This Potato Pancakes Recipe is the best way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. This cheesy mashed potato pancakes recipe is well loved by everyone in our family. This is just about the only way that my kids will eat mashed potatoes and by “eat,” I mean they wolf them down!
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There’s just something about that beautiful cheese pull with each one that makes these completely irresistible. Potato pancakes are quick and easy to make and have the simplest ingredients.
Sometimes the best recipes are the simplest and YES, it’s totally worth it to make mashed potatoes just to have these potato pancakes! P.S. Don’t miss the sweet little taste test with my son at the end of the video!
Watch How To Make Mashed Potato Pancakes:
All that melty cheese! I want these all over again. Seriously my friends, these are GOOD! I love how forgiving these potato pancakes are. We usually wing it and “eye-ball” the recipe except for when we measured everything just for you!
Ingredients for Potato Pancake Recipe:
4 cups mashed potatoes*
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large egg
1/4 cup flour (or up to 1/2 cup flour for creamier potatoes)
2 to 3 Tbsp chives, chopped
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
Light Olive oil or Canola oil to sauté
Sour cream to serve
*This recipe works best with mashed potatoes that are not ultra creamy and buttery, and if they are, you may need a little more flour for them to hold a patty shape. This recipe is not intended for use with instant mashed potatoes.
Time Saving Tip: Use a trigger release ice cream scoop, scraping the scoop against the side of the bowl to quickly and easily create uniform patties.
⬇ Print-Friendly Mashed Potato Pancakes Recipe:
Cheesy Potato Pancakes Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 4 cups mashed potatoes, *
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, (8 oz)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or up to 1/2 cup flour for creamier potatoes
- 2 1/2 Tbsp chives, chopped
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp Light Olive oil , or Canola oil to sauté
- Sour cream to serve
Instructions
How to Make Mashed Potatoes:
- Fill a 5 Qt pot with water. Add 1 Tbsp salt and peeled quartered russet potatoes (2 lbs or about 7 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered). Cook until easily pierced with fork. Drain well and mash in 4 Tbsp butter then let cool to room temp. Mashed potatoes can be made 1 - 3 days ahead.
How to Make Mashed Potato Pancakes:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 cups mashed potatoes, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 large egg, 1/4 cup flour and 2 Tbsp chopped chives. Use a potato masher to mash the mixture together until well mixed. If the potatoes are too loose to hold a patty shape, add flour a Tablespoon at a time.
- Place a heaping tablespoonful of potato mixture between your palms and form into a round, 1/3" thick patty. Dredge both sides of the pancake in bread crumbs and set on a cutting board. Repeat with remaining pancakes.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat with enough oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. Once oil is hot, add patties in a single layer and sauté 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining patties, adding more oil as needed. I usually have 2 skillets going at once to finish sooner.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
If you try this mashed potato pancakes recipe, let me know!! Oh p.s. you can also use dill if you don’t have chives.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hey- is this around 270 calories for 1 or for an average of how many?
Hi Janette, that would be based on the serving. This recipe makes 22 pancakes, which serves 8 people.
Hello Natasha! I hope you and your family are doing well. I am now as I’m texting you, printing the recipes that I want to try. I’m going to try your Potatoe Pancake recipe. I remember my mother making them when I was a little girl. I’m been craving for them so I had left over mashed potatoes from 2 nights ago so I added flour, chopped up onions, pure honey, some left over kernel corn. Boy, my husband and I love them. You’ll have to try it they way. I don’t measure but I’m sure that’s you will not have any problems bc your recipes are amazing, fantastic tasting. Thanks for the recipes, suggestions, extra notes for us all. You make cooking look easy and fun. Can I still get a cookbook?
Thank you, Nana!
Yes, my cookbook is still available. You can find details here in my blog post for Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook.
I’ve made these a couple times before for my family and my kids love them!! Your recipes are always so easy to follow and always a hit.
I’m making them for Christmas family dinner this year. Would they taste just as good if made ahead of time like the day before? If not, what’s the best way to keep them warm for dinner as we’ll be taking them to my bro inlaw house? Thank you Natasha!
Thank you, Melissa for sharing that with us. These are freezer friendly so you can make this ahead. Just make sure to thaw then before heating.
Thank you! And which way would be best to warm them up after thawing? Microwave??
Hi Melissa, I love these warmed up on a skillet – it’s easy and the texture on the outside is lovely on the skillet.
Had a lot of leftover mashed potato and planned on making these after Thanksgiving. They came out great. I froze some and will enjoy later. I had purchased an electric griddle which allowed me to make quick cooking of these!
That’s great, Margaret! So glad you loved the recipe.
Hi Natasha I was wondering if the mashed potatoes are supposed to be cold or just made?
Hi Tanya! We used cold, leftover mashed potatoes.
I made some with left mashed potato and added sauteed chopped onion and finely chopped bacon as well as the cheese. They were so good I am making them again
Hello Chris, all yum! Glad you enjoyed it.
I haven’t seen a comment on it but do you think I can make a sheet tray full, put on parchment paper and bake them??
Hi Lisa! Some of our readers have baked these and said they enjoyed them that way. One reader wrote: “I sprayed them with cooking spray on each side and I baked them at 400F for about 7-8 mins per side. They were wonderful!” I hope this helps.
Are these good eaten cold on picnic, or for lunch?
I love most of your recipes, thank-you for sharing.
Hi Vivienne. I think these are best served warm. 🙂
***The best potato pancakes I’ve ever had! Thank you so much for the recipe. I had to make 2 batches – they were gone in 10 minutes! 🙂
Happy to know that it was a huge hit!
I made them for my kids just no bread crumbs, they came out great. Top with cream and every one loved them.
Great recipe, so delicious! I would do it again. I also added some canned tuna to add more protein and it was a hit at lunch.
So glad you enjoyed it, Claudia!
These were perfect and delicious!
I substituted the plain bread crumbs for Panko bread crumbs because that is what I had on hand. This recipe is a keeper!
That’s great to know. So glad you found a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
Is there a difference in toasted buckwheat and it not being toasted does it make a difference in taste .I finally found some buckwheat groats and had I time cooking it .
Hi Carolyn! You can find my buckwheat recipe with notes on the toasted buckwheat HERE.
I made these with leftover potatoes & garlic from a crawfish boil. Just peeled them & mashed them, & added all the other Ingredients. They were perfect.
Sounds perfect indeed, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the review, Dawn.
Sorry Natasha, no pictures😭 They were eaten so fast I missed taking one. My family just loved these potato pancakes! We don’t often have leftover mashed potatoes because we’re 8, so when I do I will be making this recipe again, many times I’m sure. Thank you😊❤
No worries, you will not be able to share pictures here too but feel free to share them in our Facebook page or group. Thanks for the awesome review!
Do you think Italian seasoning would be a good substitute for the chives?
Hi Mark, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you have onion powder, I think that will work too.
Ultra creamy or super creamy, I just can’t tell what level of creamy my left over mashed potatoes fall under. I’m thinking they are just really REALLY creamy.
Did you like it? How was the taste and how’s the recipe overall?
It looks so devine. What can I substitute for the the egg as I am vegetartian
Hi Ruby, I haven’t tried it without egg (it might still work just omitting it), One of my readers suggested a vegan egg replacer which might work if you have something like that on hand.