The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Vegan Mashed Potatoes Ingredients

You only need a handful of ingredients for these dairy-free mashed potatoes. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.

• Russet potatoes: Their starchy, fluffy texture makes the best mashed potatoes. Plan on about ½ pound (225 g) of potatoes per person, and add an extra 2 to 3 pounds (1 to 1.4 kg) for a holiday crowd.
• Garlic cloves: Simmering whole cloves with the potatoes makes them soft and mellow, so they mash right in. Skip the garlic if you prefer.
• Plant-based milk: Use an unsweetened, unflavored milk (more on that below).
• Vegan butter: For that rich, buttery flavor. See the FAQs if you’d like to skip it.
• Salt and pepper: To taste.

Which Potatoes Are Best for Mashed Potatoes?

Russets are my go-to because they’re starchy, so they mash up light and fluffy and soak up the butter and milk. Yukon Gold potatoes are a little waxier and naturally buttery, so they make a denser, extra creamy mash, and their thin skins are great for skin-on mashed potatoes. You can also use half russet and half Yukon Gold. Red potatoes work for a rustic, skin-on mash, but they won’t be as fluffy.

Which Plant-Based Milk Is Best?

The most important thing is to use a plant-based milk that’s unsweetened and unflavored. Vanilla or sweetened milk will make your potatoes taste sweet! Soy milk and oat milk are the creamiest, and almond or cashew milk has the most neutral flavor. Coconut milk from a carton works too, but canned coconut milk adds a coconut flavor. If you’re trying a new milk, mix a spoonful into a little bit of mash first to make sure you like the flavor.

8 Easy Variations

• Classic garlic: The recipe as written, with whole garlic cloves simmered and mashed right in. For even more garlic flavor, add a pinch of garlic powder.
• Cheesy: Stir in 2 to 3 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast, or a scoop of vegan cream cheese or melty vegan cheddar. Here’s my guide to nutritional yeast.
• Herb-infused: Warm the plant-based milk with a few sprigs of rosemary, thyme, or sage for 5 minutes, then remove the herbs and add the milk to the potatoes. Rosemary is my favorite!
• Without vegan butter: Use 2 to 3 Tablespoons of olive oil or vegan mayo instead, or skip the fat and add a little more milk.
• Oil-free: Skip the butter and mash the potatoes with warm vegetable broth or some of the starchy cooking water. Season them well with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• Loaded: Top with sliced chives or green onions, vegan sour cream, vegan bacon bits, and shredded vegan cheese.
• Root veggie mash: Swap half of the potatoes for parsnips or carrots for a little natural sweetness.
• Lower carb: Swap a third of the potatoes for cooked cauliflower, or try my vegan mashed cauliflower.

Short on stove space? Try my Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes on Food Sharing Vegan. You can also stir in cooked peas, corn, spinach, or kale, a spoonful of pesto, or spices like smoked paprika or onion powder.

How to Make Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Here’s an overview with photos. You’ll find the detailed instructions in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Prep the potatoes: Scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. I leave the skins on, but peel them if you like extra smooth mashed potatoes.

Step 2: Simmer: Add the potatoes and garlic cloves to a large pot and cover them with cold water by about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.

PRO TIP: Start the potatoes in cold water, not boiling water. They’ll cook evenly all the way through, so you won’t end up with mushy outsides and hard centers.

Step 3: Drain and dry: Drain the potatoes in a colander, then put them back in the warm pot over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, to cook off any extra water. This keeps your mashed potatoes from getting soupy.

Step 4: Mash: Add the vegan butter, salt, and pepper and mash the potatoes and garlic. Pour in the warm plant-based milk a little at a time, mashing until they’re as creamy as you like.

PRO TIP: Mash by hand with a potato masher or ricer. A food processor or blender overworks the potatoes and makes them gummy.

Toni’s Recipe Tips

• Ricer vs. masher vs. fork: A potato ricer makes the smoothest, fluffiest mashed potatoes. A masher gives you a slightly rustic texture, and a fork makes them chunky. For super smooth potatoes, press them through a fine-mesh strainer.
• Warm the milk: Warm milk keeps the potatoes hot and soaks in more easily than cold milk.
• Add the milk slowly: How much you need depends on your potatoes, so add it a little at a time. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out.
• Season well: Potatoes need plenty of salt. Taste and add more salt and pepper at the end.
• Big batches: Put the cut potatoes in a pot or bowl of cold water right away so they don’t turn brown while you finish chopping.

FAQs

Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

• Make ahead: Make the mashed potatoes up to 2 days ahead and keep them covered in the fridge.
• Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: Freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating. They may be a little softer after freezing, so stir in a splash of milk and some vegan butter when you reheat them.
• Stovetop: Warm them over low heat with a splash of plant-based milk, stirring often.
• Oven: Spread them in a baking dish, dot with vegan butter, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes, until hot.
• Slow cooker: Reheat them on low for 2 to 3 hours, stirring now and then. Then keep them on the warm setting for the rest of the party.
• Microwave: Heat single servings in 30-second bursts, stirring in between.

Serving Suggestions

These vegan mashed potatoes go with just about everything. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve them:

• Holiday table: Pile them next to the best vegan stuffing, vegan green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce, all smothered in vegan mushroom gravy, with vegan bread rolls on the side.
• The main dish: Serve them with an easy lentil loaf or vegan sausages for a comforting dinner.
• Shepherd’s pie: Spread them over the filling of my vegan lentil shepherd’s pie.
• Leftovers: Turn leftover mashed potatoes into sesame potato puffs, potato pancakes, or pumpkin gnocchi-style dumplings.