How Many Potatoes In A Pound? We Weighed Them!
We love potatoes! They are versatile, healthy, and oh so delicious. But what do you do when a recipe calls for a pound of potatoes, but you don’t have a kitchen scale handy? We wanted to find out just how many potatoes were in a pound, so we weighed them! Read on to get the details.
How Many Potatoes In A Pound?
After weighing many potatoes, I discovered that a pound of potatoes fits comfortably in my cupped hands. Generally speaking, that translates to about 1 large, 2 medium, and 4-8 small.
When you are making a recipe that requires a particular weight of potatoes, it can be hard to know how many to use.
If you do not have a kitchen scale, you usually end up guessing how many potatoes to use. But can you be sure the recipe will turn out well? Wouldn’t it be helpful to know how much potato to bring up from the root storage?
This article will give you the answers! We will show you exactly how to estimate the weight of different-sized potatoes. So the next time you are cooking with homegrown spuds, your recipe will turn out perfectly.
Do different potato types have different weights?
All fresh, unprocessed potatoes weigh about the same when compared to one another. It doesn’t matter what variety you choose. All potatoes will be very similar in weight per size. So, a medium red potato will weigh about the same as a Russet or Yukon Gold of the same size.
Fun Fact: In Tudor Britain, potatoes were called “apples of love” and considered an aphrodisiac.
Are There Standard Measurements For Potatoes?
Yes, it appears there are standard measurements for potatoes sold in a store. We went looking and found the United States standard size charts for potatoes. It is a long document. If you are interested, the following information is on page 5.
There are 3 different sizes of potatoes mentioned in the guide. Small, medium, and large. The following table shows the dimensions and weights of each size.
| Size | Diameter | Minimum Weight | Maximum Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| small | 1-3/4 to 2 ½ inches | Under 6 ounces | Under 6 ounces |
| medium | 2 ¼- 3 ¼ inches | 5 ounces | 10 ounces |
| large | 3- 4 ½ inches | 10 ounces | 28 ounces |
As you can see, there is quite a range in each category. The number of potatoes per pound will vary depending on where those potatoes fall in that range.
You can also see there is an overlap between sizes. For example, a 5.5-ounce potato could be a small or a medium. Similarly, a 10-ounce potato could be medium or large. It depends on the diameter of the potato.
- A 5.5-ounce potato with a 2-inch diameter = small
- A 5.5-ounce potato with a 2 1/4 inch diameter = medium
The USDA says, “Diameter means the greatest dimension at right angles to the longitudinal axis, without regard to the position of the stem end. “
The longitudinal axis is an imaginary line that goes from one end of an object to the other at its longest point. You cut the potato at its widest point along that line and measure across.
How Much Does a Small Potato Weigh?
USDA standard size for a medium potato is a diameter of under 2 1/2 inches and anything under 6 ounces
How Much Does A Medium Potato Weigh?
Generally speaking, a medium potato has a diameter of 2 ¼- 3 ¼ inches and weighs between 5-10 oz. The average weight is about 5.3 ounces.
How Much Does A Large Potato Weigh?
Generally speaking, a medium potato has a diameter of 3- 4 1/2 inches and weighs between 10-28 oz.
Can you imagine how big a 28-ounce potato would be!!!
How Many Potatoes In A Pound?
As you can see, figuring out how many potatoes in a pound is dependent on the size. Potatoes come in many different shapes and sizes, so the answer can range between 1 and 8. So, what is the best way to know?
How to Measure Your Potatoes
Measuring At The Store
Most grocery stores have a scale in the produce section. You can use this to weigh loose potatoes. Using a scale eliminates the guesswork and uncertainty of how many potatoes you will need.
Using Your Own Scale
A kitchen food scale can be helpful if you are hoping to follow a recipe precisely. This is the one we use.
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We like that it can switch between imperial and metric measurements.
Visual Measuring: Educating Your Eyes
What if you do not have a kitchen scale? Using your eyes and hands is surprisingly accurate.
I have very long fingers, so my hand may be larger than yours. I discovered that a pound of potatoes fits comfortably in my cupped hands. Here I am holding some of our potatoes. They are freshly dug from the garden. Each picture shows different sizes.
It was actually a lot fewer potatoes than I imagined.
Of course, your hands may be smaller than mine, so the results will vary from person to person. Still, you can figure out how many potatoes are in a pound by using this technique.
Use the produce scale at your grocery store to customize this procedure for your hand size. Test out several different potato sizes for weight. Then see how they look and feel in your palm.
Go ahead and try this? You may need to open a bag of potatoes at the store and try different sizes. You can quickly dispense with a scale once you know how many potatoes you need to hold to get one pound! It is remarkably accurate.
Use Volume
If all else fails, you can always use volume measures. According to the North Carolina Potato Association, one pound of potatoes equals
- 2 cups mashed
- 3 cups of peeled and sliced
- 21/4 cups peeled and diced
Storage Tip: Store potatoes and onions in separate places as both give off gasses that will cause the other to spoil faster.
Final Thoughts
If you do not have a kitchen scale, having a rough idea of how many potatoes are in a pound can be very helpful. We hope this post has helped you figure out how much the different sizes of potato weigh. Generally speaking, it translates to about 1 large, 2 medium, and 4-8 small. But it is very dependent on the size of your potatoes.
One of the best methods is to learn what one pound of potatoes looks and feels like in your hands. Once you know that, figuring out how many there are in any given recipe is easy. If that is not possible, there are always measuring cups!