Crispy potato fritters are a delicious and easy-to-make savory breakfast, appetizer, or healthy meal. With a crunchy, crispy, & golden exterior and a creamy inside, these fritters are perfect for any time of day. Ready in 30 minutes, they are easily made gluten-free and vegan/egg-less. And if you want to avoid frying, baking instructions are provided.
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Is there an easier meal to throw together that's deliciously savory than fritters? Come summer, I love making corn and zucchini fritters and jalapeño cheddar corn fritters, but the rest of the year potato fritters are a quick go-to recipe that never fails.
Also known as potato latkes, shredded potatoes and onion are combined with eggs, flour, and seasoning, with the final result producing crispy, craggy, golden brown edges with light and fluffy insides. I challenge you to eat just one!
Serve them as a savory brunch, appetizer, or light lunch paired with apple gorgonzola salad.
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⭐️ Why These Fritters are the Best
- Quick & easy recipe for potato fritters with just 7 simple ingredients and ready in 30 minutes
- Deeply savory with a creamy interior and a crispy, golden exterior
- Healthy savory pancakes that are vegetarian, dairy-free, high in fiber, nut-free, nutrient-rich, with a gluten-free and egg-less/vegan option
- If you want to avoid frying, baking instructions are provided
- Freezer-friendly shredded potato pancakes
🥔 Ingredient Notes
- Yukon Gold potatoes - a versatile potato with a waxy peel, Yukon Gold potatoes are the best for making fritters, as they create a creamy inside and a crispy exterior. Baby red potatoes could also be used for similar results.
- Yellow or white onion - Adds subtle sweetness and moisture. You can also substitute a red onion.
- Eggs - Acts as a binder for fritters so they don't fall apart
- All-purpose flour - Similar to eggs, flour helps with binding and absorbs any excess moisture
- Smoked paprika - Adds a deliciously smoky flavor
- Garlic powder - Since we only use a small amount of garlic powder, these fritters are not super garlicky at all. I don't recommend using fresh garlic, as it could burn during the frying process.
- Vegetable oil or olive oil (for frying) - Any neutral oil will work for frying your fritters. Olive oil will give them a slightly fruity flavor, but will still be delicious.
- Green onions - This is an optional garnish, but I love the fresh onion flavor and pop of color they provide.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Spicy. Give your fritters a spicy kick by adding 1 sliced jalapeño, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or serve them topped with Sriracha aioli.
- Sweet potatoes. Make sweet & savory fritters by substituting sweet potatoes.
- Gluten-free fritters. You can easily make gluten-free fritters by substituting a 1:1 ratio of gluten free all-purpose flour.
- Make eggless/vegan fritters: Since eggs are important for binding the fritters, I recommend substituting with flax eggs. To make 2 flax eggs, combine 2 tablespoon of ground flax seed with 6 tablespoons of water. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it becomes gelatinous.
- Bake fritters: If you want to avoid frying your fritters in oil, baking is also an option. To bake fritters, follow recipe instructions to make the batter, then scoop fritter batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with oil, and bake in a preheated 400 degree F. oven for 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.
🔪 How to Make Potato Fritters
Peel potatoes and onion, and use a box grater or a food processor with a grating plate to grate both. Transfer to a large bowl.
Working in batches, wrap the shredded potatoes and onion in a tea towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out the excess water.
Place the drained onion and potatoes in a large mixing bowl, and add eggs, flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and mix well with a wooden spoon.
In a large skillet, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and warm over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, use a ¼ measuring cup to portion the fritter batter into the hot skillet.
Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the underside of fritters starts to turn golden brown and crispy. Using a spatula, flip fritters and gently press down to flatten them. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until cooked through.
Transfer cooked fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Repeat with remaining batter. Garnish fritters with green onions (if using) and serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Storage: Fritters are best served fresh, but they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: Place completely cooled fritters in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight.
- How to reheat: There are several ways to reheat fritters while keeping them crispy. One option is to place fritters in a skillet over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, until heated through. Alternatively, place your fritters in an air fryer preheated to 350 degrees F. and reheat for 3-4 minutes, or place fritters on a baking sheet and reheat in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 10 minutes.
- Don't crowd the pan. Aim to fry 4 fritters at a time if using a large skillet. If there are too many fritters in the pan at once, they will steam instead of fry.
- Oil should be hot. Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding fritters to the pan. If the oil is not hot enough, the fritters will absorb the oil and become too greasy.
- Squeeze out water. Since potatoes and onions contain a lot of water, it's important that you squeeze out the water to avoid soggy fritters.
🍽 How to Serve Potato Fritters
- Serve potato fritters as an appetizer with sour cream, applesauce, garlic yogurt sauce, or basil aioli.
- For a light lunch, pair with apple cucumber salad or gazpacho
- For brunch, top fritters with a poached egg and serve on a bed of greens, or serve them with my asparagus frittata
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Soggy fritters are often the result of not draining enough liquid out of your potatoes and onion, or not frying at a high enough temperature.
Adding eggs and flour to fritters as binding agents is key to preventing fritters from falling apart. Another tip is to press down gently on your fritters when frying them to help them bind together.
If your fritters are raw inside, chances are that you didn't press down to spread them out while frying. Fritters only need about 3 minutes per side to fry up nicely, making them pretty fail-proof.
🍽 Related Recipes
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Crispy Potato Fritters Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 medium yellow or white onion
- 2 large eggs
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 Tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil (for frying)
- 2 Tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and onion, and use a box grater or a food processor with a grating plate to grate both. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Working in batches, wrap the shredded potatoes and onion in a tea towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out the excess water.
- Place the drained onion and potatoes in a large mixing bowl, and add eggs, flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and mix well with a wooden spoon.
- In a large skillet, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and warm over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, use a ¼ measuring cup to portion the fritter batter into the hot skillet.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the underside of fritters starts to turn golden brown and crispy. Using a spatula, flip fritters and gently press down to flatten them. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until cooked through.
- Transfer cooked fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Repeat with remaining batter. Garnish fritters with green onions (if using) and serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce.
Notes
- Storage: Fritters are best served fresh, but they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: Place completely cooled fritters in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight.
- How to reheat: There are several ways to reheat fritters while keeping them crispy. One option is to place fritters in a skillet over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, until heated through. Alternatively, place your fritters in an air fryer preheated to 350 degrees F. and reheat for 3-4 minutes, or place fritters on a baking sheet and reheat in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 10 minutes.
- Don't crowd the pan. Aim to fry 4 fritters at a time if using a large skillet. If there are too many fritters in the pan at once, they will steam instead of fry.
- Oil should be hot. Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding fritters to the pan. If the oil is not hot enough, the fritters will absorb the oil and become too greasy.
- Squeeze out water. Since potatoes and onions contain a lot of water, it's important that you squeeze out the water to avoid soggy fritters.
Barb says
This recipe will be so easy for a quick meal! Can’t wait to try them!
MaryAnne says
Yes, they're great for a busy weeknight!
Eli says
Excellent crispy fritters! I served them with applesauce and sour cream, and they disappeared in minutes!
MaryAnne says
Thanks so much, Eli! Serving them with applesauce and sour cream sounds delicious!
Michael says
I, too, want to try this… but I need more time!