CopycatSpices
Copycat KFC Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
KFC's mashed potatoes and gravy are surprisingly simple — instant-style potatoes with a rich, peppery, chicken-flavored gravy that tastes like the Colonel himself made it.
copycat · kfc · fast-food · side
🕑Prep5 min
🍳Cook15 min
⏱Total20 min
🍽Serves6
⭐DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons butter (for gravy)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- 1.Make the mashed potatoes. Bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the milk, 3 tablespoons butter, and salt. Add the instant potato flakes and stir until smooth and fluffy. Cover and set aside.
- 2.Start the gravy. In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the roux is golden brown. This browning adds flavor.
- 3.Add the broth. Slowly pour in the chicken broth while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Keep whisking until the mixture is smooth.
- 4.Season the gravy. Add the poultry seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the gravy is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 5.Taste and adjust. Check the seasoning — the gravy should be savory and peppery. Add more salt or pepper as needed.
- 6.Serve together. Scoop the mashed potatoes into bowls and make a well in the center. Ladle the gravy generously into the well and over the top.
Copycat KFC Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Here’s KFC’s not-so-secret secret: their mashed potatoes are instant. And you know what? That’s fine. The potatoes aren’t the star — the gravy is. KFC’s gravy is a rich, peppery, chicken-flavored sauce that transforms basic instant potatoes into something people specifically crave. It’s the gravy that makes people drive to KFC for a side dish.
The gravy starts with a butter-flour roux that’s cooked until golden brown, then enriched with chicken broth and seasoned with poultry seasoning and plenty of black pepper. In the actual restaurants, they incorporate crackling bits from the fryer, but this simplified version captures 95% of the flavor with a fraction of the effort.
Gravy That Tastes Like KFC
- Brown the roux. Don’t just melt the butter and add flour — cook the roux for a full 2 minutes until it turns golden. This adds a toasty, nutty flavor that’s essential to KFC’s gravy character.
- Poultry seasoning is the key. It’s a blend of sage, thyme, and rosemary that gives the gravy its distinctive “KFC” flavor. Without it, you just have generic chicken gravy.
- Heavy on the pepper. KFC gravy is noticeably peppery. Use more black pepper than you think you need.
Fast Food Side Economics
A large mashed potatoes and gravy at KFC costs about $4-5. This recipe makes enough for six servings for about $2.50 total. Instant potato flakes are cheap, butter and broth are cheap, and the result tastes virtually identical to the drive-thru version.
