Potatoes are popular for so many holidays and family dinners! My family loves when I make mashed potato pancakes for breakfast the next day! With a few simple ingredients, you can turn last night’s side into your morning meal!
Mashed potatoes are a crowd-pleaser, but leftovers can get boring. Don’t get me wrong, mashed potatoes alone are delicious. That being said, adding cheese and green onions and frying them makes a super tasty breakfast dish for the whole family.
Leftover Potato Pancakes are an easy and great way to use leftover mashed or baked potatoes. Just add a few more basic ingredients and you’ll have a plate of deliciousness!
LEFTOVER POTATO PANCAKES
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I have made these for years and I never get tired of them. It all started when I was 7 weeks pregnant with my son.
I woke up one day and morning sickness hit me like a ton of bricks. Seriously? How was it possible to feel so terrible?
My mother-in-law turned some leftover mashed potatoes into easy potato pancakes and I ate a huge stack as soon as they hit the plate. I felt so much better! My little bean just needed some carbs and we were good to go. At least for a little while, until the sickness started all over again.
I have made them ever since. I did add a handful of simple ingredients to my MIL’s recipes, and my family always enjoys them. As a matter of fact, my son loves them too! He must have fond memories of eating them while he was the size of a grape in my belly!
Ingredients to Make Leftover Potato Pancakes
- Cold mashed potatoes
- Egg
- Flour
- Salt and pepper
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onions
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Sour cream, optional
This Leftover Potato Pancake recipe is delicious and easy to make! I enjoy them topped with sour cream, but they are also great alone.
How to Make Potato Pancakes from Mashed Potatoes
- Start by mixing the mashed potatoes, egg, flour, cheese, sliced green onions, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined.
- Place a large skillet or frying pan on your stovetop over medium-high heat.
- While your skillet heats up, add half of the olive oil and butter to the skillet and allow the butter to melt.
- Once your oil and butter are heated through, gently ladle spoonfuls of your potato mixture into the skillet. Cook until each side is golden brown, flipping once. Don’t overcrowd the pan, you’ll be frying in batches
- After the pancakes are cooked, transfer them to a plate. (I like to use a paper towel-lined plate.) Repeat frying with the remaining oil, butter, and potato mixture.
- Then all you need to do is serve up the pancakes! I like to top mine with sour cream and green onion but you can enjoy them plain too.
How do you keep potato pancakes from falling apart?
Is your potato mixture soggy or not holding its shape? Start by trying to add more flour to help them stay firm. The wetter the mixture, the less it will stick together!
Have a cheesecloth? Squeeze any excess liquid from your mixture before shaping the pancakes.
What do you eat with mashed potato pancakes?
These pancakes are delicious plain, but I love to add sour cream, apple sauce, or even smoked salmon on top. It’ll take these leftover potatoes to another level for a potluck brunch or just a quick lunch!
What is the difference between potato pancakes and latkes?
The biggest difference between latkes and potato pancakes is latkes aren’t always made with potatoes!
Historically, latkes have been made with carrots, turnips, or other root vegetables but are always fried to a crisp in oil.
Potato cakes, such as Polish placki or Irish boxty, range from pancakes of leftover mashed potatoes to crispy patties of shredded potatoes. Kind of similar to hash browns.
More yummy breakfast recipes to serve with these potato pancakes!
- Spring Breakfast Skillet
- Apple Raisin Breakfast Casserole
- Chorizo and Potato Breakfast Tacos
- Breakfast Ham Casserole
- More breakfast recipes
Tools used to make this Leftover Potato Pancakes recipe
Large skillet: A skillet with tall sides is paramount for frying these Leftover Potato Pancakes without spilling oil during cooking.
Grater: Freshly grated cheese melts better than pre-packaged and is often cheaper by the block!
*This post originally posted on 11/22/2012.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold mashed potatoes
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 to 2 green onions sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes, egg, flour, cheese, green onion, salt, and pepper.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon butter into the skillet.
- Once the butter is melted, add large spoonfuls of the potato mixture to your skillet. Do not overcrowd the pan, you'll work in 2 batches.
- Brown the pancakes on each side until they are golden, using a spatula to flip them once. Transfer pancakes to a plate. Add the remaining oil and butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining potato mixture.
- I like to serve these potato pancakes topped with sour cream and a little more green onion.
Nutrition
Jeannette says
My mother used to make these for my brothers and sisters and I! She had made up names for many different dishes., This, she called Irish potato pancakes. They were one of my favorites ! Thank you for the memories and the recipe; I never watched them being made!!!
Jeannette says
My mother used to make these, but without the cheese and the green onions and called them “Irish Potato Pancakes “. I’m sure they were not Irish, but with 8 kids, she used to make up names for a lot of the food we ate to make sure we ate. I never watched her make them (I was the second youngest), so for all these years (I am 61 now), until I found your recipe today, I’ve been frying just mashed potatoes in butter and sometimes burning them and thinking that’s all she did and wondered why mine always burned!! Thank you for your recipe!!! I can’t wait to try them the right way!!
Sara says
I turned these into kid lunch food. I used a cookie scoop to form them so they were small and served them with ketchup. Good for big and little kids 🙂
Beverly says
I found your yummy recipe just in time for dinner tonight. I have garlic cajun mashed potatoes for use with your recipe. I’m sure they will be delicious 😋
Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen says
Happy Friday Ladies!!
Just wanted to stop by & let you know that you are being featured this week at Mom’s Test Meal Mondays!! Thanks so much for linking up this great recipe for leftovers!!
Have a great weekend!
Aubrey says
Thank you so much Jaime!!! We will share the post on FB. 🙂
Rachel @ I Love My Disorganized Life says
OK, I have tried to make these things before {not your recipe} and they fell apart! BUT, I was not actually following a recipe! I never knew you needed to add other things {like flour and egg} so I never tried to make them again. Until now! These look so incredibly good!
Tammy McGirr Northrup says
Rachel I had the same problem. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Tammy McGirr Northrup says
These look delicious. I am definitely going to make some tomorrow. Tammy – http://www.yoursandmineareours.blogspot.com