The Most Minnesotan Lefse Drive-Thru Stand is Now Open for the Holiday Season

For many families of Norwegian or other Scandinavian descent, lefse is a staple for the holidays. I know it is at my house, at least! Minnesota has a large Scandinavian population, so it's much more common here than elsewhere in the US.

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What is Lefse?

Even though we have so many Scandinavians here, I still know plenty of people who have no idea what lefse is, so I'm here to educate you! Lefse is described as a Norwegian flatbread. It's like a tortilla but made with potatoes.

The traditional way to eat lefse is with butter and white sugar all rolled up in the lefse. However, many people have their own variations. I know some people who prefer brown sugar, lots of people use jelly, and others sprinkle on cinnamon.

I've heard that some people make their lefse savory with beef or eggs in the middle. That feels wrong to me, but you do you! It probably tastes really good.

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How to Make Lefse

My husband and I inherited the tradition from my grandparents of making lefse for our family Christmas each year. It's fun! We have the lefse griddle, lefse stick, and special mat to roll the lefse on.

I think everyone who has had lefse would say that fresh, homemade lefse is the best way to enjoy lefse. However, it's a finicky and time-consuming thing to make from scratch.

I remember the first time we made lefse, it took us literally all day. But now we've gotten the hang of it and can usually get our big batch done in a few hours.

Here I am working on our very first attempt at lefse dough 6 years ago!

If you don't know someone who can make you lefse, or if you just are NOT going to take the time to do it yourself (totally fair!), there's a spot in Minnesota you may want to pay a visit to to get your lefse fix.

Minnesota Lefse Drive-Thru is Open for Business

Each holiday season since 2020, Kim Englund has been selling lefse at a tiny deer stand-turned-drive-thru every Saturday morning during the holiday season.

She's been making lefse for a while, and she told KARE 11 that she would typically sell them at Christmas vendor shows. But when COVID hit and those closed, she got creative. Her husband found a deer stand, they transformed it into this lefse drive-thru stand, and the rest is history!

When the stand is open, which is only for a couple of hours every Saturday morning, there are always quite a few people who show up to buy her lefse. She sells it for $6 per pack (3 lefse per pack), and she has to make lefse every night in order to make sure she has enough for the following Saturday. Now that's commitment!

The lefse drive-thru is now officially open for the 2025 holiday season! You can find Kim Saturday mornings from 10 AM - noon off of County Rd. 1 north of Evansville, which is northwest of Alexandria along 94.