Fact: You can never make too many mashed potatoes (or have too many leftover mashed potatoes!). Maybe your niece isn’t crazy for cranberry or your Dad doesn’t love green beans, but mashed potatoes? It’s the one side dish everyone can agree on (and often gets passed around for seconds). Even so, leftover mashed potatoes can leave you with that age-old holiday conundrum: What to do with leftover mashed potatoes?
Before we get into mashed ‘tater makeovers, let’s first talk about proper storage. Use an airtight container and, if possible, store on the highest shelf in your refrigerator—that’s where the temperature stays the most consistent. You can store them (and other leftovers) for up to four days.
So now that's you're ready to figure out what to do with leftover mashed potatoes, take a look at these 20 recipes—the only problem you’ll have is deciding which ones to use before you run out.
Spinach and Garlic Potato Patties
These super savory spinach-stuffed leftover mashed potato patties are not only great at dinner, but can be topped with a poached or fried egg for breakfast, paired with a turkey burger at lunch, or even make a great finger-food appetizer if friends are coming over.
Loaded Mashed Potato Egg Rolls
Recipe and photo from Spend with Pennies. Get the recipe here.
Mashed Potato Doughnuts
We love how this creative re-think of a traditionally savory side dish is reborn as one of the all-time favorite sweet treats: doughnuts. Icing sugar adds the finishing touch, but a cinnamon-sugar combo would be great, too!
Recipe and photo from Dinner with Julie. Get the recipe here.
Mini Shepherd’s Pot Pies
Shepherd’s pie has got to be one of the world’s best comfort foods. While traditionally made with lamb, beef works just as well—you could even go completely vegetarian.
Recipe and photo from Unsophisticated Cook. Get the recipe here.
Potato Rolls
Recipe and photo from Spicy Southern Kitchen. Get the recipe here.
Twice Baked Potatoes Using Leftover Mashed Potatoes
We love the crunchy bits of bacon and kick of red pepper in this twice-baked leftover mashed potato hack. If you don’t like too much heat, half the amount of pepper (or exclude it altogether).
Recipe and photo from Genius Kitchen. Get the recipe here.
Potato Cakes From Leftover Mashed Potatoes
Recipe and photo from Natasha’s Kitchen. Get the recipe here.
Mashed Potato Waffles
Recipe and photo from Do You Even Paleo. Get the recipe here.
Leftover Mashed Potato Puffs
This recipe employs all the fun bits of a stuffed potato—cheese, sour cream, chives—but without the messy scraping out of potato skins. These easy puffs go right into a nonstick muffin pan and are a quick and easy side dish with little prep time and a lot of flavorful reward!
Recipe and photo from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. Get the recipe here.
Loaded Mashed Potato Crunch
These clever, crunchy handheld slices of leftover mashed potato goodness are half potato pancake, half potato pizza. The recipe calls for cheddar, but you can use whatever you have on hand—try mozzarella cheese, gouda, goat, or even feta.
Recipe and photo from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. Get the recipe here.
Mashed Potato Pancakes
Recipe and photo from For the Love of Cooking. Get the recipe here.
Loaded Mashed Potato Balls
Golden and crispy outside, plush and cheese-flecked inside, these mashed potato balls makes a great appetizer or fun side dish. The panko bread crumb coating adds a nice gentle crunch. No bacon? Skip it altogether—or use up other leftovers like sandwich meat (ham, for instance!) or Italian sausage.
Recipe and photo from The Cooking Jar. Get the recipe here.
Potato Croquettes
Simple and classic, potato croquettes are a leftover mashed potato staple. These get a great crunchy coating due to the recipe’s flour, egg, breadcrumb combo.
Recipe and photo from Goodie Godmother. Get the recipe here.
Mashed Potato Egg Casserole
Recipe and photo from Foxe Love Lemons. Get the recipe here.
Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Muffins
Recipe and photo from Just a Taste. Get the recipe here.
Mashed Potato Fries
Last but by no means least, crispy-creamy mashed potato fries. Best eaten fresh out of the oven, skip the mashed potato making portion of this recipe and go right to the sheet pan directive in step four.
Recipe and photo from Cookie Named Desire. Get the recipe here.
