These fried mashed potatoes are crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy inside, and the easiest way to use leftover mashed potatoes. Pan-fried until golden and crunchy, they make the perfect quick side dish. Think of these as crispy fried mashed potatoes first.. potato pancakes second.

Fried Mashed Potatoes (Crispy Leftover Potato Pancakes)

Name: Fried Mashed Potatoes (Crispy Leftover Potato Pancakes)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups leftover mashed potatoes, room temperature; 2 eggs; 1½ cup all purpose flour; 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese; 3-4 slices crumbled cooked bacon pieces; 4 scallions, diced; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons dried or fresh parsley; 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying; sour cream for serving

These fried mashed potatoes are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the perfect way to use leftover mashed potatoes for a quick and easy skillet side dish.

When it comes to recipes using leftover mashed potatoes, these Leftover Fried Mashed Potatoes are my favorite!! I mean c’mon, don’t those just sound easy?? .. and delicious? .. and happy?

Are you like me and have those nights when you just don’t want to figure out what to make for dinner? Not the “chicken or fish” night…. I mean the night when putting together a successful bowl of cereal would be a challenge.

Yup… THAT night!!!

Well, I found the perfect Go To for those nights when you have been running around all day and you are tired and the clothes washer broke (on Full and with clothes in it) and the dog ate your favorite shoes and the kids … hey, where ARE the kids? …

These are not pretty and they are not fancy but oh my goodness… they are good!!! I confess that I am a fan of the pretty food. These leftover mashed potato cakes are not it. But they are fast to bring together … 5 minutes kinds of fast!! … and they are comforting after a long ~~crappy~~ day.

Crispy Fried Mashed Potatoes (Skillet Method)

What is the one thing we always have leftover when it comes to family holiday dinners? Mashed potatoes! Everybody loves mashed potatoes so we automatically make too much. Then the next day we have a tub of leftover mashed potatoes in our fridge and let’s be honest, you can only reheat and re-eat them so many times.

And when it comes to ‘potato pancakes’, I think most of us immediately think of latkes, potato pancakes made with shredded potatoes. These are the same idea, just instead of shredded potatoes, these latkes are make using leftover mashed potatoes instead.

This potato pancake recipe is an easy and super tasty way to use up those leftover mashed potatoes. You’ve already done the hard work of making the perfect dish of mashed potatoes, now let them do the work for you!

Loaded Potato Cakes

When I wrote this recipe, it was the day after Thanksgiving and me and my hubby were just looking for our starchy carb fix. I had made a big pan of my Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole and there were still some leftovers so what better way to use them than to make this fried mashed potato cake recipe?

How to Use Leftover Mashed Potatoes

When it comes to repurposing leftover potatoes, this is the perfect easy recipe. Originally, my mashed potatoes already had the good stuff in them.. bacon and cheese, oh my!!!

This recipe was re-wrote to include all of the good stuff in case your mashed potatoes don’t automatically come with all the extras but feel free to substitute with ingredients your family will enjoy most.

How to Make Fried Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Start with about 2 1/2 cups of room temperature leftover mashed potatoes. You can either let your refrigerated potatoes sit on the counter for 30 minutes or lightly reheat them in your microwave for 1-2 minutes.

Stir in the cheese, bacon, scallions, eggs, parsley, seasonings and flour. Mix well so that everything is completely incorporated.

Using your hands, form into small pancake discs using about 3 tablespoons of mashed potato mix… you should be able to make approximately 12-16 of them.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of oil.

Fry your pancakes in batches for about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Don’t crowd your pan and lightly flatten your potato cake with the back of your spatula. Add more oil as needed.

Remove your potato cakes from your skillet and deposit on a plate covered in a paper towel.

Serve immediately and enjoy with a dollop of sour cream!

Pro Tips for Perfect Fried Mashed Potato Cakes

My original recipe was written using my Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole so it had all the extras already added to the potatoes. Feel free to use that recipe as your base or mix in whatever extras your family will like best.
Make sure you are not starting with cold potatoes. Bring your ‘tators to room temperature before adding the extra ingredients.
I love using the store bought convenience of pre-cooked bacon, especially in a fast recipe like this. They can usually be found in the ‘salad dressing’ aisle of your grocery store or if you have leftover bacon, feel free to chop that up an add in instead.
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More Easy Potato Recipes

Enjoy!