s not the German potato pancake, then it is the swisse “Roesti” – it’s a bit different (the onions are fried and some parsley is added). Otherwise it’s the same.
This was nice…
Oh nono… Rösti are made using cooked potatoes. But yes, no gravy with Kartoffelpuffer :)
in east germany, it seems they serve it with nothing else but sugar…ha. (half joke, half true)
My dad used to make these for us every now and then. They were delicious.
wonderful memories of my dad. He used to make these for us when we were children. We called them boofers. So yummy!
Can you use frozen shredded potatoes
Hi Dana, yes, just make sure they’re thawed and thoroughly squeeze out the liquid.
When making latkes you use matzo meal. With these you are using flour. Comes out the same. My Polish grandmother used to make them all the time with flour.
I’ve always thought of Latkes and Kartoffelpuffer as more or less the same thing, and I’m guessing there’s also some Polish or Russian version… Are you sure that using matzo meal makes a difference? It’s basically just about adding some starch for cohesion, no?
Either way, I can’t really remember having a potato pancake I didn’t like. I use the starchy sediment from the potato water (just because it makes sense), and some extra potato starch or flour. Also a spoon or two of sour cream doesn’t hurt at all! So good with smoked fish. Or applesauce.
I’d say you are right about there being no difference between using matzoh meal or flour in one’s Kartoffelpuffer. So delicious. And smoked fish, yum!!
I grew up in a third world country in Africa. Love cooking and because of shortages learnt to improvise. One of my favourite cuisines German, sauerkraut OMG especially homemade and fresh!! One of the loves of my life ‘potatoes’, boiled, mashed, fried, roasted, baked whatever way possible! These are on the menu ASAP Thank you! A treat to look forward to!!
OK, so these look good enough to try, but I’d love a your recipe for Kartoffelklose. I tried making those wonderful, fabulous, delicious things once, and they turned out OK, but I bet yours would be much better. Btw, I’m not German, and have no access to either German cooks or food unless I go to Germany, but I love the stuff. My rotkohl is to die for and the recipe is nearly the same as yours, but I never thought of using cherry jelly, which makes my mouth water.
Thanks!
Hello-
Your recipe calls for a “non-stick” pan. Will a properly seasoned cast iron skillet work as well?
Hi Tim, as long as the pancakes don’t stick to it, absolutely.
Hi, these look awesome, can’t wait to make them! Question: do you know if these can be made ahead, cooked, and frozen…and then reheated? Of course there is nothing like freshly made/served immediately, but I would love to make these for Christmas Eve and it’s going to be tough frying these up when guests have already arrived! So I’m wondering if you (or anyone else) have made these ahead of time? If it can be done, that would be amazing!
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
Hi Liz, I haven’t tried that but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I would just recommend reheating them in a frying pan in order to get some of the crispiness back. Since you’re serving them for an important occasion I’d also recommend giving them a trial run in advance – freezing, thawing and reheating them in the pan to see how they turn out. Please let us know the results!
You also can serve them with smoked salmon and sour creme with dill as starter in a menue.
Great idea, Thomas!
My Opa would make these but instead of applesauce he would put fresh blueberry sauce on top. Delicious!
Since it’s Octoberfest time, I made these the other night with some brats and rotkraut (from a jar). My Dad and I were the ones in the family who really liked the potato pancakes and he made great ones. I was being a little lazy, and so use the grater disc on the food processor for the potatoes. They did turn out great, but might have been better if I’d more finely grated them. Next time, I’ll sacrifice my knuckles on the hand grater, or maybe get a new finer grating disc for the F.P. All in all they were a success. Family loved them. Thanks for posting this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Fantastic, Georgette, I’m so glad and appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Yes! These are delicious! I’ve tried different recipes and couldn’t quite figure out the amounts of everything to make it not too dry and not to wet. Thank you for working that out :) we all live these, had m with steak and green beans, the American way haha! Greetings from florida
Fantastic, Liz, I’m so glad you enjoyed them – thank you!
My German grandmother’s “secret ingredient” was to add a grated apple to the mix. Yummy. And she would never used mashed potatoes!!!! These were a regular dish on “meatless Fridays” in our Catholic household. Even my Dad would make them occasionally. Decades later, visiting my brother, the one dish he always wanted me to make were these pancakes.
hi Marianne,the grated apple soundsgood.will try it.bill.bill
My mum use to make these when i was a kid when we had left over mashed potato .. I dont think these are kertoffel pluffer as my mum use to have me grating a dozen medium to large potatoes every weekend practically then we would wring them pulp out and drain all the starch from the pulp she would then add flower salt pepper eggs and some caraway seed to them and slowly boil them in a pot of water … but I know she would keep the starch to make the pancakes with a mxture of mashed potato and grated potato flour salt and onion and shallow fry them in the frypan I loved them though and i use to take some to school as well as she would make a couple of dozen of them as we had a big family .. my mum was an amazing cook she cooked so many german and european meals at home and at work as she was a chef when she came here from germany for a business for about fifteen years ..she loved cooking and everyweekend there she was in the kitchen making or baking something from germany ..I wished she had written recipes into a book it would definately be a hand me down treasure and possible business venture for one of our growing family numbers …btw I will be trying these out tomorrow however i wont be grating the potatoes I have a juice extractor which grates the pulp and wizzes all the juices out of most vegies I have used such as carrots and beets so I think it will be a treat to make the potato pancakes
Hi David, thank you for sharing all of these wonderful memories. I hope you enjoy the Kartoffelpuffer!