This post may contain affiliate links learn more
There’s something special about the warm, crispy goodness of German potato pancakes, or Kartoffelpuffer, that transports you to a cozy kitchen in the heart of Germany. Whether served with tangy sour cream or sweet applesauce, these golden pancakes offer an unforgettable blend of textures and flavors. I’m excited to share this traditional recipe that’s easy to make and perfect for any occasion.
Ready to impress your loved ones with a delicious homemade treat? Sign up for my newsletter, and you’ll get more exciting recipes like this sent straight to your inbox!
Why You’ll Love This German Potato Pancakes Recipe
These German potato pancakes are as versatile as they are delicious! Here are just a few reasons why they’ll become a favorite in your kitchen:
- Crispy and golden on the outside: Thanks to the simple but crucial technique of squeezing out the excess moisture from the potatoes.
- Soft and flavorful on the inside: With just a hint of onion, eggs, and the optional nutmeg for that authentic touch.
- Quick and easy to make: Ready in under 30 minutes, these are perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.
- Customizable: You can tweak the recipe with garlic or cheese, depending on your preferences. I promised you versatile, and here’s proof!
Whether you serve them as a side dish, appetizer, or even a light meal, these pancakes are always a hit.
What Do German Potato Pancakes Taste Like?
Picture this: the moment you bite into one of these Kartoffelpuffer, your teeth sink into a crispy exterior, giving way to a soft, fluffy interior packed with the rich flavors of potato, onion, and just the right amount of seasoning. The flavor is simple yet irresistible, with a touch of sweetness from the onion and a subtle warmth from the nutmeg (if you’re using it). Paired with the tang of sour cream or the sweetness of applesauce, it’s a comforting flavor that’s anything but boring!
Benefits of Making This Recipe at Home
Making your own German potato pancakes at home means:
- Control over ingredients: Adjust salt, pepper, or add-ins to suit your taste.
- Freshness: Enjoy them hot off the stove, at their crispiest and most delicious.
- Tradition on your table: Experience authentic German flavors without having to book a flight to Berlin!
Let’s dive into the ingredients you’ll need to make this classic recipe.
Ingredients for German Potato Pancakes
Here’s what you’ll need to make these traditional potato pancakes:
- 2 lbs potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold), peeled and grated
- 1 small onion, finely grated
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional, but adds a great authentic flavor)
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Applesauce or sour cream (for serving)
Necessary Tools for Preparation
To make these delicious pancakes, you’ll need:
- A box grater or food processor for grating the potatoes and onion
- A large skillet for frying the pancakes
- A kitchen towel to squeeze out the moisture from the potatoes
- A mixing bowl to combine all the ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions for German Potato Pancakes
1. Grate the Potatoes and Onion
Start by peeling your potatoes and grating them using a box grater or food processor. Grate the onion as well. Next, place the grated potatoes and onion in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Removing the moisture is key to getting crispy pancakes.
2. Prepare the Batter
In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated potatoes and onion. Add the eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg (if using). Stir everything together until well combined. The mixture should hold together when pressed.
3. Heat the Oil
In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. You want the oil hot but not smoking.
4. Fry the Pancakes
Scoop about 1/4 cup of the potato mixture for each pancake, and flatten it into a round shape. Gently place the pancake in the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. Fry in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
5. Drain and Serve
Once the pancakes are done, remove them from the skillet and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. While they’re still hot, sprinkle a little extra salt on top for added flavor.
6. Serve
Serve your crispy German potato pancakes with applesauce or sour cream on the side. For an extra touch, garnish with fresh parsley!
Tips for the Best Potato Pancakes
- Squeeze out excess moisture: This is crucial for achieving the crispy texture that makes these pancakes so delightful.
- Use starchy potatoes: Russet or Yukon Gold are the best choices for the perfect consistency.
- Keep them warm: If you’re making a big batch, keep the pancakes warm by placing them on a baking sheet in a 200°F (93°C) oven while you finish frying the rest.
- Get creative: Add garlic, grated Parmesan, or fresh herbs to the batter for added flavor. You can also mix in a bit of shredded zucchini or carrots for a twist!
What to Serve with German Potato Pancakes
Traditionally, these potato pancakes are served with either applesauce or sour cream. But you can also try them with:
- Smoked salmon and cream cheese for a savory brunch option.
- A simple green salad for a light meal.
- Sausages and sauerkraut for a full German feast.
Storing and Reheating Potato Pancakes
Got leftovers? Here’s how to store them:
- Refrigerator: Place leftover pancakes in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze cooked pancakes by placing them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll keep for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: To reheat, bake them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10-15 minutes until they’re hot and crispy again.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I make the potato mixture ahead of time?
Yes, you can grate the potatoes and onions a few hours ahead, but make sure to store the mixture in a bowl of cold water to prevent the potatoes from turning brown. Drain and squeeze out the moisture before frying.
Can I bake these instead of frying?
While frying gives the pancakes their characteristic crispiness, you can bake them on a well-greased baking sheet at 425°F (220°C) for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
Absolutely! Simply swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour blend or cornstarch.
Conclusion: Crispy, Comforting, and Oh-So-Satisfying!
These German potato pancakes are a must-try for anyone who loves crispy, savory comfort food. Whether you’re looking for a delicious side dish or a light, flavorful meal, this recipe delivers. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out in the comments below! I’d love to see your creations—don’t forget to share your photos on Pinterest!
Craving more? Check out these other potato-based recipes that are sure to satisfy:
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Potato Dumplings
Nutritional Information (Per Serving)
- Calories: 180
- Protein: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fat: 7g
- Fiber: 3g
German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer) Recipe
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 pancakes 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside, these authentic German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer) are easy to make and perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Serve them with applesauce or sour cream for the ultimate comforting meal. Quick to prepare and incredibly delicious, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite. Don’t forget to save it and share your results with me!
var LanguageMenu; var LanguageMenu_keys=[“ar”,”bg”,”ca”,”zh-CHS”,”zh-CHT”,”cs”,”da”,”nl”,”en”,”et”,”fi”,”fr”,”de”,”el”,”ht”,”he”,”hi”,”mww”,”hu”,”id”,”it”,”ja”,”tlh”,”ko”,”lv”,”lt”,”ms”,”mt”,”no”,”fa”,”pl”,”pt”,”ro”,”ru”,”sk”,”sl”,”es”,”sv”,”th”,”tr”,”uk”,”ur”,”vi”,”cy”]; var LanguageMenu_values=[“Arabic”,”Bulgarian”,”Catalan”,”Chinese Simplified”,”Chinese Traditional”,”Czech”,”Danish”,”Dutch”,”English”,”Estonian”,”Finnish”,”French”,”German”,”Greek”,”Haitian Creole”,”Hebrew”,”Hindi”,”Hmong Daw”,”Hungarian”,”Indonesian”,”Italian”,”Japanese”,”Klingon”,”Korean”,”Latvian”,”Lithuanian”,”Malay”,”Maltese”,”Norwegian”,”Persian”,”Polish”,”Portuguese”,”Romanian”,”Russian”,”Slovak”,”Slovenian”,”Spanish”,”Swedish”,”Thai”,”Turkish”,”Ukrainian”,”Urdu”,”Vietnamese”,”Welsh”]; var LanguageMenu_callback=function(){ }; var LanguageMenu_popupid=’__LanguageMenu_popup’;
var intervalId = setInterval(function () { if (MtPopUpList) { LanguageMenu = new MtPopUpList(); var langMenu = document.getElementById(LanguageMenu_popupid); var origLangDiv = document.createElement(“div”); origLangDiv.id = “OriginalLanguageDiv”; origLangDiv.innerHTML = “ORIGINAL: “; langMenu.appendChild(origLangDiv); LanguageMenu.Init(‘LanguageMenu’, LanguageMenu_keys, LanguageMenu_values, LanguageMenu_callback, LanguageMenu_popupid); window[“LanguageMenu”] = LanguageMenu; clearInterval(intervalId); } }, 1);
Ingredients
- 2 lbs potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold), peeled and grated
- 1 small onion, finely grated
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional for authentic flavor)
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Applesauce or sour cream (for serving)
var LanguageMenu; var LanguageMenu_keys=[“ar”,”bg”,”ca”,”zh-CHS”,”zh-CHT”,”cs”,”da”,”nl”,”en”,”et”,”fi”,”fr”,”de”,”el”,”ht”,”he”,”hi”,”mww”,”hu”,”id”,”it”,”ja”,”tlh”,”ko”,”lv”,”lt”,”ms”,”mt”,”no”,”fa”,”pl”,”pt”,”ro”,”ru”,”sk”,”sl”,”es”,”sv”,”th”,”tr”,”uk”,”ur”,”vi”,”cy”]; var LanguageMenu_values=[“Arabic”,”Bulgarian”,”Catalan”,”Chinese Simplified”,”Chinese Traditional”,”Czech”,”Danish”,”Dutch”,”English”,”Estonian”,”Finnish”,”French”,”German”,”Greek”,”Haitian Creole”,”Hebrew”,”Hindi”,”Hmong Daw”,”Hungarian”,”Indonesian”,”Italian”,”Japanese”,”Klingon”,”Korean”,”Latvian”,”Lithuanian”,”Malay”,”Maltese”,”Norwegian”,”Persian”,”Polish”,”Portuguese”,”Romanian”,”Russian”,”Slovak”,”Slovenian”,”Spanish”,”Swedish”,”Thai”,”Turkish”,”Ukrainian”,”Urdu”,”Vietnamese”,”Welsh”]; var LanguageMenu_callback=function(){ }; var LanguageMenu_popupid=’__LanguageMenu_popup’;
var intervalId = setInterval(function () { if (MtPopUpList) { LanguageMenu = new MtPopUpList(); var langMenu = document.getElementById(LanguageMenu_popupid); var origLangDiv = document.createElement(“div”); origLangDiv.id = “OriginalLanguageDiv”; origLangDiv.innerHTML = “ORIGINAL: “; langMenu.appendChild(origLangDiv); LanguageMenu.Init(‘LanguageMenu’, LanguageMenu_keys, LanguageMenu_values, LanguageMenu_callback, LanguageMenu_popupid); window[“LanguageMenu”] = LanguageMenu; clearInterval(intervalId); } }, 1);
Instructions
Crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside, these authentic German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer) are easy to make and perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Serve them with applesauce or sour cream for the ultimate comforting meal. Quick to prepare and incredibly delicious, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite. Don’t forget to save it and share your results with me!
var LanguageMenu; var LanguageMenu_keys=[“ar”,”bg”,”ca”,”zh-CHS”,”zh-CHT”,”cs”,”da”,”nl”,”en”,”et”,”fi”,”fr”,”de”,”el”,”ht”,”he”,”hi”,”mww”,”hu”,”id”,”it”,”ja”,”tlh”,”ko”,”lv”,”lt”,”ms”,”mt”,”no”,”fa”,”pl”,”pt”,”ro”,”ru”,”sk”,”sl”,”es”,”sv”,”th”,”tr”,”uk”,”ur”,”vi”,”cy”]; var LanguageMenu_values=[“Arabic”,”Bulgarian”,”Catalan”,”Chinese Simplified”,”Chinese Traditional”,”Czech”,”Danish”,”Dutch”,”English”,”Estonian”,”Finnish”,”French”,”German”,”Greek”,”Haitian Creole”,”Hebrew”,”Hindi”,”Hmong Daw”,”Hungarian”,”Indonesian”,”Italian”,”Japanese”,”Klingon”,”Korean”,”Latvian”,”Lithuanian”,”Malay”,”Maltese”,”Norwegian”,”Persian”,”Polish”,”Portuguese”,”Romanian”,”Russian”,”Slovak”,”Slovenian”,”Spanish”,”Swedish”,”Thai”,”Turkish”,”Ukrainian”,”Urdu”,”Vietnamese”,”Welsh”]; var LanguageMenu_callback=function(){ }; var LanguageMenu_popupid=’__LanguageMenu_popup’;
var intervalId = setInterval(function () { if (MtPopUpList) { LanguageMenu = new MtPopUpList(); var langMenu = document.getElementById(LanguageMenu_popupid); var origLangDiv = document.createElement(“div”); origLangDiv.id = “OriginalLanguageDiv”; origLangDiv.innerHTML = “ORIGINAL: “; langMenu.appendChild(origLangDiv); LanguageMenu.Init(‘LanguageMenu’, LanguageMenu_keys, LanguageMenu_values, LanguageMenu_callback, LanguageMenu_popupid); window[“LanguageMenu”] = LanguageMenu; clearInterval(intervalId); } }, 1);
Notes
- 2 lbs potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold), peeled and grated
- 1 small onion, finely grated
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional for authentic flavor)
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Applesauce or sour cream (for serving)
var LanguageMenu; var LanguageMenu_keys=[“ar”,”bg”,”ca”,”zh-CHS”,”zh-CHT”,”cs”,”da”,”nl”,”en”,”et”,”fi”,”fr”,”de”,”el”,”ht”,”he”,”hi”,”mww”,”hu”,”id”,”it”,”ja”,”tlh”,”ko”,”lv”,”lt”,”ms”,”mt”,”no”,”fa”,”pl”,”pt”,”ro”,”ru”,”sk”,”sl”,”es”,”sv”,”th”,”tr”,”uk”,”ur”,”vi”,”cy”]; var LanguageMenu_values=[“Arabic”,”Bulgarian”,”Catalan”,”Chinese Simplified”,”Chinese Traditional”,”Czech”,”Danish”,”Dutch”,”English”,”Estonian”,”Finnish”,”French”,”German”,”Greek”,”Haitian Creole”,”Hebrew”,”Hindi”,”Hmong Daw”,”Hungarian”,”Indonesian”,”Italian”,”Japanese”,”Klingon”,”Korean”,”Latvian”,”Lithuanian”,”Malay”,”Maltese”,”Norwegian”,”Persian”,”Polish”,”Portuguese”,”Romanian”,”Russian”,”Slovak”,”Slovenian”,”Spanish”,”Swedish”,”Thai”,”Turkish”,”Ukrainian”,”Urdu”,”Vietnamese”,”Welsh”]; var LanguageMenu_callback=function(){ }; var LanguageMenu_popupid=’__LanguageMenu_popup’;
var intervalId = setInterval(function () { if (MtPopUpList) { LanguageMenu = new MtPopUpList(); var langMenu = document.getElementById(LanguageMenu_popupid); var origLangDiv = document.createElement(“div”); origLangDiv.id = “OriginalLanguageDiv”; origLangDiv.innerHTML = “ORIGINAL: “; langMenu.appendChild(origLangDiv); LanguageMenu.Init(‘LanguageMenu’, LanguageMenu_keys, LanguageMenu_values, LanguageMenu_callback, LanguageMenu_popupid); window[“LanguageMenu”] = LanguageMenu; clearInterval(intervalId); } }, 1);
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish, Breakfast, Appetizer
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: German
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pancake
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
