Easy Potato Pancakes | Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Monday, March 23, 2015

Easy Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes are one of those foods that bring back a lot of memories from my childhood.They have always been a favorite of mine. If I had to choose only one food I'd have to eat day in and day out for the rest of my life, these Easy Potato Pancakes would be a top contender. And, the shortcut preparation for this recipe makes them a win-win!


Easy Potato Pancakes by Renee's Kitchen Adventures on a white plate with a lettuce garnish and sour cream

The inspiration for this recipe comes from my father. Since my parents separated when I was very young, weekends meant time spent with Dad.

Fridays seemed to be the day he would always make this Polish style Potato Pancake recipe. We always had them with sour cream and applesauce. Sometimes they were the main course and other times the side dish.

Either way, they were delicious. They are one of my ultimate comfort foods. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.


Easy Potato Pancakes by Renee's Kitchen Adventures on a white plate with a lettuce garnish and sour cream. Applesauce and potatoes in the upper top background.

Although I don't have the exact recipe my dad made, this recipe comes very close. That's why it brings back so many memories for me. I never really follow exact measurements when I make them, so I've estimated amounts here for you. If you find you need a little more flour or seasonings for your liking, feel free to adjust them.

I remember my dad making these pancakes by fine grating the onion and potatoes on a box grater.

Me?I just throw everything into a powerful blender (like a Ninja) and whirl away.  No grating required, keeping your knuckles safe! 

The blender also makes it easy to pour out the portions of pancakes right into the pan. A food processor will also get the job done, if your blender isn't strong enough to process everything. If you've never had potato pancakes made like this before, you are in for a treat!

I always eat mine with applesauce and sour cream, but my brothers used to top theirs with maple syrup.

However you enjoy these, if you like potatoes, you'll love these...and you'll love how super easy they are to prepare too!

These delicious pancakes aren't diet friendly, low calorie, gluten free or any of that kind of stuff...but they are delicious comfort food that no one should miss out on.


A piece of Easy Potato Pancakes by Renee's Kitchen Adventures on a fork with sour cream. Applesauce and sour cream on plate with pancakes in background.

Tips for making Easy Potato Pancakes

  • Make sure your oil is hot enough before adding the pancake batter to the pan. (around 350 degrees F or when it begins to shimmer in the pan)
  • Don't make you pancakes too big, or they could break apart when you flip them. Two to three inch pancakes are just about the right size. 
  • Make sure the baking powder you use isn't expired. 
  • Drain excess oil from frying on a paper towel lined plate or use a rack. 
  • Use russet potatoes. Russets have quite a bit of natural potato starch that helps the pancakes hold together. I do not suggest using any other varieties. 


Easy Potato Pancakes, Potato Pancakes recipe, recipe for potato pancakes
main course, side dish
Polish American
Yield: 4 servings
Author:

Easy Potato Pancakes

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 15 Mtotal time: 25 M
Potatoes and onions are blended with flour and a few other ingredients for my favorite Polish style potato pancakes. Make a great side or meatless main!

ingredients:

  • about 3 - 4 pounds peeled and cubed russet potatoes
  • 1/2 medium sized sweet onion, rough chopped
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • salt and pepper, to your liking
  • 1 - 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice (helps keep the potato mixture from turning brown)
  • oil for frying ( I use vegetable oil, but you can use whatever high smoke point oil you like)

instructions:

How to cook Easy Potato Pancakes

  1. Put all ingredients in a high speed blender (such as a Ninja) and process everything until it forms a thick batter. You can also use a food processor fit with the metal blade.
  2. Heat a little (maybe 2-3 TBSP) oil (I use vegetable oil) in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet on med-high until the oil begins to shimmer. 
  3. Pour or spoon the potato pancake batter out into 2"-3" pancakes, using back of spoon to spread out if needed. Cook until golden brown, flip and cook other side until golden brown. Once done, place on paper towel lined plate and keep warm in oven while repeating process to use up the remaining batter. Add more oil to the skillet as needed.
  4. Serve warm with sour cream and/or applesauce on the side.
Calories
248.85
Fat (grams)
6.22
Sat. Fat (grams)
1.07
Carbs (grams)
40.30
Fiber (grams)
3.44
Net carbs
36.86
Sugar (grams)
3.58
Protein (grams)
8.10
Sodium (milligrams)
250.83
Cholesterol (grams)
93.00
Nutritional Information provided is an estimate.
Created using The Recipes Generator


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34 comments:

  1. Thanks for this recipe! It sounds really good and easy the way you did it in the blender. Kinda like regular pancake batter. I never would have thought of doing it like that. I always grated the potatoes first which I hate to do because I always scrape my knuckles and it takes so long to do. Can't wait to try this!

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    1. Yes! exactly! I hope you like them this way. I know I will never make them with a grater again! haha

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    2. Funny, growing up my father always made the potato pancakes, our day was Wednesday's, his day off. How we all loved them. I will be making them soon, also with my blender.....Great memories, thanks.

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    3. oh how cool that this recipe brings back memories for others!

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  2. One of the traditional dishes in my country :) Looks great!

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  3. Never tried potato pancakes before! Thanks for the recipe and idea.. I definitely am inspired to give the recipe a go.

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  4. Yum, they look good. I will try them and I Love my Ninja blender

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  5. Tried these this am. The taste is wonderful. Always on the lookout for potato recipes I am allergic to so many flours. These are perfect! Thanks for the recipe.

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    1. Thank you so much for your review and I'm so happy you enjoyed them!

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  6. 3-4 pounds or 3-4 potatoes?

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  7. I use to make these in my blender, long ago, and always loved them. Time to try these again.

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    1. The blender makes it so easy, doesn't it! Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. thank you!!!!! Ive been searching for my mommas recipe....this hits it (cept' she didn't use onion) Miss my momma and this did remind me of her awesome cooking....Blessings

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    1. I hope you love it as much as we do! Thanks for dropping by!

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  9. Thank You!! These are the pancakes I grew up with - the kind that look like pancakes and not hashbrowns!! We add oatmeal for the binder though ... but that is basically the recipe! (We don’t measure either)

    This is the perfect German/Jewish pancake recipe!!

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    1. Thanks for dropping in and leaving a review! I've never used oatmeal but what a great binder it is!

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  10. My mom always used the leftover mashed potatoes. Do you cook the taters 1st or just add the cubed chunks to the blender?

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    1. Hi and thanks for your question! No, you do NOT cook the potatoes first before adding to the blender. You add raw potatoes and they cook when you make the pancakes. Hope this helps!

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  11. This is the best recipe ever loved it thank you

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  12. I’m currently pregnant and had the worst craving for potato pancakes. They’re impossible to find locally and I’m not a huge fan of using boxed mix(plus I didn’t have any) this recipe was exactl5

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    Replies
    1. Hello! First off, congratulations! Thank you for stopping by an leaving a review. I'm so happy I could provide a way to squash your cravings! Good luck with everything!

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  13. Just made these last night for dinner. My Mom's recipe is very similar to yours except no baking powder or lemon juice. Maybe I'll try it with baking powder next time. I find if I keep it covered between uses, it doesn't brown too much. These are definitely comfort food and bring back memories of childhood for me. I just spread butter on mine, my husband uses syrup and son eats them plain. I always serve with (over easy) eggs, bacon and/or sausage...Breakfast for Dinner (kind of). My ancestors are from Germany so I always thought this was a German recipe. I guess every country has it's version. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks for your review and I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Breakfast for dinner is always a good idea, I think!! And I think you are spot on about how different countries have versions of so many dishes. Especially in that area of the world since those countries are so close to each other.

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  14. Can I make the batter and then freeze it? Hen I can take it hunting and make the pancakes there. Do you think it will discolor?

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    Replies
    1. Hello! Thanks for your question. I have never froze the batter, so I don't know how it would hold up. You can make the pancakes, freeze them, and then reheat. They freeze well this way. Hope this helps. Let me know if you try to freeze and then make the pancakes from the thawed batter and how it turns out for you!

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  15. These are delicious I loved doing it this way to.

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    1. Thank you for your review! I'm so glad this works well for you! It's my favorite too!

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  16. I too have fond memories of my mom making these for our family. We always put stewed tomatoes on top instead of applesauce or sour cream.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I love this and I love the idea of stewed tomatoes on top. Sounds lovely!

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  17. I tried it in my waffle machine and it worked fine with just a little spray, none of the messy oil!

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    Replies
    1. Hello! Thank you for sharing this great tip! I'm going to give it a try myself!

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