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How do you make latkes with kids?
Making latkes with kids: a simple potato latke recipe, which jobs a 3-, 5- or 8-year-old can do, how to keep little hands away from hot oil, and easy toppings.
The short answer
Give kids the jobs away from the stove: washing potatoes, cracking eggs, mixing, squeezing the shredded potato dry in a towel, and shaping patties. An adult grates if a box grater is used and does all the frying. A basic recipe is about 2 pounds of potatoes, 1 onion, 2 eggs, a third of a cup of flour or matzo meal, salt, and oil for frying.
Make latkes with kids by splitting the work: children wash potatoes, crack eggs, stir, wring the shredded potatoes dry in a dish towel and shape small patties, while an adult handles the grater blade and every minute at the hot pan. Foods fried in oil are a Hanukkah tradition because they recall the oil that lasted eight days (Hanukkah 101, accessed November 12, 2026). Latkes are the most famous of them, and they are forgiving enough for small cooks.
A simple recipe (makes about 16 small latkes)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes (4 to 5 medium)
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup flour or matzo meal
- 1 teaspoon salt, a few grinds of pepper
- Neutral oil for frying (about 1/2 inch in the pan)
- To serve: applesauce, sour cream or Greek yogurt
Method
- Scrub the potatoes. Peeling is optional; the skins add color.
- Grate the potatoes and onion on the large holes of a box grater, or use the shredding disc of a food processor.
- Pile the shreds in a clean dish towel, twist it closed, and squeeze hard over the sink until almost no liquid drips out. Dry potatoes mean crisp latkes.
- In a big bowl, beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Add the potato, onion and flour. Mix with clean hands or a fork.
- Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until a shred of potato sizzles right away.
- Drop heaping tablespoons into the oil and flatten gently with a spatula. Fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden.
- Drain on a rack or paper towels, sprinkle with a little salt, and keep warm in a 200°F oven while you fry the rest.
Jobs by age
Ages 2 to 3
- Scrub potatoes in a bowl of water with a vegetable brush.
- Tear paper towels for the draining tray.
- Stir the applesauce into a serving bowl.
- Count latkes onto plates (once they've cooled).
Ages 4 to 5
- Crack eggs into a separate small bowl first, so shell bits are easy to fish out.
- Measure the flour and salt.
- Squeeze the towel. This is the favorite job: it's messy and needs muscle. Two kids can twist opposite ends.
- Mix the batter with hands.
Ages 6 to 8
- Use a food processor with an adult watching, pushing food down with the plunger, never fingers.
- Shape patties and line them up on a tray for the cook.
- Set the oven to warm and move finished latkes in with oven mitts.
- Make a topping bar.
Ages 9 and up
- With close supervision and long sleeves, older kids can slide shaped patties into the pan with a spatula and flip them. Decide based on your child, not the calendar.
Hot oil and little hands
Frying is the one part young children stay away from. A few rules that work:
- Set a "no-go" zone. Tape a line on the floor about three big steps from the stove. Kids help from the table side.
- Back burners and handles in. Fry on a back burner with the pan handle turned toward the wall.
- Lid nearby. If oil ever catches fire, slide a lid over the pan and turn off the heat. Never use water.
- Cool before touching. Put finished latkes on a tray out of reach for a few minutes before kids handle them.
- Watch the splatter. Wet batter spits. Squeezing the potatoes well cuts down on popping.
If a small burn does happen, cool it under cool (not icy) running water for several minutes and call your doctor for anything bigger than a small coin, blistering, or on the face, hands or groin.
Baking instead of frying
If the stove feels like too much this year, bake them. Brush a sheet pan generously with oil, heat it in a 425°F oven for 5 minutes, then press scoops of batter flat on the hot pan. Bake about 12 minutes per side. They won't be quite as crisp, but kids can help with more of the steps, and the oil still connects to the story.
Toppings kids love
- Applesauce, plain or with cinnamon
- Sour cream or yogurt with chives
- A drizzle of honey
- Smashed avocado
- Sweet potato latkes with maple
Set out small bowls and let each child build a plate. Picky eaters often try one bite if they "made" the topping.
Beyond potatoes
Once the basic latke works, try zucchini (squeeze it even harder), carrot-and-potato for color, or sweet potato. Older kids can invent a family version and name it.
Many families also fry sufganiyot, jelly-filled doughnuts, on another night. They're a bigger project; a store-bought box and a "fill your own" squeeze bag of jam is a fun shortcut.
Make the kitchen part of the story
Kids remember the night they squeezed the towel and got potato juice everywhere. Take a photo of the messy counter. Write down who made what. If you're building a keepsake of your family's eight nights, a personalized Hanukkah book can include your kitchen and your latke cooks. See the Hanukkah sample.
Related reading
FAQ
Can I make the batter ahead?
Not for long. Grated potato turns gray. Mix right before frying, or fry ahead and reheat in the oven.
How do I keep latkes crispy?
Squeeze the potatoes very dry, keep the oil hot, don't crowd the pan, and drain on a rack.
Are latkes safe for toddlers?
Yes, cooled and cut into small pieces. Skip the crispy edges for very young eaters if they're hard.
