These mashed potato cakes are so delicious, you will want to make mashed potatoes just to make the potato cakes. Ham, cheese, and chives is a great flavor addition for these classic potato cakes and it’s easily made within 30 minutes.

Of course, you can’t make these potato cakes without the smooth and delicious mashed potatoes. You can use our recipe for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or make some amazing Mashed Potatoes on stove top.

collage with closeup of stacked potato cakes and title below.

Mashed Potato Cakes:

Why eat the same boring mashed potatoes for days after the holidays when you can make some amazing mashed potato cakes? This truly is the best way to use up leftover mashed potatoes and takes so little time and effort.

It’s is also a great way to use up leftover meat from the holiday dinner. My absolute favorite combination with mashed potatoes is ham, especially if it was glazed ham. Some of the sweetness from glazed and baked ham transfers into the mashed potato cakes and adds a pleasant touch of sweetness.

You can just as easily use leftover turkey and/or roasted chicken too. (If you smoked your turkey, it will add some amazing smoky flavor.)

Finishing the cakes off with a whole bunch of shredded cheese is just the right touch. Gooey, melted sharp cheese is just the perfect addition to mashed potatoes and ham. You can use pre-shredded cheese or get a block and shred it yourself. Block cheese will offer more flavor options than pre-shredded.

stack of three potato cakes cut through the middle.

Tips For The Best Potato Cakes:

ingredients for potato cakes in the mixing bowl.

scooping out mashed potato mixture with ice cream scoop.

Most important thing to remember is taste, taste, taste. Taste the mashed potatoes and then taste the potato cakes mixture. Since you’re combining already made mashed potatoes and ham, make sure to taste everything before adding more salt.
Mashed potatoes may vary in density so if the potatoes are very soft and thin, you may need to add an extra tablespoon or two of flour to the mixture.
Use an ice cream scoop to measure out the exact amount of the potato mixture so the cakes will all be the same size.
I highly recommend using non-stick pan so that the soft potato cakes don’t get stuck onto the pan. It will also dramatically reduce the amount of oil needed to cook them.
If your cakes are sticking to the pan, you may not have added enough oil. Add a couple of tablespoons more.
Always preheat the pan first, then add oil, and then add the cakes. Make sure not to move or flip them too soon, just let them cook.

Make Them Gluten Free:

This recipe is a very easy one to make gluten free with just one substitution. Simply swap the all purpose flour with gluten free all purpose flour. Remaining ingredients should already be gluten free but you will want to double check the packaging just to make sure.

You can also make this lactose free! When making mashed potatoes, use lactose free milk and plant-based butter. When it comes to cheese, make sure to use aged cheddar. Aged, harder cheeses are naturally lactose free and you can always check the packaging to make sure.

several potato cakes cooked in a pan side by side.

Serving Suggestions:

These mashed potato cakes will be great for any time of the day. Eat them for lunch, dinner, snack, and even breakfast.

Serve them with some vegetables or a salad on a side for a simple lunch and dinner. You can even make them into sliders.

To top off mashed potato cakes, you can use sour cream or leftover gravy.

Freezing Instructions:

To freeze mashed potato cakes, cool them first to room temperature. Cover a cutting board with parchment paper and lay potato cakes on top in one layer. Freeze for about 2 hours. (Set a timer so you don’t forget.)

Once they are frozen, transfer them into a large zip-lock freezer bag. Get all the air out of the bag and seal. Label the bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

If you wish, you can store them portioned into several smaller freezer bags, instead of one large one. Portioning them will make it easier to pull and defrost one serving at a time.

To thaw frozen potato cakes, pull the bag out of the freezer into the refrigerator and slaw-thaw overnight.

To reheat them, you can simply place them on a plate and reheat in the microwave, covered with the plate cover.

For the best result, you will want to recreate a little crunch on the outside. Reheat them in the cooking pan over medium-low heat. Use non-stick pan that way no additional oil will be needed.