These are the potato latkes of my childhood. The are simple, they are delicious and crispy and have just one rule: only turn once. That's right, that's the whole secret to these perfect, crispy potato latkes. While we love a potato around here, as a potato puff appetizer or in a potato boureka, a potato latke is the king of them all!
If you've celebrated Hanukkah at any point in your life, with your family, with friends, with co-workers or college roommates, you've probably tasted a potato latke. Maybe it was made the day before, maybe it was packaged (and that's okay, Trader Joes potato latkes are delish), or maybe it was from your favorite deli.
These are not latkes like any you've had before and they aren't just for Hanukkah anymore. These are Grandma Alice's easy recipe for potato latkes and they are what latkes are all about. Less than 7 ingredients, and just a little bit of patchke!
TL;DR - Crispy Potato Latkes
- 💙 Why you'll love them: These crispy potato latkes have golden edges, soft centers, and taste like pure Hanukkah nostalgia.
- 🥔Ingredients: Russet potatoes, onion, eggs, flour, salt, pepper, oil for frying.
- 🔥How to make: Grate potatoes & onion → squeeze dry → mix with egg and flour → pan fry until golden brown.
- 🍳 Pro Tip: Dry potatoes thoroughly before frying for the crispiest results.
- 🍎 Serve with: Homemade Applesauce or sour cream for the perfect traditional pairing.
Summarize and save this recipe!
What is a Potato latke
A latke is a fried pancake typically made from grated potatoes. It is eaten during the holiday of Hanukkah because they are fried in oil. (For more on that connection, check out this article on Hanukkah 101). The word latke comes from the Yiddish work for "little pancake".
While traditionally latkes are made out of grated potatoes, they can really be made out of any grated vegetables. I love making zucchini latkes, sweet potato latkes, and I've even experimented with sweet peas, broccoli and cauliflower.
Key Ingredients
- Potatoes: Grab a 5lb bag of potatoes. Russet or Yukon Gold are my pick for crispy latkes.
- Grated Onion: Yellow onions work the best and you'll grate them right along with the potatoes.
- Flour: Use all purpose. Matzo meal is a great substitute and will only add to the crispy factor.
- Oil for frying: I like to use a neutral oil like Canola or Vegetable when frying up the latkes
How to Grate the Potatoes
My grandmother always grated potatoes by hand with a flat grater, My mom used a box grater and I use a food processor. You decide what's best for you. Whichever tool you use, you'll want to make sure you are using the course grating holes. It's helps ensure the crispiness of the latke.
🩶Marni
How to make the crispiest potato latkes
Remember, these are going to be super crispy latkes, not fluffy and creamy on the inside. These directions will get you there.
Step 1: Prep your workspace. In a large frying pan, pour in the oil, enough to fully cover the bottom of the pan. Don't turn on the heat just yet. Next, measure the salt, pepper, sugar and flour into a small prep bowl. This will allow you to work fast once everything is combined.
Step 2: Grate the potatoes and onion. You can do this all into the same food processor bowl. Once everything is grated, squeeze it out really well, as you'll want to get as much moisture and liquid out as you can. I like to use a kitchen towel to help me with this.
Step 3: Mix the batter. Put the squeezed potato and onions in a large mixing bowl, add the small bowl full of the rest of the ingredients and the eggs, and stir it all together gently.
Step 4: Fry the latkes. Now turn on the stove to medium high heat and let your pan get hot. Into the hot oil, put spoonful's of the potato mixture, being sure not to crowd the pan. I like to press them down a bit so they aren't heaped in the middle, my mom doesn't bother, so it's up to you.
You'll fry them until they are brown on the edges, flip them once (and only once to ensure you get a crispy latke) until they are well browned underneath and move them to a paper towel lined plate.
Try not to eat them straight from the pan because you'll burn your tongue off. Do eat them one minute later 🙂 Serve with applesauce, homemade if possible.
Serving Suggestions
Many people serve latkes with either sour cream or applesauce...in my family, its applesauce ALWAYS! We make a ton of homemade applesauce in the fall, but you can use store bought, but either way, I vote applesauce.
Other ideas for serving with the crispy potato latkes include:
- Sour Cream: Just a dollop will do 😉.
- Lox and Capers: Think bagel sandwich, but on a latke.
- Mexican Style: Serve with a dollop of homemade guacamole topped with some corn salsa.
Latke Variations
Because Hanukkah is 8 days long, sometimes we like to mix up the types of latkes we serve. Instead of straight potato, try replacing any of these veggies for half of the potatoes.
- Carrots: shred in the food processor.
- Zucchini: grated by hand or shred in the food processor. Avoid using frozen shredded zucchini that you may have leftover from making zucchini quiche or zucchini muffins because it will have too much water in it when it thaws.
- Purple Potato: shred in the food processor.
- Brussel Sprouts: Slice super thin or shave carefully on a mandolin using a cutting glove.
Or try these swaps to keep the classic potato latke recipe in tact, while appealing to everyone's dietary needs.
- Make them Gluten-Free: Swap the flour or matzo meal for a gluten free all purpose flour.
- Use frozen shredded potatoes: Grab a bag of frozen shredded potatoes (sometimes labeled as hash browns), let them defrost and use as a direct swap for the potatoes.
- Fry them in onion oil: Make a batch of onion oil and use that for frying the latkes.
- Make them mini: Mini potato latkes are perfect for toddler hands or as an appetizer at your family Hanukkah party. I like to use this mini cookie scoop to get them all the same size.
Storage Tips
You can definitely make these a few hours ahead of when you want to serve them. To reheat just a few, I would use the toaster oven. To reheat many, line a baking sheet with foil and heat the potato latkes in the oven in one layer. You want the latkes to get back the crisp texture that they had straight from the frying pan.
If you want to make these well in advance, be sure to separate the layers of latkes in your container with a sheet of parchment paper before putting into the fridge or freezer.
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📖 Recipe
Crispy Potato Latkes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 lbs potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold)
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 eggs (3 whole eggs + 1 egg white)
- 3 TB flour
- 1 TB sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- neutral oil (for frying)
Instructions
Prep your workspace
- In a large frying pan, pour in the oil, enough to fully cover the bottom of the pan. Don't turn on the heat just yet. Next, measure the salt, pepper, sugar and flour into a small prep bowl. This will allow you to work fast once everything is combined.
Grate the potatoes and onion
- With the large holes on the grating plate, process the potatoes and onion into the same food processor bowl. Once everything is grated, squeeze it out really well, getting of some of the moisture that is released during shredding
Mix the latke batter
- Put the squeezed potato and onions in a large mixing bowl, add the small bowl full of the rest of the ingredients and the eggs, and stir it all together gently.
Fry the latkes
- Now turn on the stove to medium high heat and let your pan get hot.
- Into the hot oil, put spoonful's of the potato mixture, being sure not to crowd the pan. I like to press them down a bit so they aren't heaped in the middle.
- Fry them until they are brown on the edges, flip them once until they are well browned underneath and move them to a paper towel lined plate.
- Sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt if desired, and be careful not to burn your mouth when you go in for the first bite.
Notes
You can easily make these changes as needed to keep things simple in your kitchen:
- Make them Gluten-Free: Swap the flour or matzo meal for a gluten free all purpose flour.
- Use frozen shredded potatoes: Grab a bag of frozen shredded potatoes (sometimes labeled as hash browns), let them defrost and use as a direct swap for the potatoes.
Storage Tips:
- Store in an airtight container with parchment paper separating the layers.
- To reheat just a few, I would use the toaster oven.
- To reheat many, line a baking sheet with foil and heat the potato latkes in the oven in one layer. You want the latkes to get back the crisp texture that they had straight from the frying pan.
Food Blog Names says
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