Foodies Told Mashed The Absolute Best Chain Mashed Potatoes

Perhaps you prefer your potatoes baked. Maybe you like French fries best, or potato chips are more your jam. No matter your preferred potato preparation method, it's hard to deny that mashed potatoes are one of the tastiest, with their creamy texture and taste profile easily enhanced by butter, seasoning, or gravy. In fact, a 2019 study by DoorDash found that mashed potatoes are the fourth most popular potato presentation in America, bested only by French fries, hash browns, and waffle fries (via HuffPost).

If you're preparing your own mashed potato recipe at home, Food Network recommends using a starchy potato, such as a russet, as opposed to a waxy potato for best results. But it's no secret various fast food restaurants have different methods for making their mashed potatoes. According to a TikTok video by a KFC employee that's since been deleted, the chicken chain uses a mashed potato "mix" called KFC One Step Mashed Potato Mix. Perhaps a premade mix might turn you off of KFC's mashed potatoes — if so, you may be surprised by the results of a survey in which foodies voted on what they feel are the tastiest mashed potatoes you can get from a chain restaurant.

Mashed recently distributed a questionnaire to 622 U.S.-based foodies to find out which fast food chain serves the best mashed potatoes. Coming in sixth (aka last place) were the chicken gravy and black pepper-laden mashed potatoes from El Pollo Loco, which 2.73% of those surveyed chose, totaling 17 votes. Fifth place was granted to Culver's, which garnered 28 votes. The chain advertises its mashed potatoes as "perfectly light and fluffy," made from Russet potatoes, milk, and seasonings. Just slightly trailing with 30 votes, or 4.82%, was Church's Chicken in fourth place, which serves mashed potatoes with a "savory, rich gravy."

For the third-place winner, the numbers spiked to 141 votes (or 22.67%). This honor was bestowed on Popeyes' mashed potatoes, which are popular enough to have plenty of copycat recipes on the internet. Boston Market grabbed second place, with 163 votes, or 26.21% — its potatoes are advertised as "whipped until soft, creamy, and silky smooth." In first place, winning a whopping 243 votes and 39.07% of the love, was KFC's mashed potatoes, available with or without the restaurant's "signature brown gravy." Turns out that despite its pre-mixed nature, the truth about KFC's mashed potatoes is that they are wildly popular and a preferred treat for many mashed potato enthusiasts.