Deruny (Ukrainian Potato Pancakes) - Recipes From Europe (2024)

Here’s A Tasty Deruny Recipe For The Perfect Pancakes!

Ukrainian deruny – also sometimes spelled deryny – are delicious fried potato pancakes.

Made from freshly shredded potatoes and a handful of other common ingredients, these Ukrainian potato pancakes are so easy to make.

Don’t forget to enjoy them with a big dollop of sour cream!

These deruny are very similar to our famous German potato pancakes (Reibekuchen) – which we often eat with apple sauce!

It’s always fascinating to see how there are similar recipes in different countries and/or regions.

Ingredients

To make this deruny recipe, here are the ingredients that you will need. They are pretty easy!

• All-purpose flour – To get the right consistency.
• Potatoes – Use medium-sized potatoes.
• Egg – You’ll need one medium to large egg.
• Salt – To add flavor.
• Pepper – To add flavor; add more to taste.
• Olive Oil – For frying the potato pancakes. Instead of olive oil, you can also use another oil, e.g. canola oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil or sunflower oil.
• Sour cream – For serving; this is optional of course.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

Before you follow this Ukrainian deruny recipe, be sure to read through these recipe tips so that you know what to expect and you get the best potato pancakes possible!

• Any kind of potato will do, but if you need a recommendation, try using Russet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, white potatoes or Idaho potatoes.
• Instead of grating the potatoes with a grater, you can also use the food processor to shred the potatoes – just don’t overdo it.
• Do not prepare the potato mass in advance since it might change color.
• If you fry the deruny in a large amount of oil, put them on a plate with a paper towel or napkin after frying so that the excess oil is absorbed.
• Enjoy the deruny warm out of the pan when they are crispy – they can go soft quite quickly.

How to Make Deruny – Step-by-Step Instructions

Here is exactly how you make these deruny potato pancakes. You can follow the steps and recipe photos in this section in case you want to track your progress as you cook!

The recipe card is at the bottom of this post for those who like reading the instructions without visuals.

Peel the potatoes, then wash and dry them. Next, grate the potatoes and put them in a bowl. Try to squeeze out as much potato juice as possible. It’s best to do this by hand.

Next, add the flour, egg, salt and pepper to the potatoes in the bowl.

Mix everything thoroughly. During mixing, more potato juice might separate which will need to be drained.

The potato mass will begin to darken quickly in the air – this is the result of oxidation and this is normal. But it’s a good idea to work quickly.

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a frying pan. Spoon small neat portions of potatoes into the pan and fry on medium heat for 4 minutes on one side.

Flip the deryny over with a spatula and cover the pan with a lid. Fry for another three minutes until fully cooked through and golden brown on both sides.

Repeat the frying process until you have used up all of the potato mixture. Add more oil to the pan as needed.

Place the finished deruny on a plate and serve with sour cream. Enjoy!

Storage and Reheating

Immediately after frying, the deruny are crispy, and after an hour they are already soft. So it is best to enjoy them hot and fresh out of the pan.

If you do have leftovers, you can store them in a sealed container in the fridge. The next day, you can either reheat them in a frying pan with a little bit of oil – or reheat them in an air fryer if you have one!

FAQ

Related Recipes

Here are some more Ukrainian recipes to check out if you really enjoyed these deruny!

• Red Borscht Recipe
• Nalysnyky (Mushroom Stuffed Pancakes)
• Galushki (Ukrainian Dumplings)
• Varenyky (Filled Dumplings)
• Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls
• Pampushky (Ukrainian Garlic Bread)
• Meat Rolls (Kruchenyky)