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German

Kartoffelpuffer

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Crisp, lacy pancakes of grated potato and onion fried in hot oil, traditionally served with apple sauce — a German home and Christmas-market favourite.

Kartoffelpuffer is a German side dish from Germany, ready in about 55 minutes and made with potato and egg. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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A serving of Reibekuchen
Representative photo. Martin van Baal / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
35 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
394

Ingredients

4 servings (about 12 pancakes)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    For the apple sauce, simmer the apples (opens in a new tab) with 3 tablespoons of water in a covered saucepan (opens in a new tab) until they collapse, about 10 minutes, then mash and cool. Sweeten with a little sugar if they are tart.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Grate the potatoes (opens in a new tab) and onion (opens in a new tab) on the coarse side of a box grater (opens in a new tab). Squeeze out as much liquid as possible in a clean tea towel.

    Grating on a box grater
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Mix in the eggs (opens in a new tab), flour, salt and nutmeg (opens in a new tab) to make a loose mixture. Work quickly so the potatoes (opens in a new tab) don't discolour.

    • 3 min

  4. Step 4

    Heat a 5 mm layer of oil in a frying pan. Add heaped spoonfuls of the mixture, flatten into thin rounds and fry until deep golden and crisp, 3–4 minutes a side.

    Food safety: Hot oil spatters — lower pancakes in gently and never leave the pan unattended.

  5. Step 5

    Drain on kitchen paper and serve straight away with the apple (opens in a new tab) sauce.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Germany · Commonly attributedGrated-potato pancakes are eaten across Central and Eastern Europe under many names.Also popular in Austria, PolandMore food from Germany
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Side dishes · Street food
Cooking method
Shallow-fried
Taste
savoury, salty, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Budget-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Potato · Egg · Onion · All-purpose flour · Nutmeg
Techniques
Shallow-frying · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

394 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 325 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 9%
  • Carbohydrate 51%
  • Fat 40%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy394 kcal121 kcal
Protein9.2 g2.8 g
Carbohydrate51 g15.7 g
Net carbohydrate45.1 g13.9 g
Sugars3.3 g1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.9 g1.8 g
Fat17.7 g5.5 g
Saturated fat2.4 g0.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol93 mg29 mg
Sodium634 mg195 mg
Salt equivalent1.6 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1144 mg
Calcium
52 mg
Iron
2.8 mg
Magnesium
65 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
40 µg
Vitamin C
51 mg
Vitamin D
0.5 µg
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
72 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: apple.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep the cooked batch warm in a low oven on a rack so they stay crisp.

Common mistakes

  • Not squeezing the potatoes gives soggy pancakes that spit in the oil.

Serve with

  • Serve with apple sauce, or savoury with smoked salmon and sour cream.

Storage

  • Best eaten fresh.

Reheating

  • Re-crisp in a hot oven on a rack for 5 minutes.

Variations

  • Placki ziemniaczane (Poland): The Polish version, often served with sour cream or goulash.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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