It’s the day after a big dinner, and you realize you’ve made way too much mashed potatoes. Of course, we never want to throw out food, but you’re not sure what to do with leftover mashed potatoes.
Mashed potatoes are a holiday favorite in most families, and they will rarely go to waste. However, if you have leftovers, you may be wondering how you can use them up. Besides a quick and easy potato soup, you can also get super creative and make amazing recipes anytime.
Well, we have fantastic news! There are tons of fun leftover mashed potato recipes that can transform those humble cold refrigerated spuds into a tasty culinary work of art.
Mashed potatoes are a classic comfort food that can easily be transformed into delicious and creative dishes using leftovers. With the versatility of mashed potatoes, there is no need to throw them away after dinner. From savory dishes to surprisingly delightful desserts, the possibilities are endless.
Transforming leftover mashed potatoes requires a little imagination and a few simple ingredients to create satisfying and budget-friendly meals. Whether you’re craving something crispy or a scrumptious twist on a traditional favorite, these recipes will inspire you to use every last dollop of your mashed potato leftovers.
In the following recipes, you’ll find a variety of ways to reinvent and repurpose your leftover mashed potatoes into delicious and exciting meals for you and your family. Each dish showcases the endless versatility of this starchy staple and offers something for every palate and preference.
And when it comes to uses for leftover mashed potatoes, you’re not just limited by dinner options. You’ve also had many delicious breakfast recipes, and yes, even dessert options.
Okay, I get it. The idea of a dessert with mashed potatoes feels a little weird, but trust us, they taste incredible!
Below, we answer “what to make with mashed potatoes” with 27 amazing recipes sure to give you a whole new appreciation for your spud putty.
One fun recipe you can make with leftover mashed potatoes is cooked Potato Gnocchi. This dish is perfect for first-time pasta chefs and is pillow, light, and ready to eat in 20 minutes!
Best of all, you don’t have to run to the store to pick up extra ingredients. Most of them are staples you already have. The ingredients include egg, mashed potatoes, salt, and all-purpose flour.
In this recipe for creamy mashed potato croquettes, leftover mashed potatoes become delicious, crunchy, creamy, bite-sized appetizers. The Panko breadcrumbs make for the perfect outer crust for cheesy, mashed potatoes and chives.
Here’s what you’ll need: large eggs, cold mashed potatoes, grated Parmesan, grated white cheddar, chopped fresh chives, all-purpose flour, panko breadcrumbs, and vegetable oil.
Loaded Mashed Potato Balls is another excellent mashed potato recipe you can make with leftover mashed potatoes. This recipe is similar to croquettes but adds a few extra ingredients.
For this recipe, you’ll need bacon, vegetable oil, leftover mashed potatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped fresh chives, cayenne pepper (optional), eggs, panko breadcrumbs, and freshly grated Parmesan.
If you’d ever visited a state fair, then you’ve probably seen your fair share of fried foods, but most folks never imagined you could fry fluffy mashed potatoes!
Not only is it possible to fry your leftover mashed potatoes, but it’s also absolutely, positively, delicious comfort food!
The ingredients you’ll need include mashed potatoes, garlic powder, salt, melted butter, and olive oil.
Now, don’t mind that the recipe calls for making homemade mashed potatoes. If you already have some made, just skip down to step #2.
Making a leftover homemade mashed potato casserole is the most common dish people make with their next-day spuds. And this mashed potatoes and ham casserole recipe is the perfect way to use some of that leftover holiday ham.
The ingredients for this dish include mashed potatoes, garlic, salt, diced fully cooked ham, shredded cheddar cheese, and heavy cream.
Okay, now it’s time for one of the wildest leftover mashed potato ideas you’ve heard. You can turn your leftover mashed potatoes into delicious chocolate peppermint patty candies.
The ingredients you’ll need are mashed potatoes, butter, peppermint extract, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and coconut oil.
While using perfect mashed potatoes in a dessert may sound a bit strange, give this mashed potatoes recipe a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised!
Another genius way to use your leftover mashed potatoes is turning them into crispy, cheesy, savory quesadillas. And this recipe couldn’t be simpler to make!
All you need are mashed potatoes, flour tortillas, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped scallions, sour cream (or mayonnaise), and butter.
Alright, now it’s time to really stretch your imagination when it comes to using your leftover mashed potatoes. But let me tell you, this recipe for mashed potato brownies is one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve tasted in years!
The recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate, mashed potatoes, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, salt, and flour.
Optional ingredients include chopped pecans or walnuts and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Another dish you would never expect to make with mashed potatoes is mashed potato biscuits. However, if you’re a biscuit fan, you’re bound to love this unique twist.
What you’ll need in this recipe is all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, shorting, mashed potatoes, honey, and buttermilk.
Another tried and true recipe for making the most out of your leftover mashed potatoes is potato soup. And this recipe also adds a few extra ingredients that take your potato soup to the next level!
The ingredients you’ll need to make it are mashed potatoes, milk, flour, pepper, salt, sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.
Sheppard’s pie is by far one of my favorite mashed potato dishes of all time and a great way to really get some extra mileage out of your spuds.
This deliciously melty casserole has savory meat and veggies topped with creamy mashed potatoes.
The ingredients you’ll need include mashed potatoes, butter, diced onion, diced celery, flour, beef broth, salt, pepper, Worchestershire sauce (optional), red wine (optional), leftover pot roast with gravy, and frozen peas.
Mashed Potato Muffins is another simple recipe that transforms your leftover mashed potatoes into dinner superstars. This low-calorie dish is also gluten-free and makes for a fantastic dinner side dish, appetizer, or even breakfast sandwiches with eggs and bacon.
The ingredients you need to make mashed Potato Muffins are mashed potatoes, egg, Greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, green onions, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Yet another fantastic leftover mashed potato breakfast idea is this recipe for a traditional British dish called “Bubbles and Squeek.” While the name may not sound appealing, the taste and appearance will blow you away!
This recipe calls for onion, brussels sprouts (or cooked cabbage), smoked bacon, butter, and mashed potatoes, fried egg (optional topping).
We’re keeping this breakfast train rolling with a delicious recipe for mashed potato pancakes. However, I must say, unlike traditional pancakes, this recipe tastes much better with gravy than syrup.
The ingredients you’ll need are grated Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh chives, egg, mashed potatoes, all-purpose flour, olive oil, and sour cream (optional).
Another fantastic leftover mashed potato casserole dish is Broccoli Cheddar Potato Casserole. This baked delight features creamy mashed potatoes, melty cheese, and delicious broccoli.
The ingredients you’ll need to make this casserole are mashed potatoes, fresh broccoli florets, butter, salt, pepper, sour cream, bacon, chopped fresh chives (or sliced green onion), and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
I’m willing to bet that if you were asked, “What are some things to make with potatoes?” you never in a million years would have answered “donuts.”
And while this may sound a bit dubious, trust us, mashed potato donuts are very much a real thing and are positively delicious!
The ingredients you’ll need are leftover mashed potatoes, milk, sugar, eggs, butter, baking powder, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, salt, ginger (and/or nutmeg), canola oil (for cooking), and icing or regular sugar for dousing or dusting.
We have yet another unexpected sweet treat you can make with your leftover mashed potatoes – Potato Cinnamon Rolls.
These melt in your mouth, sweet, creamy, and delightful pastries are simple to make and will leave you licking your fingers in pure bliss!
The ingredients you need to make the rolls are scalded milk, hot mashed potatoes, butter, sugar, salt, lukewarm water, yeast, eggs, all-purpose flour.
You’ll need softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon for the filling. And for the frosting, you need light cream cheese, vanilla, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.
Here’s another fantastic candy recipe that uses your leftover mashed potatoes to satisfy your sweet tooth. This is a great recipe for anyone who can’t get enough of peanut butter, and best of all, it’s no-bake and features only three ingredients!
All you need is mashed potatoes, powdered sugar, and peanut butter. You can also add a little vanilla extract for extra sweetness.
If you really want to know how to use leftover mashed potatoes in a very versatile recipe, you should look at this recipe for leftover Thanksgiving pizza.
This unique pie combines all the flavors we love from Thanksgiving dinner into a fantastic pizza that will knock your socks off!
Ingredients for this recipe include a pre-baked pizza crust, Alfredo sauce, thanksgiving leftovers such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, sprouts, and cranberry sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
Scottish Tattie Scones is another one of these fabulous dinner ideas with mashed potatoes. These delightfully chewy potato pastries really hit the spot.
These are not your average traditional British scones but rather more like a potato pancake. These scones are often served with bread and sausage. In Ireland, they call them potato bread or fadge. Call them whatever you like. These scones are flat-out delicious!
To make Scottish Tattie Scones, the ingredients you need include mashed potatoes, butter, salt, flour, egg, and baking powder.
Whoever thought of using mashed potatoes to make pull-apart rolls deserves a noble peace prize! These fluffy, soft, and tender potato rolls are one of our favorites!
They are an excellent way to use your leftover mashed potatoes and if you have lots of gravy, make for a great meal just by itself!
What you’ll need to make these rolls are unsalted butter, whole milk, water, all-purpose flour, rapid or instant-rise yeast, granulated sugar, salt, mashed potatoes, and eggs.
Many folks on the East Coast are familiar with the delicious Polish dumplings known as Pierogies. But for those unfamiliar with these additive dumplings, you’re in for a treat!
To make Pierogi, for the dough, you’ll need an egg, salt, olive oil, flour, and water. For the filling: mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese.
Meatloaf cupcakes are another fun and unique way to repurpose your leftover mashed potatoes. This is a fabulous dinner for kids, and you can really do a lot of different things to make it your own.
The ingredients you need for the meatloaf are tomato sauce, ketchup, yellow mustard, honey, cooking oil, onion, ground beef, dry breadcrumbs, Wochestehire sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and egg.
And you should already have your leftover mashed potatoes ready to report for duty!
Our final leftover mashed potatoes breakfast dish is yet another twist on a classic – Leftover Mashed Potato Waffles. These crispy waffles are incredible with bacon!
To make your waffles, you’ll need butter, mashed potatoes, grated cheese, sour cream, milk, all-purpose flour, baking powder, black pepper, salt, minced herbs such as dill, rosemary, parsley, and thyme.
And last, if you’re still trying to figure out what to make with leftover mashed potatoes, this is a dish you simply must try!
Mashed potato stuffed mushrooms with wild rice is positively one of the most delicious ways you can use your leftover spuds. Top these mouth-watering shrooms with gravy or eat them plain.
Also, here’s a video featuring six delicious leftover mashed potato ideas.
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
