This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Are you running out of ideas on how to serve potatoes as a side dish? Here’s a mashed potato recipe with a cheesy fun twist. You only need 4 pantry-friendly ingredients: potatoes, cornstarch, sugar, and mozzarella cheese for a melty finish.
What Are Cheese Potato Pancakes?
You will love cheese potato pancakes for their crisp outer layer and melty cheese pull in the center. It is soft and chewy thanks to the cornstarch dough base. Enjoy the buttery and earthy flavors of the potatoes with a hint of sweetness with the additional sugar.
Cheese potato pancake is definitely going to be your on-repeat recipe since it only requires pantry-friendly ingredients and easy steps.
In a nutshell, the steamed potatoes are mashed into a smooth paste and kneaded with sugar and cornstarch. Once you have a smooth potato dough, you will take a small piece and assemble it with the cheese in the center.
The assembled potato pancakes are flattened and fried until golden brown on each side. These are enjoyed with a delightful dipping sauce. You can have it as a side dish or a light snack.
For more potato recipes, check out these recipes as well:
- Accordion Potatoes
- Smiley Face Potato Fries Recipe
- Potato Noodles
- Sweet Potato Balls
- Purple Sweet Potato Paste
- Purple Sweet Potato Bun
- Salt And Pepper Potatoes
- Cheesy Mashed Potato Waffles
- Potato Cheese Puff Pastry Tart
Ingredient Tips And Alternatives
I love how easy it is to make this recipe with 4 pantry ingredients. If you are wondering what type of potato to use or how to substitute cheese, I listed below some tips and alternatives to consider. Here are several ways on how to customize this dish:
- Potato: Use any type of potato, such as Yukon gold, red gold, and russet. You can also use sweet potatoes(refer to my Sweet Potato Pancakes recipe) or yam as an alternative. Similar to my Smiley Face Potato Fries Recipe, these are peeled and cut into thin slices to make it faster to steam. Steam the sliced potatoes until soft enough to mash into a smooth paste for the dough.
- Sugar: Potatoes are naturally sweet, so adding sugar is optional if you want to make the potatoes sweeter. You can use any type of sweetener, including white sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or coconut sugar.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is the key ingredient in giving the pancake a delightful crisp outer layer and chewy texture. It will also help the dough become firm and hold all the ingredients together. If you don’t have cornstarch, you can substitute it with the following ingredients. However, the texture may vary per substitute.
- All-Purpose Flour (1:1 ratio)
- Arrowroot Powder (1:1 ratio)
- Tapioca Starch/Flour (1:1 ratio)
- Potato Starch (1:1 ratio)
- Rice Flour (1:1 ratio)
- Cheese: Cheese is the cherry on top of the pancake. I used mozzarella cheese for a semi-soft melty texture. I love that beautiful cheese pull as you break open the pancake. Yum! You can opt for other soft cheese alternatives like gouda, provolone, cheese slices, and shredded cheddar. Go for dairy-free or plant-based cheese if you are lactose intolerant or prefer a vegan version. If you are going for a melty cheese, avoid cheeses that don’t melt, such as feta and goat cheese.
- Filling alternatives: If you are thinking of other ways to get creative with the filling, here are some recipes to look into:
- Optional seasonings: Aside from sugar, you can add other seasonings to the dough and adjust it to taste. Throw in some onion salt, garlic powder, onion powder, eggs, chives, breadcrumbs, and cayenne pepper (optional for a spicy version). To make it buttery, fry the pancakes with butter instead of oil. If you have cooked bacon, chop it into bits and mix it with filling.
How To Enjoy Cheese Potato Pancakes
Cheese potato pancakes are delicious already on their own. Since the ingredients are simple and mildly flavored, a dipping sauce will give it a flavor boost. Pair this light snack with your favorite drink, baked beans, or crispy bacon.
Then, choose from among the recommended dipping sauces below:
Dipping sauce for cheese potato pancakes
- Sweet chili sauce
- Ketchup and mayonnaise
- Creamy garlic dressing
- Hot sauce
- BBQ sauce
- Buffalo sauce
- Ranch dressing
- Sour cream
Ingredients And Kitchenware To Prepare
Here’s what you need to get started with the recipe:
- Steamer (If you don’t have a steamer, you can still steam without a steamer in 5 ways: pan with steamer rack, microwave, pan with sieve, rice cooker, and instant pot.)
- Knife and chopping board
- Potato masher or fork
- Non-stick pan
- Spatula
Prepare these ingredients:
- 400g potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced)
- 50g corn starch
- 20g white sugar
- Mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
How To Make Cheese Potato Pancakes
You can most likely finish the recipe in less than 30 minutes. Simply steam the potatoes, knead them with cornstarch and sugar, combine the cheese, and fry on low heat. Watch my quick recipe video on Instagram or TikTok to learn more.
If you loved this potato pancake recipe, you should also try Chinese sweet potato pancakes.
What do you think about this recipe? Share your thoughts and recommendations by leaving a comment and tagging @kitchenmisadventures!
- Peel and cut the potatoes into thin slices.
- Steam the potatoes until soft enough to mash. You can test if the potatoes are soft by piercing the fork through it.
- Mash the steamed potatoes into a smooth paste using a potato masher or fork.
- Add sugar and cornstarch to the mashed potatoes. Mix until there’s no dry powder left.
- Knead the mixture into a soft ball of potato dough.
- Take a small portion (about 50g), roll it into a ball, and shape it into a nest like a bowl.
- Add a bit of cheese in the center and seal the edges, forming a round ball again.
- Press the ball to flatten it and turn it into a circular pancake.
- Heat a pan with oil and fry the pancakes on low heat until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
- Enjoy these warm pancakes with your favorite dipping sauce!
Soft And Melty Cheese Potato Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
- 50 g corn starch
- 20 g white sugar
- Mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
- Peel and cut the potatoes into thin slices.
- Steam the potatoes until soft enough to mash. You can test if the potatoes are soft by piercing the fork through it.
- Mash the steamed potatoes into a smooth paste using a potato masher or fork.
- Add sugar and cornstarch to the mashed potatoes. Mix until there's no dry powder left.
- Knead the mixture into a soft ball of potato dough.
- Take a small portion (about 50g), roll it into a ball, and shape it into a nest like a bowl.
- Add a bit of cheese in the center and seal the edges, forming a round ball again.
- Press the ball to flatten it and turn it into a circular pancake.
- Heat a pan with oil and fry the pancakes on low heat until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
- Enjoy these warm pancakes with your favorite dipping sauce!
