These turkey mashed potato patties are the best thing to ever happen to leftover mashed potatoes. Cooked in the air fryer, each patty gets perfectly golden and crispy on the outside while staying soft and creamy on the inside.
Turkey mashed potato patties are a fantastic solution for holiday leftovers. They come together with ingredients you already have on hand. If you don’t have turkey, use a rotisserie chicken. Just chop up the turkey or chicken, mix it with leftover mashed potatoes and seasonings, and form them into patties and bread them. Let them air fryer cook them until golden and crispy!
Serve them for breakfast with eggs, or for lunch or dinner with a salad or steamed vegetables.
My best recipe tips
- Cold mashed potatoes from the fridge hold their shape the best. They’re easy to form into patties and are less likely to fall apart when you’re cooking them.
- After breading the patties, chill them in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking them. This helps to keep the patties intact as they cook.
- Form patties that are about the same size. They should be about ½-inch thick and roughly the same diameter.
- Don’t forget to lightly coat the outside of the patties with olive oil spray or avocado oil spray. This helps to achieve that crispy, golden brown exterior.
- Cook the patties in batches so they’re not overcrowded in the air fryer basket. This allows the air to circulate properly, which leads to even cooking and browning.
How to make mashed potato patties
** The complete instructions are in the recipe card below. **
- Make the mixture: Stir together leftover mashed potatoes, chopped leftover turkey, egg, breadcrumbs and seasoning.
- Form the patties: Use ¼ cup of the mixture for each patty. Use your hands to form into patties that are half an inch thick.
- Bread the patties: Dip one patty into whisked egg, letting the excess drip off. Transfer to panko breadcrumbs and coat the patty. Lightly shake off the excess crumbs. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Chill in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Oil and cook: Lightly coat the top side of half of the patties with olive oil spray or avocado spray. Preheat the air fryer. I like to use air fryer parchment paper squares (these are SO handy!) If you don’t have these, lightly coat the bottom of the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Cook for 6 minutes, carefully turn the patties, spray with oil on the new top sides and cook until the patties are turning and crispy (about 15 minutes total cook time). Repeat with the remaining patties. Serve!
Make-Ahead and Storage
To make ahead, form and bread the patties, and line them up on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to one day. Cook as directed in the recipe card.
For leftover cooked patties, cool them to room temperature then transfer to an airtight container. If you need to store them in two layers, separate the layers with wax paper. Store for up to one day in the refrigerator, then reheat in the fryer at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes, or until heated through.
Important!
It’s important to use leftovers that are no more than 3 days old and that have been properly refrigerated. If the ingredients are already 2 to 3 days old, the patties should be eaten on the same day they’re cooked.
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Printable Recipe
Turkey Mashed Potato Patties
These crispy turkey mashed potato patties are so good that I actually make extra mashed potatoes so I can turn them into patties the next day.
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Servings: 8 patties
Calories: 133kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups mashed potatoes chilled (See Note below)
- ⅔ cup finely chopped cooked turkey breast or chicken breast
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (unless mashed potatoes already have garlic)
- 2 large eggs whisked, divided
- 1 ¼ cups panko breadcrumbs divided
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
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Instructions
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, turkey, celery, green onion, Dijon mustard, celery salt and garlic powder (if using). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the whisked egg and ¼ cup of the panko breadcrumbs. Set aside the remaining egg and breadcrumbs in seprate bowls.
Use ¼ cup of the mixture for each patty. Use your hands to form into patties that are half an inch thick.
Stir the kosher salt into the breadcrumbs. Dip one patty into the whisked egg, letting the excess drip off. Transfer to panko breadcrumbs and coat the patty. Lightly shake off the excess crumbs. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees F. Lightly coat the top side of half of the patties with olive oil spray or avocado spray. I like to use air fryer parchment paper squares to stop the patties from sticking to the air fryer basket. If you don’t have these, lightly coat the bottom of the basket with cooking spray.
Cook at 360 degrees F for 6 minutes, then carefully turn the patties. Spray with oil on the new top sides and cook until the patties are turning and crispy, about 11 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining patties. Serve with preferred sauces, such as yogurt dill sauce, ketchup or pepper jelly.
Notes
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using the built-in recipe card calculator. While I attempt to provide information that is as accurate as possible, you should calculate the nutritional information independently before relying on it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1patty | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.5g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 4.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.9g | Cholesterol: 56.4mg | Sodium: 332.3mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 0.7g
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
