The 50 best potato varieties at a glance

  Potatoes can be blue or yellow, small or large, long or oval, mealy or firm. We present you the best 50 varieties of this great tuber.

potatoes are offered in a wide variety of varieties. 

There are more than 5,000 potato varieties worldwide; around 200 alone are 

cultivated in Germany, the country of origin. 

This was not always the case: Particularly in the 19th century, 

when the potato was a staple food and there was a strong dependency on the plant, 

monocultures and the susceptibility of the few cultivated varieties to plant 

diseases such as late blight led to immense crop failures in Ireland between 1845 and 1852, 

resulting in a major famine. 

The range of varieties grown here cannot compete with the approximately 3,000 

local varieties in Peru - part of the potato's home country. 

However, it is welcome that for some years now, 

old and rare potato varieties have been increasingly cultivated again 

by hobby gardeners and organic farmers.

Yellow, reddish, blue, floury, waxy or early, late: the differences in classification

Potatoes differ optically in size, tuber shape and color, and flesh color. 

Besides the consistency of the meat reaches from strongly mealy to 

firmly cooking and thus the tubers differ also in the cooking time. 

In addition, differences can also be seen in the duration of cultivation 

and the time of harvest, the height of growth, flowering, 

storability and susceptibility to plant diseases and pests.

The varieties are also very different in yield and intended use: While older and 

proven varieties tend to have lower yields, 

new varieties allow you to harvest abundant and long potatoes. 

In addition to table potatoes, 

there are also commercial varieties that are grown exclusively for starch production. 

Some of these are industrially processed into starch and glucose syrup, 

but they are also an important raw material for the chemical and paper industries. For hobby gardeners, 

on the other hand, these special commercial varieties bred for high starch yield are not interesting, 

as they cannot compete with the numerous varieties of table potatoes in terms of taste.

We have summarized the most important varieties 

for garden and kitchen use in the following sections with regard to selected criteria for you:

Proven potato varieties by skin color

iStock/Trebor corner shears Many blue and purple varieties lose some of their color when cooked

The skin color of potatoes depends mainly on the amount of anthocyanins, 

a group of red colorants that are also visible in the petals 

and autumn leaves of many plants. 

Anthocyanins are among the secondary plant 

substances and have a health-promoting effect as radical scavengers.

Yellow-skinned potato varieties

• Juliperle' is an early variety with cream-colored flesh
• Sieglinde' is an early variety with long oval to kidney-shaped tubers and a yellow, smooth skin. The yellow and spicy flesh is firm when cooked. It is the oldest variety approved in the German variety list
• Allerfrüheste Gelbe' is a variety with round oval tubers that grow to medium size. The skin is ochre yellow, the flesh fine and firm
• Goldsegen' is a high-yielding, extremely large bulbous and storable variety with oval tubers, yellow skin and yellow flesh. It delivers a high yield. Goldsegen' is well suited for baked potatoes, potato salad and French fries
• Linzer Delikatess' supplies long oval tubers with an ochre-coloured and smooth skin. The almost yellow flesh is firm when cooked

Flora Press/Potato variety 'Sieglinde Potato variety 'Sieglinde

• Floury Mühlviertel' forms round oval, medium to large tubers, the variety is, as the name suggests, floury in cooking and ripens late
• Ackersegen' came on the market in 1929. It is characterized by round oval to oval tubers which become medium sized. The yellow flesh is mainly firm and the tubers ripen very late. The variety has a good yield and is resistant to scab
• Barbara' is a modern cultivar with oval tubers that become somewhat narrower at the end and often have purple spots. It is a floury cooking variety
• Bamberger Hörnchen' supplies long and thin tubers with yellow to light pink skin. The nutty flesh is light yellow and firm in cooking. The land variety from the area Bamberg in Franconia is suitable outstanding for potato salad

Pink and red skin potato varieties

• Parli' is a variety with deep eyes, reddish skin and good taste. The tubers should only be peeled after cooking
• Désirée' forms large oval-shaped tubers with a bright red and smooth skin. The pale yellow flesh of the red potatoes is mainly firm in cooking and the variety is medium-early ripe. It is suitable for Rösti and potato salad
• Rossevelt', from the country of origin France, is a variety with elongated red tubers
• Linzer Rose' forms long oval, evenly distributed red skin tubers. The variety blooms pink. Its yellow flesh is mainly firm when cooked and is suitable for chips and potato chips.
• Late red' produces round tubers with salmon-red skin. The robust variety has a good storage life
• Ciclamen' with bright red tubers and cream-colored flesh is productive and hardy. It is one of the preferred varieties in organic farming and also recommended for the garden because of its robust health
• Highland Burgundy Red' is a small bulbous variety with a burgundy red skin from Scotland. Despite its robustness it is rarely cultivated in our region

Blue-skinned potato varieties

• Blue Swede' produces long-oval medium-sized tubers. The variety has a blue skin and light purple flesh. It is considered the most productive variety among the blue potatoes. The blue coloration disappears somewhat during cooking. Blue Swedes' is slightly floury when cooked and has many uses
• Viola' is characterized by purple flesh and a dark blue-violet skin. The meat tastes tender
• Blaue St. Galler' is a cross between the old variety 'Congo' and 'Blaue Schweden'. The potato tubers have a dark purple marbling and are suitable for vegetable chips, jacket potatoes and french fries
• Vitelotte noire' forms small oblong tubers, the smooth skin is black-blue, the flesh is marbled blue-white. The variety has been cultivated since the middle of the 19th century.
• Blue yellow stone' is characterized by small round tubers with blue skin and yellow flesh. The nutty tasting variety is suitable for fried potatoes, potato salad and gratin

Recommended potato varieties according to cooking characteristics

It is also possible to classify foods according to their cooking characteristics. 

Whether a potato variety is classified as floury (category C), 

predominantly firm (category B), firm (category A) or as an intermediate stage 

between the three categories depends primarily 

on the starch content of the tubers: Varieties with a low starch content tend to be firm in cooking, 

while varieties with a high content tend to be mealy. 

However, the starch content is not a fixed value, 

but also depends on the cultivation. 

The pregermination of the potatoes favors early ripening 

and a high starch content is reached early.

In general, the low-starch, waxy Category A potatoes are ideal for salads or fried potatoes, 

as they retain their shape during cooking and cutting. 

The mainly waxy varieties can be used for puree and soups as well as for jacket potatoes. 

A floury cooking potato variety is suitable for puree, 

gnocchi, dumplings and croquettes as well as for creamy potato soup.

Floury cooking varieties

• Alma' is a floury potato variety with white meat. It gives a good yield
• Augusta' stands out for its rough skin and the round, dark yellow tubers. It can be stored well
• Bodenkraft' is a potato variety with a yellow color, which is very resistant to scab and late blight
• Cosima' is very floury and forms large tubers
• Annabelle' is a very early variety, which is characterized by a fine taste of the tubers

Predominantly solid cooking varieties

• Eigenheimer' is a Dutch breed with a good nutty taste
• Hilta' is considered an all-rounder in the kitchen. The German variety from the 1980s has a rather rough yellowish-white skin
• Laura' is a predominantly waxy, red-skinned variety that is suitable for baking, among other things
• Ostara' forms large, round-oval tubers with flat eyes and light yellow flesh. The variety is a widely usable table potato

Solid cooking varieties

Flora Press/Visions La Ratte' is a firm cooking potato variety, originally from France

• Bamberger croissants' are thin and finger-long. They are especially suitable for potato salads and fried potatoes
• La Ratte' is a French variety that is used for gratin and casseroles with its nutty aroma. Even when already cold, the tubers develop their aroma
• Centifolia' forms round-oval tubers with light red skin. The white tuber flesh tastes slightly like chestnuts
• Nicola' is a widespread yellow-fleshed cardoon variety, which is often used for potato salad
• Rosa Tannenzäpfle' comes from England. Their skin is pale pink, the flesh is rich yellow

Early, medium-early, medium-late and late potato varieties

While early potatoes can still be harvested during 

the asparagus season when the cabbage is green (after about 90 to 110 days), 

late varieties wait until the potato plants have died completely above ground. 

If you want to be sure, wait another two weeks 

and then use the digging fork to get the tubers out of the ground.

The correct degree of ripeness of the fruits can be determined simply: If the skin of 

the potatoes can no longer be removed with the fingers, 

it is time for harvesting. 

Take care not to damage the tubers you want to store. 

Damaged specimens should be consumed immediately.

 Harvesting early potatoes

MSG/Martin Staffler Early ripe potatoes are already ripe in June

Shake off the soil from healthy tubers and store the potatoes 

in wooden boxes in a dark and cool place. 

Cellar rooms that can be well ventilated 

and have a temperature of four to eight degrees Celsius have proven to be ideal. 

You can also store the potato crates in the shed or in the cool attic. 

During the winter, check the tubers regularly 

and remove any rotten specimens immediately.

In each of the different ripening categories 

there are potato varieties that are rather floury, 

predominantly waxy or waxy. 

These varieties also differ, 

sometimes considerably, in skin color, shape and taste.

Early potato varieties

• Saskia' with large tubers and nutty taste is one of the first potatoes of the year
• Very early yellow' forms round tubers with dark yellow flesh
• Christa' delivers longish yellow tubers and is predominantly solid boiling
• Carla' is a high-yielding German breeding.
• Early Rose' has a light pink skin and yellow flesh

Medium-early varieties

• Pinki' forms oval tubers and a yellowish skin
• Prima' has light yellow tuber flesh and is relatively resistant to diseases
• Clivia' is a German variety, which is ripe medium-early and forms oval tubers with a yellow color. It is mainly firm in cooking
• Grandifolia' has elongated to oval tubers and an aromatic taste. It is predominantly solid and has a good storage life
• Quarta' is a round-oval variety with yellow tuber flesh. It is mostly cultivated in the south of Germany, where it is often used for dumplings due to its floury consistency
• Selma' has long-oval tubers, a light-colored skin and light-colored flesh. It is firm in cooking and is suitable for potato salad and fried potatoes

Medium late varieties

• Granola' is mainly solid cooking. It matures only in September and can be stored well
• Cilena' forms pear-like tubers with yellow flesh. It has a creamy consistency and remains yellow even when cooked.
• Désirée', a red-skinned variety (see above), also ripens mid-late

Late potato varieties

Especially the late ripening potato varieties are well suited for storage. 

The 'Bamberger Hörnchen' is one of the late varieties; another late ripening potato 

variety is the old 'Ackersegen', already described above.

• Raja' with red skin and yellow flesh is mainly firm in cooking
• Cara' is a good storage variety and largely resistant to late blight
• Fontane' delivers high yields and is still a relatively new variety
• Aula' can be stored well and forms round oval tubers with dark yellow flesh. It is rather floury in cooking and can be used for dumplings, mashed potatoes or stews.