Homemade Cheesy Mashed Potato Croquettes w/ Panko

Name: Cheesy Potato Croquettes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 14 oz. yukon gold potatoes; ¼ cup pecorino romano cheese (grated); ¼ cup smoked gouda cheese (grated); 1 tbsp freshly chopped chives; 2 tbsp butter (melted); ¼ cup sour cream; 1 egg yolk; 1 tsp. Dijon mustard; 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup; ¾ tsp garlic powder; ¾ tsp onion powder; 1 tsp salt; 1 egg + splash of water; ½ cup flour; 1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs; ½ cup sour cream; 3 tbsp milk; 1 tsp horseradish; 1 tsp chopped chives

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These Cheesy Potato Croquettes are crunchy bites of heaven. Mashed potatoes stuffed with two kinds of cheeses and fried to perfection.

I made these croquettes vegeterian BUT you can totally add diced ham or bacon if you prefer! They make a delicious bite-sized appetizer that's ideal for the holidays or better yet, a fancy cocktail party!

Potato croquettes in a pile in a dish with chives on top.

If you love mashed potatoes, you're going to LOVE these cheesy potato croquettes!

They combine all the best qualities of mashed potatoes but stuffed into one golden brown, crunchy bite.

Think, cheesy "potatoey" dumplings deep fried to crispy perfection.

Plus, they're a food friendly appetizer which is an automatically win-win in my entertaining book.

Make sure to check out these other potato finger food appetizers.

What Is A Croquette Made Of?

A croquette is a type of fried dumpling that is small in size held together with mashed potatoes, bechamel sauce, or some other type of flour thickener.

The binder is mixed with yummy ingredients such as bacon, ham, ground meat, cheese or veggies. The most important fact is that all croquettes are breaded and then DEEP FRIED.

🛒Ingredients

Yes I know it seems like a lot but potatoes are very bland so trust me on this one!

Potatoes - I prefer Yukon gold but Russet will work too.
Cheese- I use pecorino romano cheese and smoked gouda cheese for added flavor as opposed to cheddar.
Chives- Fresh chives are so delicious in potatoes.
Butter + Sour cream- This makes a buttery, tangy, moist potato that most recipes leave out.
Egg yolk- This helps to hold the croquettes together.
Dijon mustard, Maple syrup, Garlic powder & Onion powder- This is where the flavor comes from. You can add any spices you like best but keep the staples.

My herby mayo-free potato salad is also a great side or appetizer to serve a crowd!

Steps for how to make homemade cheesy croquettes. — Frying your croquettes is simple. Just wait for that deep golden brown color.

🥔How To Make Potato Croquettes

Step 1: Preparing Your Potatoes

We need our potatoes softened and there are three different ways to do this.

*Microwave: This is the method I recommend! To make things easy, just "bake" your potatoes in the microwave if you have one. They will not only soften quicky but they won't absorb all the water from boiling.

Boiling: If you don't have a microwave, the next best thing is boiling your potatoes. To do this, add cold water to a large pot and add in your peeled, largely diced potatoes. Salt the water generously. Bring the water to a boil and boil for 10-15 minutes or until your potatoes are fork-tender. Strain and let the potatoes finish steaming before mashing.

Baking: This takes the longest but will work just as well. To bake your potatoes, prick each potato with a fork a few times and wrap in aluminim foil. Bake for at least 30 minutes at 350 degrees F or until they're fork tender.

Step 2: Mash or Rice Your Potatoes

Your potatoes should be tender enough to mash with your hands or a fork.

Alternatively, you can mash your potatoes using a potato masher or a hand mixer OR you can run them through a food mill/potato ricer. Just make sure not to over mash or mix because your potatoes may turn gummy.

Step 3: Combine and Roll

Add all ingredients to your mashed potatoes and combine thoroughly. Use a mini-ice cream scoop or melon baller and your hands to roll mini balls no larger than the size of a golf ball. Place on parchment paper.

Step 4: Breading Croquettes

Add your eggs, flour and breadcrumbs to three separate shallow bowls and dredge each ball in the flour, followed by the egg and finish by rolling in the breadcrumbs.

Step 5: Frying

Heat 3" of oil in a saucepan to 350-375 degrees F. Add 3-5 croquettes in at a time and fry until golden brown. Serve warm with sauce for dipping.

📃 NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!

Fried cheesy potato croquettes on cooling rack.

The Best Cheeses To Use

Your cheese options are limitless but some are much MUCH better options. The type of cheese you go with can make a HUGE difference.

I chose two cheeses, smoked gouda and pecorino romano cheese both of which bring lots of flavor to the croquettes.

Here are other great cheese substitutions:

Cheddar (It goes perfectly in my Cheddar Cheese Beer Pretzel Dip)
Mozzarella (I use this in my Disco Fries)
Gouda
Gruyere
Monterey Jack (like I use in my Taco Dip)
Fontina
Colby
Havarti

Expert Tips

Use panko breadcrumbs to get extra crispy croquettes.
Use a thermometer to make sure your oil is hot enough. If it drops too low, your croquettes will be greasy.
Stuff each croquette with a cheese cube if you want them super cheesy in the middle.
You can shape your croquette into a cylinder, oval or log shape to make them more traditional like the Italian appetizer.
Add freshly chopped parsley to your batter in place of the chives.
Fry in small batches to ensure your oil temperature doesn't drop too low.
Use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs to add more flavor to the exterior of your croquette.