Passover Potato Kugel Recipe

Kugels are part of a Jewish tradition and find their way to the table for Jewish holidays and Shabbat. This Passover Potato Kugel, however, eliminates dairy and flour, using grated potatoes in place of the more traditional noodles. Grated onion adds a lot of flavor, and the eggs allow it all to come together as a moist, creamy casserole.

If you have a food processor for grating the potatoes and onion, the meal prep for this dish is very quick.

Jump to Recipe

Want to make this recipe perfectly the first time? I want to help with that. So, check out this Table of Contents to see which sections of this post will help you the most.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
• 🔪 Recommended Equipment
• 📝 Instructions Overview
• 🎯 Why This Recipe Works
• ⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
• 👩‍🍳 Tips for Success
• 🧊 Can I make this dish ahead?
• 💡Ideas for Possible Variations
• 🏔️ Making This Recipe at High Altitude
• Passover Potato Kugel

Kugel is the Yiddish / Jewish word for casserole and has been a mainstay dish in that culture for centuries. It's typically made with noodles, eggs, sour cream, and cottage cheese, and can be either sweet or savory. Sweet kugels usually include sugar and cinnamon.

This dish shouldn't be confused with other potato casseroles, such as a potato gratin since no dairy nor flour product is generally served at a meal during Passover. Matzo is used in place of bread, for example.

Most potato kugels have the same ingredients, although many include matzo meal, and change primarily in the ratio of eggs to potatoes. The more eggs, the creamier the kugel. The fewer eggs used, the more it will be like a hash brown casserole. This recipe strikes a balance between the two.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• Very few ingredients. You only need 4 ingredients plus olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Easy meal prep. If you have a food processor for grating the potatoes and onion, the meal prep goes very fast.
• Make-ahead friendly. Make this ahead if your oven will be busy with other dishes.
• Flexible. If you're making this dish other than for Passover, you can add other ingredients, such as cheese.

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📝 Instructions Overview

Detailed instructions for making this potato kugel are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview!

Step 1

Prep the baking dish. Place the baking dish in the oven and preheat it to 400˚F.

Step 2

Prep the potatoes. The fastest way to do this is by using a food processor with the grater attachment. If you don't have one, use a hand grater with the largest holes.

Transfer the grated potatoes to a large bowl and cover them with water.

Step 3

Prep the onion. Peel the onion and grate it the same way you used with the potatoes.

Step 4

Whisk. Whisk together the eggs, salt, and pepper until very frothy.

Step 5

Assemble. Transfer the potatoes to a colander to drain them. Add the grated onion. Nest a large bowl on top, and press the bowl into the colander to squeeze as much moisture out of the potatoes and onion as possible.

I recommend flipping the potatoes and onion at least once and repeating with nesting the bowl to squeeze out additional liquid.

Transfer the potatoes and onion into the large bowl, and add the frothy seasoned eggs and potato starch. Mix everything together very well with a wooden spoon or your hands.

Step 6

Bake. Remove the baking dish from the oven and pour in some of the olive oil. Use a basting brush to spread it around to evenly coat the bottom of the dish.

Spoon the potato-egg mixture into the baking dish, and spread evenly. It should sizzle when it first hits the oil.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the center of the kugel feels firm to the touch. The top will be crispy and browned.

🎯 Why This Recipe Works

• Heating the baking dish before adding the olive oil and potato mixture ensures that the bottom of the potato kugel will crisp.
• Soaking the potato removes some of its starch and eliminates the risk of a gummy potato kugel.
• Grating the potatoes somewhat resembles the pasta used in a traditional kugel. Grating the onions adds a lot of flavor to the kugel. There aren't a lot of ingredients, so the onion flavoring keeps this dish from being bland.
• Whisking the eggs until frothy gives the baked filling of the kugel a lighter texture while staying creamy.

⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time

• Purchase frozen hashed brown potatoes instead of shredding your own. However, if you have a food processor, it doesn't save much time since you must thaw them first.
• Using a food processor with the grater attachment makes the prep work for this recipe go very quickly.
• If you have a countertop toaster oven, you can save a lot of time preheating the oven.

👩‍🍳 Tips for Success

Keep an eye on the kugel during the final 15 minutes of baking to ensure it doesn't overly brown. If it reaches a crispy topping before the center is cooked, cover the dish with foil and continue baking until done.

🧊 Can I make this dish ahead?

Yes. You can make the entire dish ahead and store in the refrigerator or freezer using the following guidelines.

• Once the kugel is completely cooked and cooled, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350˚F oven.
• The best way to store this potato kugel in the freezer is to cut it into serving pieces. Once the kugel squares reach room temperature, store them in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

💡Ideas for Possible Variations

Traditional potato kugel uses schmalz instead of olive oil, which adds a little extra flavor. Since schmalz is essentially rendered chicken, this recipe uses olive oil. To add a little more flavor to the kugel, you can add ½ cup grated cheese to the potato mixture before spreading it in the baking pan.

But to keep it acceptable for Passover, be sure to use cheese that is specifically approved and certified for Passover. The label will be marked.

🏔️ Making This Recipe at High Altitude

The only adjustment you'll need to make is the baking time. At 7100' I bake this kugel for 55 minutes.

Don't have time to run to the grocery store? Order the ingredients for this recipe using Instacart (affiliate link). Just click on the Instacart button in the recipe card below, and the ingredients will all be organized for you on their site. Plug in your zip code, choose the store you prefer, and select the ingredients you want delivered to your home.