Air Fryer Mashed Potato Balls turn leftover mashed potatoes into a crispy, cheesy snack. Cold mash is mixed with shredded cheddar and green onion, rolled into balls, coated in flour, egg and panko, and air fried until golden. One batch makes 12, ready in about 20 minutes.
How to make it: Stir the cheese and green onion into the cold mashed potatoes, roll 2-tablespoon balls, and bread them in flour, egg and panko. Air fry at 375°F in a single layer, turning them halfway, until golden brown and crispy.
Why You’ll Love It
- Leftovers with a second life: four cups of leftover mashed potatoes become a new side dish or appetizer.
- Crispy without deep frying: a light spray of oil and the air fryer give them a golden panko crust.
- Six ingredients: mashed potatoes, cheddar, green onions, eggs, flour and panko.
- Made for dipping: serve them with ranch dressing, marinara, sour cream or garlic aioli.
Ingredient Notes
Mashed potatoes: Leftover mashed potatoes straight from the fridge, chilled and firm. Firm mash holds its shape when you roll it.
Cheddar cheese: One cup, shredded. Mozzarella works too.
Green onions: Five, sliced thin, for a mild onion flavor and flecks of green. Chives work in their place.
Flour, eggs and panko: The three-part coating. Flour goes on first, then beaten egg, then panko breadcrumbs for the crunchy shell. Regular breadcrumbs work if that is what you have.
Cooking oil spray: For the basket and the tops of the balls, so the panko browns.
Ingredients
- 4 cups mashed potatoes, leftover and cold
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 5 green onions, sliced
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Cooking oil spray, for the basket and tops
How to Make Air Fryer Mashed Potato Balls
1. Mix. Mix the mashed potato, cheese and green onion together in a bowl.
2. Shape. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the mashed potato and roll it into a ball. Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking tray.
3. Set up the coating. Beat the eggs in one bowl, put the flour in another and the panko in a third.
4. Coat. One by one, dip each ball into the flour, then the egg, and finally coat it with the panko.
5. Heat the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
6. Arrange. Oil the air fryer basket and place the balls in an even layer, not touching; cook in batches. Spray the tops of the balls with a little more oil.
7. Air fry. Cook at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy and hot in the center (165°F). Gently turn them halfway through cooking.
How to Keep Mashed Potato Balls from Falling Apart
A mashed potato ball that slumps in the basket or splits open is nearly always a shaping or coating problem. These steps keep them round and get the outside crisp.
Start cold. Use mashed potatoes that are chilled and firm. If the mixture sticks to your hands while you roll, chill it briefly and try again. For the firmest balls, cover the shaped balls and refrigerate them for at least 4 hours, or up to 2 days, before breading and air frying.
Flour your hands. Rolling with lightly floured hands keeps the potato from sticking to your palms. A small cookie scoop keeps every ball the same size.
Coat every bit. Go flour, then egg, then panko, and let the extra egg drip off before the crumbs. Press the panko gently onto the surface so it sticks. For an extra crispy shell, dip each ball back into the egg and the crumbs a second time.
Give them room. Set the balls in a single layer with space between them, about 1/2 inch apart, so the hot air reaches every side. Cook in batches rather than crowding the basket.
Spray, turn and watch. Oil the basket, spray the tops, and turn them gently halfway through. Pull them once they are golden: overcooked, the cheese starts to ooze out of the balls.
| Ball | Air fryer | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Breaded, 2 tablespoons each | 375°F | 10 to 15 minutes, turned halfway |
| Breaded, about 1.5 tablespoons each | 375°F, preheated about 3 minutes | 10 to 12 minutes |
| Breaded, chilled 4 hours | 400°F | 8 to 9 minutes |
| Double-dipped, cheese cube in the center | 370°F | 4 minutes, shake, then 2 to 3 minutes more |
Tips for Success
Why did my potato balls flatten in the air fryer?
The mashed potatoes were too soft or warm. Chill the mash, or the shaped balls, until firm before breading them.
Why is the coating patchy?
Some of the ball was missed in the flour or egg. Cover each one completely at every stage, and press the panko on with your fingers.
Can I make them ahead?
Yes. Shape the balls, cover them and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Bread and air fry them when you are ready.
Variations
- Loaded: stir 3 slices of crumbled bacon and chives into the potatoes, and press a small cube of cheddar into the center of each ball before breading, so it melts in the middle.
- Parmesan and garlic: use mozzarella or cheddar with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, or mix 2 tablespoons of Parmesan into the breadcrumbs.
- Egg-free: mash fresh potatoes with cornstarch or potato starch and dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika, roll into balls, toss with oil and air fry with no coating at 380°F for 13 to 16 minutes.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen potato balls in the refrigerator. Reheat them in the air fryer until they reach 165°F in the center.
What to Serve With It
Put them out with a bowl of ranch and other easy bites, such as 3-ingredient biscuit ranch bombs and a cranberry pecan cheese ball. For more ways with mashed potatoes, bake garlic Parmesan mashed potato cups or cheesy mashed potato puffs. If you love loaded potatoes, try the slow cooker loaded potato bake or a pot of baked potato soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make mashed potato balls in an air fryer?
Mix cold mashed potatoes with cheddar and green onion, roll them into balls, and coat them in flour, egg and panko. Air fry them at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes in a single layer, turning them halfway.
How do you make crispy mashed potato balls?
Coat them completely in panko, spray the basket and the tops with oil, and leave space between the balls. A second dip in egg and crumbs gives an extra crispy coating.
How big should I make them?
About 2 tablespoons of mashed potato per ball, which gives 12 balls from 4 cups. A 1.5-tablespoon scoop makes balls about 1.5 inches across.
What do you dip mashed potato balls in?
Ranch dressing is the classic. Marinara, sour cream and garlic aioli are good too.
Final Notes
Save a few cups the next time you make mashed potatoes, and these become the easiest appetizer in the fridge. If you make them, tell me in the comments how they turned out.
Air Fryer Mashed Potato Balls
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Ingredients
- 4 cups mashed potatoes leftover, cold
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 5 green onions sliced
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- cooking oil spray for the basket and tops
Instructions
- Mix the mashed potato, cheese and green onion together in a bowl.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the mashed potato and roll it into a ball. Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Beat the eggs in one bowl, put the flour in another and the panko in a third.
- One by one, dip each ball into the flour, then the egg, and finally coat it with the panko.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
- Oil the air fryer basket and place the balls in an even layer, not touching; cook in batches. Spray the tops of the balls with a little more oil.
- Cook at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy and hot in the center (165°F). Gently turn them halfway through cooking.
