This easy potato pancake recipe makes one large, golden-brown, and crispy pancake that you slice into wedges. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as a side.
There are many ways to make potato pancakes, but this version is one of my favorites. We skip the eggs and flour and rely entirely on grated potatoes seasoned with a few spices. Press them into a buttery skillet, cook until deeply golden, then flip and crisp the other side. It’s a little like hash browns, but thicker and more hearty.
Serve warm, cut into wedges. We love it with scrambled eggs and crispy bacon, or topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon. It’s also wonderful with a spoonful of ricotta or cottage cheese and fresh tomatoes.
Key Ingredients
- Potatoes: I peel my potatoes and prefer Yukon Golds or Russets for this recipe. They brown a little less than red potatoes, but if yours start to discolor as you grate them, don’t worry. Once cooked, you won’t notice at all.
- Spices: Potatoes are a blank canvas, so I season them well. I use salt, pepper, sweet paprika, garlic powder, and thyme. It’s simple, but it adds the perfect flavor.
- Butter and Olive Oil: Butter makes these really delicious, so I mix a little directly into the potatoes. Then I cook the pancake in a combination of butter and olive oil, which helps the outside turn crisp and golden.
- Chives: Totally optional, but I love finishing with fresh herbs. Chives are my go-to, but green onions or fresh dill are excellent, too.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Potato Pancakes
Tip 1: Grate the potatoes. Peel the potatoes and grate them on the large holes of a box grater. Transfer the grated potatoes to a clean dish towel and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. It’s always surprising how much liquid comes out. If the potatoes turn a little red or brown as you work, don’t worry. That’s just oxidation and won’t affect the final flavor or color once cooked.
Tip 2: Make the pancake mixture. Toss the squeezed potatoes with melted butter and your spices. This seasons the potatoes and helps them turn a pretty golden brown as they cook. Add salt and pepper, and the mixture is ready for the skillet.
Tip 3: Cook one side. Melt butter with a bit of olive oil in a skillet, then add the seasoned potatoes. Use a spatula to press them firmly into an even layer. Cook until the bottom is deeply golden and crisp.
Tip 4: How to flip the pancake. To cook the second side, you’ll need to flip the whole pancake. Here’s the easiest method (it keeps the pancake intact and gives you an evenly crisp result):
- Place a baking sheet over the skillet.
- Carefully invert the skillet so the pancake releases onto the baking sheet.
- Add the remaining butter and olive oil to the skillet and let them melt.
- Slide the pancake back into the pan, uncooked side down.
- Press lightly and cook until the second side is golden brown.
More Potato Recipes
Easy Potato Pancakes
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This perfectly spiced potato pancake is perfect for breakfast or brunch. Serve it just as you would hash browns, alongside eggs and bacon, or make it the main event. We love topping warm wedges with a small scoop of ricotta and fresh cherry tomatoes. You can also go in a more savory direction with thinly sliced red onions, capers, smoked salmon, and a spoonful of crème fraîche or sour cream.
You Will Need
1 pound Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes (450g)
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons butter (42g)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Directions
1Prepare the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and grate them using the large holes on a box grater. Transfer the grated potatoes to a clean dish towel and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Add the potatoes to a large bowl.
2Melt butter: Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the melted butter over the potatoes.
3Make pancake: Add the salt, paprika, garlic powder, and thyme to the buttery potatoes, then toss well to coat.
4Cook the first side: Return the skillet to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once melted, add the potatoes and use a spatula to press them firmly into an even layer. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 6 minutes.
5Flip the pancake: Place a baking sheet over the skillet and carefully invert the pan so the potato pancake releases onto the sheet. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. When melted, slide the pancake back into the pan, uncooked side down. Press lightly with a spatula and cook until the second side is golden brown, about 4 minutes.
6Serve: Transfer to a cutting board, let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges. Scatter chives over the top for serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: This is best served right away, but leftovers keep well. Store cooled wedges in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat or in a 375°F oven until warmed through and crisp again. Avoid microwaving them (they lose all the crispy texture).
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Try adding an egg and a few table spoons of flour to make real potato pancakes. To get more surface area crispy I like to cook mine as silver dollar size instead of one large congealed mass.
brilliant ,I added sweet potato as well and added chilli ….yummo
Ooo, sounds delicious!
Really enjoyed making this for the first time last night. Here in Israel, we’re celebrating Shavuot where the holiday centers around dairy and veggie meals. This was the perfect addition to our Friday night meal. Thanks for the tip on flipping the pancake. I found that the bottom of my cheesecake pan was the perfect fit and used it instead of the baking pan.
Super site! Will be checking out other recipes.
Cheers,
Susie
So happy it turned out for you!
That potato pancake looks nice and golden brown, crispy and good!
Thanks, Kevin!
Delicious! I LOVE potato pancakes, and this one sounds fantastic!
after you squeeze out all the moisture, you’ll find a lot of potato starch in that water at the bottom of the bowl that is very useful to add back to the potatoes as the pancake will get much firmer. Also, as I can see, your potatoes got blackened, so you can use a little bit of lemon juice to preserve the nice white color of the potatoes. And lastly, not all potatoes are suitable for pancakes, only the ones that are rich in starch. Unfortunately, to the best to my knowledge they are not very popular in western countries..
greetings from Lithuania, where potato pancakes are extremely popular 😉
Hi Egie — Thanks for all the info! We used a red potatoes and never peeled them, so the color you see is actually just the skin pigment. (We hate peeling). Awesome tip about the starch — We’ll give you suggestion of adding it back to the potatoes next time we make potato pancakes.
Think I will try squeezing my frozen hashbrowns. They so often stick to the pan.
Click and print.
J&A — Do you have a potato pancake recipe using sweet potato? Can it be done? Can you create one? Something with some savory to cut the sweet? Just asking. We eat a lot of sweet potato in our house. They are so good for you. I like to adapt.
Hi Elen, No, but we’ll give it a try 🙂
This looks great, thanks for the tip about drying out the potato. I’ve made potato cakes before and gave up because they didn’t turn out very well. I’m going to make these soon.
Yumm these look awesome! Great flipping technique too…I totally would have tried to flip it with a spatula and wound up with awkward broken pieces!