How to Make Potato Patties

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

Mashed potatoes are tasty enough on their own, but did you know that you can make them even tastier by making them into patties and frying them? With just a few extra ingredients, you'll have a delicious meal that will work not just for dinner, but also for lunch and breakfast too!

Ingredients

Basic Potato Patties^{[1]
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2 cups (650 grams) cooked, mashed potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes)
4 tablespoons (60 milliliters) vegetable oil
½ cup (50 grams) all-purpose flour, for dredging
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

Serves 4

Cheesy Potato Patties^{[2]
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2 cups (650 grams) cooked, mashed potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes)
1 cup (100 grams) shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder (or 2 tablespoons thinly-sliced green onions)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (90 grams) breadcrumbs
¼ to ½ cup (60 to 120 milliliters) vegetable oil

Serves 4 to 6

Veggie Potato Patties^{[3]
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2 pounds (900 grams) potatoes
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely shredded
2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
2 eggs
½ cup (65 grams) feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup (50 grams) cheese, shredded (any type)
6 tablespoons (40 grams) flour
4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ to ½ cup (60 to 120 milliliters) olive oil
Fresh dill, for garnish

Serves 4 to 6

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Making Basic Potato Patties

1
Prepare the mashed potatoes. You can use leftover mashed potatoes from last night's dinner, or you can make some from scratch. If you are making them from scratch, do the following:
- Peel and cut 4 medium-sized potatoes.
- Fill a large pot with salted water, enough to cover the potatoes.
- Boil the potatoes until they are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.^{[4]
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- Drain the water.
- Mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher.
2
Divide the mashed potatoes into eight ½-inch (1.27 centimeters) thick patties. Roll the potato mixture into eight balls, then gently flatten them with your palm. This will be enough to serve four people, with two patties each.

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3
Mix the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish using a fork. The dish needs to be shallow enough to fit at least one potato patty.
4
Dip the potato patties in the flour mixture. Make sure that you dip both sides of the potato patties into the flour mixture. This will help give them that nice, golden color once they are fried.
5
Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Gently tilt the skillet from side to side to coat the bottom evenly. To prevent the potato patties from getting too oily, heat only 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil. You can add more oil as you continue to cook the patties.
6
Add the potato patties once the oil starts to smoke. Chances are, your skillet is large enough to fit one or two potato patties, which is fine. It is better to cook them a few at a time rather than cramming all of them into a single skillet.
7
Lower the heat to medium-low, and cook the patties until they turn golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Flip the patties using a spatula, and cook them for another 15 minutes.
8
Serve the potato patties while they are still hot. If you'd like, you can season them with extra salt and pepper to your liking.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Making Cheesy Potato Patties

1
Prepare the mashed potatoes. You can use leftover mashed potatoes, or you can make them from scratch. If you are making mashed potatoes from scratch, do the following:
- Peel and cut 4 medium-sized potatoes.
- Fill a large pot with salted water.
- Boil the potatoes until they are soft and tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Drain the water.
- Smash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher.
2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, cheese, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. For the cheese, you can use either mozzarella or cheddar. If you don't have any onion powder, or just don't like the taste, you can use thinly-sliced green onions.
3
Beat the eggs in two separate bowls. You will be adding one of these beaten eggs to the potato mixture, and you will be using the other one for frying.
4
Add one of the beaten eggs to the potato mixture. Stir it in with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until it is evenly mixed throughout the potatoes.
5
Form the potato mixture into six patties, about ½ inch (1.27 centimeters) thick. Roll the potato mixture into balls first, then gently flatten them with the palm of your hand.
6
Dip the patties into the other beaten egg, then dredge them through the breadcrumbs. Be sure to coat both sides of each patty with the beaten egg and the breadcrumbs. This will ensure that the patties get a nice, crispy texture once you fry them.
- Place the breadcrumbs into a shallow dish large enough to fit at least one potato patty.
7
Heat some oil in a skillet, then add the potato patties. Fry the potato patties until they turn golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Flip them over using a spatula, then cook them for another 15 minutes.
- Do not use all of the oil all at once, or the first few patties will be much oilier than the later ones. Instead, use a little bit of oil at a time. Add more oil with each new batch of patties.
8
Serve the potato patties while they are still hot. You can serve them as they are, or season them further with some salt and pepper. They make a great side dish, but can also stand out on their own.

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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Making Veggie Potato Patties

1
Cook and mash the potatoes, then set them aside. Peel and cut the potatoes, then add them to a large pot of salted water. Boil the potatoes until they are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the water, then mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher. Set the mashed potatoes aside when you are done.
2
Cook the chopped onion and shredded carrots in a skillet over medium-high heat until they turn soft. Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chopped onion and carrots. Season with some salt and pepper, then cover with a lid and cook until the onions turn soft.
- You can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help the vegetables cook faster.
3
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with the cooked onion and carrot, and cheeses. Season with some salt and pepper. For more flavor, add 4 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
- You can also do this in pot you cooked the potatoes in. This way, you won't dirty up as many dishes.
4
Beat the eggs in separate bowls. You will use them separately, so beat one egg in one bowl, and the other egg in another bowl. Beat the eggs with a fork or mini whisk until the yolk is broken and mixed in with the white.
5
Mix one of the beaten eggs into the potato mixture using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. Keep mixing until the egg is mixed evenly throughout the potato mixture.
6
Form the potato mixture into small patties. Carefully roll the potato mixture into small balls, then press them into ½-inch (1.27 centimeters) thick patties. The patties should be about the size of your pal,.
7
Dip the patties into the egg yolk, then dredge them through the flour. Keep the flour in a shallow dish, big enough to fit at least one patty. Make sure that you coat both sides of each patty with the beaten egg and the flour.
8
Heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat. To prevent your patties from becoming too oily, it is better to use only a small amount of oil and work in small batches, adding more oil as needed.
9
Fry the potato patties until they turn golden. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes. Once they turn golden, flip them over using a spatula, and continue cooking them for 15 minutes more.
10
Serve the patties while they are still warm. If you'd like, you can garnish each potato patty with a pinch of chopped dill.^{[5]
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Community Q&A

Question

Can I use instant mashed potatoes flakes for potato patties?

Worlds next polymath

Community Answer

Yep, just make the amount of mashed potato you need, then continue on with the recipe.
Question

Can I use flour instead of breadcrumbs?

Community Answer

I suppose you could, but the result may not taste as good.