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Popeyes Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Popeye’s are one of the most famous American restaurant chains around, well known for their incredible chicken dishes that are often served with their delicious buttermilk biscuits.

But biscuits are not the only side people love, in fact their incredible mashed potatoes served with cajun gravy are also highly praised by patrons.

Smooth, creamy, and made with real butter.

It’s a great dish to make at home too, it’s versatile and adaptable enough to where you can serve it with pretty much anything!

popeyes mashed potatoes recipe

That’s why today we’re sharing this Popeyes mashed potatoes copycat recipe so you’ll be able to make it at home just how Popeyes do!

How to make Popeyes Mashed Potatoes

The recipe is split into two parts.

Firstly, we’ll make the mashed potato which is very simple, then we’ll make the popular Popeyes Cajun Gravy, which is where the real magic happens.

If you’re looking for an ultra-speedy way to prepare this you can also buy a pre-made Cajun Gravy mix.

Ingredients:

(2-3 servings)

For the mashed potato:

  • 1/2kg of Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 3 tablespoons of milk
  • 1 tablespoon of heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon of black pepper
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of white pepper

For the Popeyes Cajun Gravy:

  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • 2 tablespoons of bacon grease
  • 1 cup of veal stock
  • 1/2 cup of chopped celery
  • 1/2 chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup of red bell pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of oregano
  • 1 teaspoon of thyme
  • 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon of white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon of tabasco sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

The nicest thing about this dish is that both the mashed potatoes and cajun gravy suit almost anything.

So no matter what you want to serve it with, whether it’s simple chicken breast or even popeye’s own cajun fries, it’s going to be delicious.

This is a meal everyone should have in their cookbooks!

We’ll start by making the popeyes mashed potato.

Step 1:

Boil some water in a saucepan, while it’s heating we can wash, peel and cut the potatoes roughly.

Some people don’t like to remove the skin, but it will help produce a fluffier and creamier mashed potato.

Step 2:

Put the potatoes into the boiling water along with the garlic and some extra salt for flavor.

Boil them for 12-15 minutes, an easy way to check they are done is to pierce them with a fork. If the fork enters easily they’re ready!

Step 3:

Remove the potatoes from the water and drain, keep tossing to help dry them out further.

The less moisture the better for our mashed potatoes’ consistency!

Step 4:

Transfer them to a bowl and mash them using a potato masher, if you don’t have one to hand a fork can also work.

Step 5:

Melt the butter into a saucepan, then add the milk and oil.

Keep stirring until everything thickens up.

Step 6:

Once you are happy with it, turn off the heat and transfer the potatoes you just mashed back to the pan and stir everything up until it’s nice, silky, and smooth.

Step 7:

Season with salt and pepper and you’re done! Now we can move on to the Cajun Gravy.

Step 8:

Using a clean skillet, combine the diced onions, celery, red bell peppers, and add some salt.

Saute them for 2-3 minutes and remove them from the skillet.

Step 9:

To the same pan, we add the butter, flour, and bacon grease.

Let it cook until it turns to a browny-peanutty kind of look.

Step 10:

Re-add the vegetables to the pan and cook them for another 2-3 minutes.

While they are cooking we can add all the delicious spices to it, this includes paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, celery salt, white pepper, and thyme.

Step 11:

Keep it boiling until everything has thickened and then add the veal stock and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour this over the mashed potatoes and it’s ready to enjoy!

Ingredient substitutions

bowl of mashed cauliflower

With so many spices being used in this recipe there’s an almost infinite number of substitutions you can make.

But here are a few of our favorites that can help enhance the nutrition and flavor of the dish.

1. Mashed Cauliflower

This is a fantastic and healthy alternative to potatoes, it can have a surprisingly similar texture to potatoes once mashed (although maybe not quite as smooth) and has far more vitamin C with far fewer simple carbohydrates.

2. Almond Milk

If you need to avoid the milk for dietary reasons, almond milk (or even soy milk) makes for a great alternative. They will still provide a bit of that creaminess while also making a healthier dish.

3. Peanut oil

The bacon grease used in the gravy can be a bit heavy for some, so a good alternative is peanut oil which will help achieve the same consistency without dramatically changing the flavor too much.

What to serve with Popeyes Mashed Potatoes

Popeyes themselves serve Mashed Potatoes as a side to almost every main dish they offer, so there’s certainly no shortage of options available!

Here are a couple of our favorites.

Chicken Sandwich

By far one of the most popular things to serve it with is a spicy chicken sandwich.

Crispy deep-fried chicken cutlet served on a brioche bun along with spicy mayo and pickles.

It’s the perfect pairing for your potatoes!

Turkey breast

There’s nothing quite like a good lean protein source to accompany your mashed potatoes, what makes this combination work so well is the fact that turkey is also commonly served with gravy.

So you can also use that special Cajun sauce on the turkey too!

How to reheat Popeyes Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes have a high water content which unfortunately means they are prone to drying out.

Here are the best methods to go about reheating them while retaining as much texture and flavor as possible.

How to reheat Popeyes Mashed Potatoes in a pot

You won’t need any oil for this, simply place the mashed potato in the pan on low heat and cover them with a lid.

These are cooking more through the hot air than anything.

Keep stirring them intermittently so they don’t burn, you can also add a little more butter to keep the creaminess levels up.

How to reheat Popeyes Mashed Potatoes in a microwave

Put the potatoes in a microwave-safe dish and heat for 30 seconds, then remove and give them a stir.

If it’s not quite warm enough yet put them on for another 30 seconds.

Again a little extra butter or even some gravy can help keep those moisture levels high.

How to reheat Popeyes Mashed Potatoes in the oven

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Place the potatoes in something like a casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes and they should be adequately warmed through.

How to reheat Popeyes Mashed Potatoes in an air fryer

Preheat the oven to 360°F.

Load all the remaining mashed potatoes into the air fryer using the cake pan basket. If you want you can add a little more butter to it.

Fry for about 6 minutes and it should be adequately warmed through!

How to store Popeyes Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes can only sit out for about 2 hours before they need to be stored.

So do ensure you have a storage method prepared to keep yours safe if you can’t finish it all in a single sitting!

Store in the fridge

Put them into an adequately sized bowl and cover with plastic wrap, or alternatively use a sealed container and refrigerate.

They should keep for 3-5 days when stored this way.

Store in the freezer

While it will dry them out quite a bit during the thawing process, you can indeed freeze mashed potatoes which is ideal if you want to make a lot of them ahead of time.

The best thing to use (after they have completely cooled) is a freezer bag so you can squeeze all the air out of them before freezing.

Once frozen they’ll keep for up to 2 months.

popeyes mashed potatoes recipe

Popeyes Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Popeyes makes some of the fluffiest mashed potatoes around that they serve with a delicious Cajun gravy. This is one of their most popular side dishes and can pair well with almost anything. This recipe will show you exactly how to make it just like Popeyes do from home!
4.92 from 12 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Cajun
Servings 3 servings
Calories 110 kcal
Equipment
  • 1 bowl
  • 1 potato masher
Ingredients
  
For the mashed potato:
  • 1/2 kgs Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1 tbsp virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp white pepper
For the Popeyes Cajun Gravy:
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 tbsp bacon grease
  • 1 cup veal stock
  • 1/2 cup celery chopped
  • 1/2 onions chopped
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp tabasco sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
 
  • Boil some water in a saucepan, while it’s heating we can wash, peel and cut the potatoes roughly. Some people don’t like to remove the skin, but it will help produce a fluffier and creamier mashed potato.
  • Put the potatoes into the boiling water along with the garlic and some extra salt for flavor. Boil them for 12-15 minutes, an easy way to check they are done is to pierce them with a fork. If the fork enters easily they’re ready!
  • Remove the potatoes from the water and drain, keep tossing to help dry them out further. The less moisture the better for our mashed potatoes' consistency!
  • Transfer them to a bowl and mash them using a potato masher, if you don’t have one to hand a fork can also work.
  • Melt the butter into a saucepan, then add the milk and oil. Keep stirring until everything thickens up.
  • Once you are happy with it, turn off the heat and transfer the potatoes you just mashed back to the pan and stir everything up until it’s nice, silky, and smooth.
  • Season with salt and pepper and you’re done! Now we can move on to the Cajun Gravy.
  • Using a clean skillet, combine the diced onions, celery, red bell peppers, and add some salt. Saute them for 2-3 minutes and remove them from the skillet.
  • To the same pan, we add the butter, flour, and bacon grease. Let it cook until it turns to a browny-peanutty kind of look.
  • Re-add the vegetables to the pan and cook them for another 2-3 minutes. While they are cooking we can add all the delicious spices to it, this includes paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, celery salt, white pepper, and thyme.
  • Keep it boiling until everything has thickened and then add the veal stock and Worcestershire sauce.
    Pour this over the mashed potatoes and it’s ready to enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 110kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 590mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g

Popeyes Mashed Potatoes Recipe pn

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Passionate chef, in love with everything related to food and cooking it to perfection!
Michael Cook
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