How Many Potatoes Are In A Bag Of Chips? - Foods Guy (2024)

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Today, we are covering a somewhat strange question. However, there are actually some sound reasons why this is an important question to ask!

For example, many people underestimate the number of potatoes it takes to make a bag of chips — the real number will make you question whether you want to consume that many carbs and salt.

Another reason it’s a fascinating topic is that it can help us determine how many potatoes you will need to make homemade potato chips!

So, how many potatoes are in a bag of chips? That number depends on the size of the bag! We’ve worked out some formulas to help you determine the exact amount of potatoes per ounce of chips (ex. 4oz potatoes = 1oz potato chips, but each potato has an average weight of 5.3 ounces — so you need 3/4 of a potato for every 1oz potato chips).

Today, we’ve pulled out the calculator and calculated the exact amount of potatoes that are needed for various-sized bags. We also included in-depth tables with the exact weight and number of potatoes you will require.

What Affects The Number Of Potatoes Per Bag?

Now, before we get into exactly how many potatoes are in a bag of chips, it’s important to fully understand the variables.

Two main factors will alter the final number:

• Size of the chips bag
• Size of the potatoes

Size Of The Chips Bag

Now, as you know, potato chips come in many different sizes of bags. Even between brands, the small size alone can vary in weight and volume (more on this below).

Today, we will try to use average weights for each size of the bag. However, we’ll first break it down for you.

Personal Size Chip Bags

A personal bag of potato chips contains 1.5 ounces (42.5 grams) of chips. This portion is meant for one person as a single serving.

However, for some brands, the size of the package might be the same, but the contents have different weights.

A small bag of Doritos chips only weighs 1 ounce (28.4 grams). However, they also sell a larger personal bag of chips that weighs 1.75 ounces (49.6 grams).

Regular Size Chip Bags

Next, you get regular bags of chips. This is the standard bag that is meant to serve 3-4 people. The challenge with pinning down this exact weight is that it varies a ton between brands (even within the brand itself).

For example, the standard flavors of Lay’s chips are all sold in 10-ounce (283.5 grams) bags. However, their special flavors come in 9.5-ounce (269.3 grams) bags.

You will not be able to notice the difference in size because the bags have the same dimensions and the price is often the same.

A standard bag of Cape Cod chips is usually only 7 ounces (198.5 grams), while a standard bag of Ruffles chips ranges between 8.5-9 ounces.

PartyOr Family Size Chip Bags

Finally, you can also buy party bags or family bags. Again, the sizes of these bags vary greatly.

A party pack of Ruffles chips only weighs 13.5 ounces, but a big family pack of Doritos can weigh either 15 or 17 ounces (425.2 – 481.9 grams).

Different Sizes Of Chips From Various Popular Brands

Here’s a quick breakdown of chip bag size differences between popular potato chip brands:

Size Of The Potatoes

Now, we won’t go into too much detail regarding different types of potatoes.

It’s safe to assume that most suppliers use your average highly starchy potato to make their chips — it’s most likely varietals like Russet, Agria, Lady Britta, or Idaho potatoes.

Nevertheless, there are some standard sizes you can use to help determine exactly how many potatoes are used to make a bag of chips.

A medium potato has an average weight of between 5-10 ounces (141.8 – 283.5 grams).Naturally, that means that a small potato weighs anything less than 5 ounces, while a large potato weighs more than 10 ounces.

How Many Potatoes Are In A Bag Of Chips?

Now, at this point, we felt pretty defeated in answering this question. Look at the numbers! It’s all over the place.

Luckily, we found some research articles that helped us do some simple math to give you a standard answer.

Now, keep in mind that there is still some wiggle room here. But these are the best averages we could come up with.

See Also

Chip Bag Sizes - Sizes of Objects and Stuff

For every 1 pound (16 ounces) of potato chips, you will need between 10-12 medium potatoes, if each medium potato weighs about 5.3 ounces (150 grams).

So, on average, for every 1 pound of potato chips you are eating or want to make, you will need about 4 pounds of potatoes.

Medium-Sized (5.3-Ounce) Potatoes Per Bag Of Potato Chips

Now, to translate this formula into numbers (be warned — it’s a lot of numbers), have a look at the table below:

Does The Type Of Chip Change The Amount Of Potatoes Needed?

There are a few different types of potato chips you can find — and we aren’t even considering the many different flavors out there!

What we are talking about has to do with the shape of the chip. For example, you get regular chips (like Cape Cod), ruffled chips (like Ruffles), and wafer-thin chips (like Lay’s).

Then, you also have different cooking methods for potato chips. Some of these methods may affect the final weight of each chip.

For example: when deep-frying potato chips, the fat that the potato absorbs replaces the water the potato has lost. Therefore, the weight of the potato stays more or less the same.

But, when air-frying potato chips without any oil, they are simply losing moisture. This results in the final weight of the chip being significantly less.

So, does the shape and type of chip affect the number of potatoes?

If all of your options have been cooked (made) in the same way, the amount of potatoes needed per ounce of potato chip remains the same.

However, if you have chips that use different cooking methods (like oven baking or air frying), you will likely need more potatoes to get the same amount of potato chips in weight than deep-fried potato chip packets.

Can You Use These Numbers When Making Homemade Chips?

The numbers we have provided today are arguably the most accurate you will find on the internet. We used multiple sources to get these averages and we even did the exact calculations and conversions ourselves.

The bottom line is that you won’t find this accurate data anywhere else!

To recap: you need 4 pounds of potatoes for every pound (16 ounces) of potato chips you want to make. One medium potato weighs 5.3 ounces each. Every ounce of potato chips is made using 3/4 of potato (or 4 ounces).

These numbers can be used to make your own potato chips at home. And again, remember that the exact number may vary depending on the potato you use and its exact size — not all potatoes weigh 5.3 ounces, of course!

Related Questions

Now that we’ve learned all about potato chips and how to calculate the number of potatoes that go into a bag of these tasty treats, here are some additional questions we thought you might have.

How many potato chips are in a packet?

This is a very difficult calculation to do because the size of each chip will vary. Plus, some brands use thicker chips than others. So, it is relative to each brand.

On average, a 1-ounce bag of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips contains about 20 chips, a 1-ounce bag of Cool Ranch Doritos contains 15 chips, and a 1-ounce bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos contains about 10 chips.

Why don’t they fill bags of chips completely?

The cushion of air in a bag of potato chips isn’t oxygen, believe it or not — it’s nitrogen gas! This gas helps preserve the chips, keep them crunchy, and retain their delicious salty flavor.

Without it, the chips will just go stale and soggy in a couple of hours. And you also need a certain amount of this gas to have effective results.

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