These vegan mashed potatoes get perfectly creamy and fluffy with a few simple pantry tricks! A perfect vegetable version of this popular side dish.
Fluffy, dreamy vegan mashed potatoes are… deceptively difficult to pull off. At A Couple Cooks we have hundreds of vegan recipes. So vegan mashed potatoes? A piece of cake. After all, the fries are vegan: just olive oil and salt, and they taste fantastic. But it turns out that perfectly creamy mashed potatoes are pretty darn chewy without the help of cream, butter, and cheese. But don’t worry: we managed to master them for you! This vegan mashed potato is light, fluffy and filling while also being 100% plant-based. Here’s how to make them!
First things first: choose golden Yukon potatoes.
The choice of potato is important here. Why? It all comes down to texture. Here you should Use Yukon Gold potatoes, also known as yellow potatoes at the grocery store. Here’s why you should choose Yukon Gold for vegan mashed potatoes:
- red potatoes can taste quite bland and flat. These potatoes have a texture that can be a little floury, and the flavor is a bit bland overall. If you choose 100% russet potatoes for vegan mashed potatoes, the flavor fizzles out since there are no dairy products to carry the flavor.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes (Yellow) are smoother and richer. Of course they don’t taste the same unseasoned. But the yellow flesh of a Yukon Gold potato is more robust, and the buttery flavor helps make up for the lack of dairy.
More recipes with potatoes? Head over to our best potato recipes (or vegan potato recipes).
Use a mixture of olive oil and coconut oil.
Alex and I try not to use vegan butter in our recipes. Some brands can be quite processed and it’s not as pure as a “whole food” in our minds. (We found this absolutely necessary for the vegan shortbread cookies and gravy…a consolation that suited us!)
We made this recipe using just olive oil, but the flavor was still a bit flat. The solution? Add a little coconut oil to the olive! Coconut oil adds a creaminess and slight sweetness that olive oil lacks. We use both often in our pantry, so this was a winning combination.
Avoid plant-based milk for vegan mashed potatoes.
Vegan baking relies on plant-based milks such as almonds, oats or soy. But in vegan mashed potatoes? Not necessary! In testing this recipe, we found that the non-dairy milk did little to the texture of the potatoes. Since it’s fairly runny, it doesn’t add fullness.
All you need for this recipe is olive oil and coconut oil. But a note: you’ll save some potato cooking water by discarding the potatoes. You can add small chunks of this starchy water to the potatoes if you’re not getting the right texture. But beware! If you add too much, the potatoes will get weirdly soggy. So tread carefully. We didn’t need potato water, but that depends on your potatoes and the exact cooking time you use.
Try them in Shepherd’s Pie!
This vegan mashed potato is the star of ours Vegan Shepherd’s Pie, a masterpiece of plant-based comfort food. Although this recipe takes over an hour to prepare, it’s definitely worth it once you taste the end product. It is ideal for weekends, days off or dinner parties. The savory filling features a thick gravy and an abundance of veggies, all held together with this vegan mashed potato. We highly recommend it!
Ways to serve vegan mashed potatoes
Of course, these potatoes also make a whole plant-based (WFPB) side dish that goes with almost anything. Here are some ways to operate them:
This vegan mashed potato recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
The description
These vegan mashed potatoes get perfectly creamy and fluffy with a few simple pantry tricks! A perfect vegetable version of this famous side dish.
- 2 Pound Yukon Gold Potatoes (Yellow Potatoes)*
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 3 Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- Finely chopped chives for garnish
- Black pepper for garnish
- Kosher salt
- Peel the potatoes and roughly chop into 2cm pieces. (Optionally, you can skip the peeling if, like us, you like mashed potatoes with their skins!)
- Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with 1 inch of cold water. Stir in ½ tablespoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil.
- Once cooked, cook until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes (prick a piece of potato with a fork to gauge doneness). Drain and reserve some of the potato cooking water.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the whole garlic cloves and simmer until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Discard the garlic.
- Put the potatoes back in the pot. Add the garlic-infused oil, coconut oil, ½ tsp kosher salt, and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Mash with a potato masher until desired consistency is reached. (If you find the potatoes are too dry, you can add a small splash of potato starch water. Just be careful not to add too much or the texture will get wet.)
Remarks
*Important: Be sure to buy Yukon gold, sometimes referred to as “yellow potatoes.” They have just the right creamy texture and buttery flavor that you don’t get from a russet.
- Category: garnish
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: vegan
Keywords: Vegan mashed potatoes
More plant-based side dish recipes
There are so many different ways to make side dishes using just plants! Here are some of our favorite vegetable side dishes:
