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Mashed Potato Balls - crispy fried mashed potato balls loaded with bacon and cheddar cheese. The best recipe to use up leftover mashed potatoes.
What Can I Make With Leftover Mashed Potato
We all have those days when we have leftover mashed potato, that’s when you make mashed potato balls.
It’s the easiest way to turn the leftover into a new dish that everyone would go crazy for.
The best thing about mashed potato balls is that you can be creative by adding other ingredients to jazz up the taste.
How To Make Mashed Potato Balls
Place the mashed potatoes in a large bowl and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the egg, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and chopped parsley.
Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
Shape the mixture into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls, rolling them in bread crumbs to ensure they are well coated. Place the potato balls in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes to help them retain their shape.
Heat 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil in a skillet to 375°F (190°C). Fry the potato balls in batches, cooking until light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.
Tips For Crispy Mashed Potato Balls
Make sure you chill the leftover mashed potatoes – the mashed potato should be chilled in the fridge before you start working on them.
Use regular breadcrumbs for better results and make sure you don’t over fry the mashed potato balls. As soon as they turn brown, scoop them out from the oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 174 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Mashed Potato Balls
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Mashed Potato Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold leftover mashed potatoes
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup real bacon bits
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
- oil , for deep frying
Instructions
- Place the mashed potatoes in a large bowl and let them stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the egg, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and chopped parsley.
- Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
- Shape the mixture into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls, rolling them in bread crumbs to ensure they are well coated. Place the potato balls in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes to help them retain their shape.
- In a skillet, heat 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil to 375°F (190°C). Fry the potato balls in batches, cooking them quickly. As soon as they turn light brown, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on paper towels to drain. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi. Looks really good! Can I bake them instead? Drizzle the potato balls with either Olive oil or vegetable oil and bake?? Will that work?
Yes you can bake them. Don’t drizze olive oil, just coat with bread crumbs.
Have you tried them in an air fryer?
No.
Any one air fry these?
I coated them with panko and air fried them. They turned out great. Sprayed the air fryer with cooking spray and the potato balls as well. 380 degrees for about 10-12 minutes turning gently at half the time. They were frozen after breading them before air frying.
My coworkers are gluten free. Is it possible to use Panko or some other product for breadcrumbs? Will I need to make any other changes? Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks!
You can buy Schar gf bread crumbs
We tried making these last night. They held together really well but were little balls of lava when you bite into them. Does that mean we fried them too long?
Yeah, fried too long, and also maybe your mashed potatoes are too mushy. Try to eat them when they are colder.
I used seasoned panko crumbs and air fried them. They turned out great.
Cool.
These look sooo tasty!!! Definitely adding them to my list of food to make!
Frying them and the breadcrumbs are falling off and the potatoes are pretty much disintegrating in the hot oil
Hi Maureen, I am sorry to hear that. Is your mashed potato the loose kind?
What does that mean to have a “loose kind” of mashed potatoes?
Runny.
Do you mean instant mashed potatoes? The kind you buy in a pouch or box?
No, you make the mashed potatoes from scratch.
In evening I will show my Mom this recipe and tell her to make it.
thank you sir
I have 3 questions please:
1) Have you ever made this using leftover mashed sweet potatoes?
2) If you wanted to bake instead of fry….What temperature and for how long, would you suggest?
3) If I wanted to make lots, can they be frozen?
Thanks for your time!
Hi Kathy, no, I haven’t tried mashed sweet potatoes. You can bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Yes, you can coat them with breadcrumbs and then frozen. Then thaw at room temperature and then fry or bake.
For those who comments describe falling apart/ loose potatoes I suggest adding flour a Tablespoon at a time until potato mixture holds together better.