Use leftover mashed potatoes to make these dreamy, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth mashed potato pancakes!
45 Minutes or Less - Breakfast - Food - Potatoes - Sides - Vegetarian

Mashed Potato Pancakes

Last updated on April 28, 2019 by Liza Hawkins

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Mashed potatoes might be the quintessential comfort food. Or, at least, my quintessential comfort food. Mashed potato pancakes? Ahhh … divine.

Use leftover mashed potatoes to make these dreamy, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth mashed potato pancakes! Sooo good, and ready in less than 15 minutes (using leftovers)!

It’s rare that I whip up a batch of mashed potatoes and have leftovers “just because,” so I have to be intentional about it and throw in an extra potato or two to ensure leftover mashed potato goodness.

I use a basic mashed potato recipe that’s no fail, and super yummy.

It involves whatever potatoes are on sale (though my favorites are red skin OR russet because I believe they make the creamiest mash), whole milk, salted butter, salt, a dash of black pepper, and a hand-held mixer.

Some of you are thinking: No, no, no. You need to be using a RICER.

Or maybe: HELLO! Mashing by hand is the only way!

Well, both of those are awesome.

Know what though?

A hand-held mixer produces a fluffy mashed potato—whipped, even—that pretty much melts in your mouth.

Also, it’s an easy technique, which I happen to love.

So, back to the leftovers.

I have no issues with pairing leftover mashed potatoes with other dinners during the week.

That’s the beauty of having leftover sides! They make producing supper a breeze, even three days later.

You can, however, transform leftover mashed potatoes into something entirely different.

Maybe you use them to top a Shepherd’s Pie, or fold them into another root vegetable (okay, a potato is technically a tuber, but you know what I mean) to make something like this mash-up: Whipped Parsnips and Potatoes.

Or, something entirely different.

Use leftover mashed potatoes to make these dreamy, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth mashed potato pancakes! Sooo good, and ready in less than 15 minutes (using leftovers)!

These mashed potato pancakes were the result of a skipped breakfast and a need for a quick (and mouth-watering) lunch.

They’d make an awesome dinner side, too.

I had about two cups of leftover mashed potatoes sitting in the fridge from dinner the night before.

I mixed them with a little flour, shredded onion (sliced green onions would be delish, too), and fresh chopped parsley.

Then I formed half-inch patties (using about a quarter cup of mashed potatoes), dredged them in seasoned flour, and then seared them in a hot buttered pan for a few minutes on each side.

It’s a delicate process, flipping these mashed potato pancakes.

You must ensure a good crust on the first side before daring to flip, otherwise you could end up with “Mashed Potato Lump” instead of “Mashed Potato Pancakes.”

That’d probably still taste good, but … hmmm … it’s just not the same.

A little sad, even.

I topped my mashed potato pancakes with more butter (why not?), and a dollop of sour cream would’ve gone nicely, too.

Use leftover mashed potatoes to make these dreamy, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth mashed potato pancakes!
Yield: 8 pancakes

Mashed Potato Pancakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

These mashed potato pancakes are the best way to use up leftover mashed potatoes!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes, chilled
  • 1/2 yellow onion, grated
  • 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup salted butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the butter.
  2. While the butter's melting, gently fold the mashed potatoes, onion, parsley and 2 tablespoons of the flour together in a large bowl.
  3. Mix the rest of the flour, the salt, pepper, and garlic powder together on a plate.
  4. Form the potatoes into 1/2" thick disks, using about 1/4 cup of the mashed potato mixture. The warmer the potatoes get, the harder it will be to keep them from sticking to your hands—so, work quickly!
  5. Pat each mashed potato pancake into the flour mixture after it's been formed, flipping it a few times to ensure an even and good coating.
  6. Place the mashed potato pancakes into the preheated, buttered skillet, and let them cook for 3 to 4 minutes—until they're a deep golden brown, and have a nice crust. Gently flip the mashed potato pancakes, and cook them for about 2 minutes more on the other side, until they're a deep golden brown on that side, too.
  7. Serve immediately with more butter, and a dollop of sour cream if you like!

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Hi, I'm Liza — a self-proclaimed word-nerd who loves getting lost in whimsical stories and epic movies. I have laid-back, practical attitude towards life and am always on the hunt for good eats, easy recipes, binge-worthy shows, relaxing road trip destinations, the perfect fizzy gin cocktail, and time to finish my novel!

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