Potato Kugel

Name: Potato Kugel
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Israel
Ingredients: 1.2 kg potatoes; 2 onions; 4 eggs; 80 ml sunflower oil; 2 tbsp potato starch; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp ground black pepper

Local name: קוגל תפוחי אדמה

An Ashkenazi bake of grated potato and onion, cooked long enough to build a brown crust and caramelised edges.

Published on 21 August 2026

Gluten-free#potato#bake#onion#ashkenazi#holiday

AI-generated image, not a photograph of the dish

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 75 min
Total: 95 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Heat the oven to 190°C, pour 2 tbsp of the oil into a baking dish and put it in the oven to heat.
Grate the potatoes and onions alternately, since the onion juice keeps the potato from darkening.
Wring the gratings in a tea towel to squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
Beat the eggs with the remaining oil, the starch, salt and pepper. Fold in the gratings.
Pour the mixture into the hot dish, where it should sizzle on contact.
Bake for 70 to 75 minutes, until the top is deep brown and the centre is firm.
Rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

The preheated dish is the step that matters: smoking oil sets the bottom layer on contact and builds the crust Jerusalem cooks have chased for a century.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 521 kcal
Protein: 14 g
Fat: 24 g
Carbohydrate: 64.5 g
Fibre: 7.8 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Why must the dish and oil be heated before the mixture goes in?

Smoking oil sears the bottom layer on contact and builds the dark crust that defines a kugel. Poured into a cold dish, the mixture cooks slowly and the base stays pale and damp. It should sizzle audibly as it goes in; if not, the dish was not hot enough.

Why do my grated potatoes turn grey?

That is ordinary oxidation, which starts the moment the flesh meets air. The recipe limits it by alternating potato and onion through the grater, since onion juice slows the browning. Work quickly and get it into the oven rather than letting the mixture stand.

Why add potato starch if the gratings are already squeezed dry?

Squeezing removes the liquid but takes some of the binding starch with it. The added starch puts that binding back so the kugel holds together when you cut it. It also keeps the dish naturally gluten free.