For the ninth year in a row, Americans have christened potatoes as their favorite vegetable, while French fries ranked as consumers’ favorite side dish, reports the Pennsylvania Co-Operative Potato Growers, located at 3107 N. Front Street in Harrisburg, PA.
In home kitchens, however, mashed and baked potatoes are tied for the top spot in terms of how potatoes were prepared when respondents were asked about their most recent potato-inclusive meals. Fries, while still widely eaten, were closely behind.
The report also established that 81 percent of respondents eat at least one serving of potatoes per week, viewing them increasingly as “performance fuel” that delivers energy, with 64 percent judging them a healthy choice.
These are just some of the principal findings of the 2025 Consumer Attitudes & Usage Study, conducted by Potatoes USA, that offers a discerning glance into the hearts, minds and dining behaviors of American consumers as it pertains to potatoes. The annual online survey included 2,000 respondents designed to take into account current U.S. census statistics on gender, age and income, and shows the dominant tendencies that highlight the potato’s steadfast reign as indispensable in American diets.
Key takeaways from the 2025 report
According to the Pennsylvania Co-Operative Potato Growers, several central themes emerged from the data:
- Performance perception is on the rise
At present, more consumers link potatoes with health and performance benefits, especially for fueling physical and mental activity. A growing number now say that potatoes:
- Help fuel daily behaviors
- Deliver energy for the body and brain
- Produce constant energy during the day
- Are consumed and sanctioned by athletes
This increasing connection with physical performance and physical energy is helping potatoes go past the long-standing status as a “starchy indulgence” to being identified as a trendy, practical food.
This finding actually signifies an unexploited niche—potatoes as performance fuel.
Performance nutrition represents a hopeful prospect for potatoes. Yes, 62 percent of consumers regard them as an “energy-packed vegetable,” and 52 percent consider they’re helpful for athletic performance, but only 10 percent tell us they use them as workout fuel, contrasted to 36 percent enjoying sports drinks and 35 percent benefitting from protein bars.
This gap underlines a mostly untapped opportunity. By identifying potatoes as a clean, energizing performance fuel for strategic moments (pre-, during or post-workout), the potato industry can start to close this disparity. As the Washington Post reports, “More ultra marathoners and cyclists are turning to potatoes as mild, carbohydrate-packed option,” emphasizing the possibility of acquiring a bigger foothold in the performance nutrition market.
- Heath perceptions are up, while barriers to potatoes shrink
In spite of their overall popularity, there are several reasons for curbing potato intake that remain, although at lower levels than in previous years. The main barriers to potatoes mentioned include a conviction that other vegetables provide extra nutritional value. Moreover, there are worries about potatoes’ carbohydrate content, which means that consumers still have the belief that potatoes are fattening. Additionally, there is the opinion that they eat enough potatoes already while others tell the survey they simply prefer other vegetables.
Even so, these reasons are being mentioned less often than in prior surveys, signifying that educational endeavors about the nutritional value of potatoes are paying off.
In addition to crowning the list as the nation’s favorite vegetable for the ninth year in a row, opinions of potatoes as a nutritious staple that sustains an active lifestyle are on the rise. Beyond those much-loved qualities such as versatility and satisfaction, consumers more and more identify potatoes as a food that delivers persistent energy for daily activities.
Importantly, among consumers who possess a general positive opinion of carbs, 71 percent identify potatoes as a high-quality carb. This offers yet one more opportunity to position potatoes as a natural, nutrient-rich carb that helps fuel both the body and the brain.
In fact, confidence in the paybacks of potatoes has never been higher with 64 percent of the respondents to the Consumer Attitudes study deeming that potatoes as “healthy” for them.
This change in attitudes points to a significant opportunity: Marketing campaigns that center on how potatoes fit into an everyday active life can lower any barriers to eating potatoes and may lead to more purchases.
The Pennsylvania Co-Operative Potatoes Growers believe that this expanding awareness of potatoes’ nutritional advantages offers a significant opportunity for the potato industry to motivate consumers, inspiring even greater consumption.
- Potatoes hold strong in weekly meal rotations
As noted, the Consumer Study indicates that 81 percent of U.S. consumers eat at least one serving of potatoes each week. More impressively, one in three eat more than three servings per week, revealing not just far-reaching approval, but a deep-seated devotion to potatoes as a nutritional mainstay.
Okay, what are the main reasons given in the survey as to why consumers love potatoes?
Survey respondents were asked why potatoes retain such a preferred place in their diets. The responses point at the source of their popularity.
- Versality: Potatoes stand out in numerous dishes, from sides to mains.
- Safety: Potatoes deliver an enjoyable feeling of fullness.
- Natural appeal: Consumers regard potatoes as a “genuine” unprocessed food.
- Satisfaction factor: Potatoes are undeniably tasty and satisfying.
- Universal appeal: Nearly everyone loves them, making them a real crowd-pleaser.
What are some of the implications for the potato industry?
No question, Potatoes USA’s research makes one thing unquestionably clear: Potatoes are not simply staying alive in the today’s food environment. They’re booming. With their numerous flexible applications, nutritional paybacks and unbeatable appeal, potatoes are positioned to remain as a dominating force in both the produce aisle and the restaurant platter.
From producers to processors, from foodservice operators to merchants, the message is straightforward. The American appetite for potatoes is strong. Deliberate messaging concerning nutritional performance, sustainability and versatility will only reinforce this status further.
Need more information on what’s the latest in the potato industry? Contact us at the Pennsylvania Co-Operative Potato Growers at pacooppotatoes.com.
