Mashed potato cakes are a delicious, mouthwatering side dish that is easy to make and packed full of flavor.
Easy Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes

If you have leftover mashed potatoes from the holidays or a meal, they are perfect for these flavorful fried potato cakes.
We always make a lot of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we usually have some leftovers.
So, if you’re burnt out on mashed potatoes, this is a great way to change things up a bit and create a different dish.
Mixing them with some ingredients, coating them with a breadcrumb mixture, and frying them is a wonderful way to create a new dish out of leftovers.

What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Mashed Potato Cakes?
- Mashed potatoes
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Crumbled bacon
- Sour cream
- Minced garlic
- Flour
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Parmesan cheese
- Vegetable oil for frying
Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How Do I Make Potato Cakes?
- Pour some vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat on medium.
- Add the mashed potatoes and 1/2 cup of flour to a bowl and mix well.
- Next, add the shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, minced garlic, and sour cream to the bowl with the potatoes. Mix the ingredients.
- In another bowl, add the remainder of the flour, panko breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese and mix well.
- Patty the mashed potato ingredients and cover with the crumb mixture.
- Place the potato cakes in the pan with the vegetable oil and fry on both sides for about five minutes or until the crumbs are brown.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Grab a skillet and pour in some vegetable oil–enough so the oil is about 1/2-inch deep. Turn the burner on medium heat.

Start by adding the mashed potatoes to the bowl.
Add 1/2 cup of flour to the mashed potatoes and mix well.
If you don’t have a lot of mashed potatoes leftover, you will want to add less of the other ingredients. And, if you have quite a bit of mashed potatoes leftover, you can add more.
The nice thing about this recipe is that you can add extra cheese if you love it, or anything that you like.
Here are a few ideas:
- Green onions
- Chopped broccoli
- Diced onions
- Parsley
- Corn
- Mozzarella cheese
- Chives
- Chopped cauliflower

Next, add the shredded cheddar cheese and the cooked and crumbled bacon.
You have a few bacon options. You can either cook some bacon in a frying pan ahead of time, buy the bacon that you microwave in a pack, or purchase pre-cooked and crumbled bacon.
Either way, bacon will help make the potato cakes taste amazing. Let’s just be honest, bacon will make anything taste amazing.

Add the minced garlic and sour cream and mix well.

In another bowl, add the flour and Panko breadcrumbs for the breading.
If you don’t have Panko breadcrumbs, you can use regular breadcrumbs. I personally think Panko adds a little bit more of a crunch, so I like them.
But, regular, or flavored breadcrumbs will work just as well.

Next, add the grated parmesan cheese and mix well.

Patty the mashed potatoes and coat them in the breadcrumb mixture.
This is a messy recipe, so be prepared for that. I just got my hands in there, pattied them up, and placed them into the breading mixture.
Make sure they are coated with the breading mixture.

Place the potato cakes into the heated vegetable oil and cook on each side for about five minutes, or until each side is brown.
Try not to turn the potato cakes over before they are cooked, otherwise, they fall apart easily.

Once cooked, place the fried potato cakes on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease and then add them to a plate to eat.
You can dip the mashed potato cakes into sour cream, ranch dressing, ketchup, or anything you love.
Mashed Potato Cakes
Check out the recipe card below, grab those ingredients, and start cooking! These are delicious potato cakes and I think you’ll really love them.
Then, share your comments below and share a picture of your potato cakes on the Pinterest Pin! If you made any changes or added something different, be sure to share it with us so we can try it, too!

Mashed Potato Cakes
Mashed potato cakes are a delicious, mouthwatering side dish that is easy to make and packed full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 cups mashed potatoes
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (or 3 Tbsp. if you're using store-bought bacon bits)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup flour (for the breadcrumb mixture)
- 1/2 cup flour (for the potatoes)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Grab a frying pan and add some vegetable oil--enough to create about 1/2-inch of oil in the pan. Turn the heat on medium.
- Add the mashed potatoes and 1/2 cup of flour to a large bowl and mix well.
- Next, add the shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and sour cream to the bowl and mix well.
- In another bowl, add 1/2 cup of flour, breadcrumbs, and grated parmesan to a bowl, and mix well.
- Patty the mashed potatoes and dip into the breadcrumbs until covered.
- Fry for five minutes on each side or until brown.
- Place on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease and serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 532mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 9g
Nutrition is approximate.
Find more delicious recipes at Julia’s Simply Southern, and South Your Mouth.
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Donna A Pollock
Friday 8th of January 2021
I loved this recipe. I have been making these for years now. My Father is from the South and we had the a lot when I was young and i just continued making them. We love them, but I really love your recipe. Thanks again.
Julie Pollitt
Friday 8th of January 2021
Hi Donna,
Thanks for sharing that! I love to hear that!