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Reibekuchen: German potato pancakes

Reibekuchen, or traditional German potato pancakes, are the perfect dish to try when visiting Cologne with a child and are so easy to make at home.

My mother-in-law has lived in this area her whole life. I knew which traditional recipe I wanted to make to go with our Cologne post, and I knew she would be the right person to ask. So this is Miss M’s Oma’s recipe for Reibekuchen: German potato pancakes.

She has been making this recipe for so long, she just makes it by feeling. So when I asked her for the recipe, she actually went and found me some old recipe books so that I would have the amounts I would need. The first was a book published in 1939 about cooking with electricity – “Das elektrische Kochen,” which probably tells you something. The one that I used was new the year she got married: 1968. It’s called “Das neue große Kochbuch” or “The Big New Cookbook”.

"Das elektrische Kochen", a cookbook from 1939, with a slightly more complicated recipe for Reibekuchen

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What are Reibekuchen?

Reibekuchen (literally: grated cakes) are German potato pancakes. They are also known as Kartoffelpuffer, Kartoffelpfannkuchen, Kartoffelplätzchen or Reibeplätzchen.

Reibekuchen are a traditional dish served in the Rhineland and other areas of Germany, and they are often sold at fairs and carnivals. I had some just this weekend at the Zöppkesmarkt. They are getting harder to find, though, due to new fire safety restrictions.

How are Reibekuchen served?

Reibekuchen are served crispy and golden with apple sauce (normally there are three to a serving).

My mother-in-law grew up eating them with Apfelkraut, a highly concentrated form of apple sauce that is also a traditional food from the Rhineland. She still eats them this way. Her father apparently would eat them on rye bread with the Apfelkraut.

You can also find the German potato pancakes at fairs served with sour cream and smoked salmon.

Sometimes – and this is how I served them tonight – they are served with pork dishes, though crispy Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes), Spätzle (an eggbased pasta from the south of Germany) or Knödeln (dumplings) are more common.

We had roast pork with Reibekuchen, apple sauce, sautéed snow peas and a creamy sauce with oyster mushrooms and bacon. Miss M, our picky little eater, ate her Reibekuchen and apple sauce, but would not even let me put the rest on her plate.

They are also a great alternative side dish for Christmas or Thanksgiving Dinner.

Reibekuchen, or German potato pancakes served with roast pork, apple sauce, sautéed snow peas and a creamy sauce with oyster mushrooms and bacon.

Tips for the perfectReibekuchen

There are a number of alternative versions of this recipe for German potato pancakes.

You can substitute the flour for semolina or polenta or another type of flour in the case of allergies.

Some recipes also suggest substituting the grated onion for grated apple. This, of course, makes the potato pancakes sweeter but means you don’t need any apple sauce.

The recipe I found in “Das elektrische Kochen” also suggested boiling about one-third of the potatoes before adding them to the mix. This makes the Reibekuchen slightly “creamier”. My mother-in-law said not to worry.

Whatever you do, there are two things you need to ensure:

  1. Really squeeze the liquid out of the potatoes. It will be quite brown and you might get more than you expect. If you leave it in, it will make the Reibekuchen soggy and they will fall apart.
  2. Use starchy potatoes, the kind that you would use for mashed potatoes, gnocchi or baked potatoes in their jackets. In German, these are called mehligkochend, or, literally, floury potatoes. Russet, Idaho and Yukon gold are all good examples of starchy potatoes.

Are you going to serve your Reibekuchen sweet or savoury?

Reibekuchen, or traditional German pancakes, are an easy-to-make meal or side dish. They are delicious served with apple sauce or Apfelkraut, or as a side dish with roast meat: the perfect recipe for Autumn.

How are you serving your Reibekuchen?

Reibekuchen: German potato pancakes, banner with image of Reibekuchen and apple sauce, as they are traditionally served.
A recipe from Cologne: Reibekuchen: German potato pancakes

Reibekuchen – German potato pancakes

These traditional potato pancakes from the Rhineland area of Germany are not only easy to make but can be served as a sweet dish or a side dish.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cuisine German
Servings 2 -3 persons

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g potatoes peeled
  • 1 large egg
  • half a white onion
  • approx. 25 g plain flour
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • grated nutmeg to taste
  • oil and/or butter for cooking

Instructions
 

  • Grate the raw potatoes into a bowl. Thoroughly squeeze off any liquid.
  • Grate the onion into the bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well to form a ‘slurry’.
  • Heat the oil and/or butter in a frypan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add an overflowing tablespoonful of the potato mix, spreading it around until it is less than 1 cm thick.
  • Bake on both sides until golden.
  • Remove from the pan and place on some paper towel to soak up any excess fat before serving.
  • Serve hot.

Notes

In the case of allergies, the flour can be changed to semolina or polenta.
One alternative is to add 2 tablespoons of sour cream and some more flour to the batter.
One recipe suggested cooking about a third of the potatoes in advance to give the German potato pancakes a creamier consistency.
Another alternative is to replace the onion with half an apple, grated.
Simple canola or vegetable oil works better than olive oil for this recipe. I prefer a mixture of canola oil and butter.

Nutrition

Serving: 6gCalories: 223.96kcalCarbohydrates: 43.83gProtein: 7.81gFat: 2.31gSaturated Fat: 0.75gCholesterol: 81.84mgSodium: 46.24mgPotassium: 1082.86mgFiber: 5.5gSugar: 2.03gVitamin A: 118.8IUVitamin C: 49.25mgCalcium: 42.32mgIron: 2.33mg
Keyword German potato pancakes, Kartoffelkuchen, Reibekuchen, reibeplätzchen
Have you tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
A traditional recipe from Cologne: Oma's Reibekuchen: German potato pancakes

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4 Comments

  1. Seeing this brought back great memories for me! My parents lived in Germany before I was born and learned some of the recipes like this one – growing up, my Mom would make us potato pancakes and serve with applesauce. It sounds so weird if you’ve never had it, but I love the combination so much!

    1. If we go to a fair or something where they are making some, we have to bring some home for my MIL. It is definitely a little strange, but very delicious!

  2. 5 stars
    My mother who came from the rhineland used to make these for tea we had them on swartzbrot or with reubenkraut feeling like making them now

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