A staple at countless Hanukkah celebrations, potato latkes are a definitive highlight of the holiday season. Variations abound, including sweet potato latkes and vegan riffs, but our best recipe for latkes is as classic as they come. Step one to achieving perfectly crispy latkes? Choose the right potatoes. We tested this recipe with starchy baking potatoes, waxy boiling potatoes, and middle-of-the-road Yukon Golds. While they all tasted great, we found that the starchier the potato, the crispier the latke. Idaho or russet potatoes are our top picks here.
Shred the potatoes by hand on a box grater, or cut down on prep time using your food processor’s grating blade. Soaking the potatoes in water keeps them from oxidizing (turning brown); just remember to wring out every drop before frying. Squeeze the shredded potatoes in cheesecloth or a kitchen towel before mixing them with a beaten egg and kosher salt. A little black pepper is welcome, but don’t get too spice-happy—let the pure potato flavor shine. Some potato pancake recipes include all-purpose flour, matzo meal, or breadcrumbs for extra binding insurance, but as long as you use starchy spuds, they’ll hold together just fine (and stay gluten-free).
Break out your largest skillet to fry the latkes—cast iron works well here. Neutral vegetable oil like safflower or canola oil makes the best frying medium, but for an extra-savory zing, you can cut it by half with olive oil. Dollop the potato mixture into the hot oil, and you should hear it sizzle (if it doesn’t, the oil isn’t hot enough). Pay attention less to the cook time and more to the surface of the latkes: You’re looking for a golden-brown crust on both sides. Serve the pan-fried latkes hot with applesauce, sour cream (yes, you need both), and chives.
The recipe easily doubles to feed a crowd, though a single batch yields enough for an appetizer or side dish. For a make-ahead, party-friendly approach, fry them up to 8 hours in advance and reheat on a wire rack in the oven just before serving.
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
Makes 12–16
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 250°. Peel 1 lb. large russet potatoes. Grate potatoes on the large holes of a box grater, transferring to a large bowl of cold water as you go. Let sit 2 minutes, then drain well.
Step 2
Spread out grated potatoes and ½ medium onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup), on a kitchen towel and roll up like a jelly roll. Twist towel over sink and squeeze tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer potato mixture to a medium bowl and add 1 large egg, lightly beaten, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt; mix to combine.
Step 3
Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches and adding more oil between batches as needed, spoon about 2 Tbsp. potato mixture per latke into skillet and flatten into 3″ patties. Reduce heat to medium and cook latkes until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels and season with salt, then transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven until ready to serve.
Step 4
Serve latkes with sour cream and applesauce.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in the December 2000 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more Hanukkah recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (133)
Back to TopNeeds more binder. Maybe adding 30g of flour would help. Even though I squeezed the potatoes in a towel, I still had to squeeze the potato mix by hand before frying them. I'll try the recipe again next weekend!
Ray Powell
Victoria, BC, Canada.
10/15/2022
They tasted great but they certainlty didn't want to hold together until after a minute of frying on them.
Jarrod
Toronto, ON
4/16/2022
2 tips: 1. Use ypur salad spinner to remove moisture from potatoes and onions. No mess: potato starch is easy to retrieve from rhe bowl;and you can mix the batter in tlte bowl. I also use the fine shredding disc from my food processor for the potatoes, to make them lacey, like those in your picture I use a very little matzoh meal as a binder, but we hate doughy latkes.
Anonymous
DC
12/27/2021
If you want crispy latkes, this is a fine recipe. If you want more of a potato pancake, then add flour or matzoh. Both methods are fine, but our family never used flour/matzoh binder and I wouldn’t have a latke any other way- just a matter of preference. Just needs a bit more elbow grease to remove the moisture with this version.
LC
Boulder, CO
12/4/2021
I HAVE MADE LATKES FOR YEARS AND I LOVE THEM. I DO ADD FLOUR AND GARLIC AND TRY TO SQUEESE OUT AS MUCH WATER AS POSSIBLE. I ALSO FRY THEM IN GARLIC OIL WHICH GIVES THEM A BEAUTIFUL TASTE. IN THE SUMMER I ADD SQUASH FROM THE GARDEN AND IT IS SUCH A WONDERFUL WAY TO USE UP THE VEGIES. MY MOM GOD REST HER SOUL, MADE THESE FOR US WHEN WE WERE GROWING UP AND WOULD PUT A DISH IN THE COLD OVEN OVERNIGHT, GUESS WHAT IN THE MORNING THERE WERE NONE LEFT.
Anonymous
NORTH CAROLINA
11/30/2021
I have never had such good latkes. Using our really starchy Andean potatoes ("papa chola") might have done the trick, but the recipe must have also been great.
michelleofried1
Quito, Ecuador
7/23/2021
Terrible recipe!!! Maybe there is a way to make latkes without flour, but this recipe certainly isn't going to get you there. As other reviewers stated, this is just hash browns, and olive oil is not good for frying either because it smokes. I am also going to look for a recipe that better explains how to extract more water from the mixture though I did try. This was just a pile of soaking wet shredded potato and onion. It doesn't hold together or even fry well. The end result was both burnt and underdone.
nicole_efros
New York, NY
2/9/2021
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