5 Additions That Take Latkes To The Next Level

A perfectly crisp potato exterior yielding to fluffy spud goodness makes latkes craveable all year long. These potato pancakes fill the house with their starchy sweet smell as they fry on the stovetop and are traditionally served to celebrate Chanukah, as are other foods fried in oil, like donuts. Symbolic as they may be, they are also delicious.

When it comes to traditional latkes, you are likely in one of two fairly distinct camps — either team sour cream or team applesauce. Ask anyone with a history of eating latkes and you are sure to get a pretty visceral response, which is likely tied to how they ate them growing up, either leaning into the tart or the sweet. The classic latke mixture made from grated potatoes, onions, eggs, salt, and flour (and perhaps the hack of adding residual potato liquid for extra crunchy results) is certainly craveable and enduring, but here are five modern twists to mix up your latke game. Each one adds another element that complements the potato mixture, but takes it in a decidedly different flavor direction.

Although the potato pancake mixture already contains onions, why not try adding scallions as well? This addition ups the savoriness and lends a pleasing pop of green color to the latkes. When serving, perhaps as a holiday appetizer, consider adorning each one with a ribbon of lox and perhaps even a dollop of caviar like Gail Simmons does with her latkes to give them a luxurious upgrade (along with her signature inclusion of parsnip). 

A bit of sour cream or crème fraîche will also provide a hit of creamy, tangy relief with each morsel. This combination takes the latkes in a decidedly Jewish deli direction and will certainly hit on nostalgic food memories. One bite and you may be ready to pull out the stops with other hearty and warming deli favorites like matzo ball soup.

For a variation that hits on a well-loved fall taste pairing, add some grated sweet potato to your standard latke mixture and top each pancake with a piece or two of fried sage. The sweet potato adds an extra luscious and sugary note to the pancakes and the sage brings a hint of savory nuttiness and crunch. The fried sage also looks (and smells) particularly enticing if serving for a gathering. 

Both the latkes and the fried sage will benefit from resting on paper towels or brown paper bags after frying to absorb excess oil and keep them crunchy. Although you could fry the sage leaves before the sweet potato pancakes and leave them to rest, they are at their most appealing when freshly fried. This way, the oils from the leaves are still emitting their fragrant goodness when they hit the plate. A drizzle of honey takes this pairing over the top.

Grated zucchini can lighten up the sometimes potato-heavy feeling of latkes, and the addition of pomegranate syrup on top provides a welcome punch of piquant sweetness, bringing a note of Middle Eastern flavors to the plate. Zucchini does tend to have a good bit of water content though, so perhaps use a paper towel to absorb some of that moisture from the grated squash before incorporating it into the potato mixture. This will keep it from becoming a gloopy mess. 

A food processor is a super helpful tool for any latke attempt, but you can also easily use a hand grater for the potatoes, onions, or additional elements like zucchini, particularly if you are making a modest-sized batch. For an extra special touch, scatter pomegranate arils on top for a next level presentation and a juicy pop.

Vegetal and yet with a decided sweet profile, shredded beets make a welcome addition to a potato pancake mixture. They also lend a bright hue to the latkes and the flavors really sing when dotted with crème fraîche, which lightens up the enterprise with a clean, bright creaminess. 

The texture of the beets also gives latkes some dimension, as the root vegetable lends a firm yet tender bite when cooked through that appreciably matches the spud element. Delving into food culture and history, beets make a lot of geographic sense as a latke addition since they are a popular ingredient in traditional Eastern European dishes, and latkes themselves come from the region. As with all of these latke additions, frying times with different vegetable additions will vary slightly, so be sure to keep your eye on the stove while cooking.

Another fall flavor winner is butternut squash and its addition to run-of-the-mill latkes brings a harvest feel to the party. Incorporating this sweet vine-grown gem into potato pancakes is also an innovative use of extra squash that you may have lying around from Thanksgiving. In fact, you may find yourself pulling out this spin on latkes to enjoy them as a fresh element (and new tradition?) with your turkey leftovers. 

Additionally, rather than leaning into applesauce for dipping on this one, consider sweet and smooth apple butter which gives these potato pancakes an almost rustic dessert-like vibe. A sprinkle of dehydrated apple pieces and perhaps a hint of cinnamon powder would lend a pleasing textural contrast and unexpected warming final touch for this one. Tart and sweet cranberry relish could also make a welcome leftover appearance as a butternut squash and apple butter latke condiment.