Work some magic on your mashed potatoes with mashed potato puffs! These loaded potato puffs will breathe some new life into your leftover mashed potatoes!
These little bite-sized puffs are the perfect way to use up leftover mashed potatoes after the holidays. They’re crispy on the outside but warm and creamy on the inside. If you have some cold leftover mashed potatoes sitting in the fridge after Thanksgiving or Christmas, try baking them into these puffs.
We’ll breathe some new life into mashed potatoes by adding some texture and then we’ll load them up with tons of cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and chives. With some eggs, we’ll puff them up in the oven so you’ll get crispy, puffy mashed potatoes that go great with a generous dollop of sour cream on top and some fresh chives.
Making these kinda feels like a little cooking magic. Take a look at the before and after pics; it’s a little hard to believe some eggs and baking can do that. They’re great for little breakfast bites, appetizers, or sides, and get a ton of compliments at potlucks and holiday gatherings. Also, you’re not limited to only making them with leftover mashed potatoes. I’ve made mashed potatoes plenty of times just to make these.
For other potato recipes to serve during the holidays, you can also try these garlic Parmesan sweet potato stacks which also use a muffin tin. Also, try out these crispy garlic Parmesan smashed potatoes or some loaded mashed potato balls which are even crispier than these puffs. There’s also this sweet potato casserole which is a staple with my family during the holidays or this twice-baked potato casserole. But back to the recipe, let’s start making some puffs!
How To Make Mashed Potato Puffs (1 Min Video)
These. are. DELICIOUS. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. I can’t get enough of them. Here’s a warning: you should probably make two batches to avoid family feuding! The more leftover mashed potatoes you have the better. You could make a huge batch of mashed potatoes in the slow cooker with this slow cooker mashed potatoes recipe that uses a whole 5 lb. bag of potatoes and then make these puffs.
These puffs are so good you should make mashed potatoes just to make them. I’ve actually done this before and carried them proudly to a holiday potluck with a cute little place card listing the ingredients because people will ask for the recipe. The good news is you can also cheat by using instant mashed potatoes. No one would know the difference.
MASHED POTATO PUFFS RECIPE TIPS
Mixing – The mashed potatoes mixed with eggs will look mushy and goopy. Don’t worry, it will puff up and change.
Muffin pan – I used a regular non-stick muffin pan for the recipe but you can use almost any kind of muffin pan to get all shapes and sizes. I’ve heard of folks using mini muffin pans or even brownie bar pans. Just make sure to grease the pan beforehand.
Recipe Notes:
The bottom of the puffs are more prone to sticking so spray the muffin pan well and/or use a paper towel to grease the whole muffin well evenly so the nonstick spray is not just concentrated in one spot.
Filling it up – Fill in the muffin pan about 3/4 of the way full to allow some room for the puffs to rise. The messier you mound in the potatoes, the more texture they’ll have later and the better they will look. So don’t worry about delicately filling up the muffin pan; look how messy I did mine in the prep photos and how they came out.
Eggs – Can this recipe be made without eggs? Unfortunately, not. The eggs are what make the mashed potato puffs rise, otherwise, you’re just baking some loaded mashed potatoes.
Making it ahead – You should be able to pre-mix all the ingredients the night before and refrigerate them to bake the next day.
Leftovers – These should keep for 3 days or so once refrigerated. You can reheat them in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.
Freezing and reheating – Mashed potato puffs can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. To reheat, microwave from frozen for about 1 minute.
Customize It!
- Add more flavor – If your mashed potatoes don’t already have them, try adding more flavor with butter, milk, sour cream, or cream cheese.
- Add some spice – Spice up your puffs with jalapenos or red pepper flakes.
- Substitute filings – Experiment with different protein fillings like pre-cooked chopped chorizo, sausage, chicken, turkey, or ham.
- Substitute chives – Feel free to substitute chives with parsley or green onions.
And that’s about it. It’s easier to watch the video for a general idea of how to make it and then go from there. It also helps to prove how magical these things are from sad, leftover mashed potatoes to puffy potato bites. Enjoy and let me know how you liked them in the comments below!
MORE POTATO RECIPES TO TRY
- Crispy Garlic Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
- Loaded Mashed Potato Balls
- Garlic Parmesan Sweet Potato Stacks
- The Best Creamy Potato Salad
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Did you make this recipe? Rate it!
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Mashed Potato Puffs
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
Work some magic on your mashed potatoes with mashed potato puffs! These loaded potato puffs will breathe some new life into your leftover mashed potatoes!
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed potatoes
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup bacon bits
- 1/4 cup chives, chopped
- Pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Combine mashed potatoes, eggs, cheddar cheese, bacon bits and chives.
- Season with pepper if needed.
- Grease a muffin pan and mound a heaping spoonful into each cup.
- Top each muffin with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400°F or until golden brown.
- Cool for 5 minutes and dish and serve warm with sour cream.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Instant mashed potatoes – Yes! You can cheat and use instant mashed potatoes to make these.
- Making it ahead – You should be able to pre-mix all the ingredients the night before and refrigerate them to bake the next day.
- Eggs – Can this recipe be made without eggs? Unfortunately, not. The eggs are what make the mashed potato puffs rise, otherwise, you’re just baking some loaded mashed potatoes.
-
Freezing and reheating – Mashed potato puffs can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. To reheat, microwave from frozen for about 1 minute.
- Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
Comments & Reviews
I am wondering how long in advance you can make them before you bake them? Maybe the day before? what do you think? I am thinking about Thanksgiving.
The day before works perfectly fine! Just not too long once you add in the egg. Otherwise, if you have mashed potatoes made and add the extra stuff to make it loaded, you can keep that up to two days before adding in the eggs to bake them for the puffs. Good luck!
Could this be used for a side as well?
Absolutely. I used this as a side for a Thanksgiving work potluck and it did really well.
These are wonderful!! I was making Shepard’s Pie so made extra mashed potatoes to give this a try. My new fave!!
★★★★★
I love shepherd’s pie! I usually Better than Bouillon beef to the meat to make it extra meatier. It’s a family favorite. Thanks for trying this out!
I just found your site. I am making the hors d’oeuvres for a end of the summer (so sad) teacher happy hour (but also happy). This seems the perfect recipe when one of my friends needs gluten free. Thanks!
You’re very welcome, Marissa and sorry for the late reply. I must have missed this comment! I hope everyone enjoyed the recipe.
What did you grease your pan with? When I tried this recipe it stuck to the pan, and I tried both Pam and vegetable oil.
I used Pam spray but my muffin tin was already non-stick, so that helped a lot.
I have made and loved these several times. I added a little cayenne pepper the last time and it was yummy!!
★★★★★
Thank you for letting me know it’s a favorite! Red pepper flakes will work too, or if you want a little smoky flavor, smoked paprika 😉 Tons of ways to get creative and add that special touch.
I used trader joe’s frozen mashed potatoes. Recipe worked perfectly!
Good to know they work with frozen mashed potatoes too!
Hi. Can i make these with the instant flakes mashed potatoes and also can i make these a few hours ahead and reheat in the oven
You can absolutely make them with instant mashed potatoes. I’ve made them a few hours ahead before and reheated them prior to bringing them over for a Thanksgiving pot luck and they were fine.
They were just ok not worth the extra ingredients . I followed the recipe exactly .
★
Thanks for trying it out anyway, Cheryl.
These turned out great! I added some panko bread crumbs just to thicken it a bit and they were delicious!
★★★★★
That’s a great idea! I love panko bread crumbs!
How would I 1/2 the recipe?
Try halving all the ingredients and use 2 medium eggs instead of 3 large ones.
Thanks. It was the eggs that I wasn’t sure how to 1/2.
These look awesome! Have you ever doubled this recipe? I’m still new to cooking/baking for large get togethers and wasn’t sure if I should double it for a group of 10 or make them in mini muffin tins. Thanks!
I would also like to know about doubling them.
It should be safe to double the recipe as is since there’s no spices that would be finicky if doubled. I’ve done it once for a Super Bowl potluck. I doubled mine in regular muffin pans because I don’t own any minis, but the mini idea sounds good for big gatherings as well.
Hi,
I made these and they tasted wonderful. But, they did stick even though I had greased the muffin tin. Any suggestions? Would cupcake papers work?
Thanks!
★★★★★
Did you let them cool off a bit before prying them out? The cool off period is important so they can solidify and stop being so soft and pliable. I haven’t tried them with cupcake papers but it might work!
My mashed potatoes always have sour cream and cream cheese in them, so I skipped adding the sour cream. Had about three cups of potatoes, so I added an extra egg. I had only Vidalia onion, so chopped that up fine, and threw it in the mix with some Bac-Os. Topped with shredded Parmesan and finished off a jar of dried chives to top it off. At 30 minutes the tops were still a bit squishy, though getting nicely browned. Another five minutes and they were perfect! I’m adding this to my recipe box for sure! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Cindy. Great additions andchanges!
I was hoping to attempt this with sweet potatoes…folding in feta and rosemary. Do those flavors work well together? Is this egg-y. I’d be taking them to Thanksgiving dinner, the host is doing mashed potatoes, so I didn’t want to do traditional mashed sweet potatoes…thoughts” Should I slightly under cook them and finish them at their house…or just reheat to warm? Thanks you.
Sorry this got to you so late. I do hope you figured it out though or at least found something else for your Thanksgiving dinner. Mine turned out to be cooking from 2-7pm. It was exhausting! To belatedly answer, I think sweet potatoes, feta and rosemary flavors work well together. This isn’t eggy but puffy in texture. Next time, just reheat to warm, doesn’t take that long.