The Best Instant Mashed Potato Recipe (2024)

Use this instant mashed potato recipe to make any bag or box of instant mashed potatoes taste just like the real thing.

Jill Nystul·December 21, 2023


The Best Instant Mashed Potato Recipe (2)

The Best Instant Mashed Potato Recipe (3)

Instant mashed potatoes are quick and easy to make, but they aren’t always the most flavorful when prepared according to the directions on the package. Luckily, I’ve a got a great instant mashed potato recipe that has the same delicious taste and texture of “real” mashed potatoes!

Instant potatoes take a fraction of the time to make compared to standard potatoes, so they’re great as a side dish for weeknight dinners. (We eat potatoes at home frequently because they’re gluten free, so I usually pick upa big box of instant mashed potatoes whenever I go to Costco!)

Some people considerhomemade mashed potatoes to be mandatory for special occasions likeThanksgiving. But if you can make instant mashed potatoes that taste just as good (and trust me, they do!), I say why not save yourself the time and effort you’d spend peeling, dicing, and boiling and just useinstant potatoes instead?

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What Are Instant Potatoes?

Before we get to the recipe, let’s talk about why instant potatoes get a bad rap. There are two main types of instant potatoes: potato flakes and potato pearls. Potato flakes are made from cooked mashed potatoes that were dried on a drum before being scraped off. So there’s really nothing “fake” about instant potato flakes — just add the water back in and you’ve got mashed potatoes!

The key to making instant mashed potatoes taste more homemade is enhancing those Idahoan spuds (or whatever kind of instant potatoes you’re using) with a few strategic additions. Just follow the recipe below to make instant potatoes that are loaded with a comforting, homemade flavor, but quicker and easier to prepare.

I would happily serve these at Thanksgiving dinner — it’s the best instant potato recipe around!

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How To Make The Best Instant Mashed Potatoes (Recipe)

Adapted from eHow.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chicken broth or stock (or veggie broth or stock)
  • 2 Tbsp salted butter (or margarine)
  • 1/4 tsp salt (more if using unsalted butter)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2/3 cup instant potato flakes
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Directions:

Put the chicken broth, butter, and salt into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. When it starts to boil, remove the saucepan from heat.

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Add the sour cream and potato flakes and stir thoroughly with a fork to ensure there aren’t any pockets of dry potato flakes. Allow the potatoes to sit for a minute or two until all the liquid has absorbed.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add a dollop of butter on top, if desired.

Makes 2 servings, but you can easily double or triple the recipe!

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Tips, Variations & Suggestions

  • Using a small box or bag of instant potatoes? Feel free to prepare them using the directions on the package — just use chicken stock in place of the liquid and add sour cream (1/4 cup of sour cream per 2/3 cup of instant potatoes).
  • If adding spices and seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, or minced chives while preparing the potatoes, add them sparingly — you can always add more, but you can’t add less! You could even add a bit of cream cheese with the sour cream to thicken your mashed potatoes.
  • To make your mashed potatoes vegan, use veggie broth, vegan butter, and vegan sour cream.
  • These savory mashed potatoes are perfect to pile on top of mini meatloaf “cupcakes”.
  • If you end up with leftover mashed potatoes, you can easily turn them into potato soup by thinning them out with broth, milk, or both. Heat the soup in your microwave or on your stovetop for a quick and easy lunch!
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Toppings To Take Your Potatoes Over The Top

You now know how to make instant mashed potatoes better, but we’re not done just yet! You can make instant potatoes taste great after the fact by piling on a few tasty toppings! Here are some ideas that will elevate and upgrade your instant mashed potatoes:

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  • Green onions, thinly sliced
  • Roasted garlic
  • Crumbled bacon
  • Blue cheese
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Gravy (of course!)
  • Fresh parsley, chopped
  • Crispy onions
  • Extra dollop of sour cream

What’s your stance on instant mashed potatoes?

The Best Instant Mashed Potato Recipe (11)

The Best Instant Mashed Potatoes (Recipe)

Jill Nystul

Why put all that time and effort into making homemade mashed potatoes, when you can make instant mashed potatoes that taste just as good? A must-try recipe!

4 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 2

Calories 235 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chicken broth or stock, or veggie broth or stock
  • 2 tbsp salted butter
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2/3 cup potato flakes

Instructions

  • Add broth, butter, and salt to a small pot, bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

  • Add sour cream and potato flakes, stir with a fork, thenlet them sit until all the liquid gets absorbed.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 846mgPotassium: 280mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 534IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 0.3mg

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The Best Instant Mashed Potato Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make instant mashed potatoes better? ›

If you're hoping to keep the fat and sodium content low, then try using half water and half another liquid. Don't forget to mix in a little butter, sour cream, pepper, garlic powder, or whatever ingredients you typically add to your from-scratch mashed potatoes.

Are instant potatoes better with milk or water? ›

Most instant potato varieties call for you to combine the potatoes with water, but if you want your potatoes to taste a bit more indulgent, use milk instead. Whole milk will yield delightfully rich potatoes, but 2 percent milk works well too.

Do restaurants use instant mashed potatoes? ›

Instant mashed potatoes are convenient for busy food establishments like KFC — the only thing employees need to do is add water and mix. The peeling, cooking, and mashing, has already been done. The downside to instant mashed potatoes is that they aren't as fluffy and tend to be bland.

How do you make instant mashed potatoes less dry? ›

In order to fix lumpy or gritty mashed potatoes you may need to add more liquid to them such as melted butter and some milk. Make sure the water that you put into the potatoes is warm or hot enough to totally saturate the flakes.

What to add to instant mashed potatoes to thicken? ›

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

Is it better to add cold milk or warm milk to mashed potatoes? ›

For the very best result every time, always gently warm the butter and milk before adding to the potatoes, rather than adding cold dairy straight from the fridge. Here's why: Warm dairy is absorbed faster and more easily, with less stirring than its cold counterpart.

What's better for mashed potatoes, milk or heavy cream? ›

The best Creamy Mashed Potatoes consists of perfectly cooked russet potatoes, melted butter, heavy cream and a touch of tartness like crème fraîche.

What can I add to my mashed potatoes? ›

Folding chives or scallions into mashed potatoes is a classic technique for a reason, but roasted garlic (garlic is also an allium), caramelized onions, or even a packet of Lipton's French Onion Dip, can all add unbeatable flavor to mashed potatoes.

Why do restaurant mashed potatoes taste better? ›

Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.

Does Cracker Barrel use instant mashed potatoes? ›

"Homemade" may not be an ingredient, but it's something you can taste. That's why we hand roll our biscuits and make our mashed potatoes and gravy from scratch all day long in each of our restaurants.

What is in Cracker Barrel's loaded mashed potatoes? ›

Our Mashed Potatoes loaded with bacon pieces, Colby cheese and green onions. *May be cooked to order. Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.

How to improve powdered mashed potatoes? ›

Fluff gently with a fork. Bring ¼ cup heavy whipping cream to a simmer in a saucepan, then pour it over the mashed potatoes. Stir to combine and season with salt (and more black pepper) to taste.

How do you doctor up store-bought mashed potatoes? ›

If you're bored by your mashed potatoes, here are some of our favorite ways to enhance them.
  1. Use More Butter. You already know to add butter to your mashed potatoes, but more is more. ...
  2. Extra Salt. ...
  3. Add Alliums. ...
  4. Go Green. ...
  5. Garnish With Herbs. ...
  6. Fold in Mayo. ...
  7. Get Cheesy. ...
  8. Turn Up the Heat.
Jan 28, 2023

Why are my instant mashed potatoes gluey? ›

When potatoes are mashed, starch is released. The more you work the potatoes, the more starch gets released. When too much starch gets released, the potatoes become gummy, gluey, and unappetizing.

Does soaking potatoes in cold water make better mashed potatoes? ›

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

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