KFC’s mashed potatoes are made from potato powder and water, not fresh potatoes, according to Tasting Table. So the closest copycat is instant potatoes with butter and cream cheese, topped with a bouillon gravy thickened with a butter and flour roux. Here’s a home version, plus what the gravy really contains.
This is a home version. KFC doesn’t publish its recipe, so nothing here claims an exact match. What you get is a smooth, fast side that sits well next to a bucket of fried chicken, and you can have it on the table in about 35 minutes!
What’s in KFC mashed potatoes and gravy?
Per Tasting Table (January 2025), the potatoes are powder and water, and chicken fat is listed as an ingredient in the gravy. It reports 110 calories for the potatoes, 130 with gravy, and 330 mg of sodium, or 520 mg with gravy.
Tasting Table also says the potatoes contain milk and soy, and that several ingredients, including natural flavors and mono and diglycerides, might be derived from animals. It adds that the potatoes are gluten-free and MSG-free, but the gravy is not. So if you’re asking whether KFC gravy is vegetarian, that source says no.
How the gravy gets its flavor is less clear. Tasting Table says a U.K. documentary showed “crackling,” the leftover chicken bits from the fryer, going into the gravy there. It also says some U.S. employees confirm cracklings while others say the gravy arrives in tubs. In other words, nobody outside KFC can say exactly what’s in your local batch.
How do the copycat gravies compare?
They all start with bouillon and a flour roux, but the amounts and the browning differ. Mommy Mouse Clubhouse uses 4 tablespoons of butter and 5 of flour for 2½ cups of liquid. Connie Perry uses 10 tablespoons of each for 4½ cups, and browns the flour first.
| Source | Liquid | Butter and flour | Method note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mommy Mouse Clubhouse | 2½ cups hot water, 1 tbsp beef bouillon, 2 tsp chicken bouillon | 4 tbsp butter, 5 tbsp flour | Make a roux, add the bouillon, simmer to thickness |
| Connie Perry | 4½ cups chicken broth, 2 chicken and 2 beef cubes | 10 tbsp butter, 10 tbsp flour | Brown the first 5 tbsp flour 5 to 7 min, simmer 5 to 7 min |
Divide those out and you’ll see the thickness is about the same, roughly 2 tablespoons of flour per cup of liquid in both. The difference is color. Connie Perry browns the roux for a darker gravy, while Mommy Mouse’s method doesn’t mention browning at all.
KFC mashed potatoes and gravy ingredients
Potatoes:
- 1 package instant mashed potatoes (Mommy Mouse used the Idahoan brand; follow the package for about 6 servings)
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 ounce softened cream cheese
- ¾ teaspoon salt, plus black pepper to taste
- A splash of milk, as needed
Gravy:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups hot water mixed with 1 tablespoon beef bouillon and 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
The gravy amounts follow Mommy Mouse, and the potatoes follow its recipe card too. We added nothing new, and we haven’t cooked this exact version.
How do you make KFC mashed potatoes and gravy at home?
Make the potatoes from the package, then stir in the butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper. For the gravy, melt the butter, whisk in the flour, then slowly whisk in the bouillon water. Simmer until it coats a spoon, then season.
- Prepare the instant potatoes by the package directions and stir in the softened butter and cream cheese. Add a splash of milk if they’re stiff, then season.
- Whisk the beef bouillon, chicken bouillon and hot water together in a jug.
- Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. For a darker gravy, go longer, as Connie Perry does for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the bouillon water, turn the heat to low, and simmer until it reaches the thickness you like.
- Taste, then add salt and pepper. Pour it over your potatoes.
The darker roux time is Connie Perry’s figure for a larger batch, so watch yours and keep stirring. Burnt flour makes bitter gravy, and she warns not to burn it.
Can you use real potatoes instead?
Yes. Mommy Mouse says fresh potatoes work, though instant gives a smoother texture and saves time. Since Tasting Table says the restaurant uses a powder mix, instant is also the closer match to the restaurant version. Fresh potatoes taste more like homemade, which isn’t a bad thing!
Can you make it ahead or store the gravy?
Yes. Mommy Mouse says you can make the potatoes and gravy ahead and reheat. Connie Perry says to cool the gravy, put it in an airtight container and refrigerate within 2 hours, then reheat on the stove over low to medium heat, stirring. She says it freezes for 2 to 3 months, thawed overnight in the fridge.
That’s a big help on a holiday, when your stove is already full. Who wants to whisk gravy at the last minute? For more side planning, see our vegetable sides sorted by oven space and the Christmas side dishes matched to your main course.
Why do people say KFC gravy has changed?
Some customers think it has. One r/KFCAustralia poster asked about the change in a thread about the gravy being watery:
“Did they change the way they make the KFC gravy? Why isn’t it rich like before? Not good. Colonel Sanders wouldn’t be happy about this.”
– r/KFCAustralia (25 upvotes)
That’s one Australian customer’s view, not a statement from KFC. Tasting Table notes the Colonel himself once called the gravy unfit for his dogs, so complaints go back a long way. If you want a richer gravy at home, brown the roux longer.
What do you serve with it?
Fried chicken is the obvious partner, and our sides for fried chicken guide covers more ideas. Mommy Mouse suggests buttermilk biscuits alongside, and it also builds a copycat bowl by layering potatoes, corn, chicken and cheese, then pouring gravy over the top.
KFC mashed potatoes questions people ask
Is KFC gravy vegetarian?
Per Tasting Table, no. It says chicken fat is listed in the gravy, and the potatoes themselves are not vegetarian either because of ingredients that might be animal-derived.
Are KFC mashed potatoes gluten-free?
Tasting Table says the potatoes are gluten-free and MSG-free but the gravy is not, and they do contain milk and soy.
What can you use instead of cream cheese?
Mommy Mouse suggests sour cream or Greek yogurt, though we haven’t tested either here.