By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 5
248 cal · 40 min
Babci's Polish Potato Pancakes
Recipe GLPR539af7d804019e
Crispy golden potato pancakes pan-fried until golden brown, served with cool sour cream and applesauce. This classic Eastern European recipe combines shredded potatoes and onions with just enough flour to bind them into delicious, tender pancakes that are perfectly crunchy on the outside.
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Ingredients
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 large baking potatoes
1 large yellow onion
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup vegetable oil for frying
sour cream, for serving
applesauce, for serving
Directions
Peel and finely shred the baking potatoes and yellow onion using a box grater or food processor. Place the shredded mixture in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly over a bowl to remove as much liquid as possible, pressing out excess moisture.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then add the squeezed potato-onion mixture. Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper over the potato mixture and stir gently until just combined.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, drop heaping tablespoons of the potato mixture into the hot oil and gently flatten each portion with the back of a spatula to form a pancake about 1/4 inch thick.
Fry the pancakes for 3 to 4 minutes per side until they are golden brown and crispy at the edges. Transfer each finished pancake to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Keep finished pancakes warm while cooking the remaining batches.
Serve the hot potato pancakes immediately with a dollop of sour cream and applesauce on the side.
Comments
This is a solid weeknight dish that checks nearly every box for a Charlotte cook. All ingredients are staples at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Walmart, and ALDI—potatoes, eggs, flour, onion, baking powder, and sour cream are universally stocked, and applesauce is a pantry basic. At roughly $0.80 to $1.20 per serving (driven mainly by potatoes and oil), it's genuinely affordable for a family meal. The stated 40 minutes is honest, though shredding potatoes by hand takes 10 minutes of that; a box grater or food processor cuts it to 30. The recipe reheats decently in a skillet or oven, making it reasonable for leftovers, and it's forgiving enough for a weeknight—no precision required, minimal active attention once you start cooking. The only minor friction is that it's not a local NC specialty (these are Polish comfort food, not regional to the South), so it won't feel like it's playing to any local advantage, though that doesn't make it any less practical or tasty.
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