We propose that certain white dwarf (WD) planets, such as WD 1856+534 b, may form out of material from a stellar companion that tidally disrupts from common envelope evolution with the WD progenitor star. The disrupted companion shreds into an accretion disc, out of which a gas giant protoplanet forms due to gravitational instability. To explore this scenario, we make use of detailed stellar evolution models consistent with WD 1856+534. The minimum mass companion that produces a gravitationally unstable disc after tidal disruption is ∼ 0.15M⊙ . In this scenario, WD 1856+534 b might have formed at or close to its present separation, in contrast to other proposed scenarios where it would have migrated in from a much larger separation. Planet formation from tidal disruption is a new channel for producing second-generation planets around WDs.