Mashed Air Fryer Potato Pancakes

Ninja Foodi 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. Similar to our homemade air fryer latkes but creamy with holiday leftovers.

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.

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:

Leftover Mashed Potatoes Recipe

• 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.

How long do you cook potato pancakes in an air fryer?

About 15 minutes but cook time will depend on how thick and large yours are. 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.

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:

How to Make Mashed Potato Pancakes

• 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?

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.