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    You are Here: Masala Herb Β» Recipes Β» RECIPES

    German Potato Pancakes without Eggs (Kartoffelpuffer)

    Published: Sep 14, 2018 Β· Modified: Feb 22, 2023 by Helene Dsouza

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    Helene Dsouza
    Easy shredded and crispy fried German Potato Pancakes aka Kartoffelpuffer. Make these pancakes and serve as a side dish or snack with a delicious dip. See serving suggestions in the post.
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    8 pieces
    4.67 from 6 votes
    Jump to Recipe
    German Potato Pancakes - Kartoffelpuffer

    German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer) are savory shredded potatoes shaped into a flattened small dumpling-like pancake.

    Those are then simply fried and usually served as a side dish with a meat main course.

    German Potato Pancakes - Kartoffelpuffer
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    My easy Kartoffelpuffer are vegan, prepared without eggs.

    To make the German potato pancakes is rather easy, so I invite you to try them out and give you some ideas about how we use them in Austria and Germany.

    Jump to:
    • πŸ“• What are Potato Pancakes?
    • πŸ§… Ingredients
    • πŸ”ͺ How to make it?
    • πŸ†š Latkes VS Potato Pancakes
    • πŸ₯£ Variation
    • πŸ₯„ Kitchen Tools
    • 🍴 Serving
    • πŸ“– Recipe
    • πŸ’¬ Comments

    πŸ“• What are Potato Pancakes?

    German Potato Pancakes are prepared with shredded potatoes, seasoning and flour is mixed in, and sometimes an egg as well so that they don't fall apart during the cooking process.

    The potato cakes are common in many central and east European countries and honestly can't be limited to Germany only.

    In fact, Potato pancakes are a traditional side dish/snack in Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Ukraine, Russia Norway, Sweden, Finland, just to name a few.

    That is why it's difficult to tell the place of origin for the potato pancakes.

    Only the seasoning, the cooking process, and servings suggestions will be different but that's not limited to country borders.

    The Potato pancakes differ between regions and valleys.

    That is why the humble German potato pancakes are known in different names across the German-speaking countries.

    Some of the German potato pancake names include Reiberdatschi, Kartoffelpuffer, HΓ€rdΓΆpfelchΓΌechli, ErdΓ€pfelpuffer, Kartoffellaibchen, Reibekuchen, Kardofflkiachla, Baggerla, Rievkooche, Datsch, Erbelkrebbel, etc.

    In Tyrol (Austria) and neighboring Bavaria (Germany), we call them Reiberdatschi or ErdΓ€pfelpuffer.

    In the Bavarian and Austrian language area, potatoes are known as ErdΓ€pfel. In high German, they call potatoes Kartoffeln.

    Other countries will have many more names, such as latkes.

    Potato pancakes are super common!

    German Potato Pancakes - Kartoffelpuffer

    πŸ§… Ingredients

    This overview shall help you get organized. The full recipe with measurements and instructions is located further below in the recipe card.

    • potato
    • onion
    • salt and black pepper
    • nutmeg
    • flour
    • oil
    • chives - to garnish

    Pick firm to semi-firm potatoes because you don't want the potato pancakes to get mushy (if you want to work with mash potatoes to prepare the cakes, see below for variations).

    If they get too mushy, and the consistency is off, you will have a harder time frying them into shape.

    Don't leave out the nutmeg, it's essential.

    To bind the pancakes, flour is added.

    I didn't use egg in this recipe to make it vegan. Egg can be added to help bind.

    πŸ”ͺ How to make it?

    Here are 3 easy to understand steps. The print version is in the recipe card.

    Step 1

    Shred potatoes and onion.

    Add salt, black pepper, flour and nutmeg to your shredded potato and onion.

    Shred potatoes and onion. Add salt, black pepper, flour and nutmeg to your shredded potato and onion.

    Step 2

    Combine ingredients.

    Shape mass into a ball and then press down to flatten.

    Combine ingredients. Shape mass into a ball and then press down to flatten.

    Step 3

    Fry in a skillet golden on both sides.

    Pat with a kitchen towel to take away excess oil. Serve up with chives.

    Fry in a skillet golden on both sides. Pat with a kitchen towel to take away excess oil. Serve up with chives.

    πŸ†š Latkes VS Potato Pancakes

    Latkes are potato pancakes, but the Jewish version.

    The only difference between latkes and potato pancakes might be the kosher salt and most probably the seasoning.

    I have not seen or tasted latkes in the Austrian/German Alps, but I did try the Israeli version with spiced Hummus.

    They kind of taste and look the same.

    Latkes and fritters are often associated with potatoes, but they can also be prepared with other vegetables such as carrots and broccoli. A good example are these Broccoli Fritters.

    German Potato Pancakes - Kartoffelpuffer

    πŸ₯£ Variation

    Besides shredded German Potato Pancakes, you can also simply use mash potato.

    As long as the mashed potato can stay in shape, you can form and fry them the same way you would with the shredded german potato pancakes.

    You can add grated cheese too or some shredded carrots as a twist to your potato pancakes.

    πŸ₯„ Kitchen Tools

    The quickest way to prepare these german shredded potato pancakes is to use an easy to clean food processor with a shredding option.

    If you use that, you will barely take 10 mins prepping time to prepare the potato pancake mass.

    I'm doing it the old laborious way with a hand shredder (kind of used to it by now), you can, of course, go that way too with a boxed grater.

    That way you can work out your arms too! πŸ˜€

    I like to use a non-stick PFOA-free Pan because I'm not the biggest fryer out there.

    You can use a stainless steel pan too if you prefer that.

    German Potato Pancakes

    🍴 Serving

    You can serve these german potato pancakes as a side dish with main course meals, as a stand-alone vegetarian meal with other veg side dishes or as a crispy filling snack with a hearty dip.

    Serve the potato pancakes with...

    1. Sauerkraut, KnΓΆdel, and Sausage
    2. Pork roast
    3. Obatzda cheese dip as a snack
    4. Applesauce
    5. Sauteed Mushrooms or mushroom cream sauce

    Dear Reader, how are you planning to serve the German Potato Pancakes?

    German Potato Pancakes - Kartoffelpuffer
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    πŸ“– Recipe

    German Potato Pancakes - Kartoffelpuffer

    German Potato Pancakes - Kartoffelpuffer Recipe

    Easy shredded and crispy fried German Potato Pancakes aka Kartoffelpuffer. Make these pancakes and serve as a side dish or snack with a delicious dip. See serving suggestions in the post.
    4.67 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish, Snack
    Cuisine: German
    budget, pancake, potato, vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 8 pieces
    Calories: 50kcal
    Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

    Ingredients

    • 2 Β½ cups Potato medium-sized, shredded
    • 1 Onion medium-sized, shredded
    • Β½ Teaspoon Salt
    • ΒΌ Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground
    • β…› Teaspoon Nutmeg grated
    • 2 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
    • Oil to fry about β…› for each batch
    • Chives chopped, garnish
    US - Metric

    Instructions

    • Wash and peel your potatoes. Shred them and collect in a bowl.
    • Peel Onion and shred as well.
    • Add salt, black pepper, flour and nutmeg to your shredded potato and onion.
    • Mix in all the ingredients.
    • Heat up a pan with the oil. Keep on medium to high heat.
    • With clean hands, take some of the potato pancake mass and form to a firm ball. Then press on a surface to flatten a bit.
    • When the oil is hot, place the pancakes into the pan.
    • Fry the German potato pancakes on both sides golden.
    • Take out from the pan into a serving dish. With a kitchen towel, tap excess oil away.
    • Serve warm with cut fresh chives as a side dish or as a snack with a dip.

    Notes

    1. Use a hard to semi-hard potato variety. Those give the best results.
    2. Make sure there is sufficient oil so that the potato pancakes are fried crispy and evenly. Less oil will result in pancakes getting burned on one side and not being properly cooked in other places.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    German Potato Pancakes - Kartoffelpuffer Recipe
    Amount Per Serving (68 g)
    Calories 50
    % Daily Value*
    Sodium 152mg6%
    Potassium 291mg8%
    Carbohydrates 10g3%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Protein 2g4%
    Vitamin C 8.5mg10%
    Calcium 23mg2%
    Iron 2.3mg13%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    Comments

    1. DerMannImHaus says

      May 23, 2022 at 6:22 pm

      If you want to have the real deal, try it with apple sauce. That’s how we serve these in western Germany πŸ”₯

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        May 24, 2022 at 9:22 pm

        That's a great tip, thanks for sharing. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    2. Bad Bob says

      September 16, 2021 at 1:55 am

      My father's parents were Donauschwaben, which means that they lived on the banks of the Danube River between modern Serbia and Croatia and that their ancestors were probably from Schwabia. In any case my grandmother taught me yet another name for potatoes: grundbirne. She made these pancakes thinner than your pictures, and always made them when she made beef pot roast. The gravy was a thin tomato gravy infused with paprika (local Hungarian influence). This gravy was also ladled over the pancakes. Yum.

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        September 17, 2021 at 1:09 pm

        I hadn't heard the word Grundbirne for potatoes before, how interesting! Did she add eggs to the pancakes? Because that way you can make it thinner since the eggs help in binding the other ingredients. When you make it without eggs all vegan, you have to make them thicker (as seen in pictures). Well, your family's beef pot roast just sounds incredible! I'd love to have a recipe to try it out at home. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    3. bella says

      June 22, 2020 at 8:02 pm

      5 stars
      tasted amazing!!

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        July 02, 2020 at 3:19 pm

        lovely! did you serve it with a sauce?

        Reply
    4. Janet Fajardo says

      May 10, 2020 at 11:54 pm

      5 stars
      Turned out amazing!! With some lemon German Pancakes.

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        May 10, 2020 at 11:55 pm

        Awesome, thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    5. Lynn Holzerland says

      November 25, 2019 at 6:41 am

      5 stars
      I really appreciate your time with your family recipe and we can make dinner tonight Luvyalots Lynn Holzerland from Waubay South Dakota. USA

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        November 25, 2019 at 11:29 am

        Hi Lynn, thanks for your lovely comment! Greetings back from Tyrol Austria. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    6. mjskitchen says

      September 17, 2018 at 4:45 pm

      Didn't realize that German Pancakes and Latkes were virtually the same thing. I love latkes so I know I'd love your German Pancakes. Love the crispiness you've got on the outside. Great looking pancakes.

      Reply

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