This Viral Video Shows You How to Make Mashed Potatoes with Potato Chips

You’d be forgiven for thinking mashed potatoes were one of those simple dishes that tastes like more than the sum of its parts. All you need are boiled potatoes and maybe a little milk and butter to transform them into a pot of starchy, creamy goodness.

But as with many things culinary, TikTok users have managed to find a hack for making even easier mashed potatoes—and it all starts with a bag of chips! Why not? The popular platform already taught us how to make three-ingredient ice cream, ethereal cloud bread and the now famous whipped coffee.

How to Make Mashed Potatoes with Potato Chips

The recipe starts with a big bag of classic Lay’s potato chips (though any brand will do) and a pot of boiling water. After the water starts boiling, you pour in the chips and cook them until they become soft—just a couple of minutes—and then drain the water off in a colander and pour the mushy chips back into the pot.

The basic concept is the same on many video tutorials, but @matthewinthekitchen has one of the most comprehensive:

@matthewinthekitchenPOTATO CHIP MASHED POTATOES?? Lays?? This was…weird to cook. ib @starley.reed #cooking #potato #mashedpotatoes #lays #chips♬ original sound – Matthew Merril

Mash the soft chips until they’re creamy. Then, add in the flavorful fats like butter, milk or heavy cream (some recipes use sour cream) that you would use to make traditional mashed potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste, and that’s it. Talk about instant pot mashed potatoes! Here, learn how to make instant mashed potatoes taste better.

How Do They Taste?

Admittedly, the texture isn’t an exact mashed potato replica, but TikTok creators and commenters are in consensus that the potato chip version tastes very much like the original. You might not want to plan a dinner party using this hack as a centerpiece, but in a pinch, a bag of chips can work wonders. And just think of the variations using sour cream and onion or barbecue flavors!

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