Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

October 22, 2019August 16, 2023

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Five ingredients is all it takes to make Granny’s Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes. Using a base of your favorite leftover real mashed potatoes, you can easily make this economical side dish that the whole family will love.

Real Mashed Potato Cake Recipe

Where did Granny’s Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes recipe come from? You guessed it, my granny. She was the mother of eight hungry children, five of which were boys.Did I mention that they were dairy farmers, and the kids got up extra early to milk the cows? There wasn’t a lot of extra money sitting around, so Granny made every meal count.

Mashed Potato Cakes are an economical way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.You’ve already made those delicious mashed potatoes, so don’t let the leftovers go to waste.Make a whole new side dish from the leftovers.

My friend Maryann’s grandma also re-purposed her mashed potatoes but she used them in a potato salad! Maryann was nice enough to share the recipe with me so you can try it too! (Check out her sweet cornbread recipe too.)

Old-Fashioned Potato Cakes

This is an old fashioned potato cake recipe. Granny used onion juice (grated onions), beaten egg and bread crumbs. It’s a very basic recipe because using real mashed potatoes that are already flavorful and delicious creates an easy base. You don’t have to add a bunch of crazy ingredients to make them yummy. With that being said, feel free to add all those crazy ingredients (chives, cheese, parsley, etc.) if you desire.

While we serve ours without any toppings, you can definitely serve them with applesauce or sour cream similar to potato latkes. Honestly, if you have some leftover gravy in the refrigerator, that would make a great dipping sauce for these!

I found this “bonus” recipe on the back of a recipe card that Granny had given me. The front of the card was Granny’s Homemade Brownie Recipe.She included this Leftover Real Mashed Potato Cake recipe on back. Seeing her scratchy writing puts a little tear in my eye.We had a routine. I would go visit her, and while we were chatting, I would flip through her cookbooks.What I wouldn’t give to do that one last time.

Ingredient List for Potato Pancakes

• Large Egg
• Onion Juice
• Leftover Mashed Potatoes
• Bread Crumbs
• Vegetable Oil

How to Make Mashed Potato Pancakes (with real potatoes)

Step By Step Instructions

1. Stir together egg and onion juice in a small bowl.
2. Add beaten egg to leftover mashed potatoes. Add bread crumbs, a little at a time until the potatoes are thick enough to form into balls.
3. Form into 2-inch patties.
4. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.
5. Fry mashed potato pancakes until golden brown; flip and do the same on the other side. Do not peak, and only flip once to prevent mashed potato cake from falling apart, and to allow a golden brown crust to form. You’ll know they are ready to flip when a brown crust starts to form around the edges of the potato cake.
6. Serve hot.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.

For the full recipe and ingredient list for mashed potato pancakes without flour, scroll to the bottom of this post.

Why do potato cakes fall apart when frying?

If you start with a very creamy mashed potato, you’ll need to add enough binder ingredients to hold them together. The beaten egg and breadcrumbs act as the binder in our mashed potato cakes. I recommend starting with 1 Tablespoon of breadcrumbs and add more slowly until the mashed potatoes are capable of forming a ball.

Another reason the potato pancakes fall apart is because you are moving or flipping them too often. Do not move them around and only flip them once. You’ll see the brown crust forming around the edge in the oil. If you move them around, the crust will not form.

What can I add to mashed potato pancakes?

Granny’s Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes are very basic. The mashed potato base should already be flavorful, so we only add grated onion and bread crumbs to thicken it up.

You could easily jazz up leftover potato pancakes in a hundred different ways. Try adding garlic powder, shredded cheese, chives, parsley or anything your heart desires.

Recipe FAQs

• Talk about economical! This recipe uses leftover mashed potatoes and creates a whole new side dish, mashed potato cakes. And it is only 5 ingredients!
• To get onion juice, grate the onion. This gives the flavor of onion without the texture. Feel free to finely dice the onion or use 1 teaspoon onion powder.
• Our mashed potato pancakes are without flour. Some old fashioned potato cakes use flour instead of breadcrumbs.That is perfectly fine. Start with a couple Tablespoons of flour and work up if needed.
• Fry up the leftover potato cake in vegetable oil or butter. Your preference.
• This flourless potato pancakes recipe starts with approximately 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes. If you have more or less, adjust the egg, onion and breadcrumbs accordingly.
• If you need a starter recipe for the mashed potatoes, we recommend MeMe’s Mashed Potato Recipe from Southern Plate.
• This is a great way to use Thanksgiving leftovers.
• Check out our Amazon store for our favorite kitchen items and pantry essentials.

Recipe Variations

• Add fresh herbs such as parsley or thyme to the mashed potato mixture.
• Swap onion juice for green onions.
• Cheese is always a great addition. Try adding shredded shredded cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese to the mixture.
• Season as desired with salt and black pepper.
• Serve with a dallop of applesauce or cranberry sauce.

Old Fashioned Potato Recipes

Potatoes are one ingredient that our family – both young and old – never complain about. So here are some of our favorite recipes that feature potatoes.

Crispy Friend Potatoes

4 Ingredient Crock Pot Cheesy Potatoes

Cheesy Potatoes with Bacon

Potato Casserole with Rice Krispies

Instant Pot Potato Soup

Mom’s Ham and Cheesy Potato Casserole

Leftover Mashed Potato Salad

Crock Pot Cube Steak with Mashed Potatoes

How do you spruce up day old mashed potatoes?

Add a beaten egg, chopped onion, fresh herbs and some type of bread crumbs (crackers, panko, store-bought bread crumbs) and form into patties. Fry in a large skillet in vegetable oil until crisp on both sides.

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