The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)

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These vegan mashed potatoes are a holiday must have. So creamy and flavorful, these dairy free potatoes are always a family favorite!

The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes Recipe - Build Your Bite (1)


One of my absolute favorite things to eat at Thanksgiving is vegan mashed potatoes.

No vegetarian Thanksgiving table is complete without mashed potatoes in my opinion.

A big serving of these vegan mashed potatoes with almond milk, topped with a generous pour of the best vegetarian gravy ever…

Now that is what Thanksgiving is all about!

ingredients to make vegan mashed potatoes

  • diced onion
  • minced garlic cloves
  • russet potatoes
  • vegan butter
  • unsweetened plain almond milk
  • salt and pepper
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Mashed potatoes are one of the most important things to get right if you’re making Thanksgiving dinner.

Luckily, this recipe is so simple that anyone can make it!

How to make vegan mashed potatoes

Step 1: rinse and scrub 3 pounds of russet potatoes.

Step 2: add the potatoes to a large pot, cover with hot water, and boil until soft.

You can tell the potatoes are done when a fork can easily break them into pieces.

Cooking the Garlic and Onion

Fresh garlic and onion are what take these mashed potatoes to the next level of flavor!

Step 3: In a small skillet, saute the garlic and onion until softened. Once the garlic and onion are done, add them to a blender with the plain almond milk. Blend the mixture until it becomes a paste like texture.

While you can technically skip this step, we do this to make the mashed potatoes completely smooth. If you don’t mind little bits of onion, you can skip this step.

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What can I substitute for milk in mashed potatoes?

Almond milk is an easy replacement for milk when making vegan mashed potatoes. Be sure that you buy almond milk marked plain and unsweetened: we don’t want sweetener or vanilla flavoring here!

Step 4: Place the cooked potatoes in a bowl and use a fork or potato masher to mash them up. Add in the softened vegan butter, garlic/onion mixture, and salt and pepper to taste.

These potatoes are creamy, delicious, and have a great depth of flavor from the fresh garlic and onion puree. That is one of the secrets to how good these are!

I have made these many times, and no one could even guess that they weren’t regular mashed potatoes.

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Noone would ever guess that these are vegan!

What is a good substitute for butter in mashed potatoes?

For vegan butter, I prefer to use Earth Balance brand. Although I myself am not vegan, I still prefer vegan butter and buy it regularly.

Earth Balance even makes “butter” sticks that look just like the butter you would normally buy. That’s what I used to put a pat of vegan butter on the mashed potatoes in the pictures.

These potatoes are super creamy and buttery and full of flavor. If you don’t like skins in your mashed potatoes, you can always peel the potatoes first.

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Are you planning your Thanksgiving menu?

Be sure to give these vegan mashed potatoes a try and let me know how you like them!

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More Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes

  • Cranberry Sauce
  • Vegan Stuffing
  • Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble(sub vegan milk and butter to make vegan)
  • Cranberry Blueberry Crisp

Are you making this recipe? I want to see! Don’t forget to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!

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Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

The best vegan mashed potatoes recipe you'll ever eat!

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup diced onion
  • 5 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 lbs russet potatoes
  • 1 ½ cups vegan butter, softened
  • 4 tablespoons unsweetened unflavored almond milk
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Rinse and scrub the russet potatoes and place in a large pot
  2. Cover potatoes with hot water and bring to a boil, salt generously (I used 2 teaspoons)
  3. Boil potatoes until a fork can go all the way through
  4. While potatoes are boiling, sautee diced onion and garlic in a skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil
  5. Cook garlic and onions until softened (about 5 minutes on medium heat or until onion is translucent)
  6. Puree garlic and onion mixture with the almond milk in a blender or food processor until it reaches a paste texture
  7. Once potatoes are soft, mash them in a large bowl or pan and add garlic/onion puree, vegan butter, and salt and pepper to taste ( I used an additional 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper)
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 383Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 268mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

Did you make this recipe?

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The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)

FAQs

What is the best milk substitute for vegan mashed potatoes? ›

Instead, I use almond milk (or coconut), vegan butter (or ghee if you prefer), salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and top them with chives for a punch of flavor. This potato recipe will make all of your Thanksgiving dinner dreams come true!

What makes mashed potatoes thicker? ›

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

What makes mashed potatoes glue like? ›

Choosing the right potatoes for mashed potatoes is key. Avoid waxy varieties like Red Bliss and fingerling when making mashed potatoes. Because these varieties have a low starch content, they don't break down or absorb dairy as well as other starchier varieties, and often result in a gluey or gummy texture when mashed.

Which vegan alternative tastes most like milk? ›

The test made a few things clear: soy milk, at its best, tastes closest to cow's milk. Oat tastes like a sweetly nutty cereal milk while almond tastes like the water left in your sink after washing the breakfast dishes.

Is oat milk or almond milk better for mashed potatoes? ›

Unsweetened Almond Milk: Almond milk is what's going to help our mashed potatoes become super creamy and luscious! You can also use soy milk, oat milk or your favorite non-dairy milk alternative. Just make sure it's unsweet.

Why do restaurant mashed potatoes taste better? ›

Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.

Why put a raw egg in mashed potatoes? ›

Adding egg yolks to a pot of mashed potatoes is an easy, dairy-free texture and taste upgrade that doesn't require any special techniques. The yolks harbor all the flavorful fats and emulsifying components and will thus effectively unify the fat and water in potatoes, translating to a smoother, uniformly creamy pot.

Why are Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes so good? ›

Made with fresh real potatoes, butter, and milk, Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes tastes like homemade. We put extra care into making our mashed potatoes rich and creamy to deliver that homemade flavor you expect.

What to do when you put too much milk in mashed potatoes? ›

1. Add a Thickening Agent. This is the most common, and perhaps the simplest way, to thicken mashed potatoes. You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry.

How to add flavor to mashed potatoes? ›

Garnish With Herbs. Speaking of delicious green things, both woody herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme, and leafy herbs like dill can add freshness to this starchy side. A herb-based sauce like pesto swirled into mashed potatoes is another way to add vibrant flavor.

What happens when you put too much milk in mashed potatoes? ›

Runny potatoes can happen for a few different reasons. Too much liquid: This is the most common reason. In the mashing process you may have added too much milk or broth. Boiled too long: Boiling your potatoes for too long can make them water-logged, which (you guessed it) can contribute to runny mashed potatoes.

Can you over mix mashed potatoes? ›

Overworking the Potatoes When Mashing or Whipping Them

Regardless of the technique, remember not to overwork the potatoes. Starch is released when potatoes are mashed, smashed, or whipped, and, if too much starch is released, the potatoes are gummy and unappealing.

Should you salt the water when boiling potatoes for mashed potatoes? ›

Cooking your potatoes in very generously salted water—about a tablespoon of water per pound of potatoes—means the potatoes will be seasoned all the way through. Once mashed, they'll need a lot less salt on the back end.

What is the best non dairy substitute for milk in mashed potatoes? ›

Plant butter is a vegan butter made from plants, and it's a great substitute for milk in mashed potatoes. It is high in healthy fats and has a creamy texture that makes it perfect for mashed potatoes. The ratio of Plant Butter to milk in mashed potatoes is 1:1.

What can I use instead of milk in a vegan recipe? ›

Dairy Substitutes:Plant-Based Milk: Options like almond, soy, oat, coconut, or cashew milk can replace dairy milk in most recipes, maintaining moisture and texture.

What is the best non dairy milk substitute for cooking? ›

Among other milk alternatives like almond milk, soy milk and oat milk, soy milk is by far the best for baking. I learned this over the course of several years and many cookies, cakes, muffins and pies. Moreover, some people will tell you that you must swap full-fat coconut milk in for heavy cream or half-and-half.

How can I thicken mashed potatoes without milk? ›

Whisk a little cornstarch into the warm potatoes, only a teaspoon at a time, until the potatoes thicken to your liking. The potatoes must be warm. You can also use tapioca starch or potato starch, although most cooks are less likely to have those products on hand.

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