Crispy Potato Cheese Balls Recipe:

These potato cheese balls happened because Emma wanted "something cheesy and crunchy" for her after-school snack, but all we had were leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge. "Can we make them into balls like meatballs but with cheese?" she asked while poking at the cold potatoes. That simple question from my seven-year-old turned into our most requested appetizer for parties and family movie nights.

Golden, crispy potato cheese balls with gooey melted cheese inside, sprinkled with parsley, served on parchment paper with dipping sauce in the background.

Why You'll Love These Potato Cheese Balls

These potato cheese balls fixed our biggest snack problem - Emma wanting something good but me not wanting to buy expensive frozen junk that tastes like nothing. If you've ever opened your fridge and stared at leftover mashed potatoes wondering what to do with them, you'll love how this turns them into something everyone fights over. The crispy coating gives way to creamy Potato Cheese Balls and gooey melted cheese that makes even picky eaters happy. What makes these so great is that you can make a huge batch and freeze them for whenever you need a quick snack or appetizer.

Emma's friends always ask if we have "those cheese ball things" when they come over, and other parents want to know how I get my kid to eat potatoes without whining. Plus they use stuff you probably already have in your kitchen - no special trips to the store for weird stuff. The best part? They're actually filling, unlike most snacks that leave you hungry five minutes later. Emma can eat three of these and be satisfied until dinner, which saves me from the constant "I'm hungry" complaints all afternoon.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love These Potato Cheese Balls
Essential Ingredients for Potato Cheese Balls
How To Make Potato Cheese Balls Step By Step
Smart Swaps for Potato Cheese Balls
Variations
Equipment For Potato Cheese Balls
How to Store Your Potato Cheese Balls
What to Serve With Potato Cheese Balls
Top Tip
Grandma's Secret Fix Passed Down for Generations
FAQ
Time to Get Frying!
Related
Pairing
Potato Cheese Balls

Essential Ingredients for Potato Cheese Balls

The Potato Base:

Mashed potatoes
All-purpose flour
Cornstarch
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder

The Cheesy Center:

Mozzarella cheese
Cheddar cheese
Cream cheese

Crispy coating setup for cheese balls with flour, eggs, oil, and breadcrumbs on a kitchen surface.

The Crispy Coating:

Breadcrumbs
Beaten eggs
Extra flour for dusting

For Frying:

Vegetable oil
Enough to cover the balls halfway

See recipe card for quantities.

Ingredients for potato cheese balls: mashed potatoes, cheeses, flour, and spices, arranged on a kitchen counter.

How To Make Potato Cheese Balls Step By Step

Prep the Mixture:

Mix cold mashed potatoes with flour and cornstarch
Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Stir until it holds together but isn't sticky
If too wet, add more flour

Homemade mashed potatoes in a stainless steel pot with a spoon, resting on a beige cloth over a marble counter. The potatoes look creamy and buttery with a rustic, hand-mashed texture.

Shape the Balls:

Scoop out potato mixture with ice cream scoop
Flatten in your palm
Put cheese cube in the middle
Roll into a ball, sealing the cheese inside
Make sure no cheese is peeking out

Scoops of creamy homemade mashed potato mixture shaped into neat balls on a baking tray, with a metal bowl of mash and a wooden-handled scooper beside it, all set on a light kitchen countertop.

Set Up Coating Station:

Flour in one bowl
Beaten eggs in another bowl
Breadcrumbs in third bowl
Line them up for easy dipping

Coat Each Ball:

Roll in flour first
Dip in beaten egg
Roll in breadcrumbs until covered
Set on plate while you finish the rest

Homemade potato cheese balls being prepped on a kitchen counter, with bowls of flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, and salt neatly arranged beside a tray of rolled, uncooked balls ready for coating.

Fry Them Up:

Heat oil to 350°F
Fry 3-4 balls at a time
Turn them once when golden brown
Takes about 3-4 minutes total
Drain on paper towels

Homemade golden-brown potato cheese balls cooling on a wire rack over a rustic wooden table, with a crispy, seasoned breadcrumb coating and warm, natural lighting.

Smart Swaps for Potato Cheese Balls

Potato Changes:

Leftover mashed → Instant mashed potatoes
Regular → Sweet potatoes (cook first)
Plain → Seasoned mashed potatoes
Fresh → Day-old mashed (actually better)

Cheese Switches:

Mozzarella → Any melty cheese
Cheddar → Pepper jack for spice
Cream cheese → Regular cheese only
Cubes → Shredded (easier to seal)

Coating Options:

Breadcrumbs → Crushed crackers
Panko → Regular breadcrumbs
Plain → Seasoned breadcrumbs
Store-bought → Homemade crumbs

Cooking Methods:

Deep frying → Baking at 400°F
Oil frying → Air fryer (way less messy)
Hot oil → Shallow pan frying
Fresh → Freeze first, then fry

Variations

Bacon Crazy:

Crispy bacon bits
Cheddar cheese mix
Chive sprinkles
Ranch dip on the side

Italian Style:

Mozzarella center
Parmesan coating
Italian herbs
Marinara for dipping

Spicy Version:

Jalapeño pieces
Pepper jack cheese
Paprika coating
Cool sour cream dip

Breakfast Style:

Hash brown potato base
Breakfast sausage bits
Sharp cheddar
Maple syrup drizzle

Sweet Potato:

Sweet potato base
Mild cheddar
Cinnamon touch
Honey mustard dip

Equipment For Potato Cheese Balls

Big mixing bowl
Potato masher or ricer
Ice cream scoop (for same-size portions)
Baking sheet
Parchment paper

How to Store Your Potato Cheese Balls

Before Frying (2 days):

Put them on a tray
Cover with plastic wrap
Keep in fridge
Fry straight from cold

After Frying (3 days):

Cool completely first
Store in fridge
Reheat in oven at 350°F
Don't use microwave (gets soggy)

Freezer Storage (1 month):

Freeze before frying
Put on tray first, then bag
Fry straight from frozen
Add 2 extra minutes cooking time

Reheating Tips:

Oven works best
350°F for 5-10 minutes
Don't stack them
Check they're hot in the middle

What to Serve With Potato Cheese Balls

These little guys go with pretty much everything, but here's what works best in our house. For game day or parties, I like to put them out with buffalo chicken dip, ranch and blue cheese for dipping, plus some celery sticks and hot wings. If we're doing them as a dinner side, they're great with grilled chicken or steak, a simple green salad, and some roasted vegetables. Emma always asks for them with his chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, which is basically a carb overload but makes him happy.

The key is having good dipping sauces because these potato cheese balls are even better when you can dunk them in something tasty. Sour cream with chives is my favorite, but spicy mayo and barbecue sauce are big hits too. Since they're pretty rich and filling, I try to balance them out with lighter stuff like fresh vegetables or fruit salad. Emma thinks I'm crazy for wanting vegetables when there are fried cheese balls on the table, but trust me, your stomach will thank you for not going completely overboard.

Top Tip

These potato cheese balls taste way better fresh, but if you have to store them, never put hot ones straight in the fridge - they'll get all mushy and gross. I learned this the hard way when I made a huge batch for Emma's birthday party and stuck them in the fridge while they were still warm. When I went to reheat them the next day, they had turned into these sad, soggy lumps that nobody wanted to eat. Emma was so disappointed, and I felt terrible.

Now I always let them cool completely on the counter first, then store them properly. The texture stays so much better, and they actually reheat nicely instead of turning into disappointing mush. It takes maybe 20 minutes for them to cool down, but it's totally worth the wait. I usually clean up the kitchen while they're cooling, so the time goes by fast anyway.

The other thing I've figured out is that if you're planning to make these ahead of time, it's way better to prep them and freeze them before frying. That way you can just pull out however many you need and fry them fresh. They taste just as good as if you made them from scratch that day, and you don't have to deal with the whole reheating situation. Emma always gets excited when he sees me pulling a bag of these out of the freezer because he knows fresh, hot potato cheese balls are coming.

Grandma's Secret Fix Passed Down for Generations

My grandmother had this weird thing she did with potato cheese balls that nobody understood until years later. Every time she made them, she'd add a spoonful of instant mashed potato flakes to the mixture, even though she was already using real mashed potatoes. We all thought she was going a little crazy, mixing store-bought flakes with perfectly good homemade mashed potatoes. But those flakes were her secret weapon.

Turns out those instant potato flakes soak up any extra moisture that would normally make the balls fall apart. Grandma figured this out back in the 1970s when she was trying to make these for a church potluck and kept having the same problem I had - everything just crumbling into mush. She grabbed a box of instant potatoes from her pantry and threw in a handful, and suddenly her potato cheese balls held together like magic.

FAQ

What is a potato cheese ball?

A potato cheese ball is basically mashed potatoes mixed with cheese, rolled into balls, and fried until crispy. The outside gets golden and crunchy while the inside stays creamy with melted cheese. They're like the perfect combination of mashed potatoes and fried cheese - comfort food heaven.

Why are my potato balls falling apart?

Usually it's because the potatoes are too wet or you didn't let them cool enough before adding the cheese. Watery potatoes won't hold together, and hot potatoes will melt the cheese too fast. Make sure to drain your potatoes really well and let them cool down before mixing everything together.

Are potato balls healthy?

They're definitely more of a treat than health food since they're fried and loaded with cheese. But they do have some good stuff - potatoes give you vitamins and fiber, and cheese adds protein and calcium. Just don't eat them every day, you know?

Which cheese is best for cheese balls?

Cheddar works great because it melts well and has good flavor. Mozzarella gives you that cheese pull when you bite into them. I like mixing both - cheddar for taste and mozzarella for the stretchy cheese effect that makes Emma lose his mind with excitement.

Time to Get Frying!

Now you've got all the secrets to making potato cheese balls that actually stay together instead of falling apart in a sad, cheesy mess. Emma and I have perfected this recipe through lots of trial and error, and trust me, once you nail the technique, these little golden balls of happiness will become a family favorite.

Want more crowd-pleasing recipes? Try our Easy Sushi Bake Recipe that's perfect for when you're craving sushi but don't want to deal with rolling. Our Best Green Bean Casserole Recipe is a holiday must-have that even green bean haters will love. And for ultimate comfort food, our Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe delivers all that creamy, hearty goodness your family craves!

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