Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe

Take your leftover mashed potato and make this crispy yet fluffy potato cakes recipe. They’ll simply melt in your mouth!

Wondering what to do with the leftover mashed potato from Thanksgiving? I highly recommend transforming them into a serving of these flavorful mashed potato cakes. This old-fashioned potato cakes recipe is quick and easy to follow and you’ll have a delicious new side dish in no time. Crispy on the outside but tender on the inside, these easy potato cakes are sure to be a hit!

Serve your potato cakes with turkey leftovers over the holidays, or as a side alongside main dishes like meatloaf, roasted chicken, or beef brisket any time of the year. You can even serve them with bacon and eggs for breakfast or as an appetizer with apple sauce or sour cream for dipping. The choice is yours!

Recipe Ingredients

• Flour (either self-rising or all-purpose flour; whatever you have on hand)
• Cold mashed potatoes (don’t use instant. Trust me).
• Eggs

To your mashed potatoes, add egg and mix up really well. Then add flour. Stir it up really well with a fork until well blended like this. It will be very thick and sticky.

You can also add some finely diced onion or green onion at this point as well.

Heat just a little bit of butter or oil (about two tablespoons of either vegetable oil or olive oil, it doesn’t take much) in the bottom of a large skillet and place over medium heat for two to three minutes, or until hot.

This is important because if you don’t heat your oil first, your potato cakes will be greasy.

Scoop out heaping spoonfuls of potato mixture into the hot oil.

Dip the back of your spoon into the oil and then press down with it onto the mashed potato patties to flatten them a bit.

Fry until browned and then carefully flip them over and brown on the other side.

Once they are golden brown on both sides, remove them to a paper towel-lined plate and eat up!

Storage

• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat them in the oven, the air fryer, or over low heat in a skillet.
• You can also individually wrap your potato cakes in foil and store them in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Recipe Notes

• If you can’t resist the addition of cheese, add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese or shredded cheddar cheese to this potato cakes recipe.
• Add some seasoning to your crispy potato cakes with dried herbs, like thyme, parsley, basil, or rosemary. Alternatively, opt for spices like onion powder or garlic powder.
• If you want to sneak some veggies into these leftover mashed potato cakes, add some mashed cauliflower, chopped spinach, or finely shredded carrots.
• I strongly recommend using real mashed potatoes. Save those instant mashed potatoes to thicken your stews and use them in the crust on my taco casserole recipe instead.
• The flour and egg act as a binder to keep these fried potato cakes together. But you can also refrigerate the batter before frying to ensure they don’t fall apart.
• There are several variations on this potato cakes recipe if you want to change things up! For example, add diced pepperoni and mozzarella cheese to your batter to make pizza potato cakes. You could also add leftover taco meat, cheese, and diced bell pepper for taco cakes. If you’re feeling Greek-inspired, opt for sundried tomatoes and feta cheese.

Recipe FAQs

How do you serve this mashed potato cakes recipe?

This potato cakes recipe is the definition of versatile. Serve them as a side dish alongside any meat main course, like grilled chicken or pork chops. You can also enjoy them as an appetizer and dip them in ketchup, apple sauce, salsa, or make a homemade sauce with mustard and mayonnaise or sour cream. Another option is to serve them as a side with soup and green salad.

Can I make these potato cakes gluten-free?

Absolutely! Simply use gluten-free flour and you have yourself some gluten-free potato cakes.

Check out these other popular potato recipes:

My Family’s Favorite Potatoes

Fried Potatoes Recipe (Steppin’ Up The Flavor)

Greek Potatoes With A Twist: Meet Big Fat Greek Taters

The BEST German Potato Salad Recipe

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe (Freezer Friendly)