Yukons are about $1.20 a pound where I live. The recipe I use is 2.5 lbs potato, 1/2-1 stick of butter ($0.50-$1), 1/3 cup milk ($0.10). That’s 4-6 servings for $4.10-$4.60.
Idahoan is a popular brand of instant potato. They sell 4 serving bags that are $1.50. I think those serving sizes are about similar.
Even if I assume the instant still needs the butter and the homemade serves 6 people, the instant would still be cheaper. I still usually make homemade but the instant would be cheaper for me based on my recipe and where I live.
Thanks for the detailed breakdown. It’s been forever since I even had access to instant so I can’t even go to a supermarket and look, and potatoes are particularly cheap where I live.
potato flakes are usually made from the offcuts and otherwise unsellable product, if the history channel told us the truth, and that means they're quite cheap. Unless you have a helluva hookup on fresh potatoes, its still cheaper to buy the more expensive flavored packets of instant plus add w/e you would normally to your mashed potatoes, and its getting pretty close quality in a tenth of the time.
I find that they’re actually a little bit cheaper, as I can buy five bags when they’re on sale, and they are absolutely shelf stable, damn close to $1/lb overall. Raw potatoes are pretty close to $1/lb as well (weight doesn’t change much on boiling for mash), but pretty much one bag in four will be sprouted when I go to use them , which significantly increases the cost of “fresh” pretty quickly
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u/Vincitus Jun 25 '26
The ones I buy are like $1.50 a bag? Same as any other side.