Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe
This Mashed Potato Cakes recipe is fast and easy, made with 4 simple ingredients. A basic recipe you can use as a guide for your own creations. Serve with Dill Sauce.
How to Make the Best Mashed Potato Cakes
Mashed potato cakes are the ultimate comfort food and a brilliant way to transform leftover mashed potatoes into something crispy, golden, and absolutely delicious. With just four simple ingredients—cold mashed potatoes, an egg, panko breadcrumbs, and cheese—you can create these irresistible little cakes that are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.
The beauty of this recipe lies in its versatility. Use it as a base and customize to your heart’s content. Add some jalapeños for heat, fresh dill or chives for brightness, crumbled bacon for extra indulgence, or green onions for a mild onion flavor. The cheese adds both flavor and helps bind everything together—try parmesan for a sharper taste or cheddar for classic comfort.
Whether you pan-fry them in a skillet for the crispiest results or use an air fryer for a lighter version, these mashed potato cakes make an excellent side dish for any meal. Serve them alongside roasted meats, eggs for brunch, or with a dollop of sour cream and fresh herbs on top.
Mashed Potato Cakes
This Mashed Potato Cakes recipe is fast and easy, made with 4 simple ingredients. A basic recipe you can use as a guide for your own creations. Serve with Dill Sauce.
Ingredients
Potato Cakes
Optional Additions
Instructions
Making the Potato Cakes
- Place mashed potatoes, egg, panko and cheese in a large mixing bowl.
- Using a fork, break the potatoes apart, then stir everything together, whipping until combined. Add any optional ingredients to the potato mixture, stir again.
- With wet hands, form eight, golf-ball-sized balls.
- Place 1/2 cup panko on a plate. Flatten the mashed potato balls into cakes or patties, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick, on top of the panko, turning to coat each side.
Cooking
- Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Pan-sear each potato cake, until each side is golden brown. Keep in a warm oven (or toaster oven) until ready to serve.
- Alternatively, you can spray each side of the potato cake with spray olive oil, and place in a convection oven, toaster oven or air fryer until crisp and golden.
Notes
- Use more panko (up to 1 cup) if your mashed potatoes are very wet or soft.
- Cold mashed potatoes work best as they hold their shape better.
- These are perfect for using up leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes.
