Adjust for your crowd
Enter how many of your guests are kids; each counts as half an adult.
Mashed potatoes for other crowd sizes
tap a row for its own list ↓| Guests | Cups | 5-lb bags |
|---|---|---|
| 10 people | 9 | 1 |
| 20 people | 17 | 2 |
| 25 people | 21 | 2 |
| 30 people | 25 | 3 |
| 40 people | 33 | 4 |
| 50 people · you're here | 42 | 4 |
| 75 people | 62 | 6 |
| 100 people | 83 | 8 |
| 150 people | 124 | 12 |
| 200 people | 165 | 16 |
4 bags of potatoes for 50 people. Peeling that many is the slow part; a second pot and a second peeler save an hour.
How many people do 10 cups of mashed potatoes serve?
Feeds about 13 people.
Everything else for 50 people
How we got this number
- 150 guests × 3/4 cup = 37.5 cups
- 2× 1.10 cushion = 41.3 cups
- 3÷ 10.5 per bag = 3.9 → 4 bags of potatoes (5 lb)
cups of finished mashed potatoes, then bags of raw russets.
Sources for this rule: Food Network portion planner; WebstaurantStore Thanksgiving-for-100 guide; Old Farmer's Almanac party chart; TODAY, Melissa Clark (NYT) cheat sheet; USDA Food Buying Guide, Potatoes, fresh, White or Russet; shop.lowesfoods.com.
Mashed potatoes questions
How much mashed potatoes for 50 people?
Make 42 cups: 4 bags of potatoes (5 lb). That's 3/4 cup per guest, plus a 10% cushion. Range: 33–52 cups depending on appetite.
What if 10 of the 50 guests are kids?
Kids count as half an adult, so it's 45 adult portions: make 38 cups: 4 bags of potatoes (5 lb).
How much mashed potatoes for 50 big eaters?
For a hungry crowd, plan 25% more: make 52 cups: 5 bags of potatoes (5 lb).
How many people do 10 cups of mashed potatoes serve?
Feeds about 13 people.
Different headcount? The mashed potatoes calculator works for any number of guests, and the menu planner builds one shopping list for the whole party.