Air Fryer Potato Pancakes

These Air Fryer Potato Pancakes are loaded with cheddar and bacon for an easy, savory side dish – the perfect way to use up those leftover mashed potatoes! They fry up crispy on the outside and so cheesy on the inside!

Close up of potato pancakes with a scoop of sour cream on it.

My mama has always made sure to have leftovers whenever she makes a pot of mashed potatoes. She turns the leftovers into potato pancakes and now I do the same thing!

These aren’t your traditional sweet breakfast pancakes! These are crispy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside, and loaded with savory flavors like bacon, cheddar, garlic, and green onion.

We serve these up as a side dish to dinner, much like you would any other potato. They’re the perfect excuse to make mashed potatoes, but we’ve been known to use the store-bought refrigerated mashed potatoes in this recipe on many occasions. They work perfect!

Serve these next to our boneless air fryer pork chops or these tasty air fryer chicken thighs.

Table of Contents

Ingredient Notes:

Potato pancake ingredients spread out on a countertop.

Potatoes– Leftover mashed potatoes work well here or you can purchase a box of refrigerated mashed potatoes.

Cheese– We use shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack. You can substitute either with your favorite cheese.

Bacon– Cooked and crumbled.

Green onions– This is an optional ingredient if you want a bit more kick and savory flavor in your pancakes.

Panko– The panko offers up a little bit of variety in the texture of the potato pancakes. It helps make them a little crisp on the outside.

How to Make Potato Pancakes in the Air Fryer:

Collage of the steps of cooking air fryer potato pancake.

Combine Ingredients– Add all the ingredients except the panko into a bowl and stir to combine. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the potatoes firm up – this will make them easier to bread. Add the panko to another shallow dish.

Make the pancakes – Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the potato mixture directly into the bowl of panko. Sprinkle some Panko over the potato mixture and press the mashed potatoes down into the Panko. Flip the patty and press the Panko into that side too. This is an easy way to bread the pancakes without making a mess all over your hands.

Cook the pancakes- Pop the pancakes in the air fryer basket, leaving a bit of space between each. Spritz liberally with oil and cook til crispy.

Person scooping potato pancakes out of an air fryer.

FAQ:

What’s the difference between potato pancakes and latkes?

Latkes are usually made with shredded potatoes and are fried in oil and generally are more similar to hashbrowns. These mashed potato pancakes are crispy outside and fluffy inside, loaded with cheese, and breaded in Panko breading.

Why are my potato pancakes falling apart?

Depending on your potatoes, you may need to add more or less flour to get them to hold together nicely. If your leftover mashed potatoes are very loose, you’ll need extra flour to help the dough hold together. If your potatoes are quite thick, you may need less flour or a bit of milk.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

The amount of flour needed will vary depending on how loose your mashed potatoes were. If they’re very thick, use a bit less flour. If very loose, add more flour.

We tested these pancakes with both Panko bread crumbs and traditional bread crumbs and both work well. We prefer the crispiness of the Panko paired with the cheesy, soft center of mashed potatoes. If you’d prefer a more traditional version, use regular bread crumbs and they won’t be as crisp on the outside.

Stack of potato pancakes that have had a bite taken out of them.

More potato recipes for the air fryer you might like:

Let us know your opinion!

We’d love to hear what you think of this recipe! Leave a comment and star rating down below! And don’t forget to pin and share!