Air Fryer potato pancakes are the best way to use leftover mashed potatoes into a new meal or side dish. Crispy outside with cheese inside.

Looking for the best leftover mashed potato recipe? Try air fryer potato pancakes with cheese, bacon bits and chives baked right in. With a crispy outside and creamy inside you’ll get hooked on these after the holidays for sure. One of many easy air fryer recipes on The Typical Mom blog. (affiliate links present)
Ninja Foodi Potato Pancakes
You can use whichever brand of machine you have. I have three of them and really they all work basically the same. Some have a larger air fryer basket so you can cook in fewer batches but other than that there’s no difference. Gets all my food crispy and crunch on the outside like we love.
Homemade potato pancakes are a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes. We love making air fryer mashed potato balls out of them too. I hate wasting food so if I can make a delicious second dish the next day (that takes like it’s new and fresh) it’s a win.
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- It has temp. and times for making the best frozen foods for air fryer too.
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Potato Pancakes in Air Fryer
Yes you could certainly make these out of freshly made Instant Pot mashed potatoes. I typically use it the day after Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas though. You can use it as is or add more yum into the mix before you air fry them into patties.
Best add ins to us are:
- Bacon bits
- Leftover ham diced fine
- Diced chives
- Minced onions
- Shredded cheese
- Finely diced air fryer garlic bits are great
On the top you could add all of these too and/or add them both inside and on top. Sour cream is a must at the end though if you ask me. It adds a creaminess to the crispy outside texture and is the way I ate them as a child so we go with that as a must.

Leftover Mashed Potatoes Recipe
You may have made smashed potatoes air fryer style the day before and made way too many. This would work great for those too even if the skins were left on.
Typically these are made with “regular” mashed taters but mashed sweet potatoes would be wonderful too. Top with a sugar and cinnamon blend for a breakfast treat maybe. You’ll want to add a bit of all purpose flour into the mix to stiffen them up. Makes sense since as is they would be too soft.
An egg works together to make them into a stiffer dough of sorts that you can flatten with the palms of your hands. To prevent sticking for this, use a bit of foil or parchment paper underneath them. Typically I do not recommend this because it prevents the air flow but it’s kinda’ a must for these.

Mashed Potato Pancakes
You’ll want to flip these babies over half way thru because the bottom is not exposed to the hot air. This way both sides get crispy the way you’ve had them at restaurants. There is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at how we did it here:
- In a large bowl mix all ingredients together. Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Lay a small piece of non stick aluminum foil (or parchment paper) in your air fryer basket, if not spray non stick cooking spray on your foil.
- Make patties that use about 1/4 c. of your potato mixture. Lay on foil without overlapping them.
- Cook for about 8 minutes, then flip patties over and cook an additional 5-8 minutes or until the outsides are as crispy golden brown as you’d like.
- Top your crispy potato pancakes with sour cream, seasonings like garlic salt and/or salt and pepper, green onions and diced chives.
You do not need a pan like we used with our air fryer pancakes for breakfast as the batter is thick enough using this method. Make just a few or in batches keeping what is already cooked on a tray in the oven until they are all done.

These are different than air fryer latkes as those you would need to grate potatoes from scratch. I am working on creating those so you can have both on hand to try out. This potato pancake recipe is just as good, just different. You can jump to recipe below but remember the nutritional information will vary depending on your prior recipe.
Mashed Potato Cakes Air Fryer
If you don’t have leftovers but want to make this in an easier way, grab a bag of instant mashed taters here and then follow instructions below. Want to make a crispier alternative version? Try our air fryer latkes some night.
Didn’t finish them all the first go around? Can you save them? Yes and no. If you used leftovers I probably wouldn’t chill again and then reheat once more. However if you made from fresh I’d keep and reheat in your air fryer at 400 fro 2 minutes the next day. Wrap them in foil once cooled and enjoy again within 1-2 days later for best results.
They are really best fresh right out of the basket though because the texture will change quite a bit when they are chilled.

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Air Fryer Potato Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 c mashed potatoes
- 1 c cheddar cheese
- 2 green onions diced
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c all purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl mix all ingredients together. Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F for 5 minutes. Lay a small piece of non stick aluminum foil in your air fryer basket, or spray foil with olive oil spray.
- Make patties that use about 1/4 c. of your mixture. Lay on foil without overlapping patties.
- Cook for 8 minutes, then flip patties over and cook an additional 5-8 minutes or until the outsides are as crispy as you'd like.
- Top with sour cream, salt and pepper and diced chives.
Ali
Thursday 27th of July 2023
These potato pancakes were so easy to make in the air fryer! They turned out extra crispy, the kids loved them!
Ned
Thursday 27th of July 2023
I loved the cheesy center of these delicious potato pancakes! Thank for an awesome recipe!
Liza
Thursday 27th of July 2023
What an absolutely wonderful recipe! These potato pancakes are so heavenly - cheesy, crispy and delicious!