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potato pancakes on a white plate with applesauce
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4.80 from 15 votes

German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer)

My Oma loved us so much, she'd make us homemade Kartoffelpuffer, German potato pancakes, whenever we would want them! They're so good and bring up the best of memories eating them hot out of the pan at her kitchen table.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: German
Keyword: German Kartoffelpuffer recipe, German potato pancake recipe, German potato recipe, Krompernschnietscha, Reibekuchen recipe, Schnietscha recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 417kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 12 large, starchy potatoes I use Russet or Idaho in the US
  • 3 large yellow onions
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ finely chopped chives Plant some in your garden now! They naturally come back every year without having to replant!
  • salt & pepper
  • high heat oil for pan-frying I use avocado oil and you'll probably need about 2 cups of it
  • sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

  • Peel the potatoes and onions. Grate the potatoes and onions with a medium to fine size of your grater and drain as much water as you can either wringing the grated potatoes out with a using a thin linen kitchen towel or by pressing into a fine mesh sieve with a bowl beneath it. Catch the liquids and let them sit. Potato starch will collect on the bottom (like a white, thick paste) and you can add that back to the potatoes.
    12 large, starchy potatoes, 3 large yellow onions
  • Add a good amount of salt and a little less pepper to season. Add eggs, flour and chives and knead together.
    ½ cup all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, ¼ finely chopped chives, salt & pepper
  • Add oil to a large frying pan and fry pan over medium high heat. Cook potato pancakes in batches by spooning pancake-sized amounts in the pan and pressing it down to make it flat. Cook for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil.
    high heat oil for pan-frying
  • Serve immediately or keep warm in a 150° Fahrenheit (65° Celsius) oven until ready to serve.
  • When ready to serve, sprinkle with sugar and serve with applesauce (I love my super easy, homemade chunky applesauce with a hint of spice) and a little sour cream with added chopped chives and salt. This is how my Oma Sieghilde would serve it to us when we were kids, but I described other serving suggestions in the notes below.
    sugar for sprinkling

Video

Notes

Other ways to serve Kartoffelpuffer:
  • with herb salt
  • with strawberry jam
  • with smoked salmon
  • with shredded parsnip salad
  • plum jelly
  • Grafschafter Goldsaft (sugar beet syrup)
  • Schwarzbrot (dark bread)

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 1888mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 86IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 5mg