There is nothing better than taking bites out of a crisp on the outside, soft on the inside German potato cakes or Kartoffelpuffer!

Because they are simple to make from just a few everyday ingredients, my mom made them often. In fact, growing up in Germany, we would have them for lunch. My younger brother loved them with ketchup, which still makes me cringe.

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What are Kartoffelpuffer?

Often also called Reibekuchen, Kartoffelpfannkuchen, Reibedatschi, or Rösti (mostly in Switzerland), Kartoffelpuffer are small, round cakes made mainly from potatoes and fried in fat until golden-brown. People make them at home, but they are also popular street or fair food.

Why you’ll love this recipe

KID FRIENDLY – Kids always love these golden-brown potato cakes.
EASY – This is a very uncomplicated recipe that you can even adapt a bit to your liking.
INEXPENSIVE – With a few everyday ingredients, Kartoffelpuffer are a very affordable meal.
AUTHENTIC – This is the exact recipe that you can find all over Germany.

Ingredients

Potatoes: I recommend you use starchy potatoes such as Russets
Eggs: They help keep the potato cakes together
Flour: Just a bit of AP flour binds the potatoes and their juices
Salt: Without some good quality salt, Kartoffelpuffer would taste pretty bland
Oil: I like using a neutral oil such as avocado oil for frying

Simple substitutions

Potatoes: While I prefer starchy potatoes, you can also use waxy potatoes such as Yukon Gold
Flour: I sometimes use potato starch
Eggs: You can easily use 2 eggs for this recipe if they’re small.

How to make German Potato Cakes

This is a summary of the steps involved. For the complete instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

grated potatoes in bowl with spoon and water separating

Peel the potatoes and grate them.

Let potato juice collect and drain.

grated potatoes, egg, flour, salt in bowl with spoon

Add all the ingredients except the oil to a bowl.

Mix well to incorporate.

Add dollops of potato mixture to hot skillet.

Fry until golden-brown on both sides.

Helpful recipe tips

Experiment with how finely you’d like to grate the potatoes: I like the fine side of my box grater but many people like the coarse side or you can shred them
I think it’s perfectly fine to pour off the potato juices from the bowl but many people like to use a kitchen towel tow wring out excess water from the grated potatoes.
Many recipes call for ½ shredded onion to be added to the batter.
Don’t skimp on the frying oil. The Kartoffelpuffer will be better if you have about ½ inch of oil in your skillet.

Serving suggestions

We love to serve them piping hot. You can simply sprinkle them with a bit of high-quality salt.

For a sweet version, you can try sprinkling the potato cakes with sugar and cinnamon.

Most people love to serve them with a good dollop of apple sauce or lingonberry jam.

You can also enjoy them with Quark, sour cream, or smoked salmon with sour cream.

Especially in the Rhineland, people enjoy them with Rübensirup (sugar beet syrup similar to but milder than molasses).

German potato cakes on plate with apple sauce

Storing and freezing instructions

I don’t recommend storing either the potato mixture or the cooked German potato cakes. With a recipe that comes together so quickly, it’s always best to make them fresh.

If you have any questions, and/or to rate this recipe, please leave a comment below!

German potato cakes on plate with dollop of lingonberry jam

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German Potato Cakes | Kartoffelpuffer

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: German

Servings: servings

Calories: 360kcal

Author: Anja Eckert

Ingredients

1 pound potatoes starchy such as Russets
1 egg
1 TBSP AP flour
fat for frying

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Instructions

Peel the potatoes. Grate them into a bowl and allow the potato water to collect. Drain as much of the water as possible.
Add the egg, flour, and salt. Mix well.
Heat enough oil in a skillet so that you have about ½" of oil.
Add about 1 TBSP of the potato mixture per cake to the hot oil and gently flatten. Allow the cakes to cook until golden-brown on the underside.
Gently flip the potato cakes and fry them on the other side until crisp and golden-brown.

Notes

experiment with how finely or how coarsely you like to grate your potatoes
you can also pile the grated potato onto a kitchen towel to squeeze out the potato juices
make sure you have enough oil in your skillet
serve them hot with salt, cinnamon-sugar, apple sauce, or smoked salmon and sour cream

Nutrition

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FAQs about German Potato Cakes

Kartoffelpuffer are the German version of potato pancakes. They’re very similar to Jewish latkes, but usually a bit simpler – made without onion or matzo meal and often served with applesauce instead of sour cream.

They taste best freshly fried when they’re still crisp. If you want to get a head start, you can grate the potatoes and keep them in cold water for up to an hour before frying – just make sure to drain and pat them dry before mixing in the other ingredients.

That usually means there was too much moisture in the potatoes or the oil wasn’t hot enough. Try squeezing the grated potatoes in a clean kitchen towel to remove excess water, and make sure the oil is shimmering before frying.