These crispy Air Fryer Potato Pancakes are the perfect next-day dish for leftover mashed potatoes. Try them as a side dish for dinner or brunch!

mashed potato pancakes in air fryer basket next to a white kitchen towel

This Air Fryer Potato Pancake recipe is great because it takes leftovers that may go to waste and turns them into something new and delicious: a crispy potato cake that’s soft and creamy inside!

Make it your own with different toppings and dipping sauces for the family!

What You’ll Need

  • Leftover mashed potatoes: Any type will do, but make sure they are cold before you start!
  • Green onions; You’ll need to dice these and separate the green. Here’s a helpful guide if you’ve never done this before.
  • Oregano and Smoked paprika; For a little spice!
  • All-purpose flour: Gluten-free purpose flour will work as well
  • Egg: Helps hold it all together.

How to Make Them

steps to make air fryer potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes
  1. Scoop the cold leftover mashed potatoes into a mixing bowl.
  2. Add the diced green onions.
  3. Add all-purpose flour — gluten-free or regular — and spices.
  4. Scramble an egg in a separate bowl and add to the potato mixture.
  5. Combine all the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Form the potato pancake mixture into patties about 2-3 inches across.
  6. Place patties in the air fryer basket and cook for about 10 minutes at 380°F, flipping halfway through cooking. Plate with a side of sour cream and garnish with green onions or parsley if desired!
potato pancakes garnished with parsley on a white plate with sour cream

Tips and Tricks

Struggling to keep the potato mixture together when forming patties?

If your mixture is too runny, add more flour! Gluten-free or regular all-purpose flour is fine for this.

If you have a cheesecloth, spoon the mixture into the cloth and squeeze any excess liquid from the mixture.

thicker consistency potato mixture will stay together best during cooking.

Serving Ideas

These are a hit on their own, but you can mix and match your toppings and dips.

I prefer a garnish of green onions and a side of sour cream, but apple sauce and smoked salmon also go great with this recipe!

potato pancakes garnished with parsley on a white plate with sour cream
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4.82 from 11 votes

Air Fryer Potato Pancakes

These crispy Air Fryer Potato Pancakes are the perfect next-day dish for leftover mashed potatoes! Try them as a side dish for dinner or brunch!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 33kcal
Ken

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2â…“ cups leftover mashed potatoes cold
  • 3 green onions diced, whites and greens separated
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp all purpose gluten-free flour or regular all purpose flour
  • 1 egg

Instructions

  • Scoop cold leftover mashed potatoes into mixing bowl.
  • Add diced green onions, flour, oregano, and smoked paprika to bowl.
  • Scramble egg in separate bowl, then add to potato mixture. Combine all ingredients well.
  • Form mixture into potato patties. Place potato pancakes into air fryer basket after oiling or lining with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
  • Cook at 380°F for 10 minutes. Flip potato pancakes halfway through cooking.
  • Plate potato pancakes. Garnish with leftover green onions and serve with a side of sour cream (optional). Enjoy!
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Notes

Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.

Nutrition

Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
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Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
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12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These potato pancakes couldn’t be any easier to make, and the whole family loved this. Can’t wait to make it again soon.

  2. 5 stars
    I love making potato pancakes, but this air fryer option is something new to give it a try! Sounds amazing!

  3. 5 stars
    Wow, what a great recipe to use up leftover mashed potato. Now I want to make mashed potatoes to make these little pancakes. They look so inviting and my potato-loving family will LOVE these.

  4. 5 stars
    I love potato pancakes but they can use too much oil to make, the air fryer keeps them crispy and you don’t miss the extra oil at all.

  5. 5 stars
    Delicious potato pancakes. I made them in my preheated Ninja Foodi (Air Crisp setting). Used Avocado Oil (for high heat) on a flat grill plate. Sprayed the oil again on the pancakes & there’s no need to flip. After 10 minutes they were crispy, golden with brown edges yet soft inside! Thank you for the recipe!

4.82 from 11 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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