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
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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
Very good, liked by family! Easy to throw together.
Glad these were a hit! Thanks for sharing, Robin 🙂
Just wondering….my muffin pans are not non-stick; would it help to use non-stick spray and cupcake liners?
Non-stick spray will certainly help and I have heard some readers successfully use cupcake liners as well for this recipe.
Excellent! Will definitely make again a and again.
Glad to hear it! The puffs are hard to resist 😉
Can you freeze them ?
Yes, they can be frozen for up to 2-3 months.
Made them with mashed sweet potatoes… Definitely a home run!
Glad to hear these work just as well with mashed sweet potatoes. Thanks for letting us know, Bill!
How long would you need to bake at 375 oven?
Try it at 35 minutes and go from there. Since the mashed potatoes are already cooked, it’s just about baking it long enough for the eggs to cook and help them puff up.
I went to these with whatever I had in the kitchen because I needed to use up some aging spuds. Had no onions or cheese, so I added garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, pepper, salt, nutritional yeast, finely chopped sweet pepper. I think this concept lends itself to any number of flavor combinations.
Absolutely! It’s a great base recipe you can build on with whatever you have. Thanks for sharing, Chris.
Sounds so good. What would happen if I put baking powder and baking soda in the mix or one of the two with them. I am know as the muffin man and would like to see the outcome. Either way, I will give your recipe a try, they sound so good.
Thank You for the recipes.
I’d love to hear your results if you do try it with either one of those ingredients!
Can you make this ahead and then cook day off
Sure, you can make the mashed potatoes in advance and just bake it the day of. These work great with leftover refrigerated mashed potatoes.
Can I mix all ingredients with mashed potatoes and keep in fridge until I want to bake them for next day?
These are all very good questions! I don’t see why you can’t pre-mix the mashed potatoes with everything else the day before. Good luck cooking!
These sound so yummy! Anyone keep them in a crock pot to keep warm after cooking in oven??
I personally haven’t tried it before but if it works, it sounds like a great idea to transport them to potlucks or to just keep them warm in general.
YUMMMM!!! I will definitely make these as an appetizer again. I added onion powder, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes for a kick. Do they freeze well?
I’m happy you liked it! I can’t get enough of them either. Those are also excellent additions!
As for the freezing, that’s a tough one as I’ve never done it before. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
I only have one mini cupcake pan and I need to make these for a party. Can I make them in advance and then reheat them on a cookie sheet?
Absolutely. These guys reheat well. Good luck at your party and thanks for making the puffs!
I made these tonight, and they are great! I didn’t add bacon or chives, just shredded cheese, garlic, salt & pepper. Easy to assemble and baked for 30 minutes. They popped right out of the pan and had a wonderful crispy shell. Will be making them again. Thank you for the recipe.
Happy to help, Lynda. I love crispy anything too. Also, it’s good to know they hold up well flavor-wise without all the fixings.
I make extra every time I make mashed just so I can make these. Served with a salad it’s a great, easy meal. I find they heat up well in the microwave too! One of my all time faves! Looks elegant with a dollop of sour cream and chives. THANKS!
You’re so welcome! I love mine with sour cream too, the color contrast almost looks like you’re serving up a delicious pastry 😛
How easy was this!!!!! Used leftover mashed potatoes and they were ssssoo good. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome Reenie 🙂 Glad you found something easy to do with your leftover mashed!
Can l use ldaho potatoes instead of real potatoes?
Do you mean the Idahoan brand of mashed potatoes? If so, yes you can use any brand of instant mashed potatoes to make this too, if you don’t want to make mashed potatoes from scratch.