Easy Cheesy Potato Pancakes
These cheesy potato pancakes are perfection. I’m talking golden brown potato pancakes with crispy edges and soft middle, loaded with cheese and topped off with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives. This is not a straight-up brag – I mean, it took some dedicated trial and error 🤣 But where cheese and potatoes are concerned, it’s hard to go wrong.
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The background: my 9 year-old daughter asked if we could make Julia Child’s grated potato pancakes (something she saw on YouTube). I actually have the Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Vol 1) cookbook, so we got right to work. But it was a bit complicated for our time frame, and we modified the recipe. That was batch #1. The next batch involved switching from fresh potatoes to frozen hash browns, and well, we just kept tweaking the ingredients until we found THE ultimate deliciousness with batch #4!
By the way, if you’re looking for potato-based recipes, check out our yummy Sausage Potato Skillet and easy Vitamix Potato Leek Soup.
Why We Love this Recipe
✔️ Guaranteed crowd pleaser – everyone in my house liked these – I’m not kidding. Even my 16 month old niece loved them.
✔️ Eat them anytime – we had these once as a snack, as a side dish with dinner, and even for breakfast one day. They work any time.
✔️ Easy to make – all you have to do is mix ingredients together, spoon the batter onto a pan, and cook like pancakes. Kids can easily help with this recipe; mine did!
✔️ Fast! Lots of potato pancake recipes involve boiling, mashing, shredding, blanching potatoes – you name it! And that takes so much time. Using frozen pre-shredded potatoes (aka hash browns) is the way to go, IMO.
🛒 Ingredients & Variations
Notes on key ingredients are provided below. Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
- Potatoes – we used Ore-Ida frozen hash browns because they thaw super quickly and bring the best texture. Pro-tip: get them as dry as possible before mixing into the batter!
- Eggs – important for holding the pancakes together. We used 2, but you could increase to 3 if your batter looks like it needs more cohesion.
- Cream cheese – this helps thicken the batter and bring cheesy flavor 😋 Make sure it’s room temperature before mixing with the eggs.
- Flour – we used 4 Tablespoons of flour. If your batter is looking a bit runny, add more.
- Seasonings – garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley were way easier than using their fresh counterparts. I would recommend using salt & pepper – no matter what – but you can pick your fave spices otherwise, e.g. steak or poultry seasoning, “everything” seasoning, red pepper flakes, chopped green onion or chives.
- Milk – you probably want to use milk with at least a little fat. I think we used 1% milk, but anything from 2% milk to cream would work too.
- Cheddar cheese – there’s definitely flexibility here! Swap with (extra) sharp cheddar, colby, Monterey jack, pepper jack, etc.
- Olive oil – I recommend this over butter because butter can burn quickly, but that’s just a personal preference. If using a non-stick pan, just don’t use cooking spray because it will build-up over time and actually make the food stick.
- Best garnishes: sour cream & fresh, chopped chives (or green onion)
- Dips/sauces: my son ate these with ketchup, and my partner added hot sauce
🥄 Recommended Equipment & Products
Here is the equipment I think you need to make these potato pancakes…and my fave brands. When applicable, I listed alternatives in case you don’t have anything similar.
- Colander
- Electric hand mixer [alternative – stand mixer or hand whisk]
- Thermoworks silicone spatula [alternative – large spoon]
- Medium non-stick pan
- Thermoworks hi-temp silicone turner
- Wire racks [alternative – plates lined with paper towels]
🧑🏽🍳 Instructions
STEP 1 – Thaw frozen hash browns in a colander under cold running water.
Squeeze as much moisture out of the potatoes as you can.
STEP 2 – With an electric hand mixer, beat together the eggs and cream cheese. Then mix in flour, seasonings and milk.
STEP 3 – Add cheese and hash browns into the batter and stir by hand until fully combined.
Flip after a couple minutes, until both sides are golden brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
Kids Cooking Tips
- Mix! One of the most fun parts of this recipe is using a hand mixer. Have your kiddo mix the eggs and cream cheese until really smooth.
- Divide and conquer. You can thaw the hash browns (step 1) while your kiddo starts measuring out all the dry ingredients (step 3).
- Scoop the batter onto the pan. This is a really fun task. I had my daughter use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop. I also made sure she had a step-stool (IKEA has my fave) to be elevated enough that she wouldn’t accidentally brush the side of the hot pan with her arm.
✔️ Expert Tips and Tricks
- Get your hash browns as dry as possible! For me, this meant squeezing the water out of the potatoes while still in the colander, and then press them between 2 towels. Why do this? Wet hash browns yield soggier pancakes.
- Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature before mixing with the eggs. If it’s hard, it’s trickier to mix and can leave clumps. So, either set it out in advance or microwave it (not in its packaging) in small increments, like 15 seconds, until it’s softened and not cold.
- I highly recommend using an electric hand mixer for making the batter in Step 2 (or a stand mixer). When mixing the eggs and cream cheese, it’s hard to get all the lumps out by hand.
- I used a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop the batter onto the pan for each pancake, and that worked well.
- Note on time: If you want your pancakes extra crispy, making this recipe could take longer than 28 minutes. BUT it all depends on the strength of your stove top, the size of your pancakes and how many you want to make.
Tips for Picky Eaters
- I will first say that my most picky eater liked these. Score!
- Cut back on seasonings or eliminate/reduce cheddar cheese.
- Maybe this is obvious, but skip the sour cream and chive garnishes.
- Sometimes it’s all about the presentation – call them breakfast potatoes and serve them with eggs in the AM; or let your kiddo eat them with their hands, like a snack.
❓FAQ
Russet potatoes tend to be the standard for potato pancakes, if you’re using fresh. But I much prefer using frozen hash brown potatoes. They thaw quickly and give the pancakes an excellent texture. You can definitely shred/grate or even boil/mash your own potatoes, but that takes more time and energy.
If your batter is really wet and/or your potato pancakes aren’t crisping up in the pan, it’s likely because you didn’t get the potatoes dry enough before cooking. Squeeze as much moisture out of your potatoes as possible. I’ve even pressed them between towels to dry them. It can also help to add a little extra flour to the batter.
You can definitely make the batter in advance and refrigerate (max a couple days) until you’re ready to make the pancakes. I would not recommend making the pancakes ahead of time, though. They’re best when fresh out of the pan.
The pancakes are best served and eaten right away. That being said, you can store the leftovers in the fridge in tinfoil for a couple days. I would not recommend freezing. Reheat in the oven around 350° (on a wire rack in a baking sheet) when you’re ready to have them again. If you don’t care about the pancakes being crispy, you can also just microwave to reheat.
Craft For This Recipe
Potato Person Craft
While you make these delicious cheesy potato pancakes, you kiddo can make this cute Potato Person Craft. All you need is one potato, some toothpicks, food scraps and a marker. Then just let them have fun and do their thang! Note: our “potato people” did not all end up looking like people! 🤣🤣🤣
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🧀🥔 Easy Cheesy Potato Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 30 oz frozen hashbrowns
- 2 eggs
- 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 4 Tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- chopped green onion & sour cream (optional toppings)
Instructions
- Thaw frozen hash browns by placing them in a colander in the sink and running cold water over them. Break them up with your hands as you go. Once thawed, squeeze out the water by pushing hash browns against the sides of the colander. Empty the colander between 2 towels and press down to release moisture until they're as dry as possible.
- Make your batter! Using a hand mixer, mix together eggs and cream cheese (working up to a medium speed) until smooth and not lumpy. Then add in flour, all seasonings and milk, and mix on low/medium until fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as you go.
- Add the hash browns and cheese, and combine them in by hand (using the same spatula, solid large spoon, or even your own hands).
- Now make your pancakes! Heat a medium/large pan on medium heat and add 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil. Scoop batter onto the pan, enough to make 3-5 medium-sized pancakes. Cook for 3-ish minutes on each side or until browned and cooked through. Flatten the pancakes with a spatula as they cook. Repeat until you've used all the batter, adding more oil between each batch. Once done, transfer pancakes to a wire rack to cool (or a plate covered with paper towel). Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and fresh, chopped chives!
Notes
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- Get your hash browns as dry as possible so you don’t get soggy pancakes! Squeeze out the water while potatoes are in the colander, and then press them between 2 towels.
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- Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature. Otherwise, it’s hard to mix. Either set it out in advance or microwave it in 15 second increments until softened.
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- I highly recommend using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer) to make the batter in Step 2.
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- Use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop the batter onto the pan for each pancake.
-
- Note on time: If you want your pancakes extra crispy, this recipe could take longer than 28 minutes.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
