German Potato Pancakes are the crispy pancakes you’ll find at market stalls in the Rhineland and at Christmas markets in December: grated raw potatoes and onion, pressed thoroughly free of liquid and baked until the edges crackle. In German they’re also called Kartoffelpuffer, and they’re a cheap, filling food with a truly special texture — a crispy outside and a soft, almost creamy center.
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In the airfryer, you skip the half liter of oil in the pan and the greasy aftertaste, but you keep the golden, crackling edge. The whole batch is ready in 38 minutes: 20 minutes go into grating, pressing and shaping, and they bake for 18 minutes at 190°C.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I Love German Potato Pancakes in the Airfryer
German Potato Pancakes belong to the kind of dish where technique matters more than the ingredient list. Potatoes, onion, an egg and a bit of flour — that’s the whole foundation. Yet the difference between a heavy, leathery pancake and a light, crispy one is enormous, and it comes down almost entirely to how much liquid you manage to press out of the grated potatoes.
The airfryer does two things well here. The circulating heat hits the pancakes from both sides at once, so you don’t have to watch them as closely as on a stovetop, and because you only need a thin layer of oil, the result turns out crispy rather than greasy. At the same time, you can bake several batches in a row without having to change the oil in between.
The Difference Between the Frying Pan and the Airfryer
In the pan, German Potato Pancakes are essentially deep-fried in a layer of oil, which gives a very dark and very greasy edge. In the airfryer at 190°C, the edge turns lighter and drier-crisp, while the center keeps the potato’s natural sweetness. If you want the most market-stall-like version, brush the pancakes generously with oil beforehand — it’s still a fraction of what the pan soaks up.
My Kitchen Test of German Potato Pancakes
I tested the recipe in my Cosori Dual Blaze, and 190°C for 18 minutes hit exactly the point where the edge crackles without the center drying out. In my first attempts I made the pancakes too thick, and they turned rubbery inside even though the outside looked perfect. Once I pressed them down to about one centimeter, everything fell into place.
The other thing that made the biggest difference was the pressing. I collected the liquid from one batch of grated potatoes, and just under a deciliter ran out when I wrung them in a clean tea towel. That liquid would otherwise have steamed inside the pancake and made it soggy. Count on about 20 minutes of prep when you include grating, pressing and shaping — that’s the part that takes time, not the baking itself.
Press the potatoes in a tea towel, not just with your hands. That last handful of liquid is the difference between crispy and chewy.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The Typical Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The mistake I see most often is a mixture that’s too wet. Grated potatoes contain surprisingly much water, and if you only press them lightly, the rest steams inside the pancake and makes it soggy and chewy — put them in a tea towel and wring until no more comes out. The next one is pancakes that are too thick: over one and a half centimeters, the center doesn’t finish cooking before the edge turns dark, so flatten them with a spoon. And then there’s overcrowding. If the pancakes overlap in the basket, they block the air circulation, and you end up steaming them instead of baking them — give each pancake air all the way around, and bake two batches instead.
How to Serve German Potato Pancakes
German Potato Pancakes should be served hot and straight from the basket, while they’re still crackling. The classic accompaniment is apple sauce, but they can carry much more than that:
- Apple sauce, preferably a little tart and cold as a contrast to the warm pancakes
- Crème fraîche stirred with chives and a sprinkle of coarse salt
- Smoked or cured salmon with fresh dill
- Sautéed mushrooms or crispy bacon, if you want a more filling meal
- Sugar and cinnamon, if you want the sweet German market version
Storage and Reheating
German Potato Pancakes are best fresh from the airfryer, but they keep well for a day in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat them in the airfryer at 190°C for three to four minutes, and the crispiness comes back — the microwave inevitably makes them soft. You can also freeze them in layers with baking paper in between and heat them straight from frozen with a couple of extra minutes.
German Potato Pancakes are market food that holds up well when made at home, and the airfryer makes it both easier and lighter. Grate, press thoroughly and flatten the pancakes — and you’ll have crispy German Potato Pancakes on the table without a drop of oil on the stovetop.
FAQ
No. If you rinse the potatoes after grating, you lose the starch, and it’s precisely the starch that binds the mixture together. Instead, press the liquid out in a tea towel, and let the starch that settles at the bottom of the bowl go back into the mixture.
Floury baking potatoes give the crispiest pancake, because they contain the most starch and the least water. Waxy potatoes can certainly be used too, but they need extra thorough pressing before the mixture is ready.
Count on 38 minutes in total: about 20 minutes to grate, press and shape the pancakes, and 18 minutes at 190°C in the airfryer.
Recipe
German Potato Pancakes in the Airfryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Grater - Coarse side
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Kitchen towel - Clean, for squeezing out the liquid
- 1 Offset spatula
- 1 Brush
- 1 Bagepapir (til airfryer)
Shopping list
Ingredients
Potato Pancakes
- 1 kg floury potatoes (Peeled)
- 1 pcs onion (Peeled)
- 2 pcs eggs
- 3 tbsp potato starch
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper (Freshly ground)
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil (For brushing)
For Serving
- 400 g apple sauce (Cold)
How to make it
Preparation
- Coarsely grate 1 kg floury potatoes and 1 pcs onion on the coarse side of the grater into a large bowl. Grate the onion together with the potatoes — this helps stop the mixture from discolouring.
- Place the grated mixture in a clean tea towel, gather it around the mixture and wring it firmly over the sink until no more liquid comes out. This squeezing determines whether the pancakes turn out crispy or soggy.
- Put the squeezed mixture back in the bowl and stir in 2 pcs eggs, 3 tbsp potato starch, 1.5 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp black pepper and 1 pinch grated nutmeg. Stir just until the mixture holds together, then bake it straight away.
- Shape the mixture into 8 flat pancakes about 1 cm thick and 10 cm in diameter. Brush them on both sides with 2 tbsp rapeseed oil.
Cooking in the Airfryer
- Preheat the airfryer to 190°C.
- Line the basket with a piece of baking paper and place the pancakes in a single layer so they don’t touch. Bake at 190°C for 10 minutes.
- Carefully flip the pancakes with a palette knife and continue baking at 190°C for 6-8 minutes, until golden brown and crispy at the edges.
Serving
- Serve the pancakes warm and crispy with 400 g apple sauce on the side.
Our notes for the recipe
Squeeze the potato mixture as dry as you possibly can — the liquid you squeeze out makes all the difference between crispy and soggy pancakes. Keep the pancakes thin and bake them in a single layer so the hot air can circulate all the way around. Variation:
Stir 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley or chives into the mixture, or grate in a tart apple for a sweeter version. Serving:
Traditionally served the German way with apple sauce, but they’re also great with crème fraîche and chives, or as a side for smoked salmon. Serving size:
If your airfryer is smaller, you can bake the pancakes in two batches and keep the first batch warm in the oven at 80°C.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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