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What’s not to love about potato fritters? They’re crispy, savoury, and perfect for any time of day. Plus, they’re surprisingly easy to make. Serve them with a dollop of yogurt, or a poached egg, and you’ve got a delicious meal that the whole family will enjoy.
What are they?
A fritter is a small, fried cake made from a variety of different ingredients. The most common type of fritter is made with a batter that contains flour, milk, eggs, and baking powder. This batter is then used to combine pieces of fruit or vegetables before they are fried in hot oil. The word “fritter” comes from the old French word “frite,” which means “to fry.”
Many cultures have their own variation of fritters. For example, in India, bhajis are a type of fritter, while in Japan, tempura-fried vegetables are made with a light batter and served with a dipping sauce.
Potato fritters are a great way to use up extra potatoes. This recipe uses grated potatoes combined with flour, eggs and seasoning. They are shallow-fried in oil to crisp them up to perfection.
What type of potatoes should I use?
As any true potato aficionado knows, there are many different types of potatoes, each with its own unique flavour and texture. You will often see that potatoes are typically recommended for particular uses such as roasting vs mashing. This is because different varieties have differing amounts of starch. Floury potatoes have a high starch content and will give a fluffier result. Waxy potatoes have a low starch content and contain more moisture. They are firmer when cooked so great for use in salads.
For best results with this recipe, you want to use a potato that has a medium to high starch content, so keep an eye out for those which are referred to as ‘floury’. This will give a crisper result on the outside of the fritters and more tender insides. As these potatoes contain less water it also stops the mixture from being too thin, helping them stick together.
If you are in the UK look for potatoes which are multi-purpose, such as Desiree. Or floury such as Maris Piper. In the US look for Yukon Gold as an all-purpose option or Russets for a starchier choice.
Can I make them with sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes are not technically potatoes at all, but they are still delicious to roast or bake. Their sweeter flavour works well for a fritter. They are also starchy, which bodes well for this recipe. As sweet potatoes have a higher sugar content than standard potatoes, they are also prone to burning more quickly. So, keep a close eye on them when you are frying!
Why are my fritters soggy?
If your fritters are coming out soggy, there are a few possible culprits. With a little troubleshooting, you’ll be able to fix the problem and enjoy perfect fritters every time.
- Is your oil hot enough? You need to cook the fritters quickly over high heat in order for them to stay light and fluffy. If you add them to oil which isn’t quite hot enough then they will soak up the oil rather than immediately start to cook.
- Is there too much moisture in your batter? Make sure that you don’t skip the step to squeeze out the liquid when preparing the potato. Too much liquid will cause the fritter to steam when cooking rather than crisp up. This could also lead to your batter not sticking together well.
- Are you overcrowding the pan? Cooking too many fritters at once will bring down the temperature of the pan. Additionally, if you have arranged them so they are overlapping or pressed together then the heat won’t be able to reach the maximum surface area. This can lead to them cooking unevenly.
What can I serve them with?
Serve fritters as a side dish, a snack or as a main course. They’re perfect for any time of year! I like to serve them with a sauce such as sour cream or minted yogurt to add a complementary creaminess to the crisp shell. This tomato chutney also works great if you are looking for a little extra heat on your plate.
If you want to serve these as a full meal, then you can add a poached or fried egg. A simple side salad of peppery rocket leaves adds a little extra green to your plate. Or you could try a more substantial salad such as this courgette salad or this halloumi salad.
Can I make potato fritters in advance?
If you have leftover cooked fritters you can refrigerate them (up to 3 days) or freeze them (up to 3 months). Place pieces of parchment/baking paper between the fritters when freezing to prevent them from sticking together. To reheat them you can either fry them again on the hob/stove or pop them in the oven until piping hot. I don’t recommend using the microwave as you will get a soggier result.
Uncooked potato fritter batter will oxidise and turn brown, so I recommend cooking the batter as soon as you have made it.
Ingredients
For a full list of ingredients with weights and measurements jump to the printable recipe card.
- Potatoes
- Onion
- Plain flour
- Baking powder
- Breadcrumbs
- Chilli flakes
- Chives, chopped
- Egg
How to make them
For more detailed instructions, with recipe tips, jump to the printable recipe card.
- Grate the potatoes and onion and drain in a large sieve over the sink for 10 minutes. Add some salt over the top to help extract the moisture. Squeeze the grated veg with your hands to remove as much water as possible.
- Wrap the veg in a clean tea towel and wring out as much of the remaining water as you can.
- Mix the veg in a bowl with the baking powder, breadcrumbs, chilli flakes, chives and the egg. Combine everything together. Season well.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan/skillet. Spoon dollops of the batter into the pan and flatten with a spatula to make the fritters. Fry until crisp and golden (around 4-5 minutes on each side).
Looking for more great vegetable recipes? Try:
Products that work well for this recipe:
Magnetic Spice Rack – Set of 12
6 Sided Grater with Container
Cole & Mason Herb Keeper
Potato Fritters
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Crispy, savory, and perfect for any time of day. These potato fritters are surprisingly easy to make. Serve them with a dollop of yogurt, or a poached egg.
The default recipe serves 2 (2 fritters per portion)
Ingredients
- 300g potatoes (see note 1)
- 1 small onion (around 250g)
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
- pinch chilli flakes (see note 2)
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Grate the onion and potatoes using a grater and then add to a large sieve. Season well with salt and leave over the sink for 10-15 minutes to drain. (see note 3,4)
- Use your hands to press out as much of the liquid from the veg as possible.
- Place the potato and onion into the middle of a clean tea towel and roll it up very tightly. Twist the towel to wring out as much as possible of the remaining moisture.
- Tip the grated veg into a large bowl and mix in the flour, baking powder, breadcrumbs, chilli flakes, chives and egg. Season and mix together.
- Add the olive oil to a frying pan/skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure the pan is hot before spooning the fritter mixture into the pan. Each dollop should be the size of a heaped ice cream scoop. Press down the mixture with a spatula to flatten.
- Cook the fritters for 4-5 minutes before flipping them and cooking for a further 4-5 minutes on the other side.
- Serve with a dip such as sour cream or minted yogurt. You can also add a side of peppery rocket and/or a poached egg on top. This tomato chutney goes really well too!
Notes
- While most potato varieties will work for this recipe, you will get the best result with floury potatoes. These have a lower moisture content (meaning less soggy batter) and produce softer results on the inside, and crispier outers.
- If you don’t want any heat in the recipe then the chilli flakes can be swapped for sweet paprika, cumin or a dried herb such as thyme.
- Make sure to not skip the step to remove the moisture from the potatoes. The more moisture you have in the final dish the less crispy the result and the more likely the fritters are to break apart. Don’t leave them too long, however, as the potatoes will brown over time after being grated (although this won’t affect the taste).
- Don’t worry too much about the extra salt content from salting the veg. Much of it will drain away as it extracts the moisture.
- Cooked fritters can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze cooked fritters for up to 3 months. A freezer bag works well. Place pieces of parchment paper between the fritters to stop them from sticking together. Reheat in the oven or in a pan on the hob/stove to crisp them back up. Storing uncooked batter is not recommended as the potato flesh will brown as it oxidises.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 300
- Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Protein: 9g
Keywords: potato fritters, lunch, dinner, vegetarian
