Potato Candy
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Potato candy is a sweet treat made with potatoes, powdered sugar, and creamy peanut butter rolled and cut into the perfect little bites!
This potato candy recipe sounds a little crazy but the mashed potatoes are magically transformed into an incredibly sweet dessert that the whole family will love! We like to enjoy these with other dessert favorites like oatmeal cream pies, haystacks, and lemon cream cheese bread.
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Potato Candy
Potato Candy
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Why you’ll love this recipe!
📌 Only 5 easy ingredients!
📌 Prep time is about 10 minutes and this recipe makes a whole bunch!
📌 Dough made from MASHED POTATOES! 🤯
Potato Candy Ingredients
- Potatoes – Plain mashed potatoes, made from scratch or instant mashed potatoes.
- Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners sugar, divided.
- Vanilla – Real vanilla extract.
- Salt – Kosher or sea salt.
- Peanut butter – Creamy works best for this recipe.
How do you make potato candy at home? (step-by-step directions)
⭐ First, mix together the mashed potatoes, a portion of the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Slowly add more of the powdered sugar, mixing between each addition until the mixture forms into a dough.
⭐ Next, lightly sprinkle a flat surface with powdered sugar and roll out the dough into a rectangle shape.
⭐ Then, spread the peanut butter in a thin layer all over the dough, leaving a small space around the edges.
⭐ Finally, roll the dough up lengthwise and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or wax paper. Chill before cutting into slices.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
Preparation
Should I mash a potato or use instant mashed potatoes?
A freshly mashed potato works best for this recipe but you can also use instant potatoes. Just make sure you use ½ cup of plain mashed potatoes. Don’t add any butter or salt.
What kind of potato should I use?
Russet potatoes work best for this recipe because of their light and fluffy texture. We want to keep the moisture at a minimum for this recipe so the dough will form. One medium russet potato is about ½ cup mashed.
How long does the dough need to chill in the refrigerator?
You want to chill for at least 1 hour or longer so the dough is nice and firm when cutting into slices. This will also help to maintain that beautiful swirl of peanut butter on each slice.
Why is my dough still watery?
If the dough is still watery or runny, you need to keep adding powdered sugar. Eventually it will thicken and become the perfect dough for rolling out!
Storage and leftovers
Does potato candy need to be refrigerated?
Yes, it’s best to keep these in the refrigerator. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can you freeze potato candy?
Yes, you can freeze these in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Make sure to layer them between wax paper or parchment paper to prevent them from freezing together.
Tips and tricks
✅ Make sure the potatoes have cooled to room temperature before you begin! Starting with hot or even warm potatoes will melt the powdered sugar and the recipe won’t turn out. Leave the potatoes out to cool on the countertop and begin the recipe when completely cooled.
✅ You can use any nut butter you like or even swap it for nutella or cookie butter!
✅ Potato candy is VERY sweet, we recommend cutting the pieces on the smaller side so they are the perfect sweet treat!
✅ You must use powdered sugar for this recipe, granulated sugar will not work.
What to enjoy along with our peanut butter potato candy recipe (serving suggestions)
This is a sweet and delicious dessert that we enjoy making around the holidays or for a pop of sweetness in the summer! Serve these with your next BBQ and make instant pot ribs, deviled egg potato salad, and strawberry pretzel salad.
More delicious potato recipes
- Scalloped potatoes
- Salt potatoes
- Parmesan roasted potatoes
- Air fryer potatoes
- Mashed potatoes
- Salt and vinegar potatoes
- Smashed potatoes
- Funeral potatoes
- Twice baked potatoes
- See all our easy potato recipes!
Other awesome candy recipes
- Martha Washington candy
- Cool whip candy
- Sponge candy
- Crockpot candy
- Peanut butter cups
- Microwave peanut brittle
- Almond clusters
- White chocolate covered oreos
- Homemade Twix bars
- See all our easy candy recipes!
Tools we love
- Electric mixer – You can use an electric mixer to whip it together quickly.
- Santuko knife – My favorite knife for cutting vegetables! This knife is the perfect size and shape, handles great, and is super reasonably priced. Also, I just love that it’s fun and colorful!
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How to Make Potato Candy
Potato Candy
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain mashed potatoes*
- 6 to 7 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter**
Instructions
- Mix together the mashed potatoes, 1 cup of powdered sugar, the salt and the vanilla.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing between each addition until the mixture forms a dough, slightly thicker than a cookie dough.
- Lightly sprinkle your surface with powdered sugar, and roll out the dough into a rectangle shape about ¼" thick.
- Spread the peanut butter in a thin layer all over the dough, leaving about a ½" space around the edges.
- Roll the dough up lengthwise, and wrap tightly in plastic or wax paper. Chill for about 1 hour, then cut into ¼" to ½" slices.
Notes
Nutrition
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I cannot wait to make this! This is like my grandmothers! This is always good and such a great addition to swap bars or school bake sales. You always have such great things on your site and so many easy to fix and with easy to follow directions! I also love that many of your items are pantry friendly! Thank You and have a Blessed Day.
I love these so much! They taste just like the potato candy my Nana used to make. So many memories with these.
This is crazy delicious! No one believes me when I tell them the ingredients!
I made the Potato Candy for the first time, and it was a hit with everyone! The combination of the creamy potato base and the sweet filling was just right. It’s a fun and nostalgic recipe that I’ll definitely make again.
It was my first time making these and it was surprisingly delicious! My kids loved them! Definitely will be making these again soon!
Always enjoy making this recipe! So simple and incredibly delicious!