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
Deruny is the Ukrainian name for potato pancakes. Made with freshly shredded potato, these pancakes are fried and served with sour cream (smetana).
To make deruny, grate the potato and combine the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well and then spoon the mixture into a hot pan with oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown and cooked through.
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)
Deruny (Ukrainian Potato Pancakes)
Ingredients
- 5 medium-sized potatoes
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1/3 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/3 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, for frying (might need more)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, then wash and dry them. Then 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.5 medium-sized potatoes
- Add the flour, egg, salt and pepper to the bowl.4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 egg, 1/3 teaspoon salt, 1/3 teaspoon black pepper
- 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 is normal. Just make sure to work quickly.
- Heat a bit of olive oil in a frying pan. Spoon small neat portions of potatoes 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!2 tablespoons sour cream
Notes
- You can use any kind of potato, but if you need a recommendation, try using Russet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, white potatoes or Idaho potatoes.
- Instead of grating the potatoes by hand, 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 will change color due to oxidation.
- If you fry the deruny in a lot of oil, place them on a plate with a paper towel or napkin after frying so that the excess oil can be absorbed.
- Enjoy the deruny warm out of the pan when they are crispy.Â
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
Is there a way I could do these in the air fryer?
We haven’t tried making potato pancakes in the air fryer yet, but you probably could. We use ours almost every day. Depending on your air fryer, the potato mixture might be a bit too runny and might drip through the slots/holes of the air fryer tray. In that case, make sure to squeeze the potatoes very well and try adding a bit more flour so that the texture is firmer. You can also place a bit of parchment paper down first (it’s not ideal since the air can’t circulate that well, but it’s fine). If you have an oven-style air fryer with baking sheets, it would be pretty easy. As for time and temperature, I would probably try 380 degrees Fahrenheit for roughly 10-14 minutes and flip the pancakes after roughly 7 minutes (once they have cooked enough that they stay together). I’m just guessing here though – and it can also vary by air fryer so keep a close eye on them the first time. I hope that helps! /Lisa