Mashed potato calories come to 237 for 1 cup (210 g) and 113 per 100 g, based on the home-prepared version made with whole milk and butter. The number to notice is sodium: one cup carries 666 mg, or 29% of the daily value, while its calories are only 12%.
237kcal
1 cup · 210 g, home-prepared, whole milk and butter
7%protein
3.9 gProtein
35 gCarbs
8.9 gFat
How to burn off 237 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Home-prepared, whole milk and butter · per 210 g
Calories
237 kcal
Protein
3.9 g
Carbohydrate
35 g
Fat
8.9 g
Saturated fat
5.5 g
Cholesterol
23 mg
Sodium
666 mg
Potassium
596 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
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Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
Mashed potatoes: calories, protein and sodium by serving
Percent of daily value uses the FDA reference of 2,000 kcal a day.
Serving
kcal
Protein
Carbs
Fat
Sodium
% DV kcal
1 cup (210 g)
237
3.9 g
35.3 g
8.9 g
666 mg
12%
Made with milk only (210 g)
174
4 g
36.9 g
1.2 g
634 mg
9%
100 g
113
1.9 g
16.8 g
4.2 g
317 mg
6%
3 × 1 cup (210 g)
712
11.7 g
1,997 mg
5 × 1 cup (210 g)
1,187
19.5 g
3,329 mg
One cup is 237 calories, two cups is 475
The standard serving is 1 cup, which weighs 210 g and delivers 237 calories, 3.9 g of protein and 35.3 g of carbs. That is 12% of the daily value for calories, a modest share for a side dish. On its own, a single cup is not what pushes a dinner over the edge.
The trouble is that a scoop has no fixed edges. Two cups (420 g) come to 475 calories, and three cups (630 g) reach 712. A holiday plate that piles on the equivalent of five cups, 1,050 g in total, lands at 1,187 calories before gravy, rolls or the main course.
Protein does not keep pace with that climb. Three cups give just 11.7 g, and even five cups provide only 19.5 g. If you want the meal to keep you full, hold the mash to about a cup and let the protein come from the rest of the plate. BodyPal can log a scoop from a photo, which helps when the portion is a guess.
Carbs supply 60% of the calories, fat 34%
Per 100 g, mashed potatoes hold 16.8 g of carbs, 4.2 g of fat and 1.9 g of protein. By calories, that splits into 60% carbs, 34% fat and 7% protein. The potato supplies the starch, and the whole milk and butter supply most of the fat.
Of that 4.2 g of fat, 2.6 g is saturated, so the larger part is the kind you would expect from a butter-rich recipe. Sugars are only 1.4 g per 100 g and fiber is 1.5 g, which makes this a starchy dish rather than a sweet one. Potassium comes in at 284 mg per 100 g, and cholesterol is low at 11 mg.
Protein is the weak spot. A full cup covers 8% of the daily value for protein while carrying 12% of daily calories, so mashed potatoes lean on the rest of the meal for staying power. Treat them as the starch on the plate, not the anchor.
Sodium is the row to watch
One cup carries 666 mg of sodium, 29% of the daily value, while the same cup supplies only 12% of daily calories. Sodium runs far ahead of calories here, the signature of a well-salted side. Per 100 g the figure is 317 mg, or 14% of the daily value.
Bigger portions multiply it quickly. Two cups bring 1,331 mg, three cups 1,997 mg, and five cups 3,329 mg, which is more than a full daily value from one side dish. That is the number that should shape your portion if salt is on your radar, more than the calories.
If you watch sodium, the salt shaker is the lever you control at home. Season lightly, taste before adding more, and pair the mash with plain vegetables or simply cooked meat rather than other salty sides. The potato itself is not the problem; the seasoning is.
Milk-only mash drops to 174 calories a cup
The recipe matters more than the potato. Made with milk only, a 210 g cup comes to 174 calories instead of 237, and fat falls from 8.9 g to 1.2 g. Carbs barely move, 36.9 g versus 35.3 g, and protein stays about level at 4 g versus 3.9 g.
Sodium hardly changes either: 634 mg against 666 mg, or 28% versus 29% of the daily value. Butter drives the calorie gap, while the salt comes from seasoning. Skipping the butter trims calories and fat but does little for the sodium row, so it fixes one problem, not both.
Boxed mixes such as Idahoan Original Mashed Potatoes, Idahoan Buttery Homestyle Mashed Potatoes and Mountain Harvest Mashed Potatoes follow their own recipes. Check the brand table on this page for those rather than assuming they match homemade.
How does mashed potatoes compare?
Here is how mashed potatoes stack up against fried potatoes and sweet potato fries, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For weight loss, mashed potatoes win clearly: 113 calories per 100 g against 242 for fried potatoes and 192 for sweet potato fries, which are about 2.1 and 1.7 times as calorie-dense. If sodium is your concern, the fries come out ahead, with 77 mg and 154 mg per 100 g versus 317 mg for the mash.
Most popular mashed potatoes brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Idahoan Mashed Potatoes1/4 cup · 29 g379 kcal
2Idahoan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes1/2 cup · 25 g400 kcal
3Idahoan Buttery Homestyle Mashed Potatoes1/4 cup · 28 g393 kcal
4Idahoan Original Mashed Potatoes22 g364 kcal
5Idahoan Russets Mashed Potatoes1/4 cup · 23 g348 kcal
6Mountain Harvest Mashed Potatoes22 g364 kcal
Boxed mixes are labeled per dry flakes, so their per-100-gram numbers run three to four times higher than the prepared potatoes above. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Mashed potatoes FAQs
How many calories are in a cup of mashed potatoes?
About 237 calories for one cup (210 g) made at home with whole milk and butter. The same cup made with milk only is 174 calories.
Are mashed potatoes good for weight loss?
A cup with milk and butter is 237 calories and 8.9 g fat, while the milk-only version is 174 calories and 1.2 g fat for the same 210 g.
Mashed potatoes vs sweet potato fries: which has fewer calories?
Mashed potatoes have 113 calories per 100 g, against 192 per 100 g for sweet potato fries.
How many carbs are in mashed potatoes?
One cup (210 g) has 35.3 g carbs, including 3.2 g fiber, plus 3.9 g protein.
How many calories are in 100 g of mashed potatoes?
There are 113 calories in 100 g of home-style mashed potatoes made with whole milk and butter. That portion also brings 16.8 g of carbs, 4.2 g of fat, 1.9 g of protein and 317 mg of sodium.
How many grams is 1 cup of mashed potatoes?
One cup of mashed potatoes weighs 210 g in the USDA data used here. That cup comes to 237 calories with whole milk and butter, or 174 calories if it is made with milk only.
How many calories are in two or three cups of mashed potatoes?
Two cups (420 g) of mashed potatoes come to 475 calories, and three cups (630 g) come to 712. Sodium climbs alongside, reaching 1,331 mg for two cups and 1,997 mg for three.
How many calories are in mashed potatoes made without butter?
Mashed potatoes made with milk only have 174 calories per 210 g cup, compared with 237 for the whole milk and butter version. Fat drops from 8.9 g to 1.2 g, while carbs and sodium stay close.
