This delicious potato kugel is based on my friend Lauren’s recipe and she swears by using red-skin potatoes. The cup idea comes from my husband’s best friend Adam’s mom, Geanie (what a mouthful). Hubby remembers going to their house on Saturday nights and raiding the fridge for these cups. The best part about them is that every piece is a crusty corner piece, so nobody has to fight over that coveted crunch.
MORE: BROWSE ALL OUR KUGEL RECIPES
Make Ahead Tip: While potato kugel will be at its best made fresh (refrigeration or freezing will cause it to lose some crunch), you can make it ahead and even freeze it with these instructions.
1. Slightly under bake, cool completely , wrap tightly and freeze.
2. Thaw at room temperature, reheat, uncovered at 375°F for 10 minutes.
Potato Kugel Cups
Servings
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 large Idaho potatoes
- 1 large onion quartered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Liberally oil six (4- to 6-ounce) glass dessert dishes or custard cups with 1 to 2 tablespoons of evoo each. Place custard cups on a baking pan.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and, as you peel potatoes, place them in cold water to prevent browning.
- Place the pan of cups in 425°F oven to heat up the evoo (be very careful with glass, extreme temperature changes can cause it to shatter) .
- Beat eggs in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper, mix well, and set aside.
- Pour ¾ cup of evoo in a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat.
- Cut potatoes lengthwise into halves or quarters so they fit into food processor feed tube. Process potatoes and onions using the blade that creates thin, shoestring-like strips.
- Transfer potatoes and onions to a large bowl, add egg mixture and heated oil from stovetop, mix very well. Remove any large pieces of potatoes or onions that weren’t processed properly.
- Remove heated cups from the oven and spoon potato mixture evenly into hot, oiled cups.
- Bake at 425°F for 1 hour. If the sides are still pale, cook for 20 minutes longer until the tops look crunchy and sides look golden and browned. Loosen edges with a knife, unmold and serve on a platter.
Tips:
- To make this as a potato kugel pie, bake at 425°F in a 9-inch round glass baking dish for 1 hour 20 minutes, depending on desired crunchiness.
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So it is heavy on the oil – I love it like that but you can certainly get away with using less oil – about a 1/2 cup should work well. Also, if you fill each 6-ounce cup to the top then it should be sufficient but it’s possible if your potatoes are really large that you may need an extra cup.
One time saver is to buy shredded
potatoes during the year and use them for this recipe…Much easier.
I have never seen pre-shredded potatoes… where are they in the refrigerator section? How cool. Would definitely save time!
WOW thanks so much – enJOY (and you’re special too!!!)
It’s really! hard to get food to stay crispy once it’s been in the fridge and then reheated for shabbos on a hot plate or in a warming drawer. One thing I am careful to do is not cover it completely otherwise the moisture and condensation that comes from reheating just drips back into the kugel and makes the top wet and soft. I cover it loosely with a piece of foil and flip the foil every once an a while before too much moisture can develop.
thanks so much for your feedback!
seems like a lot of oil for 6 large potatoes. is 3/4 cup correct?
Also says 6 custard cups, seems like to much potato for 6 custard cups?
YES YES YES!!!! Nothing better than receiving a comment like this!!! Oh Rene I am so happy! EnJOY!
You have recaptured my childhood! I have searched for recipes for the kugel cups to be as good as when I grew up. They never were until I tried your recipe. They look the part and they are the part! thank you!
yes of course (I used to do it like that all the time when my food processor broke 🙂 just work quickly so the potatoes don’t brown/oxidize.
Hi, I’m trying this recipe without a food processor – will it still work if I grate all by hand?
I keep the potatoes once peeled in ice water to prevent browning (and as I cut them to size for the food processor feed tube I return them to the ice water) but after shredding if you work quickly they should absolutely not brown. Watch the video and as per the instructions shred the onion first, the eggs should be beaten, seasoned and ready to go, the oil/pan should already be warmed etc… then it’s just a matter of quickly (and carefully – its HOT oil!) combining everything and getting it into the hot oven.
Should I rinse the potatoes aftet they have been shredded in the Cuisinart? If not, will the potatoes turn grey?
6 large – I always use red skin potatoes now. Enjoy!
Hi what weight approximately for a large potato & for a large onion
about 1 pound
PLEASE advise how many red skin potatoes to use
I’ve made these and they are fabulous
interesting — I have never tested it that way but I do have this salt and pepper noodle kugel recipe
http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/salt-and-pepper-noodle-kugel/ and this spinach noodle kugel recipe http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/spinach-noodle-kugel/
which you can do with any type of noodles you like!
This looks so delicious. Could fine noodles be used instead?
sure I don’t see why not
Hello! I just saw this recipe and it looks great – ‘love recipes with very few ingredients! Question: Can one use schmaltz instead of olive oil? I look forward to your response – thanks!!
No matzo meal? Does it hold together without it?
yup no matza meal!
Hi Dlbs and Happy Passover to you! So happy you are enjoying the site… so I don’t advise making the mixture the night before — BUT these reheat nicely so you can in fact bake them the night before and rewarm – but rewarm loosely covered with a piece of foil so as not to form too much condensation since we don’t want them to get soggy — I usually just lay a piece clean tin foil on top when re warming on my hot plate (and check it and flip it if condensation starts to form)
No need to squeeze out any liquid just include everything – super easy
Hi Dlbs and Happy Passover to you! So happy you are enjoying the site… so I don’t advise making the mixture the night before — BUT these reheat nicely so you can in fact bake them the night before and rewarm – but rewarm loosely covered with a piece of foil so as not to form too much condensation since we don’t want them to get soggy — I usually just lay a piece clean tin foil on top when re warming on my hot plate (and check it and flip it if condensation starts to form)
When you take the shredded potatoes out of the Cuisinart, do you press out the extra liquid or include it? Thanks!
tried pot. kugel cups and found them very good with exception. too oily and too salty. I will try again with less oil and salt and post my findings. thanks for all the great recepies
Jamie, I am so excited about making this for my family this Monday evening. Please, can you tell me if it’s “doable” to prepare the mixture the night before, for baking the next day? I don’t know if the mixture holds up by keeping it overnight. – and thank you SO very much for sharing your beautiful recipe and many helpful replies above! Happy Passover to all.
8×8 — if using a 9 x 13 you will need 9 LARGE! potatoes — and of course will have to adjust all the other ingredients to 1 1/2 times the recipe, enjoy 🙂
Hi Jamie,
Can I use a 9×13 glass baking dish or an 8x8x2 glass baking dish?
I always use glass but I know people make them in cupcake pans and even disposable cupcake tins — just make sure each is well greased/oiled. Let us know how it comes out.
do these come out well if done in cupcake tins ?
ahhh yay!!! I love this idea and embarrassed I didn’t think of it myself 🙂 sounds gorgeous and delish!
oy vey so sorry – large as in VERY LARGE! you want each potato to be btwn 12-16oz, ideally closer to 16 – but in that range should be fine. Also you can cook it longer to set it — once the top is to your liking loosely cover with foil (usually I just lay a cut sheet on top (not wrapped around the edges bc I don’t want to lose the crisp) and keep it going for another 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees F
Double Oy Vey! Following your 6 potatoes approximately 12 ounces each and then multiplying to use an 8×11″ glass pan, I used approximately 6 pounds of potatoes. I had enough to fill a glass pan that was 10×14″ to the brim! Haven’t finished baking yet but we are sure going to have a lot of left over! LOL
that is a double OY VEY – 6 large potatoes at around 12 ounces each can work for a deep dish 9-inch round or a deep dish 8 x 11-inch for a larger crowd I use 9 potatoes and bake in a deep dish 9 x 13-inch pan
whaaaat!!???!!! I love this idea!!! am totally steeling and and going to try it. much easier than standing by and manning 4 frying pans at once and I won’t smell like i just came off a shift at a fast food restaurant!
I actually go back and forth and use either or I find red skinned to be creamier in consistency they also don’t brown as quickly once peeled.
lol I usually double it!
This is a go-to favourite in our family!! I’ve added a full pound of fresh spinach, processed down in the machine, directly to the mix and added an extra egg for a colourful, healthy cup. Or shredded carrot. Or even red cabbage! Everyone loves it and it’s great for a crowd, or after school snack. Freeze a few and use them for breakfast! It is a flexible side dish that’s genius in the perfect pre-measured size. Thank you for changing our routine!
I made this potato kugel for the first time this shabbos, and it was UNBELIEVABLE. It went so quickly; I wish I had made a second one! Awesome recipe!
When I made it, it was a runny mess and very oily. When you say 6 large potatoes…what do you mean poundage wise? That might have been my problem.
How come you friend whose recipe it is specifies red skinned potatoes but you specify Idaho potatoes- completely different & I’m sorry if I missed it but can you address this.
Since I don’t have custard cups or muffin tins for Passover I added 2 tablespoons of matzo meal and using an ice scream scoop placed mounds full on my silicon cookie sheet. It yielded about 24 latkes with crisp edges and much enjoyment from my sons. May sure your sheet has an edge or liquid may run off before latkes seal.
Thank you… I will be taking this for a large Seder and really appreciate the reheat instructions.. You really are SPECIAL.
Hi All — so happy you are loving these as much as we do. Ok so this is what I do regarding reheating – but please note it will never be as incredibly crispy and perfect when enjoyed straight out of the oven/or soon thereafter but if out of the oven is an A+++! this is how I reheat for an A result: once cooled using a knife I loosen and unmold and place in a pan or tin in the fridge. When reheating I do a few things. 1. Make sure the kugel cups are not overcrowded in the pan, 2. wipe away any moisture in the pan that may have accumulated in the fridge 3. use a fresh piece of tin foil or turn the tin foil that was on top of the pan upside down this way you don’t have any of the condensation/moisture that accumulated dripping down into you cups as they warm, making them soggy. 4. I loosely cover them by just laying a piece of tin foil on top (don’t secure and close) just enough to trap in the heat but not enough to steam the cups — all these tips help them retain and regain their crispiness from fridge to hot plate/oven. *Note when making this a large round the crispy top effect is really ruined by the fridge — the best you can do is follow the tin foil tips above — the cups have crispy bottoms an sides that do retain some crisp when reheated as per above.
I am thinking of using this for a large Seder , could these be done ahead and reheated without losing the quality and crispy tops.?
This was delicious! Any tips for reheating? It didn’t stay crispy on Shabbat. We left it in the big Pyrex pan and put it on the hot plate.
This was delicious! I baked it in a 9″ glass pie plate. My Cuisinart, too, has only a medium blade, and it works fine, thought I suspect a finer shred would hold together a bit better. I would definitely go with the red skinned potatoes — they add a nice bit of moisture and make the kugel lighter. My guests really appreciated that it did not have any matzo meal in it, so no matzo taste.
I AM SO SO SO SO happy! Thanks for the feedback.
MMMM! Baked latkes – less mess and burnt oil smell in the house. And fewer calories, to boot! Those in the photo are made of VERY FINELY shredded potatoes. My Cuisnart does not have such a blade, just medium shred. I’ll try it, anyway.
enJOY!
I fixed it.
I love how these look – so delicious and so pretty. Thanks
YAY – they are!
my Cuisinart is broken and I was wondering if I could buy shoestring potatoes and then follow your recipe? I want the crunch and thought paper/foil lining muffin cups would work. I would have to adjust cooking time. any advice?
Ingredients are not posted!
sorry fixed
for some reason when I look at the recipe the ingredients do not show, only the instructions
– can you please list the ingredients?
thank you
Can you use muffin tins? How would this change the baking time?
Well, can you use the muffin tins or not? I would rather do it that way and have 12 done at once.
The answer is yes you can use muffin tins the bottom and sides won’t be as crispy as when you use glass but will still taste delicious and look good and make for easier cleanup – just be sure to oil the cups well for easy removal.
hi, they look delicious, i will try to make them tomorrow… for the seder. Can i cover them with baking paper instead of foil?
My mom used to put yeast in her kugel, can I do it with this recipe?