Crispy and fried until golden on the outside, soft and potato-y on the inside — it’s no wonder latkes are a must-make whenever the holiday season rolls around. All you need is a handful of basic ingredients, a few pro tips for making latkes and a little bit of time and you can whip up a batch of potato pancakes worthy of a spot at your Hanukkah dinner. Looking for some fresh new inspiration? A classic recipe you can rely on? You'll find both, right here.

Celebrate Hanukkah with a latke board that’s bursting with all the classic trimmings—and then some. We offer many suggestions for sweet and savory toppings and sides to include, so choose favorites or go big and serve them all. Our easy latke recipe makes about 36 small ones, but they go fast so we suggest adding some sturdy kettle chips as a backup potato option.

There are plenty of ways to dress latkes up but we like this idea that calls for a spiced apple-pear sauce and sour cream. Every bite is sweet, savory and salty.

Potato latkes are an essential part of Hanukkah, but the whole house smelling like fryer oil is not. This recipe promises all the crispy pleasures of classic latkes, without the muss and fuss of big pans of hot oil.

Recipe developer Dana Beninati says, "Potato latkes are one of my favorite parts of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. I used to spend hours with my grandma, Florence, grating potatoes and frying them into pancakes for our family feasts. I think the whole street would smell like crispy potatoes when we were finally done. That being said, I don’t always have hours to spend in the kitchen these days! So, I created a recipe that tastes as good as the classic, but comes together in under 20 minutes thanks to store-bought shredded potatoes!"

For a less-traditional take on potato latkes, Molly adds shredded Brussels sprouts along with the potatoes. The latkes not only taste great, they look beautiful too. The perfect accompaniment? Her simple Balsamic-Dijon dipping sauce.

Skip the skillet with this hands-off method to “oven fry” latkes in a muffin tin for Hanukkah—or any time of year. It’s important to use both nonstick cooking spray and a splash of neutral cooking oil to prevent the naturally starchy potato batter from sticking to the tin. The result: 12 crispy, golden-brown, sizzling potato pancakes—and minimal cleanup.

Nigella takes a sweet route with her potato pancakes: "These are sweet, gorgeous fritters to be eaten straight from the pan and drenched with maple syrup."

Taking our inspiration from egg-yolk-filled raviolo, we tried stuffing a classic latke with an egg and found the crunchy exterior played along perfectly with the creaminess of a runny yolk. We added a dash of cayenne to cut through the richness and chives on top for a bright and herby finish. If you are nervous about handling an egg yolk without breaking it, try this trick: place the yolk in a small glass or teacup and gently pour it into the well of the potato mixture.

Latkes are a labor of love and eagerly awaited by all during the holidays, but they are often incredibly time consuming as they are fried individually. With this large skillet latke you get all the flavor and crispiness in a fraction of the time.

Molly gives her latkes a new twist by serving them with a savory, onion dip. She incorporates a subtle of sweetness with caramelized onions (instead of applesauce).

These crispy potato latkes get a gorgeous jewel tone from shredded beets and carrots. Perfect for any special, holiday celebration.

Rachael Ray adds grated carrots to her potato latkes for a hint of sweetness and golden color.

While the flavor profile of these latkes is a complete departure from a classic potato latke recipe, they fry up just as crispy and lacey as ever. The spiced relish starts with a base of caramelized onions for depth and dimension. We found that the addition of one russet potato in the batter lends just enough potato starch to keep the latkes creamy on the inside without detracting from the sweet flavor of the carrots and sweet potatoes.