Ask Dr. Potato

The IPC office is closed for the holiday but don't fear… With 938 posts, chances are your Thanksgiving mashed potato questions have probably already been answered! Keywords that might help you find the answers you’re looking for include: ahead, group, advance, and yield.

If you're looking specifically for Mashed Potato information, make sure to visit our All Things Mashed Potatoes page which has everything you need to know about preparing perfect mashed potatoes.

View All Things Mashed Potatoes
Back To Dr. Potato Home

I Want To Make A Gallon Of Potato Salad, How Many Potatoes Do I Need?

Q:

I want to make a gallon of potato salad, how many potatoes do I need?

A:

This is one that can make even the best math minds head hurt ever so slightly!

Out of curiosity, I found this volume potato salad recipe used by (presumably) the U.S. Army for 100, 2/3 cup servings. As with many answers on this forum, it begins with “It depends.” In this recipe for example, it calls for 18 lbs. of fresh potatoes, as well as a good mixture of added ingredients. So, depending on your own added ingredients, and whether or not you can count on this recipe as a base threshold and of course figuring your own serving size, this will vary. One thing for sure, it will make more than a gallon’s worth of potato salad!  Given this rough ratio, and accounting for the slight weight loss from peeling the potatoes, I would venture to cut this recipe by 2/3, using 6 pounds of potatoes, then adjust once prepared for future reference, plus or minus to your needs. Also added is our own, All Things Potato Salads, which includes additional recipes and videos.

https://tonyprudori.pbworks.com/f/USArmyPotatoSalad.pdf

https://idahopotato.com/all-things-potato-salads