How to Make Instant Mashed Potatoes Taste Like a Homemade Recipe

Make instant mashed potatoes that taste homemade in about 10 minutes.

Instant mashed potatoes aren't often mistaken for the real thing. They are usually runny and just, well, fake-tasting. It's tough for dehydrated potato flakes mixed with water to replicate the flavor and consistency of real potatoes cut, boiled and mashed with butter and cream. However, you might be surprised at how far a few simple ingredients will go. Making some quick adjustments to your store-bought mix recipe saves you a great deal of time and creates a batch of mashed potatoes that taste smooth, rich and satisfying -- just like homemade.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp. salt or all-purpose seasoning
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 2 cloves minced garlic

1. Stir the chicken broth and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

2. Add the heavy whipping cream, minced garlic -- if desired -- and salt, then stir for 30 seconds until the ingredients are well-combined.

3. Mix in the instant mashed potato flakes gradually, stirring thoroughly until you have a creamy, smooth consistency.

4. Top your potatoes with a small pat of butter or gravy and an optional pinch of salt or seasoning for extra taste. Serve immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with a variety of additions to your spuds. For example, create a garlic-cheese batch by preparing the boxed potatoes as normal, then stirring in 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

References

• McCormick: Garlic-Cheese Mashed Potatoes
• "Good Housekeeping"; Instant Mashed Potatoes Taste Test