Air Fryer Latkes

Written by
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Leah Maroney
Updated 04/21/21
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The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yields: 12 latkes
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
337 Calories
10g Fat
54g Carbs
10g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 337
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 12%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 93mg 31%
Sodium 588mg 26%
Total Carbohydrate 54g 20%
Dietary Fiber 5g 19%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 21mg 107%
Calcium 55mg 4%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 1247mg 27%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

No Hanukkah celebration is complete without crispy golden latkes, but frying up a big batch can often result in a grease-covered kitchen. Enter the air fryer, which gives you perfectly cooked potato pancakes in a contained mess. There is some oil involved—as there should be for the tradition and flavor of this recipe—but it's significantly reduced. This means fewer calories and grams of fat so you can enjoy more without the added guilt.

The latkes are prepared in the traditional way by grating the potatoes and onions, squeezing out the liquid, and preparing the binding ingredients. Then the last step is simply done in the air fryer. We brushed the basket of the air fryer and the top of each latke with olive oil for flavor and extra crunch.

Serve them with sour cream and applesauce and a few chopped chives for a little zing. You can enjoy potato latkes year round as a side for your favorite roast, vegetables, and other hearty sides. There’s lots of different techniques used in making latkes. Everyone has their tried and true method—we’ve included a few tips below that we think are useful if you need some help.

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 medium russet potatoes

  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 tablespoons matzo meal, or plain breadcrumbs

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • Sour cream, apple sauce, chopped chives, for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

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     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  2. Scrub the potatoes and grate them on the large holes of a box grater. You can also use the grating blade in your food processor.

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     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  3. You can chop the shreds into smaller pieces if you wish. This will make for smaller pieces in the latkes and can help you make them more compact rounds.

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     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  4. Grate or chop the onions. Combine the potatoes and onions. Rinse the shredded mixture with water.

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     the Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  5. Drop the mixture onto a few layers of cheesecloth and squeeze the liquid out over a bowl. Twist and squeeze as hard as you can until almost all of the liquid has been removed. Put the potato and onion shreds into a separate bowl.

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     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  6. Let the liquid settle, then pour off most of the liquid to leave behind the starchy, thick fluid that gathers at the bottom of the bowl. Discard the liquid that you pour off.

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     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  7. Whisk together the egg, matzo meal, salt, pepper, and potato starch. 

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     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  8. Add egg mixture to the potato and onion shreds and combine until evenly distributed. 

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     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  9. Generously grease the bottom of your air fryer with olive oil. 

    Dollop 1/4 cup portions of the latke mixture onto the greased basket. Make them as thick or as thin as you would like. Sprinkle them with more salt. Brush the top of each latke with more olive oil. 

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     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  10. Cook in the air fryer at 400 F for 8 minutes.

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     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  11. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

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     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  12. Re-grease the air fryer and cook in batches until all of the latke batter is cooked. 

    Keep them warm in a 200 F oven on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. When they're all done, serve hot with applesauce and sour cream.