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.
Hi. Can I make patties the night before and freeze. Then fry the next morning?
Hi Sadia, it might be better to refrigerate overnight so they cook more evenly the next day without requiring thawing.
Hi,
I dont eat egg, could you suggest me another alternative for the same to make this recipe?
Hi, I haven’t tried any substitutions but one of my readers replied with something that might be helpful to you: “There’s a vegan egg replacer you can get at Whole Foods or other health food markets. But you could even just mix the flour with a bit of water before mixing and that should work.”
Try butter milk or plain yogurt 🙂
Vegans don’t eat anything that have any kind of an animal base. Both buttermilk and yogurt are based on milk, which is not Vegan.
Oh my goodness! I want some of these right now! They look deeelicious!
They are popular for good reason! I hope you love the recipe Julie!
I make these anytime I have leftover mashed potatoes. Both I & my husband love them. Basically the same way I make mine, but do not dredge in bread crumbs. We like ours fried in butter/oil mixture, on medium high, so the outside of the pancakes fry slightly crispier!
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your tip with other readers Regina!
Love all your recipes. I’m a old Hungarian gal myself, so these recipes take me back. My grandson taught me how to cook. Still, use the old recipes.
Christmas cookies, poppyseed and walnut rolls are always a big hit. Do you have a cookbook out to purchase?
Keep on cooking all those, yummy things we….love, best wishes, Barbi
Thank you so much for asking – that is quite a compliment! We do not have a cookbook yet, but it is on my life’s to-do list. 🙂 We are holding off until our little one is in school 🙂
You will get there one day. I was making apple pies at 6 yrs old. ( I’m 71) now and everyone loves my apple pies LOL I’m going to try the blueberry pierogi- dumplings. Grand mom, made hers with potato dough, and purple plums inside. Called, Angel dumplings. She made little teeny noodle ones and fried them in butter added some sugar, poured over the plum dumplings, a drizzle of, real cream. Yummy! Do you make, stuffed cabbage So many things to make! LOL Barbi
Oh wow that does sound amazing! P.S. Here is our favorite stuffed cabbage recipe.
We had these for breakfast this morning, and they’re sooooo delicious! I used leftover baked potatoes, put them through the ricer, and added a little milk since they weren’t originally mashed potatoes. I had chives in the garden and Panko bread crumbs. Great with provolone cheese, too.
Oh yum, that does sound delicious Kate! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Making these yummy treats tomorrow! Can I use panko bread crumbs?
Hi Liza, I think the smaller crumbs stay on a little easier and soak up a little less oil but Panko should work fine for a crispier crust 🙂
I am going to be making these little yummy potato cheese pancakes of heaven tomorrow lol! They look great! I just made the mashed potatoes, but was wondering…. Tomorrow when i go to make them, do i need to re-heat the mashed potatoes? I was thinking that mixing the flour into cold potatoes maynot work that well, but wasnt sure! Hahaha
Thanks so much for this yummy recipe!
Hi Coral, I have mixed flour into cold mashed potatoes many times and haven’t noticed any issues. We usually make these with cold leftover potatoes so it’s a great way to use up leftovers :). I hope you love the recipe!!
I tried these and loved them but next time, I want to do them by adding broccoli and cauliflower into the potatoes as I boil them and mash together so that I have mashed potato/broccoli/cauliflower and then add instead of mozzarella, shredded cheddar and see if those would be good too. Another idea I have is to add shreds or small pieces of leftover steak into them to make steak & potato patties. I will try both and post the results.
Those sounds like great alternatives! Thanks for sharing your review Judy!
So I tried them for today’s Sunday lunch. 5 stars from me. I added chorizo and I was also thinking of adding something spicy like jalapenos next time. I made them with waxy potatoes and forgot to add the butter when mashing them, but the patties were easy to form regardless. Thanks, this recipe is a keeper!
You’re welcome Jenny! I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
I added 1/2 pound of cooked bacon (chopped) They came out great! Think next time Ill ad green peppers or maybe even Jalapeños???
Those sound like great add-ins! Let me know how you like them 🙂
Thank you for this mouth watering recipe, the kids love it and so does hubby. I have frozen the next batch is this okay to do or am I better of refrigerating for the next delicious round. Thank you so much
Sammy, they are fine frozen and you are very welcome 😬
Russet potatoes, or red/gold/yellow? Russets are mealy, the others more sticky. Anyhow, I’m going to try this with freeze-dried hash-browns.
Hi LJ, I’ve done this with russets and with yukon golds and both worked well.
Hi Natasha, what is the possible substitute for the eggs? My daughter is allergic with eggs.
Thank you 🙂
Hi Diana, I haven’t tried any substitutions but one of my readers replied with something that might be helpful to you: “There’s a vegan egg replacer you can get at Whole Foods or other health food markets. But you could even just mix the flour with a bit of water before mixing and that should work.”
Could they be cooked on the BBQ?
Hi Susan, I think they are too delicate to flip without falling apart on a bbq. These should be cooked on a non-stick surface ideally.
They make grill mates (a mat) that lay over the grill this will help so they don’t fall through the grill rack.
Natasha, have you ever frozen the potato pancakes before frying them and then fried them at a later time?
Kelli, I haven’t tried it but that should work just fine 😁
what can i use as a substitute for eggs as i am a vegetarian?
Hi Rehana, I haven’t tried anything else as a substitute so I’m not sure what else would work as a binder. You could try without it and the cheese will help to bind it a little. Maybe someone else has tried a substitute? Thanks friends! 🙂
Thanks thought of that i will surely try it!
You’re welcome 🙂
There’s a vegan egg replacer you can get at Whole Foods or other health food markets. But you could even just mix the flour with a bit of water before mixing and that should work.
Thanks thought of that i will surely try it!
Good idea!
Have you ever used cheese other than mozz, like cheddar?
I haven’t because my children love mozzarella best but you can definitely substitute! 🙂
What do you think of using sweet potatoes for this recipe? Better for you and oh so yummy!!
I haven’t tried sweet potatoes but I think it could work. Let me know if you test it out – I’m curious! 🙂
really good Thanks
You’re welcome! I’m glad you love it Chef!