Transform spare spuds into this quick and easy recipe for Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes! Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, these savory pancakes come together in minutes and are perfect for any time of day.
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Whether it’s the winter holidays (hello, Thanksgiving!), the spring bashes (hello, St. Patrick’s Day!) or just any night of the week, leftover mashed potatoes no longer have to be a boring re-warmed afterthought on day 2.
Now you can turn those surplus spuds into the ultimate Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes!
What’s not to love about hot, crispy potato pancakes topped with tangy sour cream?
This hot, crispy stack of leftover mashed potato pancakes is made with just five simple ingredients and can be customized with your favorite mix-ins for endless flavor possibilities. Not a fan of cheddar? Swap in your cheese of choice. Got spare turkey, too? Chop it up and add it to the mix. Looking for a hint of heat? Stir in some chopped chipotles in adobo.
- Chilled mashed potatoes: I love using my cream cheese mashed potatoes, but any mashed potatoes will work just fine, including boxed mixes or even mashed sweet potatoes!
- Cheese: I prefer shredded cheddar cheese for these savory patties, but you can also try crumbled feta, tangy goat cheese or nutty Parmesan. Just make sure the cheese is grated or shredded for easy mixing.
- Scallions or chives: I use both the green and white parts of scallions to add a pop of flavor, but if you have chives on hand, those work too.
- Egg: You’ll need one lightly beaten egg to bind the ingredients together so your potato cakes don’t fall apart when fried.
- Flour: This is crucial for giving the potato mixture the right texture. You’ll also use some for dredging to create that perfect crispy crust.
- Vegetable oil: For pan-frying and getting that golden brown crust. Pro Tip: If you’re serving these with bacon, save the bacon grease for frying the mashed potato pancakes. YUM!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Mix the ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together the chilled mashed potatoes, shredded cheese, chopped scallions, beaten egg and 3 tablespoons of flour until everything is well combined.
- Shape into patties. Using your hands, divide the mashed potato mixture into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a compact ball and then flatten it into a pancake about ½ inch thick.
- Dredge each patty in flour.
- Fry the potato pancakes. Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with vegetable oil and set the heat to medium. Once the oil begins to shimmer, arrange a few potato pancakes in the pan in a single layer. You may need to fry in batches. Cook until they are golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add more oil as needed between batches.
Pro Tip: Don’t flip the pancakes too soon; let them develop a nice crisp crust for the best texture! Transfer the cooked pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle them with salt to taste.
Top ’em off with a dollop of sour cream, Greek yogurt, homemade applesauce or (my favorite!) a fried egg. Pair with scrambled eggs, bacon, or sausage for a hearty meal, or keep it light with a simple wedge salad or creamy avocado slices. For a complete dinner option, add a side of roasted veggies or smoked salmon with capers. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or even dinner!
- All leftover mashed potatoes will vary in consistency depending on how much cream, milk or melted butter you added to the original batch. If the mashed potato pancake mixture looks too dry and isn’t holding together, add one more egg. If it looks too wet, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is cohesive.
- Stir in chopped bacon, leftover roast turkey or ham for a flavor-packed protein punch.
- Add in some minced cooked broccoli—it’s a tasty way to sneak in a veggie!
- While butter adds amazing flavor, it has a low smoke point and can burn quickly. If you want to pan-fry your mashed potato pancakes in butter, I recommend using a mixture of half butter and half oil. You’ll get that rich, buttery taste while the oil helps prevent burning.
Storing and Reheating
Got leftovers from your leftovers? These savory pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just place them in an airtight container, and when you’re ready to enjoy them again, reheat them in a skillet over medium heat until they’re warmed through and crispy again.
You can also freeze them! Let them cool completely, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you’re freezing multiple layers, place another sheet of parchment paper between the layers. Freeze for at least 6 hours, then transfer to a sealable freezer bag. They will keep for up to a month.
If you’re staring down even more surplus spuds, don’t miss additional recipes for:
Ingredients
- 3 cups chilled leftover mashed potatoes
- 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Tablespoons chopped scallions, green and white parts
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
- Vegetable oil, for pan-frying
- Sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese, scallions, egg and 3 tablespoons flour until combined. (See Kelly’s Notes.) Using your hands, divide the mixture into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a compact ball then flatten it into a pancake about a 1/2-inch-thick.
- Place the remaining ½ cup of flour in a shallow dish and carefully dredge each pancake in the flour.
- Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. (Add enough oil to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan.)
- Fry the pancakes, in batches, until they’re golden brown and crispy on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Add more oil to the pan as needed between batches. (Do not overcrowd the pan and do not flip the pancakes too soon or they won’t develop a crisp crust.) Transfer the pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle them with salt.
- Serve the potato pancakes topped with sour cream and garnished with additional chopped scallions.
Kelly’s Notes
- All leftover mashed potatoes will vary in consistency depending on how much cream, milk or melted butter you added to the original batch. If the mashed potato pancake mixture looks too dry and isn’t holding together, add one more egg. If it looks too wet, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is cohesive.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Can I give these 10 stars? Because I would! Good-NESS, these are fantastic! The only variable we switched up was we used bacon grease instead of oil, and on a Blackstone griddle. And if we didn’t have somewhere to take these tomorrow, I’m fairly certain I’d eat them all right now. Thank you so much! I know they’ll be such a hit for our celebration!
So glad you love the recipe, Farrel!
Love making these. I got tired of my leftovers going to waste, so I made potatoe pancakes. I thought how hard can it be, not very. The only thing is I didn’t have any sour cream. I topped mine off with avocado and a teaspoon of homemade salsa.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Lori!
Does it need the egg? I’m a transplant recipient & raw stuff is bad
Hi Scott! The egg acts as a binder. Could you use a flax egg?
This is the second time I’ve made Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes and they turned out great both times even though I used different ingredients! The first time I had the full three cups of leftover mashed potatoes with skins in them, and I had scallions on hand, so I made the recipe as published, except with olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Today I had only one cup of leftover mashed potatoes and they were made with fresh herbs and garlic. I had whole wheat flour, not white flour, so I used that, and I was in a hurry, so I missed that you are supposed to use only 3 Tbsp of the flour in the cakes themselves, and the rest for dredging. I was making about a 1/3 size batch, so I reached into the flour bag, took a fistful of flour and put that into the recipe. I think that helped the cakes stick together because the potatoes were a bit watery. If I hadn’t had flour, I would’ve used bread crumbs, and I’m sure that would have been fine. Then when I saw my mistake (putting too much flour in), I didn’t want to dredge in flour, too, so I dredged in ground polenta (resulting in lovely, extra-crispy crusts and pillowy insides!) and I used avocado oil, which tolerates high heat, so I could fry on high. They were so delicious! My husband loves them. I think this is officially a go-to recipe now. Thank you!
I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipe, Anne!
Got leftover mashed potato? What’s wrong with good old bubble and squeak?
You have left over potato?
After the holidays, yes!
I added a little salt, served with a drizzle of hot sauce and sour cream. Fantastic! I’ve already sent the recipe to my daughter and my mom!
I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Gayle!
I tried the recipe and it was a hit. No one knew they were eating left overs.
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Rhonda!
Made these and some bacon for breakfast, I used the bacon grease to fry up the potato pancakes, they turned out pretty tasty, wife liked them so I guess we did pretty good.
Still doesn’t Mach my Grandma’s recipe tho .
I’m glad that you and your wife enjoyed the recipe, Billy!
Can I freeze the mixture for potato pancakes
Definitely!
Hard to know when consistency is right, bit of trial & error here. I didn’t have scallions, think we call them spring onions here in Australia, but added cut up chives (little smaller), seems to do trick.
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Bill!
I love this recipe! I always, always make extra mashed potatoes so that I have enough for this delicious recipe the next day. I top with sour cream and scallions and often with crispy homemade bacon bits.
I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoy the recipe!
It turned out good
How easy was that! Nom. What an excellent way to use up yesterdays mash. Didn’t have scallions, never mind, still lovely. Definitely better when you let them sit in the pan and get crispy, i got impatient with mine (last as usual) and flipped them too soon. Sour cream was a great addition. Thank you
You are so welcome, Debbie! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
I modified the recipe a little bit. I added broccoli to my original mashed potatoes mix and then skipped the sour cream and used them as base for Eggs Bennie. Really hit in our household! will def make again.
YUM! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kate!
Ready in no time & a tasty way to use up those leftovers! I’ll be making extra mashed potatoes in the future.
Woohoo! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Mary!