Norwegian Lefse Recipe | How to make perfect lefsa every time (2024)

CulturerecipesThe Latest | November 21, 2020

I’m no grandma, and this isn’t my grandma’s Norwegian lefse recipe either.

I have rolled out hundreds of pounds of potatoes perfecting this lefse recipe over the last 20 years. One of my first jobs as a teenager involved rolling lefse at a Scandinavian bakery. I’ve made just about every mistake — ahem, learned every trick in the book, along the way. Follow this guide and you’ll have perfect Norwegian lefsa, too!

Watch the lefse tutorial video on Youtube

What you need to make Norwegian lefse

  1. It’s not Norwegian lefse without high fat dairy. You need full-fat heavy cream and butter because it aids in the elasticity when rolling to get perfectly thin, transparent sheets. I like grass-fed European butter for its sweeter flavor — plus, it typically has a higher fat content.
  2. A good rolling setup: Pastry rolling board with cover and a ridged rolling pin with a rolling pin cover — because, you can’t get paper thin lefse without these tools.
  3. Lefse stick. Trust me, you need this stick.
  4. Potato Ricer. The worst thing that can happen is lumps when rolling because they gunk up the pastry board and rolling pin and the lefse will rip. A potato ricer ensures an even mash. This inexpensive gadget will change your lefse game. Also, a potato ricer is the perfect quick fix when you want mashed potatoes for just 1-2 people!

Do I need a lefse griddle?

You might notice there’s no griddle on the essential list. Before I invested in one I used a pancake griddle on the stovetop and made small sheets of lefse. So, if you don’t want to invest in a griddle more specific to cooking lefse, be sure to roll your sheets the proper size to fit your setup. But, keep in mind that a griddle is great for more than just lefse! Try it for par-baking pizza crusts, flatbread, tortillas, pancakes and more.

Is it lefse or lefsa?

It’s lefse (don’t believe me – check Wikipedia). So why the use of lefsa in this article? To help people who use this popular mis-spelling to find my recipe. I made the hard decision between looking wrong, and being found!

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The best Norwegian lefse recipe

Quantity disclaimer!
The Norwegian lefse recipe below for 5 lbs of potatoes makes about 40 sheets of lefse and takes me about 2 hours to roll and cook.

Day 1: Potato Prep

  • 5 lbs potatoes (Russet work well due to their high starch, and low moisture content.)
  • 1 stick of butter

Because you need the potatoes to be really dry and cool for lefse, cook ’em up a day ahead of time.

Start a large pot on the stove and heat to boiling while you:

  1. Wash and peel 5lbs potatoes.
  2. Use a paring knife and be sure to remove any eyes or tough/dark spots from the potatoes that the peeler missed — tough spots won’t rice evenly and will make a sticky mess out of your whole operation when you get to cooking.
  3. Dice the potatoes for even cooking — plus, it makes them easier to rice.
  4. Boil until they are soft when tested with a fork.
  5. Drain the potatoes.
  6. Rice the potatoes while they are still hot.
  7. Mix 1 stick of melted butter into the hot, riced potatoes.
    Last, pat the warm, buttery riced potatoes into a 9×13 pan and let cool uncovered on the counter for an hour to steam off any extra moisture. Remember how I said dry potatoes are the best?
  8. Put the pan in the fridge overnight – I leave it uncovered.

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Day 2: roll and cook!

Because my mixer is not big enough to take on all 5lbs of potatoes at a time, I break it down into 4 cup increments — 5lbs of riced potatoes should net about 10 cups, lightly packed.

Per every 4 cups of lightly packed, riced potatoes as prepared on day 1, add:

1.5 C flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
½ C heavy cream

Plus, keep a generous amount of extra flour on hand. Don’t be stingy here! I load the pastry rolling board and rolling pin cover with about 1/3 cup of flour to start. Then, in-between rolling each sheet I add another sprinkle to the board and cover to keep them slick.

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Preparing to bake lefse

  1. Mix the lefse dough: Blend the riced potatoes, sugar, flour, salt, and heavy cream until well integrated.
  2. Prep your dough into patties: This is a time-saver once the rush of rolling and grilling lefse begins. Roll the dough into balls slightly larger than a golf ball and press gently between your palms. Place back into the 9×13 pan, and put the pan back in the fridge so the dough stays cold.
  3. Pre-heat your cooking surface to 400: You may be able to go a touch hotter if you have a fast approach. My husband and I usually tag-team: one rolling and one flipping and can crank it up to 450.
  4. Prepare your rolling surface: Sprinkle the rolling pin cover and pastry board generously with flour and rub it in well.

How to roll and grill lefse

  1. I only pull out a couple of patties of dough from the fridge at a time so the dough stays nice and cold.
    Put another generous sprinkle of flour on the pastry board. Then, drop your patty on the board, and put another generous sprinkle of flour on top of it.
  2. Roll it out until you can see the print from the pastry board peeking through.
  3. Grab your lefse stick and gently slide it under the sheet.
  4. Slide the lefse stick gently back and forth the entire width of the sheet, making sure the sheet is completely free from the pastry board, or it will tear when you try to lift it.
  5. With the lefse stick in the center of the sheet, gently lift it off the board and transfer to the griddle: place one edge on the griddle and roll the stick beneath the sheet toward the opposite end, until the entire sheet is on the griddle.
  6. After about 45 seconds, or when the lefse has some light brown marks, flip it over and grill it for another 30-45 seconds.
  7. Lastly, let each sheet cool thoroughly before stacking, or the delicate sheets will collect moisture in-between and stick.

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Pro tips for making lefse

  • I keep a sharp, flat knife on hand to quickly scrape down any sticky spots on the pastry board or rolling pin because, even the smallest sticky spot can cause the lefse to rip. For that reason, I scrape them down quickly and drop some extra flour on any offending areas.
  • Once your sheets are dry stack them 2-3 thick and fold into half or quarters so they will fit in storage bags. You can store lefse in the fridge for a couple weeks, or freeze — I have enjoyed lefse from the deep-freeze a year later!

Lefse FAQ’s

Do I really need a lefse stick?
It’s a magic stick that will release your delicate lefse easily from the rolling surface. You do really need this stick.

Can I make gluten free lefse?
I’ve never tried it! If you have any tips for gluten-free lefse, please leave them in the comments, below!

Can I make dairy free lefse?
YES! I have successfully made this recipe by replacing the butter with lard, and cream with almond milk.

Norwegian Lefse Recipe | How to make perfect lefsa every time (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between lefse and lompe? ›

Lompe or potetkake is the smaller version of the potato lefse, and usually made with only boiled potatoes, flour and salt. It is often used in place of a hot dog bun and can be used to roll up sausages. This is also known as pølse med lompe in Norway.

Why is my lefse falling apart? ›

Flip it with the lefse turner to help keep both sides evenly floured. If you find that this first ball is very brittle and keeps falling apart, you need to add a bit more cream to the dough mixture in the fridge.

Is it lefse or lefsa? ›

What is lefse? (Sometimes misspelled lefsa.) A Scandinavian soft potato-based tortilla-like bread, but bigger and thinner. Traditionally rolled and eaten with butter and sugar, or even plain, although my grandmother liked to roll up meatballs.

Why is my lefse chewy? ›

Rubbery lefse is due to too much flour and overworked dough. If you find that your lefse dough is a bit sticky try placing it in the fridge to cool before you decide to add more flour. And be careful not to overwork your lefse dough, this will break down the gluten and make your lefse very tough.

How healthy is lefse? ›

Moreover, Lefse is a source of essential minerals like magnesium, calcium, copper, and iron, supporting various body functions from bone health to red blood cell production. Its vitamin content is equally impressive, with vitamins A, B-6, B-12, C, E, and K1 present.

Do you put lefse in the fridge? ›

Refrigerate or freeze your lefse as soon as it arrives. If you plan to eat your lefse within the next week it can be refrigerated. If it will be longer than a week, put it in the freezer. Our lefse freezes beautifully and you can freeze it for up to six months, even if it has already been frozen once before.

How to keep lefse soft? ›

Pro tips for making lefse

Once your sheets are dry stack them 2-3 thick and fold into half or quarters so they will fit in storage bags. You can store lefse in the fridge for a couple weeks, or freeze — I have enjoyed lefse from the deep-freeze a year later!

Why are the edges of my lefse crispy? ›

Sometimes the edges cook faster and start to dry out. You can flip them up with the lefse stick so keep them from getting crunchy.

How sticky should lefse dough be? ›

Add 1 cup of flour to 4 cups of chilled potato dough, mix until just combined. Check the dough, it should not be so sticky that it gunks up your hands when you shape into a ball. Add a bit more flour if you have to, to get it right.

What does lefse mean in Norwegian? ›

Origin of lefse1. First recorded in 1980–85; from Norwegian, a derivative of leiv “slice of bread, flatbread, pancake,” from Old Norse hleifr “bread, loaf,” from Germanic hlaibaz; loaf 1( def )

Is aluminum or Teflon better for lefse grill? ›

If the grill will only be used for lefse, most people prefer to use the aluminum finish. If you would like to use your grill for everyday cooking of pancakes, eggs, bacon, steaks, sandwiches, injera & lefse, you are best off to purchase the Non Stick finished grill. Both grill surfaces brown the lefse the same.

Do people in Norway eat lefse? ›

In Fjord Norway, the Vestlandslefse (lefse from Western Norway) is very popular. This is the sweet version with sugar and cinnamon. “A similar version is the tjukklefse (thick lefse), which also has a sweet filling,” Karlsen says. Another popular treat is the krinalefse.

Do you eat lefse warm or cold? ›

Serve lefse warm or at room temperature, spread with softened butter and rolled into a cylinder or folded into quarters. Add sugar or cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat.

Can you use a crepe maker to make lefse? ›

How to Cook Lefse. If you have a lefse griddle, you're set for success. Because it isn't common to have one lying around, simply use an extremely clean large nonstick skillet, or if you're lucky enough to have an electric crepe maker, use that instead.

What is the difference between lefse and Lomper? ›

Lomper (also known as potetkaker) are considered to be a small variety of potato-based lefse. Today, lomper are widely served with savory or sweet fillings. In particular, you'll find pølse i lompe or “a hot dog wrapped in a lompe” all throughout the country.

What is another name for lefse? ›

Here, lefse is also often called lemse. The Norwegian baking traditions also include a great variety of buns – called boller – and bread, our favourite food.

Is lefse just a tortilla? ›

Lefse is a Norwegian flatbread that is a lot like a tortilla, but more delicate. After from intense research (Wikipedia), I found out that lefse is traditionally served with lutefisk, whitefish meat (often cod) and lye.

What is the best way to eat lefse? ›

The typical way of eating lefse is with a spread of butter, sugar and sometimes cinnamon. But did you know that during Christmas, some Norwegians eat their lefse with meat in it? This tradition is especially strong in the eastern parts of Norway, in the region today called Viken.

What does lefse mean in English? ›

ˈlefsə plural lefsen. -sən. or lefses. : a large thin potato pancake served buttered and folded.

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