These Are the Best Potato Pancakes Recipes for a Quick, Thrifty, and Delicious Lunch!

Broadly speaking, there are two main types of potato pancakes:

- Softer version, made from mashed potato with flour. These flapjacks are common in the States and Britain. They are almost always served as a savory dish.

- Crispier version, made from grated potatoes with beautiful golden color and a softer inside.

In both cases, pare mixed with ingredients like egg, onion, garlic, and various seasonings, then formed into patties and fried.

The reason I adore potato pancake recipes is because they are perfect to reuse leftover mashed potatoes. Plus, they are extremely flexible and allow you to include anything you have in the fridge. Potato pancakes are perfect when served as a lunch or light dinner, especially after heavy holiday feasting (Thanksgiving or Christmas, when there is plenty of leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge).

Depending on the country and region, the toppings and sauces vary as well. In Greece, they are served with tzatziki sauce, Russians eat them with caviar and sour cream, whereas in Germany they are topped with applesauce and sugar. They can also be topped with bacon, cheese (cottage cheese is most commonly used), sausage, eggs, sautéed veggies, ketchup or whatever comes to mind! Potato flapjacks are often served plain as well, i.e. without a topping.

Potato Pancake Recipes Tips and Tricks

Whichever national variation listed below you decide to make, there are a few useful tips and tricks that will make your potato pancake recipes perfect.

Potatoes

Start with the question “What kind of potatoes are the best?” The answer is – more floury ones, the same you use for baking.

Grating

Always grate the potatoes by hand or in a food mill. Avoid using a food processor because the high speed will cause the potatoes to release lots of starch and make the mixture soggy. To prevent the grated potatoes from oxidizing and turning brown, cover them with cold water. If you do mix them in a food processor, add the onion inside for the same purpose. Frozen shredded raw potatoes from the supermarkets contain additives that prevent discoloration, so you don’t have to apply this trick on them.

Draining

When you are ready to cook the potatoes, drain them on a paper towel to get the water out. Squeeze as much water out of the grated potatoes using your hands. This way you will also remove the excess starch and make them tastier. To be more efficient, place the grated potatoes in a towel and press with your hands.

Serving

Potato hotcakes are meant to be consumed warm, or better yet – hot! That means it is best if you eat them right after cooking. However, freshly fried potato pancakes are usually very oily, so it might be wise to let them drain for a few minutes before serving. If meanwhile they go too cold, place them on a baking sheet and put in the oven to heat up. 

Storing

Potato flapjacks can be frozen and revisited anytime! Place them on cookie sheets or plates and put in the freezer for a few hours. When they are fully frozen, transfer into plastic food bags and return to the freezer. When you are ready to eat them, heat in the oven at 350 degrees F. Fry up shortly in some oil and enjoy!

Easy Potato Pancake Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups mashed potatoes

2 medium eggs

1⁄4 cup plain flour

onion

garlic

salt

pepper

vegetable oil for frying

Optional: sour cream or applesauce for garnish.

How to prepare them:

Mix the mashed potatoes, egg, flour, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic to prepare a thick mixture.

Preheat a frying pan or a skillet over medium heat and add some oil.

Pour 1/4 cup batter into the hot pan for each pancake and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Add your topping of choice and devour!

This is a basic potato pancake recipe. However, these tasty flapjacks have many varieties in a number of European countries that will allow you to prepare different flapjacks every time.

Potato Pancake Recipes Around the World

Irish Boxty

The Irish variation is one of the most well-known potato pancakes and a traditional dish in Ireland. In fact, it is so popular in this country, that there is even a folk rhyme: “Boxty on the griddle, and Boxty on the pan…” In some regions, this pancake is also called potato bread and is usually made with finely grated, raw potatoes or mashed potatoes combined with flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and sometimes eggs. These ingredients produce a somewhat smoother grainy texture than in the other potato pancakes.

The batter is fried on a griddle for a few minutes on each side, until light brown. Other traditional methods of cooking are boiling raw potatoes or baking them as loaves of bread, whereas many modern recipes include garlic and other spices. In some restaurants, they are served as wraps (like tortillas), filled with veggies and meat.

British Tatties

English tattie fish is a deep-fried potato pancake that looks like a piece of fish, hence the name. It is made of shredded potatoes, flour, eggs, and onions, but some recipes also call for cheese or tomato in the mixture.

Scottish have their own version, called Tattie scones. They are usually made with larger amounts of boiled potatoes, butter, and salt and often served as part of the full Scottish breakfast with bacon, sliced sausage, and fried eggs. The wheat varieties can also be served with jam and a cup of tea. Tattie scones are traditionally made as circles and then cut into quarters, but sometimes they are prepared as rolls. There are two cooking methods for these pancakes – frying and baking.

German Kartoffelpuffer

In Germany, potato pancakes are considered a holiday delight and are commonly sold during holidays, especially Christmas, in markets and festivals. In Bavaria, the potatoes are very finely grated, whereas in other regions the grating is coarser.

German potato flapjacks are topped with sweet things like sugar, applesauce, cinnamon, and fruits (most commonly blueberries), but also fruit sauces (cranberry sauce is a very common choice). These pancakes are also eaten in Austria, whereas the Swiss alternative is quite different from the pancakes in this part of Europe as it does not contain flour or eggs, but it does include onions and bacon.

Swedish Rårakor

The Swedish recipe is made with shredded potatoes, whole wheat flour, egg, milk, and fried to produce thin and crispy pancakes that are traditionally served with lingonberry jam or, when it comes to savory variations, with pork.

Jewish Latkes

Latkes are potato pancakes that Jewish people usually prepare for holidays like Hanukkah. Jewish people are credited for making these pancakes popular in the States.

Originally, latkes used to be made from other vegetables (for example, sweet potatoes), cheeses, and legumes; potatoes became their common base in the 1800s. The basic variation is made with potatoes, eggs, onions, flour, salt, and oil.

Polish Placki

Potato pancakes have been a very popular dish in Poland since the 17th century, mostly due to the presence of the Jewish community who, as we mentioned, is responsible for the popularization of potato pancakes. This dish was also widely consumed in periods of poor economic conditions in the country when it served as a common replacement for bread. It’s no wonder that Poland holds the record for the largest potato pancake ever made (bigger than two meters!)

Placki are usually topped with meat sauce, goulash, or pork. Meatless toppings include mushrooms sauce and sour cream, whereas apple sauce is the most popular sweet garnish.

Czech Bramborák

The Czech recipe is made of grated potatoes combined with flour or breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasonings like salt, pepper, marjoram, and garlic. More rarely used seasoning is caraway seeds (whole or ground). In some regions, the batter includes meat slices or sauerkraut. Very often, these pancakes are served alongside fried pork chops.

Persian Potato Kuku

The Iranian recipe is made with shredded potatoes, onion, sometimes garlic and spices like saffron and cinnamon. The batter is shaped in small patty-like pancakes, then fried or baked.