Whether you are Team Sour Cream or Team Applesauce, no one can resist the crispy exterior and tender inside of a well-fried latke. But far less appealing is the inevitable oil splatter all over your stove and countertops, and the odor of fried food that seems to linger for days.
What if you could make delicious, crispy latkes this Hanukkah with only a spritz of oil, instead of a whole panful — with no mess and no odor? It may seem too good to be true, but the air fryer — 2019’s hottest kitchen appliance — is the secret to lighter, easier, yet just-as-tasty latkes.
An air fryer is essentially a powerful countertop convection oven. Like convection ovens, air fryers are equipped with fans that forcefully blow hot air around food so that it cooks quickly and evenly. When you brush or spray food with oil and cook it in the air fryer, the powerful fan circulates microdroplets of the oil around the food, which mimics the effects of deep-frying.
The results are sublime: golden brown, crispy latkes with a creamy inside, and no grease. Plus, an air fryer makes a great Hanukkah present.
Need to make the latkes in advance and reheat them? No problem! The air fryer actually makes foods crispier upon reheating by whisking away any moisture that has accumulated.
For more air fryer recipes, check out my my new cookbook Epic Air Fryer: 100 Recipes that Take Air Frying in Deliciously Exciting New Directions.
Latkes in the Air-Fryer
This technique cuts down on kitchen clean up and makes a fluffier latke.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled
- 1 white onion
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup matzah meal
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- oil for spraying
- applesauce and sour cream for serving
Instructions
- Grate the potatoes on the coarse side of a box grater. Place the grated potato in a bowl and cover with cold water to remove the starch. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes.
- Remove a handful of grated potato from the water and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Place drained shreds in a clean bowl. Repeat until all the potato has been drained.
- Grate the onion on the coarse side of a box grater. Squeeze to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Place drained onion in the bowl with the potato.
- Add the beaten egg, matzah meal, salt, and pepper to the onion-potato mixture and stir together with a fork.
- Scoop 1/3 cup of the mixture and form into a patty, squeezing to ensure the mixture holds together. Repeat to form 6 patties.
- Spray the basket of the air fryer with oil and place the patties in the basket, taking care not to overcrowd them. Spray the tops of the patties with oil.
- Cook at 375 degrees F for 8 minutes, then carefully flip the patties, spray the second side with oil, and cook for an additional 5 to 6 minutes, until browned and crispy. Remove latkes to an oven-safe platter. Keep warm in a 250 degree F oven.
- Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve latkes warm with sour cream or applesauce. To reheat latkes, place in the air fryer (no need for extra oil) and cook at 300 degrees F for 5 to10 minutes until heated through.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air-fryer
- Cuisine: Holidays
Wonderful stuff, I like garlic included mine.
★★★★
A tip to keep your potatoes from turning gray: Beat the eggs in a bowl first. Next, grate the onion into the eggs. Then grate the potatoes, squeeze out the liquid, and put the grated potatoes right into the egg/onion mixture and mix to coat. Then you can add your other ingredients.
Is it possible to air fry Golden’s Potato Latkes?
We haven’t tried it, but if you do please let us know how it turns out!
Must you put onion in potato mix if people don’t like it. Can I use something instaed
thank you
You can just leave out that ingredient if you don’t like it.
I adore my air fryer and have used it at least 5x weekly for last five years. I tried making latkes in AF once and although they came out delicious it took so long to cook them and the first batch was cold before I was half way finished with the remaining uncooked mixture. I find it faster and easier to line cookie sheets with parchment, place latke Pattie’s on on parchment, spray with oil spray bake half way through flip latkes and spray with oil continue baking. All latkes are hot and ready to eat at same time and not greasy with easy clean up
Sprinkle with an acid, vit. C powder, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
Thank You For AIR FRYER Recipe 👏🏼👏🏼♥️YUM❗️ Latkes LOOK GREAT ❗️ G-d♥️Bless
★★★★★
Yes, will try air fryer recipe this year. thanks, was going to try it this year but your heating and timing instructions are very helpful.
I followed the recipe to the letter. My latkes turned out undercooked, dry and not as flavourful as I expected. I will reheat them in a frying pan with more oil and some garlic powder. Hopefully that will rescue them.
★★★