The Best Latkes Recipe + Tips for Crispy, Perfect Potato Latkes

I’ve been making latkes since before I could reach the stovetop without a step stool. My Bubbe Eleanor made them every Hanukkah, my mom made them, and now I make them, and I’ve picked up a lot of opinions along the way. This is the guide I wish I’d had the first time I ended up with a plateful of soggy, under-seasoned potato pancakes that nobody wanted a second of, and all the sour cream in the world couldn’t save.

Below is my classic potato latke recipe. Tested more times than I can count, plus everything I know about getting them genuinely crispy: which potatoes, how to drain them, oil temperature, make-ahead tricks, and what to do when they go wrong. This is the only latke guide you need.

The Best Latkes Recipe

Amy Kritzer

My basic latke recipe! Feel free to get meshugena.

4.89 from 35 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Hanukkah

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 10 -12 depending on size

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 pounds russet potatoes (approximately), washed (to get 5 cups shredded)
• Ice water
• 2 tablespoons white onion grated (optional, you can add more too for more onion flavor)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or matzo meal
• 1 tablespoon potato starch (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup canola oil (or other oil for frying like grapeseed)

Instructions

 

• Start by peeling your potatoes one at a time and shredding them with the large holes of a box grater into a bowl of ice water. You should have about 5 cups of potatoes. Grate the onions into there too. Let sit for 10 minutes.
• Remove potatoes, squeezing out the moisture into the water. Dry potatoes very well with towels or cheesecloth and keep covered. Let the water sit for 5-10 minutes for starch to accumulate on the bottom. Carefully drain water, reserving the white starch on the bottom. This part is optional, but helps make crispier latkes with soft insides. You can also add potato starch to the potato mixer directly, but why do that when you already have it in the potatoes?!
• Place potato/onion mixture in a large bowl, dry again very well. Then add in the eggs, flour and salt and reserved dried off starch and combine.
• Set up a cooling rack over paper towels.
• Meanwhile, heat up about 1/4 inch of canola oil in a large (cast iron) saute pan over medium-high heat. A dab of schmaltz never hurt either. Pro tip- add a little piece of peeled carrot to the oil to soak up the brown bits that flake off so they don't get in your latkes!
• Scoop heaping 1/4 cup spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil (they should sizzle!) and flatten slightly and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Don't worry about your latkes being perfectly round. Those fly away pieces get extra crispy and delicious! Then flip and fry the other side another 2 minutes or so. Don't overcrowd the pan.
• Repeat with remaining latke batter, drying it again if liquid starts to accumulate. Drain on a rack over paper towels and sprinkle with more salt. Eat!

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What are latkes?

Latkes are fried potato pancakes. Shredded potatoes bound with egg and a little flour (or matzo meal), seasoned with salt, fried in oil until deeply golden and crispy. We eat them on Hanukkah because fried food in oil symbolizes the miracle of the small amount of oil that lasted eight nights in the Temple menorah. Sour cream and applesauce are the traditional toppings, though I have thoughts on that too (see below).

Which potatoes make the best latkes?

Russets. The end. The starchier the potato, the crispier the latke, and russets are the starchiest potato you can find at any grocery store. They’re also cheap, which means more latkes for less money.

Yukon Golds work in a pinch but they have more moisture and less starch — your latkes will be less crispy. Red potatoes are too waxy. Stick with russets.

Hand grate vs. food processor

Hand grating is the right answer. That’s how my Bubbe did it, and hand-grated latkes have a better texture — longer shreds, more surface area, crispier edges. There’s also something about the physical effort that makes them taste better. A little knuckle in the mix, perhaps? Don’t @ me.

That said, if you’re making latkes for 20 people, the large-hole attachment of a food processor is completely fine. You want long shreds either way for crispy rogue pieces. Shred lengthwise along the potato for the longest strands.

The starch trick (this is the move)

Shred your potatoes directly into a bowl of cold water. The cold water prevents browning and helps release the starch. Let them sit for about 10 minutes.

Then pull the potatoes out, squeeze out as much liquid as you can, and set them aside. Now look at your bowl of potato water. After a few minutes, a white sediment settles at the bottom — that’s pure potato starch. Carefully pour off the water and keep the white starch. Add it back into your potato mixture. This is the move that takes latkes from pretty good to actually crispy.

Draining: the most important step

Moisture is the enemy of crispy latkes. After pulling the potatoes from the water, squeeze them well in cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel until you’ve gotten out as much liquid as possible. Then do it again. Then do it one more time.

As the batter sits, liquid continues to weep out of the potatoes. Before each batch goes into the pan, give the mixture another squeeze or drain off any pooled liquid. Wet batter = steamed, not fried = soggy latkes. Don’t let it sit.

Which oil and what temperature

Use an oil with a high smoke point – canola is my go-to. Grapeseed works too. A dab of schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) in the oil is deeply traditional and tastes incredible if you have it.

Temperature matters more than most people realize. You want about ¼ inch of oil in the pan, heated over medium-high until a little piece of potato batter dropped in sizzles but doesn’t immediately brown. Too cold: the latkes absorb oil and turn greasy. Too hot: they brown on the outside before cooking through.

Cast iron is ideal. It holds heat evenly and gives you a better sear. Avoid nonstick as you actually want the potatoes to caramelize against the pan surface.

Pro tip: add a peeled small carrot to the oil. It absorbs the brown bits that flake off the latkes so they don’t burn and end up back in your food. An old Bubbe trick I swear by.

Don’t crowd the pan

Too many latkes at once drops the oil temperature and turns everything soggy. Give them space. Three or four at a time in a large pan is usually right.

Wait until the edges are visibly golden before flipping. This takes longer than you think, usually 2-3 minutes per side. Flipping too early causes sticking and falling apart. Resist the urge.

Salt immediately

The moment a latke comes out of the oil, hit it with salt. Not after plating, not after you’ve fried the whole batch, immediately, while it’s still glistening. The salt adheres better and the flavor is completely different.

Drain on a wire cooling rack set over paper towels, not directly on paper towels. The rack lets air circulate and keeps both sides crispy. Paper towels trap steam and make the bottom soggy.

Make-ahead and keeping warm

Set your oven to 250°F and keep finished latkes on a rack-lined baking sheet while you cook the rest. They’ll stay warm and crispy for up to an hour.

Don’t let the batter sit too long — as it rests, it browns and gets watery. If you need to work ahead, grate the potatoes and store them submerged in cold water in the fridge overnight. Drain and dry right before frying.

Freezing latkes

Yes, you can freeze latkes and yes, they come back well. Fry them fully, let them cool completely, freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a zip-lock bag. To reheat: let them thaw slightly and bake at 375°F on a rack until hot and re-crisped, about 10 minutes. Do not microwave them. I am begging you.

Why are my latkes soggy? Troubleshooting

• Not drained enough. This is almost always the answer. Squeeze more aggressively and drain the batter again before each batch.
• Oil too cold. The latkes are absorbing oil instead of frying. Let the oil heat up fully before adding the next batch.
• Pan too crowded. You cooled the oil. Next batch, do fewer at a time.
• Drained on paper towels. Use a rack. The bottom steams if it’s sitting flat.
• Batter sat too long. It got watery. Drain it again before the next batch.

Gluten-free and vegan latkes

Gluten-free: Swap the flour for potato starch or matzo meal (during Passover, use potato starch). The texture is slightly different but they’re still delicious.

Vegan: Leave out the egg. The latkes won’t hold together quite as tightly and will be a little less creamy in the center, but they’ll still fry and crisp. A flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water, rested 5 minutes) works as a binder if you want something closer to the original.

Latke toppings

Sour cream and applesauce are the classics and I’m not here to fix what isn’t broken. But if you want to go further: horseradish cream, lox and cream cheese, smoked whitefish, guacamole, za’atar yogurt, or a good hot sauce. The base is neutral enough to go in a lot of directions.

More latke recipes

Once you’ve nailed the classic, the variations are worth trying:

Fried Pickle Latkes Spinach Artichoke Dip Latkes Caesar Salad Latkes Chicken Shawarma Latkes Sweet Potato Casserole Latkes Latkes Alfredo Cheesy Breakfast Taco Latkes with Doña Sauce Rainbow Latkes Israeli Breakfast Latkes with Schug Latkes Eggs Benedict S’mores Latkes Kimchi Quesadilla Latkes Latkes Pizza Reuben Latkes Sweet Potato Latkes with Cranberry Applesauce

FAQ

What are the best potatoes for latkes?

Russet potatoes. They have the highest starch content of any common variety, which means crispier latkes. Yukon Golds work but are moister and less crispy. Avoid waxy potatoes like reds entirely.

What is the best oil for frying latkes?

Any neutral oil with a high smoke point: canola, grapeseed, or vegetable oil. Canola is my go-to — it’s cheap, neutral, and handles the heat well. Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) mixed in with the oil is traditional and tastes incredible if you have it.

How do you keep latkes crispy?

Three things: drain the potatoes aggressively before frying, don’t crowd the pan, and drain finished latkes on a wire rack (not paper towels). Salt them immediately out of the oil. Keep warm in a 250°F oven on a rack-lined sheet until ready to serve.

Can you make latkes ahead of time?

Yes. Fry them fully, cool completely, then refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in a 375°F oven on a wire rack until hot and crispy again, about 10 minutes. Skip the microwave.

Should you use flour or potato starch in latkes?

Either works. Flour is the most common binder and produces a slightly chewier result. Potato starch (or matzo meal) gives a lighter, crispier latke and is the right choice for gluten-free or Passover versions. I often use a tablespoon of potato starch even when I’m using flour — it adds an extra crispness boost.