Name: Leftover Mashed Potato Ham Cakes (Like Cheesy Pancakes)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 18 Cakes
Ingredients: 4 cups Mashed potatoes; 2 cups Mozzarella (shredded); 1 Egg; ¼ cup Flour (Increase flour by 1/4 cup if your mashed potatoes are extra creamy); 1 Jalapeno (deseeded and chopped finely); 2 Garlic Cloves (finely minced (if your mashed potatoes already have garlic, skip the extra garlic)); 4 slices of Ham (finely chopped); ½ cup Plain Bread Crumbs (for coating); 4-6 tablespoons Oil for shallow frying; Sour Cream or Mayonnaise for serving

Leftover Mashed Potato Ham Cakes (Like Cheesy Pancakes)

Leftover Mashed Potato Ham Cakes are the best way to use up extra mashed potatoes for a delicious, cheesy appetiser that everyone will go crazy for! These are like cutlets or cheesy pancakes and taste amazing served with sour cream

Serves 18 Cakes

Prep 5 minutes

Cook 20 minutes

Total 25 minutes

Jump to the recipe

Leftover Mashed Potato Ham Cakes (Like Cheesy Pancakes)

Picture of Leftover Mashed Potato Ham Cakes on a plate with sour cream

The last time I made my instant pot garlic mashed potatoes which was like two days ago and then last week and the week before that (because I can’t get enough of those) I had a lot of leftovers. Because we were a big group and I got over excited and made three big batches, which was obviously too much. But you know what? I’m glad I did because if I didn’t I wouldn’t be snacking stuffing my face with these amazing leftover mashed potato ham cakes which are basically like potato cutlets or potato pancakes – doesn’t matter what we call them – but they are sooo incredibly cheesy and delicious that they are downright my favourite appetiser right now!

I mean can anybody ever go wrong with potatoes and cheese and ham? Plus for some of you its the holidays which means there is no guilt in reaching out for the last piece.

If you’ve always wondered what to do with all that leftover mashed potato – this is it!

Picture of Leftover Mashed Potato Ham Cakes showing how cheesy these are!

We are not skimping on the cheese clearly because every bite will satisfy your carb loving heart.

What to do with leftover mashed potatoes?

You can actually do a ton with leftover mashed potatoes. The advantage is that they are already seasoned and are ready to go. I love turning them into these leftover mashed potato ham cakes or you can use them to make aloo tikkis or use them as a crust for a Shepherds Pie or to make muffins even.

How to make mashed potatoes?

If you don’t already have leftover mashed potatoes, you can easily make mashed potatoes by boiling potatoes in water till tender and mash them with a potato masher. Good mashed potatoes are seasoned with butter, sour cream and/or cream cheese to make them soft and fluffy. Here’s a quick video to make mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker.

Can I use instant mashed potatoes for this recipe?

This recipe does not work well with instant mashed potatoes because their composition is completely different from homemade mashed potatoes, so I recommend taking the extra time and making real, homemade mashed potatoes which are super easy to make.

Call them cutlets, patties or pancakes; these leftover mashed potato ham cakes are incredibly addictive! They are crispy on the outside and soft, cheesy and flavourful inside. If you are not a fan of ham, feel free to switch things up and use chicken, cooked broccoli, or just more cheese. Everything goes!

The recipe

Leftover Mashed Potato Ham Cakes (Like Cheesy Pancakes)

Serves 18 Cakes
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 25 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups Mashed potatoes
2 cups Mozzarella (shredded)
1 Egg
¼ cup Flour (Increase flour by 1/4 cup if your mashed potatoes are extra creamy)
1 Jalapeno (deseeded and chopped finely)
2 Garlic Cloves (finely minced (if your mashed potatoes already have garlic, skip the extra garlic))
4 slices of Ham (finely chopped)
½ cup Plain Bread Crumbs (for coating)
4-6 tablespoons Oil for shallow frying
Sour Cream or Mayonnaise for serving

Method

1
In a large bowl, mix together mashed potatoes, mozzarella, egg, flour, jalapeno, garlic and ham till combined. The mixture should be thick and should hold its shape. If its too loose, add a tablespoon of a flour at a time (this will depend on the consistency of your mashed potatoes)
2
Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the mixture and form it into patties or cakes which are about ⅓ inches in thickness. Coat each cake evenly in a thin coating of breadcrumbs and set aside.
3
Heat oil in a pan and fry the patties in a single layer on each side for 3-4 minutes till golden brown on both sides.
4
Serve hot with sour cream, mayonnaise, ranch dip or greek yogurt.

Notes

These are best enjoyed immediately, but I love them cold as well Make them in advance: You can form these a day in advance and refrigerate them. Take them out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before frying Freezing: These leftover mashed potato ham cakes also freeze well. Freeze them in a single layer and then transfer them to a ziplock bag. They stay well in the freezer for up to 2 months