Mashed Potato Balls

Mashed potato balls with cheese are a delicious appetizer that is perfect when hosting family and friends during the holidays. They’re crisp on the outside and soft, tender, and cheesy inside. Leftover mashed potatoes are loaded with cheese, green onions, and seasonings before being shaped into bite-sized balls, breaded, and fried to perfection. These mashed potato bites are a comforting snack that is easy to make ahead, freezer-friendly, and can be cooked directly from frozen. Plus, you can deep fry them or cook in the air fryer.

Why You’ll Love Mashed Potato Balls

• They’re bite-sized mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are one of my all-time favorite foods. They are creamy, cheesy, and full of carbs, which makes them the ultimate comfort food. Now, these mashed potato balls take that dish, load them up with even more flavor, and turn it into a bite-sized appetizer or snack. What’s not to love about that?
• The crispy outer layer. These mashed potato balls are fried to perfection and form a crispy, crunchy, golden-brown exterior when frying. The panko breadcrumbs help firm up the potato balls and gives them maximum crunch.
• The soft, creamy interior. There’s nothing better than a bite of cheesy mashed potatoes — and these mashed potato balls deliver the decadence. Even though the outside is perfectly fried, the inside of these mashed potato balls remains soft and creamy.

Ingredients and Substitutions

To make these easy leftover mashed potato balls, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):

• mashed potatoes - feel free to use any leftover mashed potatoes that you have on hand. This recipe works with Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Red Potatoes, and Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes.
• cheddar cheese - feel free to substitute with your favorite cheese. Some great options are a Tex Mex blend cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Parmesan, and havarti.
• green onions
• seasoning - we used garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Feel free to play around with different spices and seasonings and create your own spin on the recipe.
• panko breadcrumbs - panko breadcrumbs add extra crispiness to the coating. You can also use regular breadcrumbs and still get delicious results.
• vegetable oil - for frying.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, and a cooking pot.

How to Make the Best Mashed Potato Balls

1. Combine ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add mashed potatoes, cheese, green onions, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well until smooth.

2. Shape into balls. Take 2 tablespoons of the potato mixuture at a time and shape into balls by hand, similar to shaping meatballs. Alternatively, you can use a cookie scoop to shape into even pieces.
3. Coat with breadcrumbs. Add breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Dip the mashed potato balls in crumbs and gently press crumbs around each ball to coat.
4. Freeze. Arrange the coated mashed potato balls evenly on a parchment-lined half sheet baking pan and transfer into the freezer. Freeze for 15-20 minutes to firm up. This helps the mashed potato bites hold their shape when deep-frying.
5. Deep fry the mashed potato balls. Add 2-inches of oil into a cooking pot and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering hot, about 3-4 minutes. Add the potato balls in batches (about 4-5 pieces each time) until crisp and golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Turn the balls occasionally to get an even golden crust on all sides.

6. Serve. Transfer the potato balls to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil, and let them cool for 5 minutes before serving.

More Potato Recipes

• 40 Best Potato Recipes
• Mashed Potato Cakes
• Leftover Mashed Potato Soup
• Baked Mashed Potato Spring Rolls
• Turkey Potato Chowder

Recipe

Mashed Potato Balls

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• Author: Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 20 mashed potato balls
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Mashed potato balls are a delicious appetizer that is crisp on the outside and soft, tender, and cheesy inside. Best way to use leftover mashed potatoes!

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Ingredients

• 3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
• ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup green onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• vegetable oil (for frying)

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Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, add mashed potatoes, cheese, green onions, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well until smooth.
2. Take 2 tablespoons of the potato mixuture at a time and shape into balls by hand, similar to shaping meatballs. Alternatively, you can use a cookie scoop to shape into even pieces.
3. Add breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Dip the mashed potato balls in crumbs and gently press crumbs around each ball to coat. 
4. Arrange the coated mashed potato balls evenly on a parchment-lined half sheet baking pan and transfer into the freezer. Freeze for 15-20 minutes to firm up. This helps the mashed potato bites hold their shape when deep-frying.
5. Add 2-inches of oil into a cooking pot and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering hot, about 3-4 minutes. Add the potato balls in batches (about 4-5 pieces each time) until crisp and golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Turn the balls occasionally to get an even golden crust on all sides.
6. Transfer the potato balls to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil, and let them cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

How to cook in the air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 375 F, about 3 minutes. Carefully place mashed potato in a single layer in the air fryer basket and lightly spray with cooking oil to coat evenly. Air fry the mashed potato bites for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Gently shake the basket halfway during cooking to brown evenly.

How to freeze: I recommend freezing these mashed potato balls before you cook them. Prepare them up to the point of frying, then arrange the balls in a single layer on a large half sheet baking pan. Freeze until hard, about 1 hour. Then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

How to cook from frozen: Cook in the same way that you would when following the recipe. It will take a few minutes longer to cook until crisp and golden brown.

How to store: Make sure the fried mashed potato balls cool to room temperature completely before storing. Skipping this step can result in soggy potato bites. Then, transfer the balls to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4-5 days.

How to reheat: Reheat leftover mashed potato balls in a 375F oven for 15-20 minutes, or air fryer for 10 minutes.

Make ahead instructions: If you want to prep these mashed potato balls ahead of time, make them the day or morning before and store them in the freezer. Then, when it’s time to serve, quickly fry them up. You could also cook them in advance, refrigerate, and pop into the oven to reheat.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Deep Fry
• Cuisine: American

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