This $2.29 Walmart Mashed Potatoes Is the Best I've Ever Had

I never thought I’d find myself comparing instant mashed potatoes to a croissant or shortbread cookies, but that’s exactly what happened when I tried Walmart’s bettergoods Belgian Style Mashed Potatoes.

Over the years, I’ve made all kinds of mashed potatoes from scratch, from the French version loaded with butter to the American one that leans lighter with just a splash of cream. I’ve also experimented with different potato varieties to see how they affect the texture.

Despite all those efforts, I’ve always had a soft spot for instant mashed potatoes. They’re quick, simple, and require minimal effort. While they can lack flavor and richness, I’ve always thought of them as a blank canvas ready for a personal touch.

What Are Belgian Mashed Potatoes?

From my quick research, Belgian-style mashed potatoes are traditionally served as a main dish rather than as a side. They’re often mixed with vegetables like carrots or cabbage and sometimes paired with sausage or bacon. Like American mashed potatoes, they use butter and cream, but the presentation is heartier, rustic, and meant to stand on its own. 

To level the playing field and see how they measured up against other delicious mashed potatoes, I enjoyed them as a side rather than a main course.

Why I Love Walmart’s bettergoods Belgian Style Mashed Potatoes

Upon opening the bag, I found small rectangular blocks that resembled Jenga pieces. I was intrigued since I’d never seen mashed potatoes in block form before. I didn’t think much of it at first, but in hindsight, it’s a smart way to package them. The smaller blocks let you use as much or as little as you want without committing to a giant brick of mashed potatoes that would take forever to heat and likely cook unevenly in the microwave.

The instructions were short, but not exactly intuitive. Step one asks you to place 250 grams of the frozen mashed potato blocks into a microwave-safe bowl and cover them. I appreciate the accuracy and the nod to the metric system—Belgium, after all, uses grams—but I doubt most home cooks will want to pull out a kitchen scale, especially since frozen microwavable food implies that minimal to no effort is needed. Since the box is about 600 grams, I estimated and used a little under half the package, roughly 250 to 300 grams.

From there, the process was straightforward: Microwave for three minutes, stir in two tablespoons of milk (or water), then microwave again for another three minutes. To my surprise, mixing was incredibly easy—the potatoes came together smoothly with a texture that reminded me of cream cheese frosting. Just a tip: Try not to smear the mixture on the sides of the bowl, since anything stuck there tends to dry out during the long microwave intervals.

The very first spoonful won me over. These mashed potatoes delivered a rich, buttery flavor that instantly reminded me of a freshly baked croissant. After a few more bites, the creaminess reminded me of buttery shortbread cookies—decadent, but not overwhelming.

What stood out most was the balance: more buttery than American mashed potatoes, but not nearly as heavy as the French style. They were also seasoned perfectly. The subtle peppery notes caught my attention, but there were no black specks in sight. A glance at the ingredient list solved the mystery—white pepper. That tiny detail gave the potatoes depth while keeping the smooth golden appearance.

I may not be hopping on a plane to Belgium anytime soon, but thanks to these bettergoods Belgian Style Mashed Potatoes, I know my next trip will be to Walmart’s frozen aisle.

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