Mashed potatoes calories come to 237 for 1 cup (210 g) and 113 per 100 g, based on the USDA home-prepared recipe with whole milk and butter. The add-ins drive the total: leave out the butter and the same cup drops to 174, yet sodium stays high at 634 to 666 mg.
237kcal
1 cup · 210 g, home-prepared, 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, 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%
Milk only, no butter (210 g)
174
4 g
36.9 g
1.2 g
634 mg
9%
4 oz portion (113 g)
128
2.1 g
19 g
4.8 g
358 mg
6%
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, and seconds add up fast
A 1 cup scoop of 210 g lands at 237 calories, about 12% of a 2000-calorie daily value. A smaller 4 oz portion (113 g) comes to 128 calories, close to the 113 you get per 100 g. Neither number is alarming on its own.
The problem is the serving spoon. Mashed potatoes are soft, dense and easy to pile on, so a holiday plate rarely holds exactly one cup. Two cups (420 g) reach 475 calories, three cups (630 g) reach 712, and five cups spread over a weekend of leftovers total 1,187.
If you track, weigh once. Scoop your usual portion onto a kitchen scale and you will know whether your cup is really 210 g or closer to double that. One check fixes most of the guesswork for every meal after it.
Carbs supply 60% of the calories, butter most of the rest
Per 100 g, mashed potatoes carry 16.8 g of carbs, 4.2 g of fat and 1.9 g of protein. In calorie terms that splits into 60% carbs, 34% fat and just 7% protein. This is a starch side, not a protein source.
The fat comes almost entirely from the butter. The USDA milk-only version has 1.2 g of fat in a 210 g cup against 8.9 g in the buttered cup, and calories fall from 237 to 174. In the buttered recipe, saturated fat is 2.6 g per 100 g, more than half of the 4.2 g total.
Protein stays small either way: 3.9 g in a buttered cup and 4 g without butter, or 8% of the daily value. Fiber is modest at 3.2 g per cup and sugars sit at 3 g. If you want the plate to keep you full, the potatoes need help from something else.
Sodium is the row to watch
A cup of home-style mashed potatoes holds 666 mg of sodium, 29% of the daily value. That is more than twice the share of daily calories the same cup supplies, which is 12%. Per 100 g the figure is 317 mg.
Dropping the butter barely moves it. The milk-only cup still carries 634 mg, or 28% of the daily value, so the salt is not riding in on the butter. It comes from how the pot is seasoned.
Portions stack the sodium just like the calories: two cups reach 1,331 mg and three cups reach 1,997 mg. If you watch sodium, salt the pot lightly, taste before adding more at the table, and count anything poured on top separately. On the plus side, the potatoes bring 284 mg of potassium per 100 g.
Mashed potatoes need a protein partner
With only 7% of its calories from protein, mash works best as one part of a plate rather than the main event. Set a scoop next to a lean protein and a green vegetable and the meal gains the staying power the potatoes lack on their own.
Portion size is the easiest lever you have. A 4 oz scoop at 128 calories leaves plenty of room for the rest of the plate, while a full cup at 237 is nearly double. Making the milk-only version cuts the cup to 174 without changing the portion at all.
Boxed flakes such as Idahoan Original Mashed Potatoes or Mountain Harvest Mashed Potatoes change with flavor and with what you stir in, so check the brand table on this page instead of assuming they match homemade. BodyPal can also log your plate from a photo, which helps when the scoop size is a guess.
How does mashed potatoes compare?
Here is how mashed potatoes stack up against fried potatoes, sweet potato fries and grits, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the fewest calories pick grits at 71 per 100 g, with mashed potatoes a sensible middle at 113 and fried potatoes far heavier at 242. If you want a potato side, mash beats fries on calories: sweet potato fries come in at 192 per 100 g, about 1.7 times as much.
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 Potatoes1/3 cup dry · 22 g364 kcal
5Idahoan Russets Mashed Potatoes1/4 cup · 23 g348 kcal
6Mountain Harvest Mashed Potatoes1/4 cup dry · 22 g364 kcal
Boxed mixes are measured as dry flakes, so their per 100 g numbers run far above prepared mashed potatoes, which are mostly water and milk. 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 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. The fat stirred in at the table accounts for most of the difference.
Mashed potatoes vs sweet potato fries: which has fewer calories?
Mashed potatoes have 113 calories per 100 g and sweet potato fries 192, so the mash is 79 calories lighter per 100 g.
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 mashed potatoes made without butter?
A 210 g cup of mashed potatoes made with milk and no butter has 174 calories, compared with 237 for the buttered version. Fat drops from 8.9 g to 1.2 g, but sodium stays at 634 mg.
How many calories are in 100 g of mashed potatoes?
100 g of home-prepared mashed potatoes with milk and butter has 113 calories. That weight also carries 16.8 g of carbs, 4.2 g of fat, 1.9 g of protein and 317 mg of sodium.
What are the macros in a cup of mashed potatoes?
One cup (210 g) has 35.3 g of carbs, 8.9 g of fat and 3.9 g of protein for 237 calories. By calories that is 60% carbs, 34% fat and 7% protein.
What nutrients are in a cup of mashed potatoes?
Besides 237 calories, a 210 g cup gives 666 mg of sodium (29% of the daily value), 3.2 g of fiber, 3 g of sugars and 3.9 g of protein. Per 100 g there is also 284 mg of potassium.
How many calories are in a single serving of mashed potatoes?
A 4 oz serving (113 g) of mashed potatoes has 128 calories, or 6% of the daily value. A full 1 cup serving of 210 g comes to 237 calories.
