Best Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes – Quick and Easy Recipe

Learn how to make cheesy pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes and other few simple ingredients. This easy recipe makes fluffy and crispy pancakes for the best breakfast!

Don’t you just hate those moments when you have to waste and throw away leftovers? The feeling is awful, especially for conscious consumers like I like to think my readers are! So, what happens if you have some leftover mashed potatoes from yesterday’s dinner that no one is interested in serving again? Don’t worry, now you can turn those surplus spuds into the ultimate Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes! Your kids will become in love in seconds with these cheesy and fluffy pancakes with a crispy crust!

Tips and Tricks for Making the Best Mashed Potato Pancakes

Even though it’s one of my easiest recipes, there are some tricks when preparing the best mashed potato pancakes. The key to making some fluffy and still crispy on the outside potato pancakes is to follow the next tips. However, don’t take my word, just try the yourself and tell me how that went in the comment section below.

• Remember that the best way of shaping the pancakes into patties is by using your hands. Just shape them into small disks. Also, if the potato mixture is sticking, wet your hands slightly and then form the patties.
• You can use any mashed potatoes for this recipe, but mashed potatoes without the skins work best for that fluffy final result.
• Substitute the cheddar cheese with any cheese that you would like or have on hand. Gouda is a favorite of mine as it also adds some extra flavor. In addition, go for a spicy twist with pepper jack.
• Mix in any herbs that you have on hand rosemary, thyme, and even sage, for an extra kick of flavor.
• For frying the potato pancakes, you can use oil for a really crispy pancake or butter for a rich and delicious buttery pancake. I always use sunflower oil as I want to let that crispy crust form.

How to Make Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

Now, that you already know my secrets in preparing the fluffiest potato pancakes out there, here are the ingredient list and the step-by-step recipe. You don’t have to worry about the difficulty of this recipe as I even let my 5-year-old niece help me once. She did such a great job that I only assisted in the frying process.

(It’s essential to remember that kids should not use the stove or oven by themselves until they are 11 years old. Before the age of about 11 years old, children can’t really anticipate events they haven’t experienced. If something unexpected happens, they are unprepared.)

Ingredient List

Well, here is the simple ingredient list I already talked about. As you can see for yourself, I didn’t overreact about the simplicity of it – there are 5 ingredients (not including the sour cream for serving and oil for frying).

• 1.5 cup leftover mashed potatoes (chilled);
• 1/3 cup cheddar cheese (shredded);
• 1 tablespoon scallions, green and white parts (chopped);
• 1 egg (lightly beaten);
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour;
• vegetable oil (for pan-frying);
• sour cream (for serving).

Step-by-Step Recipe for Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

If you thought the ingredient list for these leftover mashed potato pancakes recipe is simple, just look at the steps below!

1. Firstly, in a large bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese, scallions, egg, and 1.5 tablespoons of flour until well combined.

2. Next, using your hands, divide the mixture into 6 portions. Roll each portion into a compact ball then flatten it into a pancake about a 1/2-inch-thick.

3. Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish and carefully dredge each pancake in it before frying.

4. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Keep in mind to add enough oil to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan.

5. Just fry the pancakes, in batches, until they’re golden brown and crispy on both sides (for 3 to 4 minutes). Add more oil to the pan as needed between batches, do not overcrowd the pan, and do not flip the pancakes too soon if you want them to develop a crisp crust.

6. Finally, transfer the pancakes to a plate lined with a paper towel and immediately sprinkle them with salt.

7. I recommend serving the mashed potato pancakes topped with sour cream and garnished with additional chopped scallions.

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Easy Video Recipe

Now it’s the fun part – the quick and easy video recipe for these crispy mashed potato pancakes. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my hubby with me when I prepared them, so you won’t be able to see how I form the pancakes using my hands (as this would require an extra pair of hands to hold the camera). However, you can most certainly deal with that step without video instructions, as the written ones are more than self-explanatory.

Enjoy Your Cheesy Breakfast!

Well, now we certainly know everything there is to know about the leftover mashed potato pancakes recipe. Wasn’t it much easier to prepare them than you initially thought? I don’t want to be too excited about it, but for me was surprisingly easy. When I first saw the recipe on the Internet, I wouldn’t have believed it takes so little time and the steps are actually so easy. Not to mention that is only a 5-ingredient recipe and you can serve them in less than 30 minutes. Also, as you surely already noticed, this is an incredibly versatile recipe and is also easy to double or triple for larger groups. Just be sure to have enough leftover mashed potatoes!

So, now, it’s your turn to share with me everything about this recipe and whatever you want to discuss in the comment section below. I am aware that cooking can sometimes be a little tricky, therefore don’t hesitate to ask about any curiosity or dilemma you have. In addition, please let me know what you think about my recipes and my way of explaining things here, on the blog. Feedback is really important in this area as I want to be constantly improving myself and my content.

Last but not least, here are two more pancakes recipes to impress your loved ones: