The best vegan mashed potatoes! Mashed with vegan butter, garlic and herb-infused soy milk, they are rich and packed with flavour. Serve these perfect dairy-free mashed potatoes at any time of the year. They are easy enough for weeknight dinners and special enough for the holidays!
These super-flavourful and creamy vegan mashed potatoes are so irresistible. Perfect to serve during the holidays or as a staple side with your favourite weeknight meals like Beyond Meat Meatloaf and gravy.
This delicious vegan side dish is naturally gluten and dairy-free, and it can be made on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Either way, it's fast, easy, and packed with flavour. I mean is there anything that can beat piles of fluffy, creamy, mashed potatoes?
Ingredients
You probably have most of the ingredients you need already in your kitchen. Here they are:
- Potatoes - I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes for their gorgeous colour, creamy texture and buttery taste. They don’t have as much starch as other potatoes and mash really, really well.
- Garlic - The best vegan mashed potatoes don’t skimp on the garlic. It adds so much flavour!
- Soy milk - If at all possible. It must be unsweetened and unflavoured. Soy milk gives the very best results in dairy-free mashed potatoes and I highly recommend using it if you can. If you can't for some reason, oat milk or cashew milk would be my second and third choices but they must be unsweetened and unflavoured. (Please note that if you use oat milk it must be storebought and not homemade).
- Vegan butter - The more vegan butter, the better! It makes these mashed potatoes so rich, creamy and flavourful!
- Fresh herbs - Sage and thyme give these potatoes so much flavour so I recommend you use them if at all possible, but if you don't have them these mashed potatoes are still super delicious without.
- Salt and pepper - Plenty of these for the very best flavour.
Tips for how to mash potatoes
It's so easy to make mashed potatoes. First, be sure to boil them until perfectly soft, but not mushy and be generous with the salt in the water. You should be able to insert a knife into the potatoes easily but they shouldn't be falling apart because that can make them waterlogged.
Once cooked, drain them well and mash. You can use a regular potato masher or a potato ricer, but I really like to use a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer. They make the mash super creamy and fluffy, while saving you some effort. I love to add plenty of butter and milk while mashing, and some extra flavourings, as per this recipe, to make them super flavourful, soft, rich and extra creamy.
How To Make Vegan Mashed Potatoes
Ready to get started?
Here’s how to make the best vegan mashed potatoes on the stovetop:
- Add peeled and cut potatoes, peeled garlic cloves, and plenty of salt to a large pan. Cover with cold water. Place a lid on the pan, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender and soft.
- Meanwhile melt the milk, butter, sage, thyme and pepper together in a small pan.
- Drain the potatoes as soon as they’re ready and roughly mash them.
- Remove and discard the herbs from the milk mixture, then pour it into the potatoes and mash/beat really well again.
Taste and add more seasonings as you prefer. Serve with more butter!
This is how to make mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot:
- Cut the potatoes up and place them into the Instant Pot along with the peeled garlic cloves and salt. Cover with water.
- Secure the lid and seal the vent. Cook on the STEAM setting for 12 minutes. Release the steam right away and drain then return to the bowl.
- Mash/beat the potatoes with the milk mixture until super-soft and creamy.
- Taste and season as necessary, then serve!
How to store leftovers
Make sure the potatoes have cooled to room temperature then transfer to an airtight container. They can then be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What goes well with vegan mashed potatoes?
Mashed potatoes work with just about anything. I love to serve it with:
Recipe FAQs
As long as you have used the milk and butter as per the recipe, these vegan mashed potatoes will freeze well for up to three months. If you didn't use plenty of milk and butter when mashing then they will not freeze well. The process is very much dependent on the fat in the milk and butter. To freeze, allow to cool completely then transfer the mashed potato to a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer.
To freeze individual portions, line a baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop out portions with a cup onto the surface of the paper and place the whole tray in the freezer just until the portions have frozen solid. Then remove them from the tray and place in a freezer bag or container until needed. Allow to defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating as per my instructions.
Vegan Mashed Potatoes can easily be made ahead of time. Make them as directed, then transfer them to an oven-proof dish or container. Cover them well and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it. Mashed potatoes just aren’t as good without the added fat. It adds so much flavour and creamy texture. If you do decide to skip the vegan butter though, replace it with a bit more milk or vegetable stock.
My potatoes of choice for mashing (and almost everything really), are Yukon Gold potatoes. They make excellent mashed potatoes, have a nice golden colour, a great texture and a buttery flavour. I tend to avoid russets because they are a bit tasteless once boiled and can easily get mushy and watery when mashed. If you are in the UK, Desiree and Maris Pipers are best.
If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!
Recipe
Vegan Mashed Potatoes
Author:Ingredients
- 2.5 lb (1.13 kg) potatoes , I like to use Yukon Gold
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt , plus more to taste
- enough water to cover
- 1 cup (240 mls) soy milk , it must be unsweetneed and unflavoured
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter , plus a bit more for the serving
- 6 leaves fresh sage
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , plus more to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Stovetop Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Add to a large pan. Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the potatoes with the salt, then cover with cold water. About an inch over the potatoes.
- Place a lid on the pan and bring to a boil then simmer until the potatoes are really tender and a knife inserts into them easily. It will take 25 to 30 minutes depending on how big the potato chunks are.
- Meanwhile, while the potatoes are cooking, add the milk, butter, sage, thyme and pepper to a small pan and place over medium heat until hot and the butter is melted. Turn off and set aside to allow the flavours to infuse while the potatoes finish cooking.
- Drain the potatoes. At this point, you can remove the garlic cloves if you want just a hint of garlic flavour, or leave them in and mash them up with the potato for a more powerful garlic flavour.
- Either return to the pan and roughly mash with a potato masher or a handheld electric whisk, or transfer them to a stand mixer and roughly mash (but not totally) with the paddle attachment.
- When roughly mashed, remove the herbs from the milk mixture and discard them, then pour the milk mixture into the potatoes and beat again really well until super-soft and creamy. It might feel like too much liquid at first but it will incorporate before you know it.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if it needs it. I tend to add an extra teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of pepper at this stage. Beat well after adding it and taste again. Tweak as needed.
- Serve with a little more butter, a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper and some chopped parsley or chives if you have them.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, cut into quarters (if really large cut into ⅛'s) and add to the Instant pot along with the peeled garlic cloves and salt. Cover with water to about an inch above the potatoes.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal the vent, then cook on the STEAM setting for 12 minutes. Release the steam right away and drain the potatoes.
- Either return to the Instant Pot insert and roughly mash with a potato masher or a handheld electric whisk, or transfer them to a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment.
- When the potatoes are roughly mashed, remove the herbs from the milk mixture and discard them, then pour the milk mixture into the potatoes and beat again really well until super-soft and creamy. It might feel like too much liquid at first but once you beat it, it will be fine.
- Taste it and add more salt and pepper if it needs it. I tend to add an extra teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of pepper. Beat well after adding it and taste again and tweak as needed.
- Serve with a little more butter, a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper and some chopped parsley or chives if you have them.
Jeannie says
Can I make the milk mixture a day ahead?
Melanie McDonald says
Definitely. I'd leave the herbs and the garlic in it so they continue to infuse overnight. I would warm it up in the microwave or a pan on the stove before adding to your potatoes.
CC says
I would like to try this, but I can't find fresh sage in Spain, where I live. Is it possible to add dry sage instead? (which I was able to find online) If so, how much? Thank you.
Melanie McDonald says
I don't recommend using dried sage as you need to be able to pick the herbs out once they have infused with the milk and butter. Dried sage pieces are too small and you'll end up with spotty mashed potato. You can omit the herbs or just use some extra fresh thyme. Maybe a sprig of fresh rosemary too if you've got some too?
Joanie Lewis says
Best mashed potato recipe ever! Even the nonvegans didn't notice. Thank you for another successful Christmas dinner.