Lefse
The Norwegian Christmas flatbread: thin, soft rounds of potato dough cooked on a dry griddle, then spread with butter and sugar and rolled up.
Make Ahead and Storage
Keeps in a sealed bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezes for 3 months, with sheets of baking parchment between them.
Making Lefse
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Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes, until very tender. Drain well and let them steam dry for 2 minutes.
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Put the hot potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl, or mash them until there are no lumps at all. Mix in the butter, cream, salt and sugar until the butter has melted.
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Spread the mixture out on a tray, cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
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Work the flour into the cold potato with your hands, just until a soft, smooth dough forms. Divide it into 12 balls, about 90 g each.
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Roll each ball on a well-floured surface into a very thin round, about 30 cm across and 2 mm thick, dusting the pin and the surface with flour as needed.
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Heat a large dry non-stick frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Cook each lefse for about 1 minute on each side, until pale with brown speckles. Stack them between two clean tea towels to stay soft.
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Spread with butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, roll up and serve.
Worth Knowing
- Rice the potatoes while they are still hot. Lumps do not disappear later, and they tear the thin dough when it is rolled out.
- Chill the dough well and work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest cold. Warm dough sticks to everything and is hard to lift.
- Keep the finished lefse covered with a towel. They dry out and turn brittle within minutes in the open air.
Some Background
Lefse is the soft, thin flatbread of Norway, and for Norwegian families in Norway and in the American Midwest it is the food of Christmas. It is made from mashed potato mixed with a little butter, cream and flour, chilled until firm, rolled out until it is almost transparent and cooked on a dry, hot griddle until it is dotted with pale brown spots. The result is a soft, pliable round, about the size of a dinner plate, that is spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar or cinnamon sugar, rolled up and eaten with the fingers. In Norway the cooking of lefse varies from valley to valley, and there are versions made with flour alone, or cream, or sour milk, but the potato lefse of the immigrant communities in Minnesota and North Dakota is the one best known in America, and there are lefse festivals and clubs. Potatoes came to Norway in the eighteenth century and quickly became the staple food, and the flatbreads followed. The dough is soft and fragile, and it has to be handled with a light touch. Use floury potatoes, put them through a ricer while they are hot so there are no lumps, and chill the dough well so it is firm enough to roll. Roll each piece paper-thin on a well-floured surface, and cook it fast.
What to Put Next to It
Butter and sugar · Hot coffee · Smoked salmon
Common Substitutions & Variations
- Double cream won't whip if you swap it, but for the cooking itself, full-fat crème fraîche or a lower-fat single cream works in its place.
Questions About Lefse
How long does Lefse take to make?
About 1 hour 25 minutes of hands-on work — 40 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking — plus 4 hours of Chilling, so allow 5 hours 25 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 12.
What are the key tips for making Lefse?
Rice the potatoes while they are still hot. Lumps do not disappear later, and they tear the thin dough when it is rolled out. Chill the dough well and work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest cold. Warm dough sticks to everything and is hard to lift. Keep the finished lefse covered with a towel. They dry out and turn brittle within minutes in the open air.
What should I serve with Lefse?
Butter and sugar; Hot coffee; Smoked salmon.
Can Lefse be made ahead or frozen?
Keeps in a sealed bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezes for 3 months, with sheets of baking parchment between them.
Is Lefse suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegetarian. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Lefse?
About 179 kcal per serving, with 3 g protein, 26 g carbohydrate and 7 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Lefse Nutrition Facts
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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