Mashed Potato Pancakes (and Latke Twist)
Leftover mashed potatoes make these mashed potato pancakes a snap. They’re crispy on the outside and creamy, cheesy delicious on the inside.
If you don’t have leftover mashed potatoes, you can buy some at a restaurant or grocery store (shhh).
I made these mashed potato cakes (latkes) as one of my Hanukkah recipes last year and now it’s my new favorite way to use leftover mashed potatoes. A great twist on latkes. It’s a pleasure not to have to grate and squeeze the potatoes dry for traditional latkes.
If you like crispy pancakes with creamy insides, you’ll love these. Holiday feast or not. This easy recipe makes a great side dish or light main and is a perfect way to use up leftover mashed potatoes (maybe Thanksgiving leftovers?).
If you’re in the mood for more traditional potato latkes, try our Potato Latkes (Oven or Fried) recipe.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
The basic idea is to mix together mashed potatoes with a few simple ingredients you like. I add cheese, green onions, an egg and parsley or fresh chives.
Mashed potatoes: If you don’t have leftovers, you can make your own basic mashed potatoes. For a different taste with extra nutrition, use mashed sweet potatoes.
Cheese: Vary the cheese. I used a combination of gruyere and cheddar. Add some parmesan cheese if you like as well. A reader even suggested a Mexican four cheese blend. Or, you can leave out the cheese if you wish.
Add-ins:
- Crispy bacon (but not for Hanukkah!).
- Herbs such as thyme, basil or tarragon.
- Caramelized onions – you can either incorporate them into the pancakes or use them as a topping.
Great toppings:
- Latkes are traditionally served with sour cream and, in our family, with applesauce.
- I’ve just discovered caramelized onions as a new topping – sensational!
- Other good toppings are cranberry sauce, chutney or chopped fresh chives.
Step by step instructions
Tips
- Don’t skip dredging the pancakes/latkes lightly in flour before frying. It helps create the crust. It also helps reduce the stickiness of the pancakes, making them easier to handle.
- If your mashed potatoes are on the wet side, increase the flour a bit. Not by too much though – you want those latke insides nice and creamy. If your potatoes are on the dryer side, you can add another egg or a bit of milk.
Shortcuts
- Use leftover or store-bought mashed potatoes.
What to serve with this recipe
Potato pancakes make a great side dish for any protein. Here are are a few favorites to pair them with.
- maple glazed salmon recipe
- smothered chicken in a skillet (two comfort foods together!)
- chicken meatloaf with vegetables
- healthy meatloaf with mushroom gravy
- broccoli apple salad
- marinated tomato salad
- sous vide corned beef
- sous vide brisket with maple soy sauce
Recipe FAQs
Typically, latkes include baking powder in addition to potatoes and eggs. Potato pancakes don’t.
Likely they are too moist. Blot the mashed potatoes with a paper towel. If still too wet, add a little bit of flour. Also, be sure to dredge them in flour before frying and heat the skillet with oil and butter before frying.
Make Ahead
- Fresh out of the pan is the best way to serve potato pancakes (latkes) to get that crispy exterior. They are just as tasty, however, if you make them ahead and reheat them in the oven, although the crust will not be crisp.
- To store: Cool and store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 days. Reheat them on a baking sheet in the oven at 350F/176.7C for 8-10 minutes.
- To freeze: Potato cakes may be frozen between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container or bag. Or flash freeze on a sheet plan for 1/2 hour, then pile into a ziplock or airtight container to freeze for up to 3 months.
What else to do with leftover mashed potatoes
Our vegetarian shepherds pie uses a root vegetable mash as the topping, but could just as easily be replaced with leftover mashed potatoes. A great way to use them!
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thanks so much!
Mashed Potato Pancakes (and Latke Twist)
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoon butter
- 4 teaspoon vegetable oil (or neutral olive oil)
- flour for dredging (about 1/4 cup)
Potato Pancake/Latke Mixture
- 3 cup cooled mashed potatoes (fresh, leftover or store bought)
- 1 cup grated cheese (I use a cheddar cheese-gruyere combination)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion (or more) 1-2 green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup (31 grams) all purpose flour use less if mashed potatoes are dry and more if too wet)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large egg
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- MAKE POTATO MIXTURE AND PANCAKES: Combine all potato pancake/latke ingredients in a medium bowl or large bowl. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Using your hands, form mixture into about 12 balls about 2-2 1/2 inches (6 cm) in diameter for medium latkes. Place dredging flour on a plate. Roll each ball in flour, move it to a cutting board and press down to form a pancake 1/2 inch (1.27cm) thick. Repeat with all 12 balls.
- FRY POTATO PANCAKES/LATKES: Heat large nonstick skillet or cast iron if you have to medium-high heat, then lower it to Medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons butter and 2 teaspoons oil to the hot skillet. When sizzling, add half the latkes. Don't overcrowd pan. Fry for about 3-4 minutes, flip over and fry another 3-4 minutes. Drain on plate lined with paper towels. Heat the remaining butter and oil. Repeat with remaining potato pancakes/latkes.
- SERVE: Serve immediately plain or with caramelized onions, a dollop of sour cream or apple sauce.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Variations
- Cheese: Vary the cheese. I used a combination of gruyere and cheddar. Add some parmesan cheese if you like as well. Or, you can leave out the cheese if you wish.
- Potatoes: for a different taste with extra nutrition, use mashed sweet potatoes.
- Add-ins:
- You can add crispy bacon if you like (but not for Hanukkah!).
- Herbs like thyme, basil or tarragon.
- Caramelized onions can be used as an add-in instead of a topping.
- Great toppings
- Latkes are traditionally served with sour cream and, in our family, with applesauce.
- I’ve just discovered caramelized onions as a new topping – sensational!
- Other good toppings are cranberry sauce, chutney or chopped fresh chives
- Make ahead:
- Fresh out of the pan is the best way to serve potato pancakes (latkes) to get that crispy exterior. They are just as tasty, however, if you make them ahead and reheat them in the oven, although the crust will not be crisp.
- To store: Cool and store in fridge in sealed container for up to 2 days. Reheat on a baking sheet in oven at 350F/176.7C for 8-10 minutes.
- To freeze: Potato cakes may be frozen between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container or bag. Or flash freeze on a sheet plan for 1/2 hour, then pile into a ziplock or airtight container to freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
I created this recipe with inspiration from: Spend with Pennies, The Busy Baker and Kitchme.
My wife doesn’t serve these enough – I love them!
I do a similar recipe myself, for ‘Latkepalooza’ a party where we try to make them as many ways as possible. The only significant difference is that instead of flour I dredge the latke patties in instant mashed potato flakes. They fry up fantastically (similar to panko) and REALLY add a crunch of potato flavor.
I LOVE that idea – brilliant! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks so much for sharing it Jack 🙂
Hi there! I’m a little confused. The quarter cup of flour, is that put into the mixture, or is that for dredging? I’m dying to try this recipe and I don’t want to mess it up. Please advise. Thank you
Hi Patti, It’s actually both! You put up to 1/4 cup of flour into the potato mixture (or less if the mashed potatoes are drier) and you need about 1/4 cup flour for dredging the mashed potato balls/disks before frying. Sorry for the confusion – I’m sure you will enjoy them! They are very popular 🙂
This is my go to recipe for potato pancakes, they are easy and delicious !
That was our goal! Thanks for letting us know 🙂
Dredging the pancakes in corn starch or a mix of starch & flour will yield a crispier crust than 100% flour.
Thanks for sharing your tip Olen 🙂
Thanks for the tip. Question….can I mix everything up except the egg n flour/cornstarch in a bowl n refridgerate for a few hours before I fry ? I am thinking I’ll have everything done tonight but those parts. Will that be OK?
Yes, it should be fine to mix everything together in a bowl and keep it in the fridge, well covered, for several hours. When you’re ready, make the disks and dust them in flour before frying. Hope you like them 🙂
Sound good
This is the best potato pancake recipe I’ve tried! Thank you! They turned out 100% perfectly.
That’s great to hear Anna! Thanks for leaving a comment – always appreciated.
These were so simple and quick. I’m always trying to figure out what to do with leftover mashed potatoes. My grandmother used to fry them up in a cast iron skillet, with onions and seasonings. I loved the crunchy outside! These were similar and I did leave out the cheese. (Picky people in my house!)
I love when food brings back good memories. Thanks for leaving a comment Tammy 🙂
I did make this recipe. I omitted the cheese because I’m not sure I ever heard of putting cheese in “latkes”. I also only had about 2.5 cups of mashed potatoes but I still used the rest of the ingredients as indicated in the recipe. The mixture was very very wet. I could not roll them into balls at all. So I used a spoon and scooped the mixture into the frying pan and used the back of the spoon to flatten them out a bit. With the exception of the pancakes being very soft, the flavor was good. I didn’t think to add more flour. I will make these again, but will add more flour next time.
So you left out 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes, all of the cheese (which yes, is sometimes found in latkes), didn’t add extra flour as recommended, and you’re blaming the recipe for being too wet? That seems a little unfair.
Skip the flour coating and wet your hands instead. I couldn’t figure out why mine kept burning at first so I quit and made the rest later.
I also switched to using just the olive oil for the same reason.
Hi Ariel. Could your stove temperature have been too high, causing the burning? You’re right that butter burns more easily, so it’s safer to use olive oil or vegetable oil on medium heat if you are experiencing burning. I find the flour creates a nice coating and makes the pancakes easier to handle but I’m always interested to hear about other options. I hope it all worked out in the end. Thanks for the feedback.
Excellent recipe
Thanks
Thank you! Glad you liked it.
I have always had difficulty with post holiday mashed potatoes upgrade to latkes the next day but this recipe is a knock out. The flour instructions were critical and they came out beautifully. Thank you!!
So glad you liked them Lauren! Thanks for leaving a comment.
Excellent mashed potato pancakes!
Glad you liked them!
I made these and we really enjoyed them. I put sour cream on mine, hubby put butter on his. Good way to use leftover mashed potatoes. Will make again!
I like them with sour cream too ?Thanks for leaving a comment Ann.
i will only make my potato pancakes like this, absolutely delish! did substitute yellow sweet onion from my garden for green onion.
So glad you liked them Ellen! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment ?
Hi, just made these and they were very yummy!, reminded me exactly of the ones my mom would make us when I was a kid!, I have Pattie’s leftover that I did not cook, I have a question, when you are talking about freezing them, do I need to cook them first or can I freeze them for cooking later, wasn’t sure since they have raw egg in them.
Thanks
Bridget
Glad they brought back memories Bridget. I would cook them before freezing. Then let them cook. Lay them on a sheet pan and flash freeze. At that point you can put them in a container or ziploc to freeze for a couple of months. Reheat in the oven to enjoy again.
I used cold instant potatoes and added extra flour. Next time I will put bacon in them. Nice and crispy.
Glad they worked well with instant mashed potatoes too!
Dear Two Kooks,
As Hanukkah is coming to a close I had leftover mashed potatoes & tried your recipe for potato pancakes/latkes! The latkes came out fantastic held together, tasted great and browned nicely with your flour trick. Thanks for sharing your talents with us! Peace
Hi Clinton,
Wonderful to hear. I’m honoured you used our latke recipe to celebrate the last night of the holiday. Thanks so much for leaving a comment.
My grandma always made potato cake for breakfast. I love these. Always reminds me of her
What a lovely memory. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve made these twice and they are absolutely delicious. The first time I made this recipe with cheddar and jack cheeses. The second time I didn’t have enough of any one cheese, so I mixed half cheddar, with about a tablespoon of Mexican four cheese blend and the rest mozzarella. Likewise, I only had one small green onion, so I added yellow onion and chives as well. Second batch came out delicious as well. These latkes freeze beautifully. We own a Brava oven and even after having been frozen, the potato latkes crisp up well using the “bottom sear” function. Overall a great recipe. Thanks so much.
My rating was supposed to be 5 stars. Don’t know why the site dropped one of my stars. These latkes are awesome.
Thanks!
Thanks Burry! Glad you liked them. I like your tweaks. ?
The absolute best! These potato pancakes are full of flavor. I used gruyere cheese in the mix.
So glad you loved them! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment.