These Easy Potato Pancakes use leftover mashed potatoes and shredded cheese to make a simple, gluten free dish. Made without flour (using cassava flour instead), it’s perfect for a Whole30 reintroduction. Read below to find out how to make this cheesy meal with step by step instructions and pictures!
Does it seem like mashed potatoes is the food you always have leftovers of? Particularly after a holiday. Well this recipe helps you use up the mashed potatoes in a tasty way – by turning them into potato pancakes.
While this recipe works with most any mashed potato recipe, it’s specifically designed for my Instant Pot Whole30 Mashed Potato recipe. Once you make it that way, you’ll find it’s so easy and delicious you won’t want to do it any other way.
Now read on to see a great way to use up your leftover mashed potatoes!
How To Make Easy Potato Pancakes
Step 1: Prep the Skillet & Potato Mixture
Put a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat on the stove. Pour 2 tbsp avocado oil in it to warm up.
Place the ingredients (except for the avocado oil) in a large bowl and mix together with a large spoon or other utensil.
Step 2: Cook the Potato Pancakes
Take a large scoop (about 1.5 tbsp) of the potato mixture and place it in the skillet. Do this three more times, spacing the dollops of potato equally apart from each other.
With a spatula, flatten each pile until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to use a knife to scrape the spatula from the top of the potato mixture.
Let the potato pancakes cook for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more, until the sides are golden brown.
Remove the pancakes and set them on a paper towel lined plate to get rid of any excess oil, then place one more tbsp of avocado oil in the skillet. Repeat the process of cooking 4 potato pancakes at a time, placing a tbsp of oil in the skillet between each round of cooking.
Serve warm, with sour cream or another topping if desired.
FAQ
You may have a couple of questions about this recipe, or potato pancakes in general. Let’s get to those now.
What’s the difference between potato pancakes and latkes?
Potato pancakes are often fluffier and softer than latkes. Latkes tend to have a crunchier exterior and are can be made with a number of different vegetables, not just potatoes. When they are made with potatoes, they’re typically grated potatoes. Read more about the difference between potato pancakes and latkes in this article.
Are potato pancakes the same as hash browns?
No, they’re not! Hash browns are just shredded potatoes, while potato pancakes are typically mashed potatoes held together with egg and sometimes flour and fried into a small circular shape.
How do you keep potato pancakes from falling apart?
Potato pancakes need a binder – in this recipe, the binders are the egg and the cassava flour. If they don’t have enough of a binder (or one at all), they will fall apart. These ones should not do that!
COOKING TIPS
- It’s fine if the leftover mashed potatoes are slightly dry. Mashed potatoes tend to dry out once they’re cooked. The ingredients in the mixture account for this.
- Be careful of oil splatter! The oil will be hot and can pop up and burn you if you’re not careful. You may want to use an oven mitt or something similar when putting your hands near the skillet.
- Don’t press the pancakes too thin! If you do, they’re more likely to fall apart. You want them no thinner than 1/4 of an inch.
RECIPE VARIATIONS
- If you don’t have my Instant Pot Whole30 Mashed Potatoes on hand, try cooking 2 large potatoes (you can find instructions on cooking a potato in the microwave here) and mashing up the inside. Add a little coconut milk and salt, then use 2 cups of that mixture in this recipe.
- Switch up which cheese you use! I recommend cheddar as it’s a simple flavor, but other cheeses like swiss or mozzarella would also work.
- Add whatever topping you like! A common one is sour cream, but you could do avocado slices, a pepper jelly, or even applesauce!
PIN THESE EASY POTATO PANCAKES FOR LATER!
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR OTHER WHOLE30 REINTRODUCTION RECIPES, CHECK THESE OUT!
- Instant Pot Beef Stew – includes peas (legumes)
- Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts – includes maple syrup (sugar)
- Instant Pot Chicken Thighs & Rice – includes rice (grains)
OR IF YOU NEED SOME WHOLE30 DINNER RECIPES, HERE ARE SOME GREAT IDEAS!
- Mexican Ground Beef Skillet
- Instant Pot Greek Chicken
- Paleo Ground Beef & Broccoli
- Whole30 Teriyaki Chicken
Now if you want things planned out for you – like a menu plan of easy Whole30 meals – I recommend starting with my FREE download of 5 Whole30 recipes that take 30 minutes or less. You get both a meal AND a shopping list for tried and true recipe favorites that will make help you get dinner on the table quickly.
If you make these Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes (or any other recipe) then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below!
YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND PINTEREST TO SEE MORE GOOD TO EAT, GLUTEN FREE & WHOLE30 FOOD.
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Easy Potato Pancakes (Gluten Free)
Equipment
- A cast iron skillet
- A knife
- A large plate
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold mashed potatoes
- 2 eggs smaller in size
- 1 c shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp cassava flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 tbsp avocado oil divided
Instructions
- Put a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat on the stove. Pour 2 tbsp avocado oil in it to warm up.
- Place the ingredients (except for the avocado oil) in a large bowl and mix together with a large spoon or other utensil.
- Take a large scoop (about 1.5 tbsp) of the potato mixture and place it in the skillet. Do this three more times, spacing the dollops of potato equally apart from each other. With a spatula, flatten each pile until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to use a knife to scrape the spatula from the top of the potato mixture.
- Let the potato pancakes cook for 5 minutes, then flip with the spatula and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more, until the sides are golden brown.
- Remove the pancakes and set them on a paper towel lined plate to get rid of any excess oil, then place one more tbsp of avocado oil in the skillet. Repeat the process of cooking 4 potato pancakes at a time, placing a tbsp of oil in the skillet between each round of cooking.
- Serve warm, with sour cream or another topping if desired.
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