Crispy Baked Mashed Potato Cakes

These Crispy Baked Mashed Potato Cakes are golden and crunchy on the outside with creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes inside. They’re easy enough for weeknight dinners but impressive enough for holidays, brunch, or entertaining.

If you’re looking for a delicious way to turn simple potatoes into something extra special, these baked mashed potato cakes are hard to beat. They have all the flavor of loaded mashed potatoes with crispy edges and a creamy center that makes them completely irresistible. Serve them as a side dish with steak, chicken, pork, or salmon, or enjoy them for breakfast topped with an egg. They’re also perfect for making ahead and a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes.

These mashed potato cakes pair especially well with hearty mains like my Mediterranean Pork Tenderloin or classic Salmon Patties. The creamy potatoes and crispy edges make an easy side dish for everything from weeknight dinners to holiday meals, and they’re just as delicious served alongside seafood as they are with grilled or roasted meats.

Why You’ll Love These Mashed Potato Cakes

• Crispy golden edges with a soft, creamy center
• Full of cheesy, loaded baked potato flavor
• Easy to customize with bacon, ham, sausage, or different cheeses
• Perfect for holidays, brunch, lunches, or weeknight dinners
• Great for making ahead and reheating
• A delicious way to use leftover mashed potatoes

Ingredients in Mashed Potato Cakes

Russet Potatoes

Russet potatoes create the fluffiest mashed potatoes and help the cakes stay soft and fluffy inside while crisping nicely on the outside.

Cheese

Cheddar adds classic baked potato flavor, but Italian blends, Monterey Jack, Parmesan, or pepper jack all work well too.

Sour Cream

A small amount of sour cream adds richness and helps create a creamy texture inside the cakes.

Pancetta, Bacon, Ham, or Sausage

Any of these add-ins work well and give the potato cakes extra flavor and heartiness.

Chives and Green Onions

Fresh herbs and green onions brighten the rich potato mixture and add fresh flavor.

Garlic and Onion

These simple ingredients build savory flavor and help the cakes taste like loaded baked potatoes.

Can I Use Leftover Mashed Potatoes?

Yes. This recipe works very well with leftover mashed potatoes.

Use about 4 to 5 cups of mashed potatoes and reduce the added salt if your leftovers are already seasoned. Depending on the consistency of the potatoes, you may need slightly less milk or an extra spoonful of cheese to help the mixture hold together.

This is one of the easiest ways to turn leftover mashed potatoes into something completely new.

How to Make Crispy Mashed Potato Cakes

1. Boil the potatoes until fork tender, then drain and roughly mash.
2. Cook the onion and garlic in butter until softened.
3. Stir the mashed potatoes together with the cheese, sour cream, eggs, herbs, and your choice of meat.
4. Shape the potato mixture into cakes using a ring mold or by hand.
5. Top with extra cheese and bake until golden and crispy around the edges.
6. Serve warm with butter, extra chives, or even a fried egg on top.

Variations and Add-Ins

These potato cakes are easy to customize based on what you have on hand.

Try adding:

• crispy bacon
• cooked breakfast sausage
• diced ham
• Parmesan cheese
• pepper jack cheese
• caramelized onions
• fresh parsley or dill
• chopped jalapeños
• smoked paprika or cayenne pepper

You Don’t Need a Special Mold

You can absolutely shape these mashed potato cakes by hand if you prefer. A ring mold simply gives them a more polished, restaurant-style look with thicker, even edges. If you don’t have a mold, an easy homemade version can be made with aluminum foil or a disposable foil pan wrapped around a glass or jar to create a simple circle shape. Even imperfect potato cakes bake up beautifully and taste just as delicious.

Make Ahead and Freezing Tips

These mashed potato cakes are perfect for making ahead.

• Shape the cakes up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Add about 5 extra minutes to the baking time if cooking straight from the refrigerator.
• Leftover baked potato cakes reheat well in the oven or air fryer.
• Freeze fully baked potato cakes for up to one month and reheat directly from frozen.

What to Serve With Mashed Potato Cakes

These crunchy potato cakes pair well with all kinds of meals.

Serve them with:

• grilled steak
• roast chicken
• pork tenderloin
• baked salmon
• eggs for breakfast or brunch
• a simple green salad
• roasted vegetables
• holiday dinners and special occasions

Whether you serve these crispy mashed potato cakes alongside a holiday dinner, with grilled steak in the summer, or topped with an egg for breakfast the next morning, they’re one of those versatile recipes that always disappear fast. Golden on the outside, creamy and cheesy inside, they turn simple ingredients into something that feels a little extra special without much effort.

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5 from 3 votes

Crispy Baked Mashed Potato Cakes

These Crispy Baked Mashed Potato Cakes are golden and crunchy on the outside with creamy, cheesy potatoes inside. Made with simple ingredients like potatoes, cheese, sour cream, and bacon or pancetta, they’re an easy side dish for holidays, brunch, or weeknight dinners and a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes.

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 cakes

Calories 380

Author Sally Humeniuk

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

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• 2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 Tbsps butter
• ¼ cup onion finely chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves crushed and rough-chopped
• 1 cup pancetta ham, bacon, or cooked sausage, diced
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ½ cup grated cheddar plus extra for topping
• 2 Tbsps chopped chives plus more for garnish
• 2 green onions chopped
• 1½ tsps salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1-2 Tbsps milk if needed
• Red pepper flakes for garnish optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Drain well and roughly mash in a large bowl.
  2 pounds russet potatoes
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic during the last 30 seconds of cooking. If using pancetta or bacon, cook with the onions until lightly crisp.
  2 Tbsps butter, ¼ cup onion, 2-3 garlic cloves, 1 cup pancetta
• Add the onion mixture, eggs, sour cream, cheese, chives, green onions, salt, and pepper to the potatoes. Stir to combine. Add a splash of milk if needed to loosen the mixture slightly.
  2 eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, ½ cup grated cheddar, 2 Tbsps chopped chives, 2 green onions, 1½ tsps salt, 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper, 1-2 Tbsps milk
• Shape the potato mixture into cakes using a ring mold or by hand and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with extra cheese and red pepper flakes if desired.
  Red pepper flakes for garnish
• Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and crisp around the edges. Serve warm with butter and extra chives.

Notes

• Leftover mashed potatoes work well in this recipe.
• Shape the potato cakes up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Fully baked potato cakes freeze well for up to 1 month.
• Reheat in the oven or air fryer for the crispiest texture.

Nutrition Facts

Crispy Baked Mashed Potato Cakes

Amount Per Serving (6 g)

Calories 380 Calories from Fat 216

% Daily Value*

Fat 24g37%

Saturated Fat 10g63%

Trans Fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 9g

Cholesterol 100mg33%

Sodium 1160mg50%

Potassium 738mg21%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 13g26%

Vitamin A 392IU8%

Vitamin C 10mg12%

Calcium 113mg11%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Recipe adapted from eatwell101.com