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!
♡ If you liked this recipe, giving it a star rating ★★★★★ in the comments below really helps! For more recipes, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
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 would like to make these do you have to put them in the cup cake pan before I put them in the fridge the next day or can I put them in the pan the next day
Mix the loaded mashed potatoes, cover and refrigerate overnight. Put them in the muffin or cupcake pan the next day and bake. You might need to bake them a little longer since they are chilled from coming straight out of the fridge.
Can you freeze these and for how long?
Good question! Yes, you can freeze them safely for up to 2-3 months.
I CAN’T WAIT TO TRY THIS RECIEPE !!!?
I hope you love it! Happy to see such enthusiasm 😀
These were very good just wondering if you would be able to air fry these
I haven’t tried it yet but now I’m curious!
Yummy
Thank you, Sandra. Enjoy the recipe!
Thank you for sharing! I will be making these tonight for our dinner. My husband loves loaded baked potatoes so I know he will love these.
You’re absolutely welcome! Happy eating and enjoy the potatoes.
I would like to use these on our Christmas Eve appetizer buffet. Are they good at room temp, or should they be eaten warm?
They are still delicious at room temp. I brought this to my husband’s company potluck and it did well sitting on the table there. I put up a card listing the ingredients so people who were allergic to ingredients could make choices and it disappeared from the table quickly!
I don’t eat potatoes but I have steamed cauliflower and mashed it like potatoes with cream cheese. Do you think this would work with this recipe
While I haven’t personally subbed cauliflower in this recipe and tried it, I did a quick Google search for ‘mashed cauliflower puffs’ and there’s a recipe similar to this on the Green Giant official site. If you do try it, bake until a toothpick comes out clean and please let us know over here how it went! Your comment might help others.
This recipe looks excellent, and I can’t wait to try it!
I hope you enjoy it! Thanks, Chris 🙂
I want to make this for a potluck this week. Should I place them in liners. I want it to hold together. Also I could not click anything to see the video. Would really like to see how to make them. They do sound good. Thanks
They hold together on their own once cooled down and removed from the muffin pan. I’ve brought this to a company potluck before and they held their shape. If it gives you peace of mind, use liners! The video auto-plays under the title ‘How To Make Mashed Potato Puffs (1 Min Video)’. You do not have to click anything. You will not see the video if you have an ad blocker, however.
These are Amazing! Someone shared the recipe on FB in the morning and I made them for dinner! I cooked the potatoes in my Instant Pot (so quick and easy) and cooked them in beef broth and garlic as I was serving them with meatloaf. I was somewhat concerned that the end result would taste ‘eggy’ but they didn’t and the eggs made them puff up – absolutely delicious!
So happy to hear that, Melanie! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for replying to my comment. So many people who post recipes Never respond – I truly appreciate that! What would you say about reheating them – most likely in the Air Fryer?!?!?
Absolutely! If people take the time to leave a comment, I can take the time to respond 🙂 When I reheat in the air fryer, I usually do it at 350°F for 3-5 minutes tops. Since the puffs are a little dense, I’m worried it might not be enough time to heat up the center. You could try it and report back. If this is the case, I would microwave it for half a minute or so then air fry it to get the edges crispy – pretty much what I do with leftover pizza.
So, I actually cut them in half, crosswise – top and bottom, Reheated in my little Ninja Foodie 2 in 1 Flip Toaster at 360F for about 6 minutes – perfectly toasty!
I make a huge buffet for Christmas Eve (we have to fix our own plates of left-overs Christmas Day) and will try these using 1/3 the recipe (one egg out of three for full recipe) and if they’re as good as they sound and look, I’ll add them to my Christmas Eve buffet. Thank you, because they sound great. I’ll use 2/3 cup (after preparing) instant mashed potatoes for my trial run for me and my twin 9 year old great grandsons. I hate tater tots which my greats love, and can replace them with these. I have created twin food monsters who NOW love asparagus, brie, avocados, clams & New England homemade clam chowder, scampi, mussels baked in garlic cream sauce, all some of the food they never had at their mother’s house.
I hope they turn out well for you, Janie. Enjoy the holidays!
Could you put the sour cream in the mix and then bake?
Absolutely. The ingredients are a good base to build on but customize it as you like. Sour cream, cream cheese, substituting bacon bits for chorizo or chopped ham. Green onions or parsley instead of chives. Just make sure to include the eggs so they puff up and rise.
Can I use paper liners for this?
Yes, you can. I usually use a non-stick muffin pan and spray it down but you can use paper liners if you’re worried about sticking.
Can this be made in a cake pan?
I personally have not tried this so I can’t say for sure it will work – but on a theoretical level, I don’t see why it wouldn’t. It’s the same ingredients, just in one pan instead of several muffin wells. The only problem I foresee is it might need a little more baking time since it’s bigger and bulkier.
I made this in a bunt pan and filled the center with sour cream and chives for a dinner party. Baked a little longer, came out browned , Great presentation.
excited to make these!
are they just as good if you mix it all together and bake them the next day?
They should be since most of the ingredients are usually refrigerated anyway and aren’t really ‘fresh’ in a sense. Pre-mixing them the day before should not affect the taste. The only thing I can foresee is a little more baking time since it’s straight from the fridge.
Can they be frozen
Yes, they can. I would freeze them for up to 2-3 months.
Good recipes. Delighful. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! Glad you’re enjoying them, Bella.
I personally have not tested freezing them as I usually serve them fresh. If you do end up freezing them though, please report back to help others! It’s a very good question 🙂