Reubens become party food with these delicious Reuben Fritters with a Thousand Island Dipping Sauce. The base is mashed potatoes with chopped corned beef, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut added in. They’re formed into balls, coated in Panko crumbs, and fried until golden.
Anything tastes good deep-fried right?
Especially when dipped in sauce.
Reuben sandwiches are my favorite. I love the tang of the sauerkraut, the gooey swiss cheese mixed with the sweetness of a Thousand Island dressing or Russian Dressing. Besides a traditional Reuben sandwich, there are all kinds of ways you can enjoy the flavors of a Reuben including Reuben Dip and Reuben Crescent Rolls.
This is a great recipe to make when you have leftover mashed potatoes or you made Reuben sandwiches and just have a little of each ingredient left.
How To Make Reuben Fritters
(More detailed directions below.)
- Mix together the Thousand Island ingredients and refrigerate until needed. Note: Store-bought dressing can be used as a timesaver.
- Combine the mashed potatoes, corned beefm swiss cheese, green onions, and Thousand Island.
- Shape mixture into balls. Dip in egg wash and then coat in Panko crumbs.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. This will help them hold their shape when they fry.
- Fry in batches in 350 degree oil.
Ingredient Notes
- Corned Beef- You can use deli-sliced corned beef or leftover St Patrick’s Day Corned Beef. Or you can use pastrami instead.
- Thousand Island Sauce- As a shortcut, you can use store-bought Thousand Island Dressing for dipping.
- Swiss Cheese- If you don’t like swiss cheese, try using Pepper Jack, Provolone cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese.
Recipe Tips
- Add a quarter cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese for more flavor.
- You want to use leftover mashed potatoes that are fairly thick and stiff.
More Reuben Recipes
- Reuben Soup
- Reuben Egg Rolls
- Crock Pot Reuben Brats
- Spicy Reubens
- Reuben Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Reuben Dip
- Baked Reuben Sliders
- Reuben Casserole
Never miss a recipe. Follow Spicy Southern Kitchen on Instagram and Pinterest.
Reuben Fritters
Ingredients
Thousand Island Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles
- pinch of salt
Fritters
- 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- 2/3 cup finely chopped corned beef
- 2/3 cup shredded swiss cheese
- 1/3 cup sauerkraut,, drained well (squeeze dry in paper towels)
- 2 green onions,, sliced
- 2 eggs,, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for Thousand Island sauce in a bowl and refrigerate.
- In a medium bowl, mix together mashed potatoes, corned beef, swiss cheese. sauerkraut, and green onions. Form into balls a little smaller than golf balls.
- In a bowl, whisk together eggs and water.
- Place panko crumbs in a pie plate.
- Dip each fritter ball in egg mixture and then coat in panko crumbs. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Pour about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Heat oil to 350 degrees and fry fritters in batches until golden.
- Serve with dipping sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally posted February 18, 2016.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
These fritters look INSANELY good, Christin! This is seriously such a genius idea, and I’m pretty sure I could easily devour all of these beauties!
Oh this is such a good idea, Christin! I think I would devour this entire batch in no time. I love your creative spin on a classic!
The world would be a sad place without fried food. I’m always tossing out leftover mashed potatoes. What a creative way to repurpose it in Rueben fritter form! I love all that deep fried golden exterior, Christin!
Yum, Christin! I’ve got some Reuben recipes coming down the pike too. These look AMAZING.
Well don’t these just look ALL KINDS OF yum!
Oh these are making me start to get hungry for dinner!! And with that sauce for dipping ….
Reubens are my all time favorite sammies, so when I saw these on Instagram, I almost fell outta my chair! Talk about crazy deliciousness that I want up in my face IMMEDIATELY! These fritters are bomb, Christin! And that dip I just want to slather on all the things! PINNED! Cheers, friend!
These look so golden brown and crispy, and it was such a genius idea to give these fritters a reuben twist!
Wow, these are such a great idea! You always make the best fried food, Christin. The dip sounds irresistible too!
Oh my, these sound sinful! I love getting reubens out, so have never made them at home. These seem like the perfect excuse to do so though!