Delightfully crispy and flavorful, these authentic German potato pancakes, Kartoffelpuffer, are fun to make and even more delicious to eat!
Potato Pancakes Recipe
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.
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.
Kartoffelpuffer can be served sweet or savory. Most commonly they’re served with apple sauce or other fruit compote, and/or dusted with powdered sugar, but are also served savory-style with a yogurt-herb sauce or with meat as part of a meal.
In a word, they’re simply DELICIOUS!
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.
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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!
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Potato Pancakes (German Kartoffelpuffer)
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.
Jan says
Huge question here. Some time back I tried a recipe for these that had you saving the starch from the water that was squeezed out from the potato and stirring it back in. Those were absolutely the BEST I have ever had. Was it a happy fluke or will that really make a difference? I always read every recipe for potato pancakes I come across because of course, since they turned out so well, I didn’t save the recipe!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jan, the starch may act as an adhesive to assist in keeping the mixture together but it isn’t necessary. You could always do a side by side test where you reserve some of the mixture before adding back the starch and compare that to the mixture with the added starch and see if you think there’s a noticeable difference.
Pat Garcia says
My Oma always made these. For us they were Reibekuchen. Enjoyed seeing your recipe!
Anonymous says
easy to make and fun
Aku says
Thank you so much for such a good recipe!
Just couldnt have enough of it.
Actually, i gave it a pinch of a twist of my own, i added red chilli flakes and little garlic (stepped off a line).
However so, my family couldnt stop asking for more!
Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Aku, thank you so much!
Clo says
Hi Kimberly, the pancakes look delicious. Your thoughts on using crisco rather than oil. Do you think they would get crisper without using the lard? You mention finely grated. I have a. Breville Food processor would that be the finer grating attachment which is quite fine or the regular size like on a standard box grater? Very existed to make these.Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Clo, you can use crisco if you prefer and they will be crispy. German potato pancakes are grated finely where Swiss Rösti are grated larger using a regular box grater. This results in different textures. German potato pancakes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Swiss Rösti are also crispy on the outside and somewhat soft on the inside but are are more “chunky” if you will, more akin to shredded hash brown patties. You can try both finely grated and regular grated and see which you prefer.
Kim Roughley says
Hi. If I don’t have any eggs can I substitute them with some thing else.
Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kim, I’m hesitant to recommend anything I haven’t actually tried myself and am able to confirm that it works effectively. Perhaps one of our readers has tried a substitute and can chime in.
Bridget May says
The liquid from a tin of chickpeas ! 2 table spoons = 1 large egg , I have not tried this but it is supposed to work even with making meringues
Denise Elsner Ford says
Very close to my German grandmother’s recipe. It was tradition in our house that we kids grated the potatoes on a flat square grater. These were served with pot roast with ginger snap gravy which may sound strange but is wildly delicious. The family was from Heidelberg. This is my favorite meal of all time!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for sharing, Denise! In some regions of Germany Sauerbraten is also made with a ginger snap-infused gravy like in my recipe: https://www.daringgourmet.com/authentic-german-sauerbraten/. It’s delicious indeed!
Doreen Lobasso says
Wow, it is wonderful to see a recipe very similar to what my Nana taught me growing up. I am about the only one that still makes it. My uncles always request it when they visit. It is a lot of work and some grated skin lol. The slight difference in ours is that we add a little baking powder and a lot more flour till it is a bit springy. We fry it in Crisco and blot on brown paper bags to get oil out. We then eat them as a meal with applesauce and don’t judge, but ketchup. It is delicious!!!
Ute says
Thank you for the explanation of the difference between Rösti and Kartoffelpuffer. My German mother never made these for us – so I decided to make these for my own family. There’s nothing like starting a tradition of one’s own. Your recipe is the first one which was easy to follow, so I’ll be passing it on to my girls. I’ll be serving them with Cabbage – there’s already too much apple sauce in our meals ;-)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Ute, I’m so glad you enjoyed them – thank you – and congratulations on your new family tradition!
Connie says
My German mother also made these when we were growing up. We had them as a meal because we had a large family and not a lot of money. Potatoes and lard were inexpensive and made a lot of food for our family. Your recipe is spot on for flavour and texture. She did not use onions though so I left them out. We always ate them only with Rubenkraut. Sugar Beet Syrup
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Connie! I love potatoes and they’re so deliciously versatile. It’s funny how expensive good lard is now, it’s probably because it’s no longer in demand like it used to be. So I always render my own lard with fat I get from my local butcher and it’s what I use the most for frying and roasting potatoes – it creates the absolute best, crispiest texture. I also use it in my pie crusts for the best, flakiest texture.
Paul Herlick says
This is exactly our recipe too. I grew up on a farm and my mom would serve them with homemade sweet cucumber relish, zucchini relish, corn relish or sweet chilli relish, whatever sweet/sour condiment preserve we had at the time. I think it was a Pennsylvania Deutch variant. I make them for my wife and children and they like applesauce and sour cream or (heaven forbid!) ketchup.
Chris says
Just tried this with some chopped ham added to the mix. Fantastic result and they were all devoured before I had chance to take a pic. Thanks👍👍
Barb says
I am serving 30 people and need to make these earlier in the day. What is your recommendation for reheating.
Charleen says
place under broiler for a few seconds…be careful not to burn.
Jim Schooler says
This is the first recipe for potato pancakes that is close to my dads. My dad never used onion, not sure why, I was a teenager when he and my mom died. We used peaches on ours, the syrup was just sweet enough and the peaches were awesome. The peaches are best cold. Thanks
Cheryl says
wonderful childhood memories as mom did all the work and we just enjoyed them. While she ate them with applesauce we would sprinkle ours with sugar.
I know some would be appalled, along with my mom, but the potato patties sold frozen in the markets, I now nuke them and serve them to my grandchildren with the sugar they like since they were toddlers. They now call them potato pancakes and if I make the real ones we will have to see their reaction would be to the real ones.
But if in a hurry..give them a try this way with your favorite topping.
Frederick Moeller says
Hi Kimberly, my dad was born in Hamburg (1912) absolutely loved potato pancakes. Your recipe is an exact replica of what my mother made with one MAJOR difference. In their early years of marriage my mother could never get them right. No matter what she did he said they did not taste right. Finally she asked his mother and was told “you must fry them in lard”. This was the difference. Also the only way we ever had them was with applesauce and bacon – fabulous.
By the way, are you familiar with raw-chopped-beef, another German delicacy; here in Milwaukee we call them cannibal sandwiches. On Friday night my mother would mix one or two raw eggs with a pound of raw chopped beef and my dad would have it on rye with raw onions and salt and pepper. Anything left over and we kids would have hamburgers the next day. Hard to find raw chopped beef today due to sanitary conditions.
I probably have over 75 soup cookbooks and yours are some of the best recipes I’ve ever seen. I’ve tried to follow your idea of recipes from the national dishes of every country. Developed over centuries the recipes are invariably delicious, extremely nutritious, and relatively easy to make.
Please keep up the excellent work.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Frederick, thanks so much for your comment and for your generous compliment, you made my day :)
I agree completely, frying these Kartoffelpuffer in lard is the way to go for both texture and flavor. I’m no stranger to using lard, I have a tutorial on how to render lard here on my site and have several recipes on here that use it. It’s what I use for making oven-roasted potatoes and nothing beats the crispy texture, so good.
The raw beef with chopped onions on bread – yes, in Germany it’s also made with raw pork and is called Mett and in northern Germany (e.g. Hamburg) it’s called Hackepeter.
Thanks again, Frederick, and have a wonderful weekend! Kind regards, Kimberly
Brian says
Duck fat is also very good. Easily available, here in France, rendered from a roast duck.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
It sure is, Brian, and I have several jars of it stockpiled in my cupboard that I always bring back with me from France! :)
hopflower says
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.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
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.
Nina says
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.
Allah says
This was nice…
f says
in east germany, it seems they serve it with nothing else but sugar…ha. (half joke, half true)
Roland Gundert says
My dad used to make these for us every now and then. They were delicious.
Angie Sigrist says
wonderful memories of my dad. He used to make these for us when we were children. We called them boofers. So yummy!
Dana says
Can you use frozen shredded potatoes
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dana, yes, just make sure they’re thawed and thoroughly squeeze out the liquid.
Stefany Reich-Silber says
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.