How Many Potatoes Do You Need Per Person for Dinner?

Incorporating cauliflower into your family's favorite side dish is a smart and tasty way to sneak in vegetables.

Get the recipe for Mashed Potatoes with Cauliflower

Whipping up some roast potatoes for dinner this week, or cooking up mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving? You'll want to make sure there are enough potatoes to go around—and maybe even have some for those delicious leftovers! Use the guidelines below to determine how many pounds of potatoes per person you need for dinner.

Potatoes can weigh anywhere from 1/10 pound to 1/2 pound, depending on their size.

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If you're making mashed potatoes, figure you will need 1/3 to 1/2 pound of potatoes per person. You may want to add a bit extra, however, as most people tend to pile on the mashed potatoes. With that in mind, here’s a general guide for how many potatoes you'll need, if everyone consumes 3/4 pound:

4 people – 3 pounds (6 large potatoes)
6 people – 4.5 pounds (9 large potatoes)
12 people – 9 pounds (18 large potatoes)

If you're making roasted potatoes, figure you will need 1/2 pound of potatoes per person. If each person eats 1/2 pound, here’s how many potatoes you’ll need:

4 people – 2 pounds (4 large potatoes)
6 people – 3 pounds (6 large potatoes)
12 people – 6 pounds (12 large potatoes)

If you're making baked potatoes, figure each person will eat one large (1/2 pound) potato. Based on everyone consuming 1/2 pound, here’s how much you’ll need to get:

4 people – 2 pounds (4 large potatoes)
6 people – 3 pounds (6 large potatoes)
12 people – 6 pounds (12 large potatoes)

Of course, be sure to buy a few extra potatoes if you're hoping to have Thanksgiving leftovers for the week to come!

Up next: How Much Stuffing Do You Need for Your Thanksgiving Dinner?