Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (2024)

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Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe is super easy but the best comfort food. Use mashed potatoes and all of your favorite toppings to make delicious leftover mashed potatoes cake.

Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (1)

We always have so much leftovers after our holiday meal. We love to use the leftovers to make turkey pot pie and 15 Bean Soup with Ham Recipe. Using the leftover mashed potatoes to make these potato cakes was also a hit.

My kids love mashed potatoes and can eat them with every meal. If you are stuck with a whole container of mashed potatoes make these potato cakes. You can even make mashed sweet potatoes cakes to use up those leftovers.

Table of Contents

  • What are Mashed Potato Pancake:
  • Ingredients:
  • Variation Ideas:
  • How to Make Potato Pancakes from Mashed Potatoes:
  • Expert Tips:
  • What to Serve with Mashed Potato Cakes:
  • Frequently Asked Questions:
  • More Easy Potato Recipes:
  • Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe Recipe

What are Mashed Potato Pancake:

This is the perfect to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. Your leftover mashed potato recipes is formed into a patties and fried to perfect but still soft on the inside.

They can be made with a variation of add-ins and then topped with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Ingredients:

Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (2)

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.

Variation Ideas:

  • Additions – Add in Monterrey Jack Cheese, mozzarella cheese, bacon, green chilis or green onion into the potato mixture before frying. Parmesan cheese is also a great addition.
  • Seasoning – Feel free to add in fresh herbs, garlic, chives, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper for added flavor.
  • Veggies – Make veggie packed mashed potato cakes. This is a great way to get your kiddos to eat more vegetables. Try adding bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, onion. They are all delicious.
  • Gluten-Free Flour – Feel free to make this recipe with almond flour. This variation will still taste amazing.

How to Make Potato Pancakes from Mashed Potatoes:

Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (3)

Step 1 – Beat the eggs with the flour in a large bowl.

Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (4)

Step 2 – Mix with the left over mashed potatoes to combine.

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Step 3 – Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add butter to the skillet and allow it to melt and spread it around with a spatula.

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Step 4 – Spoon the mashed potatoes portions by ¼ cup on the skillet. Allow the patties to cook golden brown. Then flip and smash the potato cake down so it flattens more and allow it to brown.

Expert Tips:

  • Mashed Potatoes – Feel free to make this recipe with any type of mashed potatoes. They do work best with mashed potatoes without the skin.
  • Shaping Pancakes – You can use a cookie scoop or a measuring cup to shape the pancake mixture. But we find it best to use your hands.
  • Cooking Potato Cakes – Cook the pancakes in butter or oil of your choice.
Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (7)

What to Serve with Mashed Potato Cakes:

Mashed Potato Cakes are best served warm as soon as they come off the griddle. They are the perfect brunch options served with scrambled eggs, bacon and a blueberry muffin.

Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (8)

Frequently Asked Questions:

How to Store Leftovers:

Store you leftover potato cakes in an airtight container in the fridge. They will last about 5 days if stored properly.

How to Reheat:

When you are ready to serve again, heat oil in a skillet. Then place pancake in skillet and reheat. We do not recommend reheating in the microwave as it will lost the crispiness.

More Easy Potato Recipes:

  • Pan Fried Potatoes Recipe
  • Twice Baked Potatoes
  • Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes
  • Microwave Baked Potatoes
  • Crock Pot Cheesy Potato Casserole

We love hearing from you. Make sure to leave us a comment in you make this leftover mashed potato pancakes recipe.

Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (9)

Review

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Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Have left over mashed potatoes? Make this easy mashed potato cakes recipe. Your family will love them and never know they were left overs.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Servings 6

Cuisine American

Course Side Dish

Calories 248

Author Carrie Barnard

Ingredients

  • 4 cups left over mashed potatoes
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 4 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  • Beat the 2 eggs with the flour in a mixing bowl.

  • Mix with the left over mashed potatoes and stir until combined.

  • Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter to the skillet and spread it around with a spatula.

  • Spoon the mashed potatoes by ¼ cup on the skillet. Flatten the mixture out until it's approximately ½ inch thick.

  • Cook for 3-4 minutes until browned.

  • Then flip and smash the potato cake down so it flattens more and the cook the other side for 3-4 more minutes until the other side is browned.

  • Remove from the skillet. Serve warm topped with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

You can also easily make these mashed potato cakes on an electric skillet.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 248kcal, Carbohydrates 36g, Protein 5g, Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 5g, Cholesterol 74mg, Sodium 129mg, Potassium 459mg, Fiber 2g, Sugar 1g, Vitamin A 310IU, Vitamin C 32.4mg, Calcium 21mg, Iron 1mg

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About the Author

Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (18)

Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Eating on a Dime!

I’m on a mission to help you cook delicious meals without busting your budget. Together we are going to cook real food… for real families!

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Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my mashed potato pancakes falling apart? ›

Flour absorbs some of the excess moisture from the milk and butter that is likely in your leftover mashed potatoes, a main culprit in pancakes that fall apart. It also provides protein and starch that helps the egg hold everything together.

Why are my potato cakes soggy? ›

If you find that your potato pancakes often come out too soggy, a lack of heat is the most likely culprit.

What's the best potato to use for potato pancakes? ›

Russet potatoes work best in this recipe because they have a high starch content, which helps to bind the pancakes together. I do not recommend substituting with red or yellow potatoes.

What can you have with potato cakes? ›

What to Serve With Potato Cakes. Serve the potato cakes as a side dish with a dollop of sour cream. You can also balance the savory recipe with a sweet homemade applesauce. Fresh chives or green onions will add a burst of flavor and color.

What ingredient keeps pancakes from falling apart? ›

I can barely flip a pancake without it falling apart on me.

Your batter could be too loose—add a little flour.

Why are my potato pancakes gummy? ›

If you don't drain the moisture, they won't crisp as easily and that may be why your potato pancakes are gummy. Feel the Heat. Sufficiently heating oil in the pan prior to placing the patty in the pan is the key to a properly crispy pancake.

How to keep potato patties from falling apart? ›

Egg – This is used as a binder to help keep the mashed potatoes cakes from falling apart. Shredded Cheddar Cheese – I like the flavor of the cheddar cheese here but feel free to use any shredded cheese variety, I tested it with a shredded mozzarella as well and it turned out super good!

Why are my potato pancakes grey? ›

It depends on whether your potatoes are turning gray before you cook them or after. When you grate raw potatoes, you release starch that can cause them to oxidize, or turn dark. The best way to keep that from happening is to cover the potatoes with cold water, then drain them very well and pat them dry before cooking.

Why are my cakes not moist? ›

A dry cake is usually the result of one of the following pitfalls: using the wrong ingredients, making mistakes while measuring or mixing the batter, or baking the cake too long or at too high a temperature. Once you understand which common cake-baking blunders to avoid, you'll know how to bake a moist cake every time.

What is the best oil for potato pancakes? ›

Stick to canola or peanut oil, which both have high enough smoke points to fry up a mess of latkes. (Update: With further testing and research, we've changed our stance on frying in olive oil.

What is another name for potato pancakes? ›

Potato pancakes are associated with almost every European cuisine and are referred to as a variety of names including latkes (Jewish culture), kartoffelpuffer (Germany), bramborak (Slovakia and Czech Republic), draniki (Austria), tattifish (England) and rosti (Switzerland) (“Potato Pancake Background”, n.d).

What culture eats potato pancakes? ›

It is the national dish of Belarus, Ukraine and Slovakia. In Germany, potato pancakes are eaten either salty (as a side dish) or sweet with apple sauce, or blueberries, sugar and cinnamon; they are a very common menu item during outdoor markets and festivals in colder seasons.

What are Potato Cakes called in America? ›

In some states it's known as a 'potato scallop', in others it's a 'potato cake', and for years the debate has been bantered back and forward between protagonists. “It might be a 'scallop' of potato but let's not confuse it with a serve of scallops!

What do British people call Potato Cakes? ›

Bubble and Squeak (or Potato Cakes) is a British classic, and an easy and flexible recipe. You can make it from scratch OR use up leftover veggies. Flavorful, colorful, fluffy, creamy and so so good.

What to eat on top of potato pancakes? ›

The Best Latke Topping Ideas
  1. You can't go wrong with cool applesauce and sour cream. ...
  2. For added flavor, a piece of sliced smoked salmon (lox) brings another dimension to the latke. ...
  3. Lean into balancing out the salty latke with in-season pomegranates and honey.
Dec 11, 2022

Why are my mashed potatoes falling apart? ›

You do not want to leave the water boiling for long. The aggressive temperature and rolling bubbles will cause the potatoes to fall apart. Cook just until tender, and drain.

What causes pancakes to break? ›

Cracking is usually because of moisture. Your oven temperature is probably too high or you are using the wrong setting (should be top/bottom heat not fan) or you are cooking it too long. All of these factors will dry the cake out too much.

How do you make pancakes not crumbly? ›

  1. mix little. If you sift your dry ingredients together beforehand and thoroughly mix the wet ingredients before, then putting them together should be 10 vigorous seconds with a whisk.
  2. no need to let the batter sit. ...
  3. don't be afraid to add more liquid. ...
  4. make sure you're not overcooking the pancakes on too low a heat.
Nov 20, 2021

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