Crispy homemade potato latkes! My family looks forward to these every single year. They’re a staple at our Hanukkah celebration and are roughly 1000x better than any frozen variety you can buy at the store. In this post, I’ll share my mother-in-law’s famous latke recipe (they truly are the best on the planet!), along with expert tips, answers to frequently asked questions, and how you can prep these ahead of time so you’re not frying the day of your celebration.
If you’re unfamiliar with potato pancakes, here’s the quick run down: they’re meant to be both light and crispy, yet tender and fluffy on in the inside. When pan-fried properly (not deep fried!), they’re not greasy at all. 😉
Latkes are best enjoyed with homemade applesauce or sour cream, these are one of my top 10 recipes of all time. I’m honored to share our family’s foolproof latke recipe with you!
For more easy, family-tested appetizer recipes, consider trying my citrus-marinated olives, homemade chopped chicken liver, or smoked salmon salad with capers next!
The Oil You Use Matters
Be sure to fry in a light, neutral oil, such as grapeseed, canola oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil, as they have higher smoke points than extra virgin olive oil. And with the amount you’ll be pan frying, you don’t want a cloud of smoke in your kitchen.
Note, you’re not deep frying, you’re pan-frying! You want enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan that it comes up about halfway the height of the latke. This ensure even cooking and less greasy pancakes. You’ll likely need to add more oil between batches when you’re halfway through.
How To Make Crispy Potato Latkes
Before you begin, make sure you have a cast-iron or heavy bottom skillet (or two!) on hand for pan frying.
I like to grate the potatoes by hand, but if you have a food processor you can absolutely use that. Makes prepping super quick and easy!
As far as type of potato, Russet (or Idaho) potatoes are the best choice for latkes because they’re high in starch and low in moisture. This makes them easier to grate and helps them to hold their shape when fried.
Don’t want to squeeze the grated potatoes? You can also place them in a colander and press down on them with a heavy object to extract the moisture. My mother-in-law uses old pillowcases!
You’ll know they’re ready when the latkes are a deep golden brown color. Do not flip until they are crispy on the first side! I use a fork or a spoon to flip — not tongs.
Pro tip: As soon as you drain the latkes, sprinkle each lightly with salt, then enjoy hot!
If you’re hosting a holiday party, it can be fun to enjoy to serve them with a dollop of creme fraiche, a little smoked salmon (or smoked salmon salad, perhaps?), capers, or even caviar.
I’ve Made These For Decades: Here Are My Best Tips!
- For extra crispy latkes, use a food processor to grate the potatoes and onions. This produces a finer shred, which results in crispier latkes.
- If you are having trouble getting the latkes to hold their shape, add a little bit more matzo meal (or flour) to the batter.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying. This lowers the temperature of the oil and prevents them from cooking evenly. If needed, fry the potato pancakes in batches.
If you’re already heating up oil for frying, consider making these crispy Roman Jewish fried artichokes at the same time. They’re another Hanukkah staple!
Be sure to share these with loved ones. It makes them taste so much better. 😉 If you make our family’s crispy Potato Latke recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below!
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More Of My Family’s Delicious Hanukkah Recipes
Tender, Slow Braised Flanken Ribs (Beef Short Ribs) Cinnamon Applesauce Peanut Butter and Pistachio Cream-Filled Sufganyot Tender, Fall-Apart Braised Beef Short Ribs How To Roast Salmon (Quick & Flaky!)
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Light & Crispy Potato Latkes
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 lbs russet potatoes
- 2 large sweet onions
- 4 eggs, slightly beaten
- ½ – ¾ cup matzo meal, can substitute potato starch or flour
- ½ Tbsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 large bottles of canola oil
Instructions
- Peel and grate potatoes, then immediately place in a mixing bowl filled with warm water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then drain potatoes and re-cover with warm water, repeating the process a total of 3 times. You'll know you're done when there are very few bubbles at the top of the bowl.
- Squeeze out excess moisture. Working in batches and using a large cheese cloth, kitchen towel, or even an old pillow case, squeeze out all excess moisture from potatoes. Place drained potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
- Meanwhile, grate onions and ring out any excess water. Add onion to potatoes, along with most of the eggs (I'll begin by using ¾ of them, reserving the rest) , matzo meal, Kosher salt, baking powder, and black pepper, then mix well. If mixture seems too dry, add more egg a little at a time.
- Heat enough oil to fill a pan about ½”. When oil reaches 400°F (204°C), drop about 1-2 Tbsp of latke batter into pan, making sure not to crowd the pan. Use the back of a spoon to pat them down a bit (you want them thin!). Fry about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown, then carefully turn and brown the other side for about 1-2 minutes.
- Drain on paper towels, then serve! Transfer latkes to a paper towel-lined cooling rack and immediately season with a sprinkle of Kosher salt. Repeat process with remaining latke mixture. Serve immediately or keep warm on baking sheets in an oven heated to 250°F (121°C). Serve with homemade applesauce or sour cream.
Notes
- Make-ahead: Potato latkes can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
- Leftovers and storage: Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 3 days (though I’ve kept leftovers for up to a week when I double or triple the batch!). To reheat, place latkes on a baking sheet and warm at 350°F (177°C) for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
- Potato latkes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Cool completely, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 2-3 hours, or until solid. Once frozen, transfer latkes to a freezer-safe bag or container.
- To reheat from frozen, thaw latkes overnight in the refrigerator and then bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10-15 minutes, or until warm.
Nutrition
Photography by: Megan McKeehan.
Best Latke ever!!!! The best I ever made or ate, so crispy and delicious 5 lbs potatoes are not enough!
This means SO much from you, Dee! Thank you thank you! xo, Ari
Best latkes I have ever eaten! I complimented my wife but she gave credit to the recipe. They were perfect.
Mannie, I am SO happy to hear this!! Wish we could enjoy them together, they really are the best!! xo, Ari
Joy able Blog Experience…Today i spend mostly time on your Website!!
Oh I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! Best, Ari
Fantastic Recipe.We appreciate you releasing Light & Crispy Potato Latkes!
Yum!!! This was only my second time ever making latkes, but decided to give this recipe a whirl and so glad I did. Everyone loved them! Wish I had more pans (and a larger kitchen/workspace) so I could’ve doubled or tripled the recipe and had multiple batches going simultaneously. I didn’t have it in me to make the homemade applesauce, but that looks delish. Maybe next year! 🤞🏻 Thanks, Ari!
Honestly our favorite latkes, we look forward to them every year! Thanks for trusting me enough to try the recipe! Happy Chanukah! xo, Ari
I’ve only made latkes once, 2yrs ago. I did something wrong, and they were not good. I found your MIL’s recipe through you, and they’re great! Thanks!
So thrilled to hear this! They are the best latkes we’ve ever had, bar none!! xo, Ari
Amazing Recipe….Thanks for Publishing Light & Crispy Potato Latkes!!
It says 6 servings, but I’m wondering how many latkes you’re considering per serving? We plan to serve them as part of dinner and want 3 per person for a party of 10.
We’re having a late Chanukah dinner this year as some were traveling. They look and sound delicious.
If anyone’s made these please give me a hint. Thanks!
I actually made these last night and it would make 30 if you keep them small (under 4cm diameter). It seemed like way more than 6 servings to me.
Thanks, Melissa! When I make latkes, they are the star of the show (because everyone wants to eat so many of them) so I serve them simply with applesauce, sour cream, a side of roasted salmon, and a big salad. We made this switch (pairing them with something lighter, like seafood, versus a brisket or pot roast) because we all wanted to eat more latkes. I think a reasonable serving is 5 or 6 latkes, but my family always tends to eat more… Cheers, Ari
After years of making latke, our family decided to give this recipe a try. The best choice ever! I thought the latkes were lighter and crispier than the others we had, and I loved them. Compared to most, they were also far less oily.
These latkes never fail to impress. So glad you enjoyed! Cheers, Ari
Hi Deborah! Serving size is tough because I am satisfied with 5 or 6 latkes whereas my husband could eat 20… This serving size of 6 suggests something like 10 latkes per person (there’s variation in the size of potatoes, size of the latkes being made, etc., so I can’t account for that).
I just made over 10 lbs of latkes for a group of 10 (5 adults, 5 kids) and it was honestly way more than we needed. I think 5 lbs will be plenty for your crew, but I would also guess based on experience that unless you have a hard cutoff of 3 latkes per person that guests may want to sneak back for another few. They are so irresistible and crispy! If you happen to have leftovers, you can freeze and reheat for later — instructions are at the bottom of the recipe card. Please report back and let me know what you and your guests think! Happy Hanukkah! xo, Ari
Thanks for the feedback, it’s very helpful. We’re having both brisket and salmon in order to please both light eaters and those of us who long for the traditional brisket with our latkes. Think I’ll go with 5lbs potatoes. Happy Chanukah!
Sounds perfect, enjoy every bite! xo, Ari
Yummy and Thanks for sharing this post with us!
WoW…Wonderful Recipe….Thanks for Posting Light & Crispy Potato Latkes Dish!!
Our family has been making Latke for years and decided to try this recipe. Best decision Ever! Loved the latke and found them lighter and crispier than others we’ve tried. They were also a lot less oily than most.
Thanks so much, Ryan! Dare I say it’s foolproof?! Your feedback made my day, truly–it took years of tweaking my MIL’s recipe to get it to this place and I’m always so happy when home cooks recreate latkes with fantastic results. Cheers, Ari
I’ve been making my mother’s recipe for over 50 years, but I’m going try yours this year. Can I use my Cuisinart grater in stead of hand grating? FYI – I used gluten free flour in the brown butter miso choc chip cookies. They turned out chewy instead of crispy, but were still fabulous!
Evvie FERRERA
Hi Evvie! Sorry for the delay, I was on vacation. Can’t wait for you to try my family’s latke recipe! You can *absolutely* use your grater. It’s totally personal preference whether you want to grate by hand or not. They’ll be fabulous either way. And I’ve got more tips in the recipe post to ensure they’re perfect. Please report back! Oh, good to know about the gluten free flour. Might be helpful to leave that comment on that specific blog post in case anyone else is wanting to do the same (people love personal feedback!). I don’t use gluten-free flour, so appreciate you sharing. Thanks! Ari