Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

from 124 votes

Transform spare spuds into this quick and easy recipe for Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes!

Stacks of mashed potato pancakes topped with sour cream and scallions

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!

A glass bowl containing leftover mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese and scallions

What’s not to love about hot, crispy potato pancakes topped with tangy sour cream?

This simple recipe comes together in minutes, and best of all, is wide open to customizations.

Mashed potato balls being formed into pancakes

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.

A frying pan containing potato pancakes

And if you’re staring down even more surplus spuds, don’t miss additional recipes for:

Stacks of mashed potato pancakes on white plates and a small bowl of scallions

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Appetizer

Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

Transform spare spuds into this quick and easy recipe for Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes!
Author: Kelly Senyei
4.83 from 124 votes
Stacks of mashed potato pancakes topped with sour cream and scallions
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 12 pancakes

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
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 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!

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 60mg, Potassium: 181mg, Fiber: 1g, Vitamin A: 95IU, Vitamin C: 12.4mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 0.6mg

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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.


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Comments

  1. 4 stars
    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!

  2. 4 stars
    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 .

  3. 5 stars
    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.

  4. 5 stars
    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.

  5. 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

  6. 5 stars
    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.

  7. 5 stars
    Ready in no time & a tasty way to use up those leftovers! I’ll be making extra mashed potatoes in the future.

  8. 5 stars
    As I had never made potato pancakes myself, my mother used to, was looking for a recipe that was easy but tasty at the same time. This recipe hit both things right out of the park. Thank you so much! Also brought back lots of good memories. Looking forward to more recipes from you!!! Sue G. From Western North Carolina.

    1. I’m so happy to read this, Sue! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe and welcome to Just a Taste! :)

  9. 5 stars
    Amazing! I kept adding a little extra flour until they were cohesive. They turned out amazing!

    1. 5 stars
      I made them also! And agree with your comments completely !! Absolutely loved them!!❤️

  10. 5 stars
    Never been able to make these damn things without them falling apart on me. Great recipe. I didn’t have onion on hand but I did have bacon bits. Turned out great, but next time I’m definitely using onion because they need that little extra something.

    1. I used chives which were good. Garlic may work too.
      I used mix of feta and cheddar. They held together and had crispy outsides.

  11. 5 stars
    So delicious! I have also used leftover tater tots or baked potato. And that worked well too. Just used an extra egg. Perfect bite!

  12. 5 stars
    These are delicious!! Thank you so much for the recipe Kelly! :)
    We have made them 2 times now and they both turned our perfectly. No adjustments needed. We make extra mashed potatoes now so we can make these!

  13. Pancakes are the best breakfast! That too with mashed potatoes- could it get any better? I’m going to try these with the organic ghee I got from Milkio instead of that vegetable oil, it’s super healthy and delicious

  14. 5 stars
    Exactly the recipe I was looking for. I made 10lbs bag mashed potato for xmas dinner and didn’t like the consistency. I drove them and started fresh mashed to serve for xmas and now have the 1st batch of mash to contend with. This is my 1st and my next is to be loaded potato soup

      1. Excellent! Loved these! I’ve made them twice, and will again and again! My leftover mashed potatoes had a dollop of cream cheese and butter… so delicious and easy to make. Thank you!

    1. Hi Marianne! Allow the pancakes to cool completely; once cool, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If you’re freezing more than one layer of pancakes, use another sheet of parchment paper to separate the layers.) Place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze the pancakes for at least 6 hours. Once they are completely frozen, you can transfer them to a sealable freezer bag and store them for up to a month.

  15. 5 stars
    I made this for family after Thanksgiving and it was hit. I didn’t have any green onions but sauteed chopped onions were a good substitute!

  16. 5 stars
    It was an awesome treat to have mashed potato pancakes after Thanksgiving dinner the next morning. Thank you so much for the recipe yours truly Mike.

  17. 5 stars
    The Husband Gives it a Two Thumbs Up! I used one egg to roughly two cups of leftover mashed potatoes. I added 1/4 of a large onion, finely minced plus 1/2 of a large clove of garlic, also finely minced. I added shredded cheddar cheese and maybe 1/4 cup of flour. Mixed it all by hand and it made four large pattie’s. I heated canola oil in a medium size frying pan and cooked the pattie’s probably five minutes per side until they were a rich golden brown. The hubs didn’t want sour cream or applesauce, he was happy with just the way they were and he devoured all four. Make sure before you flip the pattie’s that they’re nice and browned so they don’t fall apart when you flip them. Very pleased with how easy and delicious they were. Thanks for the great recipe.

  18. 5 stars
    First time maker…this recipe was FABULOUS❣️ I did squeeze a few drops of lime juice when done, that touch of acid is just a personal preference.

  19. 5 stars
    Great recipe! I always had trouble with mine falling apart – your recipe fixed that! Beautiful, yummy potato pancakes!!

  20. 5 stars
    I just happen to be searching for a Mashed Potato Pancakes and happen to stumble upon the first recipe that popped up and found yours. I’m so freaking glad I did because honey, these were delicious!!!! What made mine even better was the fact that I had some lumps in my mashed potatoes which made them taste even better. Thank you so much for your recipe. I’ll definitely add this to my repertoire.

  21. 5 stars
    My kids and I really enjoyed these and it was a great way to use up all of our leftover mashed potatoes! I will definitely make these again!

  22. I turned them in to cheesey potato pancake souffle, added my own twist ( if that makes sense ) thank you though for the tips.

  23. These were very tasty! Used spray oil and did not do the final flour dredge and they were crispy on the outside! Great recipe!

      1. 5 stars
        Enjoyed these, great idea with the shredded cheese. No eggs on hand, substituted ranch dressing in the mix, added a lil ranch dressing powder too, garlic salt instead if salt, paprika, and fresh chives as garnish. A hard to please palate reported “these are very good” easy to make, draining on paper towels important step! TY justataste!

  24. 4 stars
    I made these. Went by the recipe. The first 2 fell apart. Added more flour. And they came out great. May I suggest add cheddar cheese with the parmesan and bacon crumbled up in it. It’s a lot better.

  25. 5 stars
    I didn’t have 3 cups of leftover mashed potatoes, but adjusted the recipe a bit. Very scrumptious original recipe. My picky husband loved them.

  26. 5 stars
    Easy and delicious. I am always looking for a way to remake left overs, especially for a weeknight from our Sunday main meal. Dan

  27. 5 stars
    Hey there – just stumbled on your site looking for a recipe for potato pancakes. These were quite good and easy make – Brava!

    PS – please don’t put me on any email lists. Best of luck with your cooking!

    1. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Oscar! You would only be added to our email list if you subscribe, not for just leaving a comment. :)

  28. 5 stars
    Just made these for breakfast this morning. So very delicious! Thank you for the recipe. We had some with sour cream on top and we did some stacked together and put an over easy egg on it and broke the yoke….so so good! Great recipe!!!!

  29. Yummy , new take on the potato pancakes my mom used to make. Served with sour cream and a dash of picante sauce. Would it work to add chopped ham crispy bacon or sausage ?

      1. These are amazing for breakfast or lunch or dinner. What you add to eat with them can make the difference.
        Breakfast- eggs and bacon.
        Dinner- steak and green beans.
        Ideas are endless.

  30. 5 stars
    Just tried it from freshly made mashed potatoes. Then I waited till it was cool and stuck it in the fridge for a little while. Then made made it with this recipe and it was amazing . I loved it !

  31. 5 stars
    Very easy to make and very tasty. We don’t like green onions so I substituted a yellow onion that I sautéed and more than what was called for but that’s just personal preference

  32. I baked them on a greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes then flipped and cooked Another 15 minutes. Turned out great and was ableto enjoy in a clean kitchen

  33. 4 stars
    I had never made these before and this is a great recipe. I’ve made them a few times and they are perfect every time. I season them a little more for my taste. I make a batch freeze them on a cookie sheet and then keep them in ziplock bags in the freezer for a quick bite. I reheat them in the air fryer in a few minutes as needed. Love em!
    R

  34. 5 stars
    Easy, and while we did season the dredging flour a bit, I would say the original recipe was a great way to use up some very blah, very unappealing scalloped potatoes that we didn’t want to throw out. Thanks for posting!

  35. Total disaster – but tasty. 1st try: potatoes were way too soft daughter likes them almost soupy. couldn’t firm them up enough to make cakes. Ended up with fried mash potato mush, but as I said, tasty. 2nd try: mashed potatoes nice and thick. I told daughter to get bag of flour , described place and that it was in a zip lock bag. (She was being ‘main cook’) One cup went in, egg went in, balls made, flattened, and I went to flour them. Tasted sugar. Yup, she got the zip locked bag of powdered sugar, just where I told her to find the flour. We were totally out of flour! Fried them up anyhow, they were not crispy as powdered sugar doesn’t soak up anything, but not too sweet to eat with ham and coleslaw. I am going to try a third time, just to prove I can do it.

  36. 5 stars
    a great way to serve leftover (thanksgiving or other roasted dinner)! loved it! and, as suggested, added my own ‘leftover’ fillings, including chickpeas for the vegetarians, roasted chicken for the carnivores, and roasted veggies for all. While the sour cream looked delish in the photo, I, of course, didn’t have any. So I served it with Dijon mustard, and leftover gravy, and it was perfecto!
    Thanks for the great idea to serve old mashed potatoes!!

  37. 5 stars
    Delicious! I added garlic, onion and served with applesauce and sour cream. I also browned them in olive oil instead of vegetable oil
    You will love these!

  38. 5 stars
    These potato pancakes are easy to make and delicious. I fried them in avocado oil, added a little extra cheese and scallions and my husband said, “Wow, these are good enough to be a meal in themselves”. Thank you for a delicious recipe to use up leftover Thanksgiving potatoes!

  39. 5 stars
    I haven’t had much luck making these, until I tried this recipe. They are the right consistency and cook evenly. Just made a batch for breakfast, and my family gobbled them up! I will use this recipe again and again.

  40. 5 stars
    This recipe is soooo good. Perfect my family loves it! I made it for the second time for Sunday dinner and they disappeared!

  41. 5 stars
    Delicious! I fried in a film of bacon grease and a spray of canola oil. Served with the bacon, fried eggs and a side of applesauce. Only got 7 cakes from scant 3 cups potatoes, sized about 2″ wide and .5″ thick. Crispy outside, soft inside.

  42. 5 stars
    I made these a couple of days ago and my wife said they were the best she had ever had. Kids enjoyed them as well and we will definitely be making these again.

  43. 5 stars
    Our family loved these potatoes…I made them up then froze them until ready to fry up…delicious, and so easy..

  44. 4 stars
    My potatoes were wetter than i expected. I added quite a bit more flower, by the tablespoon. It was still sticky when patted out.

  45. 5 stars
    I used a mixture of cheeses: gruyere, Swiss, Parmesan, and mozzarella and grated a jalapeño pepper into it. Reminded me of my grandma’s potato pancakes, but with a kick. I topped with ketchup as she always did!

    1. Absolutely, Nicole! Allow the pancakes to cool completely; once cool, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If you’re freezing more than one layer of pancakes, use another sheet of parchment paper to separate the layers.) Place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze the pancakes for at least 6 hours. Once they are completely frozen, you can transfer them to a sealable freezer bag and store them for up to a month.

    1. Love this, Meredith! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you so much for your support!

  46. 4 stars
    A little hard to roll into balls but , my potatoes were creamy. Did add a tblsp. More flour .I added bacon bits to Delicious

  47. 5 stars
    Made these tonight and used grapeseed oil in the skillet, and added both fresh block Parmesan and cheddar (used a rasp grater/zested for a very fine grate of both cheeses), onion granules and garlic powder in the potato mix, and dried parsley and garlic powder in the dredging flour. Tried it with applesauce, ketchup and sour cream and liked the sour cream with it best because you could still taste the savory flavor of the pancakes.

  48. 5 stars
    I wanted to use up some mashed potatoes, this looked really simple. I didn’t have scallion so I used some onion flakes. They came out great, so delicious. Sometimes potato patties can be greasy, but I think that flour coating kept the grease out and it gave it like that fried chicken texture. Definitely make these again and make sure I have some scallions. Thanks for the recipe.

  49. 5 stars
    These were really fantastic! I was a bit skeptical that they would hold together but they did…beautifully! Wath a treat!

  50. 5 stars
    I made these potato pancakes, with leftover Instant Pot mashed potatoes, tonight for dinner. They were a hit – even my notoriously picky-eater dad loved them! I added crumbled bacon for extra yum and served them with a big salad.

  51. 5 stars
    So, I very seldom post and follow-up on a post, well this is a first. However, I had to share. With very few exceptions leftovers don’t match up to the fresh. In this case, Air Frying the leftover potato pancakes was a hit. Kelly this recipe still stands up and I found them equally as good on day 2.

  52. 5 stars
    I have been trying to make these for years with very little success, that is until today. They were still a tad loose and I had to brown them a little more to get them to stay together, however, the taste was perfect. Exactly what I have been wanting. I’m sure the next batch will be tighter and Sunday dinner is going to have a lot more mashed potatoes just for this.

  53. 5 stars
    These mashed potato pancakes were great. I made 15 of them. When I got home there were 3 left ! East recipe to substitute. I placed the dredging flour on a paper
    bag for quick cleanup.

  54. 5 stars
    Made these tonight. Spur of the moment so I didn’t have scallions or onions. Just put onion powder instead. Soooo yummy!!

  55. 5 stars
    Literally just whipped this up with some leftover mashed potatoes and I loved it! So good and I am absolutely using this again in the future!

  56. I have made these for many years. I sometimes add creamed corn. I also serve with homemade apple sauce. So very good on a very cold winter night.

  57. These were fantastic! My foodie son called them delicate. My husband ate 4! Easy and quick, I can see adding different ingredients or cheeses depending on what I have on hand. This one is joining the meal rotation!

  58. My grandson is a potato-aholic. I will make these to serve with leftover turkey & sprinkle with garlic or onion salt & leave out onion in recipe & serve with sour cream.

  59. 4 stars
    Pretty good recipe. It held together well. A bit flour tasting despite the good fry on them. The kids ate them so that’s a win!

  60. 5 stars
    The mashed potato patties were absolutely delicious! Since I’m gluten sensitive, I substituted Robin Hood gluten free all purpose flourblend for regular flour. Also, I fried them up in my trusty cast iron skillet. I used a mixture of clarified butter and olive oil. Fantastic!!

    1. Sure! Allow the pancakes to cool completely; once cool, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If you’re freezing more that one layer of pancakes, use another sheet of parchment paper to separate the layers.) Place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze the pancakes for at least 6 hours. Once they are completely frozen, you can transfer them to a sealable freezer bag and store for up to a month.

  61. 4 stars
    These were delicious. I added chopped ham. Only reason for a less than 5 star rating is that it should be said that your leftover mashers need to be fairly dry. Mine were slightly stiff, but it was impossible to coat them in the flour before frying. I simply dusted a bit of flour in the pan and plopped a scoop of the batter on top, then dusted the top of the scoop with some additional flour. It still worked. They’d be awesome with crisp bacon!

    1. Hi there! Yes, you are absolutely right, that’s why I have a note at the bottom of the recipe about adding more flour if your mixture is too wet. :) So glad you enjoyed the recipe!

  62. I have to make mashed potatoes now for hubby just so i can make these.
    They are delicious!

    Thanks so much!

  63. 5 stars
    Mine didn’t turn out… my potatoes were way too wet. I think this is because I used defrosted mashed potatoes, so they got too wet during the freezing process. I’m planning on trying it again with not-frozen mashed potatoes, because it sounds good.

    Do you think these could fry in butter instead of oil? I feel it would taste more mashed-potato like. Thanks!

    1. Hi there! My concern with using butter to pan-fry these is that butter has a low smoke point and can burn quickly. Instead, I’d recommend using half butter and half oil. You’ll get the benefit of the buttery flavor, but the added oil will help to keep the butter from burning as easily.

    1. Hi Alyson! Allow the pancakes to cool completely; once cool, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If you’re freezing more that one layer of pancakes, use another sheet of parchment paper to separate the layers.) Place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze the pancakes for at least 6 hours. Once they are completely frozen, you can transfer them to a sealable freezer bag and store for up to a month.

  64. 5 stars
    I’ve tried a few recipes for potato pancakes, and yours is the simplest and tastiest. I’ve even made them and added leftover cooked veggies – finely chopped – for extra nutritious pancakes. Delicious either way!

  65. Your recipe brings fond memories of my Italian grandmother making potato pancakes. They were delicious. Thank you Kelly.

  66. 5 stars
    Just made these as I had so much Thanksgiving leftovers. Didn’t have shredded cheese so just used what I had which was pepper jack cheese. Just wrapped the potatoes around the quartered cheese and had a wonderful gooey cheese center! Thank you for the tip with the flour, they came out just like pancakes!!

  67. 4 stars
    Bomb recipe however those are not scallions they are green onion. Great recipe but wrong ingredient, however would be good with a combination of the two.

  68. 5 stars
    Just made these for dinner. Yum! Didn’t get them all fried up tonight. Am thinking these would be great for breakfast, topped with a nicely poached egg. Dreaming of tomorrow. But also wondering if these will freeze well. Hmm.

    1. Hi Sandra – A poached egg on top would be delicious! And I’ve never tried freezing these pancakes so I can’t say with certainty if they’d still taste good or if the texture would change. Let me know if you give it a shot!

  69. 5 stars
    I loved your recipe. I had leftover bacon and cheddar mashed potatoes, and they came out delicious! I also served them with home made apple sauce, and that was a hot in the house. Thank you!

  70. 5 stars
    Thanks for this great and easy recipe! My boys loved them! Didn’t have chives so I just added a little onion salt after they were done. Hmm hmm good!

  71. 5 stars
    I made this for breakfast today and it was great! I did not dredge the pancakes in additional flour though and they turned out perfectly crispy on the outside, while moist and cheesy on the inside. So that’s a step that I will definitely exclude in the future as well! Thank you for sharing your recipe!

  72. 5 stars
    These are bomb. I had leftover carrots & onions that I chopped up and added into the potato pancakes and everyone was swooning over them. YUM.

  73. 5 stars
    I’ve made potato pancakes a few times but these have turned out the best! Love the addition of the cheese. Gave it more flavor than just salt & pepper. Husband and kids ate them up! Next batch going to top with a poached egg! I wrote this recipe down & it’s taped inside the cupboard now. Thanks!

  74. 5 stars
    Made these last night with left over mashed potatoes really enjoyed them. I think I put in too much chopped onions. I didn’t have any green onions so I used a purple onion my mistake, will get green onions at the store and make them again. Other then too strong onion flavor really good.

  75. 5 stars
    I’m so tired of having to serve or dump leftover mashed potatoes, this recipe sounds like my salvation. Made mashed potatoes last night for 5, but only 3 of us showed up for dinner. Tonight they will have your very tasty treats. Lucky kids.

  76. 5 stars
    I really enjoyed these. I have screwed them up many times before. I think the ‘secret’ is to make sure your oil is hot and refrain from flipping them till they are really browned on the bottom. The cheese was a great addition. Thanks!

      1. I think the UK doesn’t have all purpose flour, or rather I think they call it Plain Flour. All-purpose is a general flour in North America.

  77. 4 stars
    I never have leftover mashed potatoes, my daughter loves them. So I had to make mashed potatoes same day as the cakes just so I could try this recipe. Will let you know how they turn out.

  78. 5 stars
    My kids won’t eat scallions, so I skipped those and added in a dash of onion powder and a dash of garlic powder. They turned out great! Thank you!

  79. 4 stars
    I totally failed these, and am taking full responsibility. 1 egg seemed to make them bind together pretty well, but maybe not as much as they needed to. I wasn’t sure. I cooked them on medium high heat, and they never quite firmed up and tasted burnt and greasy. I added sone bacon crumbles to them and the hubby couldn’t even taste them (he’s tge better cook in the house). Used asiago anf gruyere cheese? Maybe not strong enough? Couldn’t taste it. Not a judgement on this recipe jusy posting for others so they dont do what i did.

    I think i used the wrong kind of cheese, cooked in too much oil, maybe not enough heat?…Not enough flavoring…more bacon. Or something else.

  80. 5 stars
    This is the way my mom made them. I remember her coating them in flour before she fried them, but that’s all I could remember. The search for my mom’s recipe was worth the time. Thanks.

  81. I made these mashed potatoe pancakes for Sunday brunch and was able to finish up all my thanksgiving leftovers! I used mashed potatoes and the rest of the stuffing mixed together in the recipe. Also, I had a little turkey and gravy which I heated up together to serve over along with some cranberry sauce! Yummy! Thanks for the great recipe Kelly!

  82. 4 stars
    Made the potato mash pancakes for breakfast for tomorrow ,so l haven’t tasted them they smell lovely easy to make.Looking forward to having them with spinach and poached eggs tomorrow for breakfast .

  83. 5 stars
    Made these this morning for breakfast. Didn’t have any scallions, so I used onion powder, they came out perfect and they are so delicious! Thank you, now I have a new recipe for left over mashed potatoes!

  84. These were absolutely delicious but I only had sweet mashed so they were even better the only change was I used Mozzarella/Provolone mix cheese and dipped them in Panko instead of flour. Will definitely make these again and again.

  85. Made it for the whole family and was delighted with the results! The pancakes came out crisp and delicious! The only problem as some others said was that the pancakes were a little “delicate” and hard to put in the pan, but after I got em on the flame, they were so easy to work with! I finished the potatoes off with some cheddar cheese and sour cream! Thanks so much for the recipe, Kelly!

  86. I’ve made these twice in a week! First go I didn’t read to keep adding flour to help it hold, so the first batch as “delicate” but OH SO TASTY!! Second time, I tweaked it a little; I added 1/4 tsp of garlic powder and rolled the potatoes in Italian panko crumbs! YUM!! Just made them a touch more crispy. My son LOVED them. I like both versions w/ flour or w/ panko crumbs.

    Thank you for a WONDERFUL recipe!!

  87. Wow so yummy!! I used dry chives and garlic greens instead of scallions and 2 eggs! Also added bacon grease to vegetable oil for more flavor! Thanks for the recipe!!

  88. I’m sure that you could use a combination of rice flour and cornstarch. I would use approx 1 part cornstarch to 5 parts rice flour. So if it called for half cup of flour it’s about 203 ml rice flour to 22 ml of corn starch. I’ve used this for sauces pancakes crepes and various other things.

  89. Fabulous! I added 2/3 cup of peas because I think they go so well with mashed potatoes. I plan to freeze and reheat these as needed. Lovely recipe!

    1. I’ve never tried freezing them so I can’t say with certainty if they’d still taste good or if the texture would change. Let me know if you give it a shot!

  90. Delicious. Rolled into balls and placed on alum foil. Used a floured spatula to flatten and then was able to use spatula to transfer to dredge flour.

  91. I have tried so many times to fry left over mash and it’s always crumbled!! Will try this as they look so delicious- thank you x

  92. Been making them for 35 yrs. No cheese needed, onion ,egg, flour, I add a little corn meal myself, but you don’t have to.med high heat in skillet with oil. Taste. So good. Make my salmon patties same way.. so good. Hungry now….lol

  93. Sounds like my old potatoe pancakes i use to make 25 years ago, without the cheese. Thanks! It’s all comming back to me know, and I just bought a big bag of potatoes yesterday!

    1. Hi Monique! I’ve never tried freezing them so I can’t say with certainty if they’d still taste good or if the texture would change. But I think you’d have the most success by forming them into pancakes and freezing before you fry them. Definitely let me know if you give it a shot!

  94. Hi Kelly,
    Greetings from India!!!!!
    Love some easy to make recipes you make especially Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes and the chocolate cookies. I’ll try them and give my feedback. We in India do not get some of the ingredients you use in your recipes.

    1. Hi Betty – I’ve never tried freezing them so I can’t say with certainty if they’d still taste good. But I think you’d have the most success by forming them into pancakes and freezing before you fry them. Let me know if you give it a shot!

    1. Christiane, “du flour” c’est “le farine” et “la creme sure” c’est la meme chose de creme fraiche. Ce n’est pas exactement la meme chose mais il est proche de la meme chose.

    1. Hi Wilma – If you’re viewing the site on a mobile device, click TAP HERE TO READ THE FULL POST and scroll down to view the recipe.

  95. Just came across this recipe, and decided to ask my question since i saw recent posts. Can this be made without flour? My step grandson cannot have gluten and this sounds so yummy I’m hoping to try it for the family. Thanks. Sue

    1. Try using rice flour, or potato flour. These are common ingredients in gluten-free baking, and can be found in most grocery stores.

  96. My mother used to make potatoes and oinon grated and then fried in pan looked like pancakes does anyone know how this was done would like to make something I remember in my childhood hope someone can let me know recipe

  97. This brings back memories of my childhood; my mother used to make these quite often, I’m not sure if it is the same recipe but sounds as if it may work and sounds delicious!!! This will be a must have this week; I am at work and really have intentions of making a dinner just so I can incorporate these lovely sounding cakes. Thank you so much for the kind memories and I wish many blessings on you and your family. Please keep posting for people just like myself; my wife doesn’t cook at all with the exception of homemade rolls. She can really make good rolls that she learned from my mother before she passed and why out of all the things my mother prepared; my wife chose rolls to learn is beyond me. Don’t get me wrong, my wife would cook and tried for a few years, but we came upon an agreement that I would prepare meals and she clean the house. We both get what we want and I hope that it sinks in on my son that we all can do things that families think of gender related. Thanks again and have a Super Day!!

  98. My mom used to dredge the potato pancakes in seasoned breadcrumbs and they came out nice and crispy after frying them. They are also delicious to eat them cold, like at a picnic .

    1. Hi Josefina – There isn’t baking powder in this recipe and it is not needed as these are denser pancakes.

      1. Hi Becky! That’s correct. There isn’t baking powder in this recipe.

      2. Hi Ashley! The previous comment was a typo. The recipe is correct as written (without baking powder). Enjoy!

  99. Making corned beef tonight and really wanted these to go along, but didn’t have leftover mashed potatoes; however, I did have a bag of instant buttered mashed potatoes in the pantry from a grocery meal deal last week. It’s a total cheat, but also total success. I mixed the potatoes, seasoned well to our tastes, chilled while the corned beef cooked, and followed your instructions from there. Foodie purists may cringe, preferably quietly in their own corner, but busy moms can rejoice along with me. ;o)

    1. So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Emily! I’ve never tried it without the egg so I’m not sure if the mixture would still be as cohesive.

    2. Hi I was wondering if you made them without the egg? If you did I’d love to know how you made them and if they turned out good.. I am planning on making them tonight and instead of egg I’m going to use one of those little apple sauce cups.. Fingers crossed they are yummy

  100. I’ve signed up for new updates from your blog. Your posts is interesting. I am always in brain-storm situation when I choose menu for my family’s super. After reading your blog, I have many ideas to cook everyday. Thank you very much !

  101. Excellent! I grated the potato into my salad spinner full of cold water, then rinsed the potatoes and spun them dry. I omitted the onion salt and added 1/2 of a small white onion, finely diced. Instead of bacon bits, I fried 3 slices of bacon and crumbled it into the potato mixture. Initially I made 3 large pancakes then for the next batch I did much smaller ones, about a Tablespoon full each. We really liked the crispy edges. These are a little peppery, which we like but if I were making these for company I would cut the pepper to 1/2 tsp. Thanks for a great breakfast treat!

  102. My mom used to make theses and I haven’t thought about making them until I realized I really make too many mashed potatoes only to throw away what’s not eaten, then last night I baked potatoes yet again too many. Can I used these by making them into mashed potatoes ?

    1. Yes that should work! Just make sure you reheat the potatoes so you get a good consistency for your mashed potatoes.

  103. I bet EH made her mashies with milk, I use baked or steamed potatoes that have no added moisture, adding egg/s last so they have to be real dry when being mixed, I add baking powda too

  104. My mother used to make these, and this recipe is very like hers (she never added cheese, though–don’t know why, because adding cheese sounds yummy). These are great slathered with butter. Thanks for submitting it.

  105. A wonderful recipe. My family love it so much. I visit your blog everyday and learn a lot recipes to desire my kids. Thanks you so much Kelly,

  106. Always make too many mashed potatoes so you can have them to make THESE on Saturday Morning for Breakfast. Chop bacon into the potato pancakes
    and serve them with eggs.

  107. Thanksgiving has just past and we have a lot of leftovers especially mashed potatoes I kinda fed up with it so luckily I see your recipe. Cheese and mashed potato work so good together!! It’ll be a really nice and delicious breakfast!! I’ll absolutely give it a try! But can I ask you something? I want my pancake to be more fluffy , so what should I add in? Thank you!!

  108. Just made these tonight for the first time. Huge hit. Next year I’m making a double batch of mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving just to insure adequate pancake “supplies.”

  109. Just made these I used chives instead of spring onions because that’s all I had on hand and they were lovely, looked just like the picture.

  110. I have made potato pancakes for years after Thanksgiving with leftovers. I never thought to add cheese or green onions. I will give it a try this year! Thanks.

  111. I don’t think it is possible, but can I substitute self rising flour for the all-purpose flour in this recipe? Trying to avoid having to go to the market. Lol

  112. I would love suggestions of some good entrees to pair with this delicious looking side . Otherwise I would eat them all by myself. Thanks

  113. Aw these look lovely and really easy to make too! It might be a little unhealthy for me though so definitely will be substituting coconut oil for vegetable oil in the frying pan!

  114. Hey! That’s ‘Aloo Tikki’ with a twist. We have an age old spicier version of the same, served with whipped yogurt and chutneys ????.

  115. We made these today after we made loaded mashed potatoes yesterday (Bacon, caramelized onions, sour cream) and it was really good. We did have to adjust it with how much we had since we had a little too much flour on some of our pancakes but they were sooo good. We didn’t use scallions but figured better to leave out since it already had caramelized onions in it. And we used pepper and salt on top. Definitely serve these with sour cream on top. Will make again 10+

  116. Just finished eating. Absolutely perfect! They taste really good and are sooo crunchy. I put a regular cheese inside the mix though, still, they were good.

  117. OK, guess what I did it!!! but I did a little change to your recipe or a huge change depends in what field you’re, in my field it will be a huge change because entire process is changing. . I have added 1/3 cup of chives, dill, and Mexican Cheese…. What can I said, It was delicious. Every one liked it. I really liked your idea of making it with cheese.

    P.S. consistency of mixture was great, plus i used ice cream scoop to make bolls. Isn’t it a great idea ?

  118. I will try this today. I have mash potato leftover and I have never tried with cheese. Looks good. Last time I made potato pancakes it was disaster because I have added 3 eggs to a small amount of mashed potato, and ended up adding 3 cups of flour. Now I have learned my mistake. Thank you for your recipe. I will keep you updated how it turned out…

  119. I had the same problem with not being able to form balls. I probably added almost an extra cup of flour, which ended up just making it doughy. Tasted fine but really hard to dredge in flour. I only made a handful and put the rest of the “batter” in the fridge. Will probably try to bake the rest and just try your mached potato muffins next time

  120. I made a double batch and they are wonderfully delicious! I made extra mashed potatoes last night because I was thinking about potato pancakes for some strange reason. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve had one. I searched Pinterest and stumbled upon your recipe. I’m striving very hard to waste as little food as possible. I had more mashed potatoes than I thought and is the reason I was standing over the stove for quite awhile cooking up a double batch of these yummies. No worries, we’ll eat the left overs tomorrow! Thanks so much for a great recipe.

  121. I am in love with your cooking and keep coming back and back again but this time I couldn’t resist leaving a comment to appreciate you.

    Keep up the good work hun! xx

  122. These were totally, melt in your mouth delicious. I have made mashed potatoes, just so we could have these. Won’t be disappointed

  123. I always make extra mash… I add some seasoned flour.. And make potato cakes…my mum used to make them for. A supper on a Sunday night…cheese and chives is lovely… Yummy. X

  124. Can you make this with leftovers from box or do they have to be homemade? Don’t judge! Boxed mashed are good, too!

  125. My family loves potato cakes. These are delicious. Different flavors of cheese is also great and mixing flavors of cheese is great too. Thanks for sharing your recipes.

  126. Wow…! Wonderful recipe here! I come to your blog every day to learn all amazing recipes. My kids seems very happy when I try making some new cakes. Thank you so much Kelly. :D

  127. My mother made these when I was growing up! They were delicious! My only problem is having left over potatoes! But I was able to make some a few weeks ago and they were great. We have never added cheese before though. But it is a thought!

  128. It’s 9h PM here and I still have to work, really look at this picture I am felling very hungry, you are killing me!! indeed :D. Anyway, I think this recipe is quite easy and I can cook themselves. Thanks for sharing.

  129. Just finished eating. Absolutely perfect! They taste really good and are sooo crunchy. I put a regular cheese inside the mix though, still, they were good.

    1. Hi Joi! I’ve seen natural egg replacements (one brand is Orgran) at the grocery store. Perhaps you could try that?

  130. Made these for my extremely fussy 4 year old, but also added extra veg and she loved it!! Thank you for sharing!!

  131. I actually have a lot of the mixture left over so I’m going to try and bake it tomorrow. I’ll let your know what happens.

  132. I didn’t have any left over mashed potatoes so I made some. I put too much milk and butter so, no matter how much flour I added, I couldn’t get the correct texture. But, instead of giving up, I just handled them carefully (with flour coated hands so they wouldn’t fall apart in or stick to my hands) and cooked them as the recipe says. My 7-year-old niece LOVES them. She keeps asking for “Just two more, please.”

    1. Hi Susan – I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the recipes. You are welcome to share links from the site but please do not copy/paste full recipes or images and re-publish them. Thanks for your understanding!

  133. Made it today with my mom,turned out really good it was really delicious, I will surly make it again thanks for the recipe kelly!

  134. I just made these with thanksgiving leftovers and they are amazing! I’d make mashed potatoes just to have these. Wow!

  135. This was a great way to use up all those mashed potatoes I have left over from Thanksgiving. I loved these, and I don’t even like potatoes. The only warning I have is DONT COOK THESE IN AN ALL CLAD PAN, THEY WILL STICK! I transfered them into a non stick skillet and it went a lot better.

  136. I didn’t have anything but sharp cheese, so used cream cheese, floured them and hope they set up in the fridge. They taste good “raw!”
    Will spring them on everyone tomorrow morning, fried in some good old bacon grease, and hunt for applesauce to go with.
    Will certainly try the original recipe when I get the chance. We always have tons of my Heart Attack Potatoes left over! I may have to fight the kids off to give up those leftovers for the cakes, but I think it’s a great way to use up the potatoes.

  137. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I didn’t have any leftover mashed potatoes BUT my kids have a thing for not liking them SO this recipe was AWESOME! They ate the mashed potato pancakes up!!
    THANK YOU!

  138. I have to try these..my mom made something similar (used romano cheese) and shaped them, then fried them in oil. This is much healthier than deep frying. I will definitely try this.

  139. Just made these with some leftovers and my kids said it was definitely something to make again. If my 10 year old daughter can do it, anyone can. So delicious and thanks for posting this!!

  140. My mom made plain ones.. No cheese no onions.. They were the best in the world. I never had recipe so I’m excited to try these! I’m 62 years old and I remember eating them as a child !! My mom passed away in 1994 and there was never a recipe. I have been searching for one like hers. Can’t wait!!

  141. Wow these look amazing! I don’t have leftover mashed potatoes but I want to make some just so I can have some of these!

    1. Amy – you are the best! Thank you so much for letting me know. I’ve reached out to them to remove the content.

  142. such a wonderful soft pancakes there.i am waiting for this one and sure i will try this method and tell u

  143. Thought your recipe sounded really tasty, especially since I had about 12 cups of leftover mash…
    Used your basic recipe (quadrupled of course) with the following changes:
    1) Used 3 cups of shredded cheddar
    2) Added 5oz of bacon bits (from the salad dressing section of the supermarket)
    3) My leftover taters needed 10 eggs to get to the “right” consistency

    They were a hit: everyone had positive comments, and they scarfed ’em! But…

    Being as I am a “tuner,” here’s my observations as I made them…
    1) Needed more cheddar: doubling the amount should be about right :-)
    2) DEFINATELY needed MORE BACON: again doubled should be about right…
    3) Refrigerating the balls helped them hold shape better when flattened…
    4) I added garlic powder and cajun seasoning to the flour dredge…

    All in all, a great recipe that I’ll continue to refine…thank you

    1. Hi Donna! I’ve never tried freezing them so I can’t say with certainty if they’d still taste good. Let me know if you try it out!

  144. This is Indian Dish it called Tikki in India Aallo (Potato) Tikki aKind of Patty.
    Most of Indians make this at Home on Weekdays.

  145. These turned out great! Thank you. I had closer to 2 cups of mashed potatoes, so I used less flour and cheese. I now have leftovers of the pancakes. I plan to refrigerate them and heat them back up in my toaster oven. Think that will work? (It’s a front-loading old school toaster, not the kind with two slots on top.)

  146. What about Gluten Free? Which flour would you recommend as a replacement flour? Thanks in advance for your suggestion. Recipe does sound yummy.

    1. Hi Diana! I have never made this recipe with gluten-free flour, so I can’t provide a recommendation.

  147. I’ve never seen these made by anyone besides me, which I learned from my mom. Been eating these for 60 years. Love them.

  148. My mom used to make these when I was a kid. I had forgot about them. Thanks for the recipe, Ill be sure to make them next week after Easter with leftover mashed potaotes.

  149. I love them. They did not turn out as pretty as yours though.. I think I will add salt and bacon and lots more cheese cause I like a. Lot of cheese and maybe some garlic powder..these were so yummy..love the recipe thx

  150. Made these yesterday. Used shredded marble cheese and diced white onion. Also added a but of garlic salt and pepper. Turned out really well. My husband and kids said they were really good. Thanks for the recipe.

  151. Looking forward to Sunday Breakfast….will be making these special treats. They look so scrumptious!! Thankyou!

  152. These are the best Potato Pancakes. I had to convert them to gluten free and they are AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing!

  153. These look delicious. I’m planning a large weekend party to celebrate St Patricks Day. I will be serving multiple dinners and breakfasts for between 24 to 32 people. Obviously I want to do as much ahead as I can. I had thought of making lacy latkes that I know can be cooked ahead and frozen. I’m wondering if these could be made ahead and frozen. If so how would you reheat them? Thanks in advance.

    1. Hi Bonnie – I’ve never made these potato pancakes and frozen them so I can’t say for certainty how the end result would turn out.

  154. I just cooked a variation of these using this as my inspiration and they were the BEST I’ve every cooked. Thanks for the recipe! WoooWHOOO, OFF the CHAIN!

  155. Ok here in malta europe we do this a lot. You can add all sorts of ingredients like .. sweetcorn, canned tuna, beans,breadcrumbs,peas chopped broccoli the list can go on and on, and although it is fryed you get your kids to eat some veggies!
    I just did a batch with mash,one slice of bread (crumbled) small tin of white beans mashed to hide them, sweet corn and carrots, an egg and flour! Yummy

  156. I tried these today with leftover and they are really good. Yours look much prettier than mine but my husband goes for taste not looks (it’s a good thing :) )

  157. this did NOT turn out!!! my mashed potatoes were too wet to make a ball, so i kept on adding flour a little at a time. they never DID get to the ball stage, and i realized i needed to stop adding flour, so i just glopped them onto the nonstick griddle and tried to spread them out the best i could. what a mess! the taste was okay, but i wound up with potato BREAD not potato cakes!! SOOOOOOO disappointed!!!

    1. Hi Elizabeth – I’m sorry you didn’t have success with this recipe, however it’s been tested and made many times (by others, noted above) without fail. Per the recipe notes, you’ll have to adjust the amount of flour depending on the initial consistency of your leftover mashed potatoes. Hope this helps and sorry you didn’t have better results!

  158. My Grandma used to make these for me when I was young and the only thing she did differently was 1/2 tsp of baking powder for a little more “fluff” I am 79 yrs old so it has been a long time. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  159. Although my mom made potato pancakes often, I never had, until today. These were easy and delicious. I think I’ll have to plan on having leftover potatoes more often!

  160. Hi Kelly, we made these after Thanksgiving with leftover mashed potatoes and they were so delicious! So good in fact that I couldn’t wait until Christmas and leftovers to make these again. I’ve made potato pancakes many times but these are the best I’ve had. Thanks for a great recipe! Sharon

  161. Simply delish & worth making extra mashed in anticipation of these! Topped with chopped avocado along with sour cream~

  162. Love this recipe, really easy, delicious and nice presentation. Used instead of green onions, lightly sauteed yellow onion, added finely chopped ham and a scant amount of garlic powder in flour dredge. Topped with sour cream and a side of apple-sauce!

  163. Made these for supper. Ate just them. I generously sprinkled some Cajun seasoning on them, then added the sour cream. It really gave them a little added zing.

  164. These look really great! I’m so sad now that we had no left over mashed potatoes left after Thanksgiving (um, we didn’t make enough, that’s why….)! It looks like these are worth making mashed potatoes for though!

  165. HI Kelly…..just made these yesterday with leftover mashed potatoes. I didn’t have green onions and wasn’t going to attempt to go to the store, so I used 1tablespoon chives. I also sprayed them with oil and baked in the oven on a silpat. FABULOUS…..thanks for the recipe

  166. Made these for brunch, served with sausage & tomato slices & leftover turkey gravy. What a hit! The scallions make them.

    Thank you!

  167. Wow. Just made these for breakfast. Easy to follow directions. The results are straight from my memory. My grandmother made potato pancakes when I was little. These are fantastic!

  168. Made these this morning from all those leftover mashed potatoes. These will be our favorite for years to come. They are crispy, cheesy, yummy. Everyone loved them! I didn’t even measure the ingredients. Just did an about amount. You can’r screw this recipe up if you tired. So good!!!

  169. I’ll be the first guy to post, I’m not scared! This recipe is great and the hashcakes are soooo good! Thanks for sharing this!

  170. These look delish and the perfect way to finish up those leftover mashers. I love your cheddar biscuits for a turkey pot pie as well. I’ll definitely try these.

    Have a Happy Thanksgiving!