These potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes are golden and crispy outside, soft and creamy inside, and ready in under 20 minutes. They're my favorite way to turn holiday leftovers into a savory side, lunch or brunch.
Need mashed potatoes to start with? I used my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, and if you love these, try my Matafan (Fluffy Mashed Potato Pancakes) next.
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Jump To
- Ingredient Notes
- How to make Potato Pancakes from Leftover Mashed Potatoes
- Toppings for mashed potato pancake recipe:
- Can you make cheesy leftover mashed potato pancakes ahead of time?
- Recipe Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- FAQ'S
- If you are looking for more recipes to make the most out of your leftovers:
- Easy Potato Pancakes (With Leftover Mashed Potatoes)
I always end up with extra mashed potatoes after Thanksgiving and Christmas. I usually make Dorie Greenspan's matafan with them, and they're fantastic, but a little fussy. These come together in a few simple steps and taste like fluffy latkes. I was seriously considering calling them "fluffy latkes"!
Here's what I learned making them: you can't hold mashed potatoes together with just an egg. A little flour binds the mixture, cheese and onion give it flavor, and a light dusting of flour on the outside is what gets you that crispy golden crust. Start with cold, leftover potatoes, not a freshly made warm batch.
This recipe was a team effort with my mom, who is a former chef. She whipped up the quick aioli without even looking at a recipe. I made the pancakes dairy-free with vegan cheese and tried both mozzarella and cheddar shreds. Both came out creamy and delicious.
Ingredient Notes
Here is all you need to make these delicious mashed potato patties (full printable recipe card is below).
Potato pancakes
- Mashed potatoes: Use leftover potatoes straight from the fridge. Cold mashed potatoes hold their shape much better than warm ones.
- Egg: Binds the pancakes. Start with one and only add a second if the mixture is too dry.
- All-purpose flour: Some goes into the mixture and the rest is for dredging. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour (King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill work well). For paleo, use cassava flour 1:1.
- Shredded cheese: Mozzarella, cheddar or a mix. I used vegan mozzarella and cheddar shreds to keep them dairy-free.
- Onion: I used red onion, but sweet onion, scallions, shallots or chives all work.
- Oil: Any mild-flavored oil. I like my favorite Sicilian olive oil.
Quick aioli sauce
- Mayonnaise: Use vegan mayo or unsweetened dairy-free yogurt for a vegan version.
- Lemon zest
- Fresh chives or onion
- Garlic
- Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper: Chop in a couple of anchovy fillets if you have them. If you do, skip the salt.
How to make Potato Pancakes from Leftover Mashed Potatoes
Here's how to make potato pancakes from mashed potatoes (full printable recipe card is found below).
Step 1: Gather all your ingredients. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients.
Step 2: Stir them all together to combine.
Step 3: If you're making the sauce, now is the time to make it. If not, go on to cooking them up.
Step 4: Use an ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop out the mixture into 6 portions. Roll each portion into a ball and form it into patties or cakes which are about ½- inches in thickness. Coat each cake evenly in a thin coating flour and set aside.
Step 5: Place remaining flour in a shallow dish and dredge each pancake lightly in flour.
Step 6: Heat the oil in a large skillet (cast iron is great for this recipe if you have one) on medium heat. Make sure you use enough oil to coat the entire bottom of the pan.
Step 7: Add the potato pancakes into the hot oil, three at a time, don't overcrowd the pan. Gently flatten with the back of a rubber spatula.
Step 8: Cook the patties until bottom is browned and sides are set.
Step 9: Carefully flip the patties and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
When you flip, be sure that the entire spatula is under the pancake. If you use just the front of the spatula you'll end up breaking the pancake as you flip it. You have to fully support the entire perimeter of the pancake to make a nice flip.
Step 10: Repeat with the rest of the patties .
Step 11: Serve immediately with the aioli sauce or sour cream (use your favorite dairy-free if you're dairy-free).
Toppings for mashed potato pancake recipe:
There are a variety of topping ideas:
- aioli sauce (you could make the quick one I share below)
- sour cream (use your favorite dairy-free brand, if you're dairy-free)
- diced onions
- bacon
- shredded cheese (dairy-free or dairy)
- tomato salsa
- fresh herbs
- caramelized onions
Can you make cheesy leftover mashed potato pancakes ahead of time?
This mashed potato pancake recipe is still really good if you make them ahead of time and then reheat in the oven. Keep in mind, you won't have that really crispy exterior like when you cook them up at the moment.
Store the cooked pancakes fridge in an airtight container for up to a few days, place them on a baking sheet, and reheat at 350F for around 8-10 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- Adjust for your potatoes: Every batch of mashed potatoes is different depending on how much milk or butter went in. If the mixture is dry and won't come together, add one more egg. If it's wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time.
- Don't crowd the pan: Three at a time gives them room to crisp. Crowding drops the oil temperature and makes them soggy.
- Flip with the whole spatula: Slide the entire spatula under the pancake before flipping. If you use just the front edge, the pancake will break.
- Make ahead: Shape the patties up to a day ahead and refrigerate. Take them out 10 minutes before frying.
- Storage and reheating: Refrigerate cooked pancakes in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. Reheat on a baking sheet at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes. They won't be quite as crispy as fresh, but they're still really good.
- Freezing: Freeze in a single layer in a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container for up to 2 months.
Serving Suggestions
These are best hot with the aioli or a dollop of sour cream (dairy-free works too). For brunch, I love them topped with a poached egg or with my homemade gravlax and cream cheese. For lunch or a light dinner, pair them with my chicken avocado salad or a bowl of summer minestrone. Like a little sweet and tart? Serve them with applesauce or my fresh cranberry orange sauce.
FAQ'S
The trick to getting them to stick together is adding enough egg to bind the potatoes together. If your pancakes are still falling apart after adding an egg or two; try adding some breadcrumbs or Parmesan cheese to act as a binder. If you don't have breadcrumbs on hand, crackers or oats can also work. You could even try adding some finely chopped onion and garlic for an extra flavor boost!
What is the difference between latkes and potato pancakes?
Latkes are a traditional Jewish dish made from grated potatoes and usually served with sour cream or applesauce. Potato pancakes, on the other hand, are typically made from mashed potatoes and often fried in butter or oil. Both are delicious but have slightly different textures. Latkes tend to be more crispy while potato pancakes can be fluffy.
If you are looking for more recipes to make the most out of your leftovers:
- Turkey Pot Pie is delicious!
- Leftover Cranberry Sauce Cake is one of my favorite cakes...ever!
- Baked Brie in Puff Pastry is an amazing appetizer (so easy to make with leftover cranberry sauce)
Did you make this and love it? Please RATE THE RECIPE below:)
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Easy Potato Pancakes (With Leftover Mashed Potatoes)
Equipment
- 1 glass bowl
- 1 saute pan
Ingredients
PANCAKES
- 2 cups mashed potatoes cold
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup flour* plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour divided
- ½ shredded cheese* I used vegan cheese, but shredded mozzarella is fine or cheddar
- ½ cup onion chopped (I used red onion)
- 4-6 Tablespoons oil any mild flavored oil is fine
AIOLI SAUCE
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest from 1 large lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chive or onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- POTATO PANCAKES
- In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients.
- Stir them all together to combine. Set aside and prep the sauce (if you're using this sauce, if you're not, go ahead and skip over to frying them in pan).
- AIOLI SAUCE
- In a medium bowl, add the sauce ingredients. Stir them all together and combine well. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.Set out a medium bowl. Measure all the ingredients into the bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
- In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together until well combined.
- The mixture should be thick and should hold its shape. If it's not thick enough, add a tablespoon of flour at a time (depending on the consistency of your mashed potatoes)
- COOK POTATO PANCAKES
- Use an ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop out the mixture into 6 portions. Roll each portion into a ball and form it into patties or cakes which are about ½- inch in thickness.
- Place remaining flour in a shallow dish and dredge each pancake lightly in flour; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet (cast iron is great for this recipe if you have one) on medium heat. Make sure you use enough oil to coat the entire bottom of the pan (start with 4 tablespoons and if not enough, add a bit more).
- Add the potato pancakes into the hot oil, three at a time, don't overcrowd the pan. Gently flatten with the back of a rubber spatula.
- Cook the patties until bottom is browned and sides are set.
- Carefully flip the pancakes and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
- When you flip, be sure that the entire spatula is under the pancake. If you use just the front of the spatula you'll end up breaking the pancake as you flip it. You have to fully support the entire underside of the pancake to make a nice flip.
- Repeat with the rest of the patties .
- Serve immediately with the aioli sauce or sour cream (use your favorite dairy-free if you're dairy-free).
- These potato pancakes are best served hot. But they're also still delicious warm.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Notes
- Consistency: Leftover mashed potatoes vary. If the mixture is too dry, add another egg. If it's too wet, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Gluten-free or paleo: Use 1:1 gluten-free flour, or cassava flour 1:1 for paleo.
- Dairy-free: Use dairy-free cheese shreds and vegan mayo or unsweetened dairy-free yogurt in the aioli.
- Egg-free: Replace the egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water).
- Aioli: Add a couple of chopped anchovy fillets for extra flavor and skip the salt. Refrigerate up to 1 week.
- Make ahead: Shape the patties up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate. Remove 10 minutes before frying.
- Storage: Refrigerate cooked pancakes up to 2 to 3 days. Reheat on a baking sheet at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Freezing: Freeze in a single layer in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 2 months.
I had some mashed potatoes left from dinner and was happy to find a way to use them. The pancakes cooked up with lovely golden edges and a soft center!
The golden, crispy edges and soft centers made every bite so satisfying!
I love this recipe. As Tillie said, my mashed potatoes had sour cream in them. I still put in the cheese. Ooh, that was such a good combo.
Had a bowl of mashed potatoes sitting in the fridge so I gave these a try. Crispy outside, soft inside, and my kids ate them with sour cream like it was a treat. No more tossing leftovers.
I used cheddar and they turned out fantastic.
I love any dish with potato and these potato pancakes look super crispy and delicious, I cannot wait to make these!
What a great way to re-purpose leftovers!
Very tasty and easy. Our mashed potatoes had sour cream in them, so I skipped the cheese. I’d add it if our mashed potatoes had been leaner.
My dad used to make potato pancakes like this and he’s no longer here to share what he did to make them. So thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Tillie-That is so nice that you enjoyed the potato pancakes and that your mashed potatoes were made with sour cream. I am certain they were extra delicious (great tip!!!). Also, so happy it makes you remember your dad!! That made me SMILE 🙂 Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Make these pancakes all the time with my leftover mashed potatoes. They are DELICIOUS!