Kugel is a quintessentially Jewish dish that is best described as a baked pudding. The dish originated over 800 years ago in Germany and quickly became popular with Jewish families throughout Eastern Europe. There are many kinds of kugels—noodle kugels, sweet kugels, savory kugels. Slow cooking overnight kugels developed because Orthodox families were not allowed to cook during the hours of Shabbat. During the Passover holiday, noodles and sweets take a back seat to dairy-free and flour-free potato kugels, which are served alongside other holiday classics like brisket, roast chicken and matzo ball soup.
For the past several years I’ve been refining my potato kugel recipe. My goal was to create a kugel with the soul of a latke– one big, fluffy, sliceable latke that can serve a large crowd. I’ve learned, over time, to keep things simple… potatoes, eggs, onions and fat, a little starch, some salt and pepper – that’s all you need to make a great kugel. The rest is all about technique.
I used to put matzo meal in my kugel to bind it, but have since switched over to potato starch (the “secret ingredient” I use to make crispy, amazing latkes). The starch makes for a lighter, fluffier texture inside… it’s also gluten free for those who have dietary restrictions. Over time I learned to preheat my baking dish, a technique I picked up from my sister-in-law. This step produces a really brown, beautiful crust on the kugel that simply can’t be obtained by oven cooking alone.
This Passover Potato Kugel is everything a kugel should be… crispy on the outside while soft, fluffy and tender inside. It’s like one enormous latke, an irresistible addition to any Seder table. I highly recommend the schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) if you can swing it. If you prefer to keep it meat-free, use olive oil and it will still be very, very tasty. Enjoy!
Note: I am always working to make my recipes better. I have improved this recipe and reposted it with new pictures. If you’re looking for the old recipe, leave a comment and let me know. I plan to post another”improved” potato kugel recipe with Sephardic spices in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Passover Potato Kugel
Ingredients
- 5 pounds russet potatoes (about 10 medium-sized potatoes)
- 2 whole large onions
- 6 eggs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 tablespoons potato starch (if not serving for Passover you may substitute corn starch)
- 1/4 cup schmaltz or extra virgin olive oil, divided (schmaltz gives amazing flavor; use olive oil to keep it vegetarian)
Instructions
- Place a 9x13 baking dish or pan in the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees, letting the dish heat up inside. Peel the potatoes, then use a food processor or hand grater to grate them into large shreds.
- Place the potato shreds in a large mixing bowl and cover with cold water. Let the shreds sit for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and shred the two large onions in the food processor or with a hand grater. Reserve.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper until fluffy.
- Drain the potato shreds in a colander, pushing down firmly on top of the shreds with your hands to push out the excess liquid.
- Place grated potatoes in a large bowl. Add the seasoned eggs, grated onions and potato starch to the bowl. Use your hands to mix all ingredients together until well combined.
- Take the preheated baking dish out of the oven. Quickly pour in 3 tbsp schmaltz or olive oil, then use a pastry brush to carefully spread the fat around the bottom and sides of the hot dish. Careful, don't burn yourself! The hot dish, while a bit difficult to navigate, will help to form a beautiful brown and crisp crust for the kugel.
- Carefully and quickly spread the potato mixture into an even layer in the baking dish (it should sizzle!), then drizzle remaining 1 tbsp of melted schmaltz or olive oil across the top.
- Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 60-70 minutes until the top is nicely browned all across the top. If it seems to be browning too fast (before the center is cooked), cover the kugel to keep it from over-browning. You really want it to have a nice golden crust-- at the end of cooking, if it's not quite brown enough, you can put it 6 inches below the broiler for a minute or two to evenly brown it all across the top. This kugel tastes best served hot directly from the oven. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
NOTES
Nutrition
I follow a lot of your recipes and noticed that in your latke recipe you recommend frying in grapeseed oil. Can I also use that in the potato Kugel instead of olive oil?
Absolutely! This recipe is not fried so it’s not necessary to have an oil with a very high smoke point, like grapeseed. However, grapeseed will work just fine here if that’s what you have on hand. Olive oil lends a little more flavor, but overall it won’t make much of a difference in the end result.
Can i cook it at 325 for 2 or three hours instead?
Thanks
I do not recommend this, it will dry out and become tough.
I made this for a passover at a friends house. I have never before made a kugel in my life and this turned out great! I did cook it prior to going over to their house. I made it mid day and let it cook for 60 minutes. I took it out of the oven and let it cool to room temp. When I got to their house we put it in a 250 degree oven until it was time for dinner. 5 mins before dinner I stuck it under the broiler so that the top was nice and crispy. It was perfect and no fuss. I received rave reviews. Thank you!!
Great! I made it for our Seder this year, too. 🙂
Thanks for posting the recipe! My grandma (from Transylvania) always did her potatoes (for latkes) in a blender, with water, to get a smooth consistency, then squeezed all the water out through a cheese cloth. Yikes now THAT is a lot of work, potato peeling and onion and matzo meal everywhere! I’m going to try this today, cook 80%, refrigerator, finish tomorrow for my seder in place of latkes. Mostly I’m looking forward to avoid filling my home with the greasy latke atmosphere. I’ll let you know if it is well-received by my latke-loving family.
Hi Torey,
Can I use sweet potatoes or purple potatoes? I want to add a little color. Or even carrots? Can I substitute Matzo Meal for Potato Starch? Thank you
Hi Sarah– yes, I think these would all work, though bake times may need to be adjusted a bit– I don’t have exact timing.
Would also Suggest Organic Gold, which have a slightly longer Cooking time, and a Much Smoother, Crisp Flavor. Or if you Choose. Yams which are Often called Sweet Potato’s require quite a lot of Sugar, which I use either Organic Raw Turbinado, or Agave (a Sweet Syrup twice the Sweetness of Sugar, made from a SW Desert Cactus. Doesn’t Affect the Glycemic Index of those with Diabetes).
Real Sweet Potato’s are White inside, require Less Cooking time, and are So naturally Sweet, one would want to be Careful in How Much Sugar of Any variety used in your Dishes. Shalom!
If I use frozen hash browns instead how many bags of hash browns or how many ounces?
Can I add crushed garlic to this for a bit of extra flavor? If so, should I cook it a bit with some of the onions and butter (which I plan to use instead of shmaltz because I have a vegetarian coming)?
Yes, absolutely.
Can I prepare and bake this kugel on Sunday and reheat for seder on Monday? Or does it need to be freshly prepped and cooked same day as serving?
thanks much
susie
I do not recommend reheating this kugel, it is best served fresh. Check the other comments for additional feedback on this question.
How about cooking it 80% day before and finishing it next day? Does that work?
I don’t recommend this.
Can I use matzah meal in place of the potato starch? I use the basic ingredients for latkas and always use matzah meal.
thank you
You can, yes. I prefer using starch because it seems to make a lighter, fluffier center than matzo meal. But both will work.
I can’t wait to try this recipe, I’ve only made noodle kugel, so this will be new. What I would like to know can you use green onions or shallots instead of regular onions, some of my guest have a sensitivity to regular onions. Hope to hear from you soon.
Hi Lynn, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We have not tried this recipe with those modifications, thought I imagine shallots would work nicely!
If i’m hosting a passover for 20 people and want to make enough of this delicious-looking recipe for everybody, it seems like I need to use a bigger pan than 9×13. The next one I have is a 13×15 pan. I’m not sure what to do to modify the recipe. Any advice?
Hi Zach– I entertained 20 people at my Seder, and I ended up making two of the kugels in two separate pans, which turned out to be just the right amount.
I dont have a food processor and dont really want to hand grate. Can I use frozen shredded potatoes?
Yes, but if the frozen shreds are pre-seasoned you may want to cut back on salt and pepper, or the kugel could end up overly salty.
My kugel looked beautiful, just like yours, but was mushy inside. Cooked, but kind of wet. I tried to get all liquid out of potatoes. Is it supposed to be like that? I think maybe next time I’ll use one onion to reduce liquid. Love your recipes. Thank you!
Hmm that has never happened to me. Perhaps bake it a bit longer? You can also cut an onion, and be sure to squeeze out all the excess liquid from the shreds in the colander.
This is like the recipe from my mom circa 1960; I add mixture to super sizzling clear glass baking dish and top with sprinkles of paprika and cinnamon.
Hi Tori – First time mom making her first seder! Can I prep this dish in advance? I would love to make the mixture over the weekend and leave it in the fridge until ready to bake. If you don’t recommend it, please let me know. Thanks!
Hi Liz – I don’t recommend it, the mixture will become sludgy and will take on an unattractive grey color.
My mom told me a little secret to keeping the potatoes from turning grey..mix a cap full of white vinegar into potato mixture..it has no taste and the potatoes stay white..
Tried the recipe and loved it!!!
We will be tripling the recipe and cooking this delicious dish for a big gathering soon.
Quick question:
Am wondering if the recipe can be made using a large “hotel/chafing dish pan” (as we will be serving it on a buffet line in a chafer warmer)?
Would the stainless steel conduct heat properly for this recipe.. and can this type of pan survive the preheating with the schmaltz?
Hi Hal, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We have not made this recipe using that particular kind of cooking pan, so unfortunately I cannot advise or guarantee results. My worry is that the pan would be too thin to work well.
Hi Tori.
I hate vegetable oil. Can I use sunflower oil instead please! Thank you
Hi Vivienne, the recipe calls for olive oil, not vegetable oil. But yes, you can use sunflower oil as a sub.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Have you ever tried freezing it? I am looking for a potato kugel recipe that freezes well. Thanks!
Some kugels freeze well, some don’t – does this one? Thanks!
Hi Nancy, Tori’s assistant Ashley here! Tori has frozen this recipe in the past, though personally she doesn’t recommend it. The texture is somewhat dry and unappealing when you reheat it.
This is such a fantastic potatoe kugel. It is delicious and turns out beautiful each time? Thanks for sharing !