The Best Frozen Latkes You Can Buy and Ship

I’m a pretty stubborn latke cook. Even well into a Hanukkah party, when others have graciously offered to step in on the stove or told me there are, in fact, already enough latkes to feed an army of Macabees, I persevere at my task. Call me a perfectionist. Call me a kvetcher. But I have a lot of opinions about making latkes and I’ll see them through.

I understand that not everyone shares that passion. And I get that frying a batch of latkes can leave your home smelling like grease and onions for weeks (a Hanukkah miracle!) and create a heck of a mess. For anyone who prefers not to fry their own latkes, there are — a welcome surprise to me — some great, pre-cooked options out there. You can acquire potato pancakes from delis all over the country, including notable names like Manny’s Deli and Russ & Daughters, via Goldbelly. And there are a few packaged brands in grocery freezer aisles too. Armed with apple sauce and sour cream, I gathered some of the Eater team to taste through some of the top contenders.

Note: Nearly all the latkes arrived at the same time and were stored together, first in a freezer and then defrosted in a fridge. While some brands recommended reheating with a frying pan or oven, the Eater office is only equipped with a toaster oven, so that’s what we used.

Nat Belkov

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OUR FAVORITES

Russ & Daughters

New York

It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see Russ & Daughters among our favorite latkes. The thick, crispy pucks were a healthy size. A torrent of tight potato strips burst forth from the inside, but there was enough binder in there to keep the shreds from spilling all over the plate. Even someone who hates the word “mouthfeel” had to use it to compliment the texture.

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Kenny & Ziggy’s Delicatessen

Houston

Many of the latkes delivered to our New York office didn’t arrive in great condition, but Kenny & Ziggy’s was an exception — the Texan latkes showed up ready to play. One taster described them as the aesthetic Platonic ideal of latke. Though some found them a bit too salty, that extra sodium helped bring out the latkes’ strong flavors and accentuated their hefty crust.

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Barney Greengrass

New York

Looks can be deceiving. Case in point: The Barney Greengrass latkes, which are shaped a little too much like pickled cow tongues for comfort. But once you get past that unsettling association, you’ll be rewarded with a light, fluffy interior. The flavor was oniony and a touch sweet, with a noticeable herbal kick.

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Zabar’s

New York

After a delivery snafu, the Zabar’s latkes almost didn’t make it to the Eater tasting, which would have left a giant hole in our lineup. Luckily, the spuds aligned, and we can confirm that Zabar’s makes a pleasingly crunchy latke whose potato shreds are nicely textured and whose flavors and salt are dialed in. A solid contender.

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Golden Potato Pancakes

In stores

The puny pucks of potato in a pack of Goldens (say that 10 times fast) may not look like much, but they hide some surprising flavor. The interior was creamy and the exterior crispy, almost like a mashed potato dumpling. The flavors were balanced and the latkes reheated well. Turns out Golden is the little latke that could.

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THE REST

Linda’s Gourmet Latkes

Los Angeles

We don’t know who Linda is but she’s got the Goldbelly market cornered. A quick search for “latkes” on the site turns up a dozen listings for all manner of Linda’s latkes: big or small, potato or sweet potato, gluten-free or green onion. The standard latkes we ordered reminded us of McDonald’s hash browns, though considerably lighter in color, and with potato shreds that didn’t hold together very well. A bland flavor upfront and a peculiar, bitter aftertaste turned us off this one.

Zingerman’s Delicatessen

Ann Arbor, Michigan

One tester, who spent some teenage years making latkes in the kitchens at Zingerman’s, described the greasy sheen on these latkes, fresh from their vacuum-sealed chamber, as having an afterbirth-like appearance. The tasting sort of went downhill from there. Too much binder caused the latkes to become soft and spongy, and the bland flavor didn’t redeem the aesthetic problems.

Mile End Deli

New York

Mile End’s latkes, visibly speckled with flecks of herbs, look almost like veggie patties, with a slightly orange but not unattractive tinge. The shredded interior felt a little dry, though somehow the latke also left an oily aftertaste (and that’s saying something for a latke). Overall, it might not be worth writing home to Montreal about this one.

Attman’s Deli

Baltimore

Slicing into an Attman’s latke was like opening the back end of a paper shredder. Without enough binder, the potato shreds quickly fell apart. Unfortunately the flavor wasn’t much better; someone described it as the musty essence of a Ramada Inn. (It probably didn’t help that the latkes were shipped to New York in leaky paper takeout containers.)

Manny’s Deli

Chicago

We’re a bit confused by the Manny’s latkes. With their distinctly yellow tinge and gummy texture, they almost appeared to be cornbread masquerading as latkes. The potato flavor isn’t terrible, but it’s hard to get past the consistency.

Trader Joe’s

In stores

At first we thought that Trader Joe’s had simply slapped its logo on a package of Golden latkes, as they do with some items. The latkes were the same size and shape as the Goldens, but one bite immediately separated the wheat from the chaff (or the spud from the skin in this case). Not only were TJ’s latkes different, they weren’t quite as good as their generic counterparts. While there was a nice helping of onions, the overall flavor was metallic, which gave way to a sour aftertaste. Which is not exactly what we’re after when we’re celebrating the Festival of Lights.