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!
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
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.
Hi. If I don’t have any eggs can I substitute them with some thing else.
Thanks
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.
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
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!
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!
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!!!
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 ;-)
Wonderful, Ute, I’m so glad you enjoyed them – thank you – and congratulations on your new family tradition!
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
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.
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.
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👍👍
I am serving 30 people and need to make these earlier in the day. What is your recommendation for reheating.
place under broiler for a few seconds…be careful not to burn.