I tried 5 kinds of store-bought instant mashed potatoes. The best tasted homemade.

I tried potatoes from Big Y, Bell's, and Idahoan. The flavors included classic butter, roasted garlic, and sour cream and chive.

Since I first tried the products, one of the flavors — Bell's sour cream-and-chive flavor — appears to no longer be available, so my ranking only considers the remaining five options.

For the comparison, I followed the instructions on the packaging for each. Almost every kind of instant mashed potatoes I tried required only a microwave and water.

Ultimately, I was surprised to find that instant mashed potatoes were a decent alternative to homemade ones.

A 4-ounce bag of Idahoan instant mashed potatoes costs $1.79 and makes 4 ½ servings. Like the Big Y brand mashed potatoes, Idahoan instant potatoes require only a microwave and 2 cups of water.

I really appreciated the ease and not having to take up precious stove space, and I imagine I would appreciate that even more if I were actually cooking these for Thanksgiving.

Despite being made from a powder, they weren't grainy or thick. 

If someone had told me they had come from a packet, I probably wouldn't have believed them. The butter flavor was prominent, in a good way. My only criticism of the Idahoan classic mashed potatoes was that they were slightly salty for my liking.

The store-brand instant mashed potatoes cost $1.79 for a 4-ounce bag, which serves four people.

Giving the bowl a stir, I found the potatoes had a similar consistency to "real" mashed potatoes.

The butter flavor was slightly stronger than that of the Idahoan brand, and it also tasted distinctly creamier. Big Y really came out on top, however, with its consistency — the potatoes were so light, they practically melted in your mouth.

However, I wondered how such a light mashed potato would hold up against thick gravy on top. You probably couldn't make mashed-potato volcanoes with this one.

A 4-ounce bag cost me $1.79 and contained 4 ½ servings.

I could also spot specks of chives mixed into the potatoes which gave them an authentic appearance.

I was again impressed by both the texture and flavor of Idahoan's mashed potatoes. Unlike the classic flavor, I didn't find this flavor too salty at all. Rather, they were creamy and seasoned perfectly.

This brand of mashed potatoes required the use of a stove and additional ingredients. To make them, you will need 1 tablespoon of butter, ¾ cup of milk, 1 ½ cups of water, and a teaspoon of salt.

The texture was a nice balance between fluffy and thick, and the milk added a wonderful creaminess I didn't get from the other brands.

I appreciated knowing the amount of real butter used, and I thought these would be a good base for people looking to elevate their instant potatoes. 

However, despite tasting better than the other two classic butter instant potato brands, they created a little more mess. Part of the appeal of instant mashed potatoes is saving precious stove space, which is where this brand falls slightly short.

Just like the brand's other flavors, a 4-ounce bag cost me $1.79 and contained 4 ½ servings.

The potatoes also had a light, fluffy texture while still holding their shape.

Even for someone who can be a little sensitive to garlic, the garlic flavor was strong but not overpowering. I thought this kind would pair well with gravy and other Thanksgiving foods.

Think garlic bread meets mashed potatoes — what more could you want on the holidays?

Editor's note: A version of this story was first published in November 2022. It was most recently updated in November 2025.