Potatoes can be small and unassuming or massive and completely in your face. As you’re probably well aware, potatoes come in all sorts of sizes, colors, and flavors. So, if a recipe calls for 2 pounds of spuds, how many of them will you need?
A russet potato weighs between 6 and 8 ounces, so you would need 4 to 6 of them to get to 2 pounds. An Idaho potato, on the other hand, can weigh as much as 17 ounces, with 2 of them adding up to roughly 2 pounds.
As you can see, the type of potato plays a big part in the final spud count to get to 2 pounds. In this guide, I’ll talk about the most popular potato types and how many of them you’d need to reach 2 pounds, as well as what you can do with all the potatoes you have on hand.
Types of Potatoes
If you go to a grocery store and look at the bins of potatoes, you’ll find that they come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. It’s only after you sink your teeth into one that you’ll realize how much they differ in taste and texture.
So, when trying to figure out how many potatoes you’d need to reach a certain weight, you first need to know what variety of potatoes you’re dealing with. We don’t have time to cover all 200-plus potato varieties, but we can look at the most commonly used types of potatoes in the US.
Russet
Russet potatoes are big and have dark brown skin. Use this potato when baking. Russet potatoes have a thick shell that crisps while baking and a light, fluffy interior that holds toppings well. Russets can be mashed if the skins are removed. The huge size and crisp texture of this starchy potato make it excellent for French fries.
Yellow
Yellow potatoes, which include German Butterballs, is a medium-sized potato that has a distinct skin and flaky texture. There’s also a fine webbing that coats the skin. It can be used for any application, from baking to roasting to mashing.
White
White potatoes retain their shape after baking or boiling. Their soft, delicate skin adds the right level of texture contrast against the velvety smooth mashed flesh, so there’s no need to remove the skin. You’ll usually know when you have a white potato on your hands by its beige or tan skin.
Yukon Gold
Yukon Gold is a popular all-purpose potato. It features thin, gold skin and a creamy, sweet, buttery flesh. You may cook these gold potatoes however you choose. Yukons are popular in restaurants and industrial kitchens due to their extreme versatility and flavor profile.
Jewel Yam
The term “yam” is used as a blanket term to describe any sweet potato. The most popular type of yam is the Jewel Yam, a.k.a. the everyday sweet potato, which is extremely hard when raw but softens considerably after boiling. This is a great substitute to make mashed potatoes and French fries.
How Many Potatoes Are in 2 Pounds?
Now that we know the basics of some of the most well-known potato varieties, it’s time to discuss their weight. This brief chart should give you a rough idea of how many potatoes you’d need to reach 2 pounds based on the potato variety.
| Potato Variety | Average Weight per Potato | How Many in 2 Pounds |
| Russet | 6 to 8 oz. | 4 to 6 |
| Yellow | 5 to 10 oz. | 3 to 6 |
| White | 3 to 5 oz. | 6 to 10 |
| Yukon Gold | 3 to 6 oz. | 4 to 10 |
| Jewel Yam | 4 oz. | 8 |
| Red | 6 oz. | 5 to 6 |
What Can You Do with 2 Pounds of Potatoes?
2 pounds of potatoes might not seem like much, but after you bake, mash, or roast them, you’ll realize just how many mouths it can feed.
Mashed potatoes
On average, you should prepare at least 6 ounces of mashed potatoes per person. That’s roughly ¾ of an average russet potato since some of that weight will come from the milk, cream, butter, and toppings you put into the mash. 2 pounds of potatoes should yield enough to feed around 7 people.
Roasted potatoes
Roasted potatoes are another awesome side dish to have during huge feasts, but you can get by with providing around 4 ounces to each dinner guest. Since the potatoes will lose some of their moisture (and weight) in the oven, 2 pounds of your potato of choice should feed between 8 and 10 people.
French fries
A single serving of French fries usually consists of 12 to 15 sticks, which is about 3 ounces. So, about half a potato should go into making a single-size portion of fries. 2 pounds of potatoes, which is about 4 to 6 (russet) can yield enough for 8 to 12 people.
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