The Store-Bought Pre-Made Mashed Potatoes We'd Definitely Repurchase

While there are countless ways to make mashed potatoes, why sweat it when you can pick up pre-made mashed potatoes at the store? Store-bought mashed potatoes are convenient and ready in minutes with the help of a microwave. Plus, you don't have to sacrifice convenience for flavor, as many store-bought pre-made mashed potatoes are still really delicious. We tested and ranked nine store-bought pre-made mashed potatoes according to taste, texture, and ingredients. We determined that the store-bought mashed potato brand we would definitely repurchase is Hormel Homestyle mashed potatoes. 

These mashed potatoes take a couple minutes in the microwave, a quick stir, and they are as fluffy, creamy, and uniform as can be. If you transfer them to a serving bowl, you could easily mistake them for a homemade batch. Once you taste the mashed potatoes, they will be as rich and delicious as they look. Containing both cream and milk, these potatoes have an ultra creamy taste and texture, making them the ultimate comfort food. Plus, they have the perfect amount of salt and pepper to bring out the earthiness of the potatoes. Double dairy and a hearty seasoning may equate a higher calorie count, sodium, and fat content, but we are willing to pay that nutritional price for just how delicious these mashed potatoes are. The texture is also uniformly silky and smooth, with a few lumps that easily disintegrate as you bite into them.

There are many 5-star reviews for Hormel Homestyle mashed potatoes on the brand's site. One customer summed it up nicely by saying, "They are so light and creamy. Quick and easy, ready to go with none of the hard work. Like mom's on Thanksgiving." To that effect, most reviews commented on how homemade these potatoes taste and that they are as good as any family recipe. While we were not put off by the lumps in our potatoes, some customers have complained about them in their reviews. However, one person commended an imperfect texture, stating, "Unsure why people complain about the lumps. I enjoy them because it seems like you are eating real homemade mashed potatoes and not powdered."

These potatoes are indulgent and creamy without any further embellishment, but you can always give them a homemade touch by stirring in a pat of butter. Butter might even help dissolve those residual lumps. Another flavorful tip for mashed potatoes involves infusing flavor into melted butter with the help of fresh or dried herbs, spices, and aromatics. If you want to take things to the next level, you can follow celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis' tip to add a dollop of mascarpone to pre-made mashed potatoes. Of course, you can do more than just eat pre-made mashed potatoes straight out of the microwave. You can repurpose them into other dishes entirely using our list of mashed potato hacks like making potato bread or thickening soup.