Happy Thanksgiving, my friends! I know many of you are gearing up for a big feast today (see also: How to Have a Stress Free Holiday Eating Experience), and starting tomorrow, that likely means making your way through a LOT of leftovers. Not sure what to do with all those leftover mashed potatoes (regular or sweet)? Try these leftover mashed potato pancakes. They make an excellent base for a post-Thanksgiving brunch!
(Another leftover recipe idea, from last year: Leftover Turkey and Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberry Sauce Vinaigrette.)
These mashed potato pancakes are as easy as can be and are an awesome use for leftover mashed potatoes (like my healthy mashed potatoes or spiced mashed sweet potatoes).
The texture of these mashed potato pancakes is perfectly creamy and rich like you’d expect from mashed potatoes, but fluffy and crispy on the outside like you’d expect from pancakes. Mmmm. They smell and taste a lot like latkes, so they would make a great replacement for latkes if you want to serve potato pancakes as an appetizer but don’t want to deal with all the work of grating potatoes.
Or, there’s always brunch, which you guys know is my absolute fave. Everything is delicious with a fried egg on top, right? Sautéed kale and mushrooms were an excellent addition, too.
Feel free to mix up the toppings – but here are the ingredients for the mashed potato pancake base. Easy as can be! If you’re not an onion fan, you are welcome to leave those out and make this a 3 ingredient recipe. Also, for a gluten free variation, an all purpose gluten free flour will work just as well as the whole wheat flour.
These are as easy to make as normal pancakes – just mix together the mashed potatoes, flour, eggs, and optional green onions. Then cook the batter in a large skillet until golden brown!
Here’s the full recipe. Let me know if you make them!
Mashed Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
- olive oil or vegetable oil, as needed
Instructions
- Mix together mashed potatoes, eggs, flour, and green onions until evenly combined.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with a drizzle of oil.
- Drop batter onto the hot skillet in 6 mounds (about a scant 1/2 cup each). Cook until golden brown on the first side, about 4 minutes, then flip and cook until cooked through, another 3-4 minutes.
- Serve topped with sauteed veggies and a fried egg for breakfast or as an alternative for latkes as an appetizer.
Enjoy! :)
What’s your favorite way to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers? I’m also partial to the turkey and cranberry sandwich!
Hi Anne – I love potato pancakes and I have never once considered using them for breakfast. But, now, I will definitely have to try it out! The egg on top seems like such a great idea. We eat hashbrowns for breakfast – why not some potato pancakes? Do you think that gluten-free flour would be okay to use?
Exactly! And yes a standard all purpose gluten free flour (or finely ground gf oats) would work just fine!
Great tip, thanks, Anne. And hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!