Ukrainian Deruny Potato Pancakes: Authentic Recipe & Tips

These are classic Ukrainian potato pancakes, also known as deruny. They work well for breakfast, as a main meatless dish, or as a side. Serve warm with sour cream for the best flavor. This easy recipe takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.

If you enjoy pancakes, consider trying other varieties such as buttermilk pancakes or cheese pancakes (sirniki).

Deruny are made by finely grating potatoes and onions, then mixing them with egg, a bit of flour, salt, and a touch of baking soda for lightness. In Ukrainian homes they are a staple—simple, comforting, and quick to prepare. My family always served them with a spoonful of sour cream, which complements the mild potato flavor perfectly.

Traditional method and tools

Traditionally, a hand grater with star-shaped holes is used to grate potatoes and onion. It takes a bit of elbow grease, especially when making larger batches, but the texture and flavor are worth it. A helpful tip: wear gloves while grating to protect your fingers from accidental scrapes.

Many modern appliances promise to speed up the process, but those who swap the grater for a food processor often notice a difference in texture and flavor. For authentic deruny, I recommend sticking with hand grating. In my experience it took about 11–12 minutes to grate four large potatoes and one onion—reasonable for an old-fashioned method.

Why use grapeseed or light vegetable oil?

Grapeseed oil or a light sunflower oil is ideal for frying deruny. These oils have a neutral flavor and a high smoke point, so the pancakes brown nicely without becoming oily or tasting greasy. Heavier vegetable or canola oils can sometimes overpower the delicate potato flavor because deruny tend to absorb oil while frying.

Ingredients for Ukrainian potato pancakes (Deruny)

• 4 large Yukon (Yukon Gold) potatoes (about 2 lbs)
• 1 small yellow onion (about 4 oz)
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Grapeseed oil (or light sunflower oil) for frying
• Sour cream to serve

Yukon Gold potatoes are preferred here for their texture and color; they don’t brown as quickly as russets and give a pleasant, creamy interior. Use a regular yellow onion rather than a sweet onion; the onion juice also helps prevent the grated potatoes from browning while you work.

How to make Deruny

• Peel the potatoes and onion. Line a sieve over a large bowl to catch juices while grating.
• Grate potatoes and onion using the star-shaped side of the grater, alternating between them. The onion juice helps keep potatoes from browning.
• Pour off most of the liquid collected under the sieve, but reserve the potato starch that settles in the bowl—do not wash it away. Add the grated potatoes and onion back into the bowl with the starch.
• Stir in the egg, flour, salt, and baking soda until well combined. The batter should be thick but still spoonable.
• Heat 2–3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spoon heaping tablespoons of batter into the pan about 1 inch apart.
• Fry until golden brown, about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain briefly and repeat with the remaining batter.
• Serve deruny warm with a dollop of sour cream.

The batter will be thick but still loose enough to spoon and form into small pancakes. Fry until both sides are nicely golden.

Serve deruny warm with sour cream or your preferred accompaniment.

Quick recipe summary

• Prep time: about 15 minutes (including grating)
• Cook time: about 8 minutes
• Total time: about 23–30 minutes
• Servings: makes roughly 16 small pancakes