Trader Joe’s Latke Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes are what they sound like: pancakes made with potatoes, a binding agent of some kind, and seasonings. They’re popular in parts of Europe and the Middle East. A latke is a specific variety of potato pancake traditionally made by certain Jewish groups in preparation for Hannukah.

Trader Joe’s sells foods from all over the world, so it’s not a surprise to us that the grocer would stock a latke potato pancake.

Trader Joe’s Latke Potato Pancakes can be found in the frozen section of your local TJ’s. They come in a 10.6-ounce box with 8 pancakes. In 2025, they cost $3.69. That comes out to around 35 cents an ounce or 46 cents a pancake.

The front of the box says — as you would expect — that these are kosher. The box also says they should be kept frozen and the pancakes should be cooked from frozen.

These pancakes contain potatoes, cracker meal (wheat flour), onions, water, canola oil, egg whites, eggs, salt, and white pepper. Two pancakes have 150 calories, 6 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 350 milligrams of cholesterol, and 22 grams of carbohydrates, including 2 grams of dietary fiber, which is a 10:1 carbs-to-fiber ratio.

As allergens go, they contain egg and wheat and may contain soy.

The box offers three cooking methods: oven, pan fry, and air fryer.

To cook in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the frozen potato pancakes on a baking sheet, bake for 8-10 minutes, flip, and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and serve.

To pan fry, preheat the pan over medium heat. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the frozen potatoes to the pan (be careful here, as the potatoes may have ice crystals and could splatter a little) and cook 4-6 minutes. Then flip and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes on the second side or until cooked through. Remove from heat and serve.

To air fry, place the desired number of potato pancakes in a single layer in the air fryer. Cook for 5-6 minutes at 390 degrees or until cooked through. Carefully remove and serve.

We used the air fryer. We found that we needed about 7 minutes for them to be hot on the inside. Your mileage may vary.

We thought these were pretty good. The seasonings make it a different flavor than hash browns or even other kinds of potato pancakes we’ve had in the past. The box suggests topping them with sour cream or applesauce: we tried sour cream and we thought it complemented it well, a bit like you might get by adding sour cream to a baked potato.

The Verdict:

Trader Joe’s Latke Potato Pancakes represent a unique ethnic-inspired food. They’re kosher, seasoned, and pair well with sour cream. If you’ve never tried a latke before, this is worth trying.