Mashed Potato Cakes (Potato Cake Recipe)

If you have leftover mashed potatoes, look no further than this potato cake recipe. With just a few simple ingredients, whip up these delicious mashed potato cakes as a side dish or breakfast!

The thing about three person families is that we ALWAYS have leftovers. Having grown up in a three person family, and now having a three person family of my own, I know this to be a fact. And it’s a fact I kind of love, to be honest.

We are not a family who hates leftovers. We love having leftovers, because it means that lunch for the next day is already taken care of!

But let’s be honest, some leftovers aren’t so great simply reheated as is (looking at you, sadly, salmon pasta). That’s why I have a breakfast casserole that serves as a leftover cornbread recipe, and I have a leftover turkey chili in my back pocket, too.

Mashed potatoes are another thing that I don’t love simply reheated. Unlike mini Hasselback potatoes, which you can make in advance and then reheat, mashed potatoes are really best when they’re fresh.

After that, I think they’re a little better repurposed into something else, like on top of mini shepherd’s pies, or the casserole I use as a leftover mashed potato recipe.

Today, I’m sharing another idea for repurposing leftover mashed potatoes. This potato cake recipe is similar to a dish my mom used to make for the three of us, and now I make these leftover mashed potato pancakes for my family, too!

The ingredients for this potato cake recipe are simple:

• chilled leftover mashed potatoes – we’ll be using them straight from the fridge, no need to reheat first.
• egg – you’ll need one egg, which will act as a binder and help the potato cakes stay together.
• garlic – I love this for added flavor, unless of course your leftover mashed potatoes already contain garlic!
• flour – I like a thin dusting of flour on the outside of the mashed potato cakes to help them brown, and you may or may not need some flour in the potato cake mixture itself, depending on the consistency of your mashed potatoes. More on that later!
• Parmesan cheese – I like the salty, earthy flavor that Parmesan adds, but any type of shredded cheese is fine.
• chives – or green onions work, too. Any extra chives can be used to make pimento mac and cheese.
• vegetable oil – you’ll need this for pan frying. Pan spray or olive oil also work to fry potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes.
• sour cream – I like to serve these potato pancakes with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, but you could also make my easy gravy recipe. Or, take the sour cream to the next level and make roasted garlic spread.

How to make potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes:

This potato cake recipe is so simple to make. Grab a large bowl and whisk the egg. Then, add the garlic, mashed potatoes, some flour, the cheese and chives.

Stir everything together with a fork and then pop it into the fridge for 20 minutes. This will help the mixture firm up and make it easier to shape into mashed potato cakes.

Shape the mixture into 12 pancakes and lightly dredge each one in a bit more flour. Then, working in batches, fry them up in a skillet with a touch of oil until they are golden brown and delicious!

You can use flavored mashed potatoes to make these mashed potato cakes!

You certainly don’t have to start with just plain mashed potatoes to make these leftover mashed potato pancakes. If you have fancy flavored mashed potatoes left over from dinner last night, those will work too!

You can start with a cheesy variety, like my blue cheese mashed potatoes, to make potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes. In that case, I would omit the Parmesan cheese in the potato cake recipe below.

You can also start with garlic mashed potatoes, in which case I would omit the garlic from these mashed potato cakes.

You can also start with my Greek yogurt mashed potatoes, with or without the feta cheese. Then make these potato pancakes from mashed potatoes the next day!

Some tips for making potato pancakes from mashed potatoes:

• The potato cake recipe below calls for adding 1/4 cup of flour to the mashed potato mixture. This helps bind the mixture together and form the mixture into patties. However, depending on the consistency of the leftover mashed potatoes you are starting with, you may need a little more or less flour!
• If your leftover mashed potatoes are already very thick, try omitting the flour and seeing if you can form the mixture into patties without it. You may not need flour at all for these mashed potato cakes.
• If your leftover mashed potatoes are on the thinner side (maybe you made them with lots of cream and butter, yum!), you may need a bit more flour. Start with 1/4 cup, and if the mixture is still too thin to form into pancakes (you’re looking for a shaggy consistency sort of like cookie dough), try adding additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you achieve the right consistency for these leftover mashed potato pancakes.
• You may or may not need to add salt and pepper to taste, depending on how well seasoned your original mashed potatoes were. If they turned out a bit bland, season them a little more while you’re making the pancakes!

Potato cakes are freezer friendly!

These potato pancakes from mashed potatoes freeze well after they are prepared. Allow them to cool to room temperature, then freeze on a parchment-lined baking pan until frozen. Then transfer to a zip-top freezer bag for storage!

Reheat the leftover mashed potato pancakes from frozen in a 350 degree oven until warm.

What to serve with leftover mashed potato pancakes:

If you’re looking for an easy entree to serve with these potato cakes, I suggest Instant Pot short ribs, buttermilk grilled chicken or crock pot ribs!

These potato pancakes from mashed potatoes are also yummy alongside a few meatballs, like air fryer turkey meatballs or Greek chicken meatballs.

I also love this leftover mashed potato pancake recipe for breakfast, alongside a simple poached egg or even something like a pimento cheese omelet and some bacon in the oven.