Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
The outside of these mashed potato cakes are light and crispy. Inside they're warm and soft and slightly gooey from the melted cheddar cheese. They're truly little pillows of delight!
In the mashed potato mood? Also, try these mashed potatoes with cream cheese and garlic parmesan mashed potatoes!
Is there a better way to use leftover mashed potatoes? Nope. We don't think so either!
Potato cakes from mashed potatoes are lightly fried and served warm. Actually, they'll remind you of a little of a pierogi. You can sprinkle on some green onion and dunk them into sour cream ā you'll be in mashed potato cake heaven!
They're the perfect side to accompany any Sunday roast or the day after a special occasion meal when you have some leftover mashers. This is a fantastic way to not let any of those potatoes go to waste.
Ingredients needed
Here's what you'll need to turn your leftover mashed potatoes into delicious mashed potato cakes:
- Mashed potatoes: You can use leftover mashers or make them fresh, but make sure they're cold before incorporating them into the recipe. They're thick and good for shaping when cold instead of warm.
- Cheddar cheese: Grating the cheddar cheese from a block of cheese will produce the best results, however, if you're short on time or only have pre-shredded cheese in your fridge, you can also use that. The reason for this is because cheese that comes already shredded has other ingredients in it that prevents it from melting properly and can interfere with the taste of the potato cakes.
- Eggs: Use 2 eggs to help bind all the ingredients together to make your dough.
- Flour: You'll need a Ā½ cup of flour plus more for breading the potato cakes. The amount you need will depend on how runny or loose your mashed potatoes are to begin with.
- Oil: Use a neutral flavored oil like corn oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or grape seed oil. This is what you'll use to fry the mashed potato cakes.
- Garnishes: Sliced green onion adds some freshness and sour cream for dunking is the perfect tangy sidekick!
How to make mashed potato cakes
We love any combination that's both easy and cheesy! These mashed potato cakes fall into this category. Here's how to make potato cakes from leftover mashed potatoes:
- Combine your ingredients: Mix your mashed potatoes, grated cheddar cheese, eggs, and flour. It should form a sticky dough.
- Form your potato cakes: Turn the dough into 8 mashed potato patties and coat them with flour.
- Cook: In your cast iron skillet or non-stick pan heat some oil and drop 3-4 cakes in. Turn once they're golden brown and lightly fry the other side.
- Garnish & serve: enjoy the mashed potato cakes with sliced green onions and sour cream.
Tips for perfectly crisp mashed potato cakes
Sometimes things don't go quite as planned when you're in the kitchen ā but that's ok! Follow these tips to get perfectly crisp mashed potato cakes:
- Dough consistency: The amount of flour you'll need to keep the cakes holding their shape in the pan will depend on how much milk and butter you used in your mashed potatoes. If you have dough that's on the loose side, you'll need more flour to help it bind together and not fall apart while cooking.
- Be mindful of the amount of oil you use: The amount of oil you will need is dependent on the type of pan you'll be using. A cast iron pan will need more oil than a non-stick frying pan. This will impact how they brown and crisp up.
- Get the oil hot: Getting the oil in the pan hot enough will help make sure the mashed potato cakes don't taste too greasy.
- Give them space: Avoid overcrowding the pan when you put the potato cakes in. This will help them get nice and crispy. If they're too close together they will steam instead of fry.
Variations to try
The beauty of these mashed potato cakes is that you can easily make them exactly how you or your family like them. If you have other leftover ingredients from a big meal, you can incorporate them into your mashed potato cake side dish. Here are some variations to try:
- Cheese: You can incorporate other cheeses if you prefer, like mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, or feta.
- Meat: Try adding some chopped ham or crumbled bacon, pepperoni, tuna, or even some finely chopped leftover turkey is good!
- Veggies: Adding sliced peppers, spinach, or sweet potato is also a welcome flavor change-up and adds lots of nutrients, too.
- Combinations: If you add mozzarella and pepperoni you will get a pizza-style potato cake. Try using feta, peppers, and spinach to get a Greek-style mashed potato patty. If you use chopped ham or turkey and dunk them in leftover gravy this will taste like Thanksgiving dinner. Yum!
More recipes using leftovers
If you're making this recipe because you have leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, we have lots of other recipes for you to try. Here are a few of our turkey dinner leftovers recipes:
What to serve with mashed potato cakes
Let's pretend you already had the big meal and are using these mashed potato cakes as a side dish in a new meal, here are some ideas of what to serve alongside them:
- Pea Soup
- Grilled Mustard Chicken
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Steak Salad with creamy balsamic vinaigrette
- Bourbon Steak
- Lemon Pepper Fish
- Autumn Quinoa Salad
And for dessert:
Recipe FAQs
I don't have leftover mashed potatoes, will this work with a fresh batch?
Absolutely! If you're keen to make mashed potato cakes but don't have any leftovers in your fridge, you can make the mashed potatoes first and then follow the rest of this recipe to turn them into cakes. Just make sure your mashers are cold before incorporating them into this recipe.
Are mashed potato cakes the same as latkes?
Latkes are a traditionally Jewish potato pancake, made from shredded potatoes and don't usually incorporate cheese. So although you'll be making a potato cake, it won't have the same texture or flavor as a latke.
Why do mashed potato cakes fall apart?
This can happen when there's not enough starch to keep the cakes together. Try adding some more flour to the mixture if your dough looks too loose or runny.
Can you freeze mashed potato cakes?
Yes! Once they've cooled, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and freeze the potato cakes for a couple of hours. They should be completely frozen patties before you store them in an airtight container or reusable, freezer-friendly bag. They will keep for 2-3 months in the freezer.
More mashed potato recipes
Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Ā½ cups cold mashed potatoes
- 1 Ā½ cups grated cheddar cheese
- 2 large eggs
- Ā½ cup flour (plus more for breading)
- Neutral flavored oil (see notes)
- Sour cream and sliced green onions (to top)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the cold mashed potatoes, grated cheese, and eggs. Mix in the flour, adding more if needed, until the mashed potatoes form a soft and slightly sticky dough.2 Ā½ cups cold mashed potatoes, 1 Ā½ cups grated cheddar cheese, 2 large eggs, Ā½ cup flour
- Form the dough into eight balls then press the balls down to form patties. Put a little flour into a bowl and then coat each of the mashed potato cakes in flour so they are no longer sticky.
- Heat a splash of oil in a medium-sized cast iron or non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add half of the leftover mashed potato cakes. Let the cakes fry for 3-4 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy. Carefully flip the cakes over and fry until the other side is golden, too. Repeat with the remaining cakes.Neutral flavored oil
- Serve the leftover mashed potato cakes with some sour cream and green onions on top.Sour cream and sliced green onions
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our potato recipes!
Hi can I freeze these??
You sure can! Freeze them in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Once they’re frozen you can store them all together in a freezer bag.
LOVE…Easy and Yum ..No more waste of leftover potatoes. And I Do Thank You for all your recipes..Please send more..Just love the fact I do not need to spend a day shopping for 15 ingredients and 10 herbs..Times are Tough..Your Recipe is Amazing…Thank You
My kids are going to love them and I know now what we are going to have for dinner tonight. The potato cakes look absolutely delicious……and the sour cream on the side just makes it perfect!
Hope you love them as much as I do!!
Okay, you’re seriously making me want to make a mashed potato dinner for the SOLE purpose of having leftovers so I can make these cakes! Dying over all that cheese!
Ha ha … you totally should! It’s definitely worth it. š
Well, these potatoes got a nice photo makeover. And I can tell they taste amazing! Pinning to try soon.
Thanks, Suzy! They really were good. š
Hi Kristen,
I was just reading your monthly blog report this morning when your kind comment showed up on my blog. I need some inspiration and help on monetizing so I’m studying you! lol. Love that you do this š
I saw these gorgeous pancakes being shared on FB and knew they had to belong to you. Your lovely photography style is now familiar to me because I drool over your recipes!
Such a wonderful way to use up mashed potatoes. Going to use this for the morning after Thanksgiving Sunday to feed my houseful of company. Thanks so much!
I love that you knew they were mine! Seriously, that’s really awesome!
OMG, this is such a great throw back post. Love to see how far you have come. These mashed potato pancakes are the most delicious I have seen. Can’t wait to make “extra” mashed potatoes and lot let anyone go back for seconds so I can make these. š
Oh, and thanks for the tip about Grammarly. I signed up for the free account (for now) through your link.
Thanks, Justin! It’s fun for me too to look back and see the progress. I cringe a little, but most have a laugh.
Hope you’re liking Grammarly. I bit the bullet and upgraded within about a week of first trying it. It doesn’t catch everything, but it catches a lot. It’s been really helpful for me!
Gorgeous. Kids and I absolutely adored them. Kids say this recipe is a keeper. No photos this time as they looked more like your first attempt!
I’m so happy you liked them!
I’m sure your pictures were totally great. It’s always tough to take great food shots on a phone without proper lighting.. I often get photos that look like my old one when I try to take shots at the dinner table too š
Nah, it was more the appearance of the actual food! Bit sloppy probably because the mash had been made with butter and cream already š
I bet they were extra good with all the butter and cream!
These look and sound amazing. I just might make them for Christmas dinner as ours tends to be a buffet-style meal. Thanks for sharing this!
They would be perfect for a buffet dinner! Hope you love them as much as I do!!
I love potato cakes, they are so good, and so fattening at my age. That said, living in the Caribbean, there is usually one person that cooks a big meal, including potato’s, so I don’t get left overs!! I need to have a dinner with mashed potato’s so .I can make these. That is afer we loose our vacation Lbs. and more?
I totally know what you mean! We’re going on vacation in a couple weeks and I thought to myself after eating all of these, “Maybe that wasn’t such a smart thing to do.” They were totally delicious though and worth eating salads for the rest of the week. š
Where does the 1/2 cup flour go? In batter with the cheeses , potatoes,egg or are thy dredged in flour before frying?
Hi Edgar, The flour is for dredging the cakes in before you fry them. You’ll see that missing step in the recipe directions now. Thank you for pointing that out!
Ah yes! I’m starting SLOWLY to reshoot old recipes from my first days blogging and recipes that haven’t even been posted yet, but I made and shot years ago š
It feels good, doesn’t it? I found so many recipes that are hidden away and that I want to share. I think it’s a fun way to bring them out and give the old stuff a little facelift. š
When I saw these bad guys, the next second I thought I would love to have them ASAP, and definitely with sour cream. And surprise – you’re suggesting the same. I mean, you’ve got the impeccable palate, Kristen, ha-ha:)
Ha ha great minds think alike!!
Is that half a cup of flour?
It only says 1/2 flour :/. I’ll try anyway and see how the mixture seems to have a good texture.
Hey FeliCity,
Oops, my bad! Yes it is a half cup of flour š
Oh my goodness. These look amazing! YUM!
Lol you’re right, these things were a little bit dangerous. It was hard to stop after just a couple!
I’m not a fan of gravy but these little potato cakes would be perfect just on their own. Yum!
Not a fan of gravy? Well okay, I won’t judge š
I actually ate these little guys with some sour cream on top. No gravy needed.