KFC Is Bringing Mashed Potato Poppers to the U.S. for the First Time — And Fans Can Get Their Hands on Them Today

03/17/2025 01:46 PM

Potato lovers can purchase the menu item as part of KFC's new Dunk It Bucket

Potato lovers, rejoice!

On Monday, March 17, KFC announced its Dunk It Bucket featuring the all-new Mashed Potato Poppers — a crispy and dip-encouraged twist on mashed potatoes now marking its first time in the U.S. after finding popularity in Australia and beyond under an apparent different name.

The Dunk It Bucket itself features tenders, fries, a choice of sauces and of course, the Mashed Potato Poppers — which KFC describes as "creamy mashed potatoes golden fried for the perfect crunchy bite." The new menu item will also be available à la carte for five poppers alongside a side of gravy.

Catherine Tan-Gillespie, president of KFC U.S., called the Dunk It — the chain's first brand-new bucket in nearly a decade — "a dream come true for sauce lovers."

Per a new release from the company, the Dunk It Bucket will be available for $7, with a Double Dunk It Bucket for $25. To celebrate the occasion, KFC is also offering limited-edition "KFC Dunk It" merch including a mini basketball hoop, stickers and apparel.

The new meal deal will be available for a limited time.

Related: KFC Is Leaving Kentucky — Here's Where the Restaurant Chain Is Moving

As Allrecipes points out, the Mashed Potato Poppers are already a hit in Australia under the name Mashies.

After over a decade off the down-under menu, the popular Original Mashies made their return to KFC in Australia back in 2023 for a limited time, per news.com.au. Chief marketing officer of KFC Australia Sally Spriggs said at the time that it marked their first time available in 12 years, after fans had been vocal in calling for their return.

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Related: KFC Drops 'Chizza' Nationwide Which Combines Pizza and Fried Chicken for an 'Unexpected Mashup'

The Mashed Potato Poppers news comes shortly after KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands, announced in February that the company would be moving its headquarters to Plano, Texas, to join sister company Pizza Hut Global. The move from KFC's birthplace of Kentucky is part of Yum! Brands' mission to centralize their U.S. headquarters, with Yum! Brands CEO David Gibbs saying the changes "position us for sustainable growth and will help us better serve our customers, employees, franchisees, and shareholders."

As part of the move, the company said about 100 Louisville-based corporate employees and another 90 remote-based workers were expected to relocate within 18 months of the announcement. KFC's corporate offices will remain in Louisville, with the brand also building a "first-of-its-kind flagship restaurant." 

As previously reported, KFC currently heads nearly 30,000 restaurant locations across 145 countries.