These Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes are easy to make and the perfect side dish for your vegan Thanksgiving table. Both vegans and non-vegans will love them!
*This recipe was originally published on Nov. 1, 2018. I have updated the recipe, photos, and text.
I don’t know about you, but mashed potatoes are essential at our Thanksgiving table! When I was younger and much pickier, they were the only thing I would eat at Thanksgiving 🙂 I’ve been perfecting these Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes for years, and I think you’ll love them!
There are so many different ways you can mix up your mashed potato recipe, but today, I’m giving you a super simple and delicious vegan recipe that can easily be flavored any way you like. I will give some flavor tips at the bottom of the post.
What Kind Of Potatoes Are Best For Mashed Potatoes?
There’s no rule about what kind of potato you should use for mashed potatoes. You can even use sweet potatoes if you like! There are two different kinds of potatoes that I prefer to use for mashed potatoes:
- Russet Potato – Russet potatoes are big and have thick brown skin. They are used for baked potatoes and French fries (most of the time). They’re white on the inside and pretty starchy. They have a mild flavor, so it’s easy to flavor them however you like. I probably use russet potatoes most of the time because they’re really versatile and make for a nice, creamy mashed potato. I used russet potatoes for the mashed potatoes in the main photo of this post. You can see that they are whiteish in color.
- Yukon Gold Potato – Yukon gold potatoes are probably most often used when making mashed potatoes. They have thin yellow skin and pale yellow inside. They have a slightly sweet taste and become very creamy when cooked. I used Yukon gold potatoes for the mashed potatoes in the photo below. You can see that they have more of a yellow tint to them.
Both are delicious, and both make great mashed potatoes! It’s really just a personal preference about what kind you use.
What You Need To Make The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Potatoes – We just talked about what kind of potatoes to use, so I will leave that choice up to you! Peel the potatoes before boiling them to make the creamiest mashed potatoes.
- Vegan Butter – There are now many vegan butter brands. I usually use Earth Balance’s soy-free version, which works great.
- Vegan Mayonnaise – I know this may sound like a really strange ingredient! I’m not someone who eats mayo on many things, but it does help make these vegan mashed potatoes super creamy, and no one would guess there was mayo in them!
- Dairy-Free Milk – I almost always use plain, unsweetened almond milk in my cooking. You can use whatever kind of plant-based milk you prefer. If you don’t have any milk, you can reserve a little bit of the potato cooking water and use that instead.
- Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder – I kept this mashed potato recipe super simple, so I just seasoned it with salt, black pepper, and a little bit of roasted garlic powder. It gives the potatoes a classic taste and doesn’t overpower anything else on your plate.
How To Make These Mashed Potatoes
- Place cubed potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add a big pinch of salt (optional) and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes until fork tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain the potatoes and add them back to the pot.
- Add the butter, milk, and mayo and mash with a potato masher or whip with an electric hand mixer.
- Season with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic to taste. Serve immediately or keep warm until ready to serve. I like to garnish mine with fresh herbs and a drizzle of melted butter.
Tips For These Creamiest Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Make sure you peel your potatoes! On occasion, I make mashed potatoes without peeling them, but if you want them super creamy, you should leave off the peels.
- Add your potatoes to a large pot, cover them with cold water, and then bring them to a boil rather than adding them straight into boiling water. This ensures that the potatoes will cook at the same time.
- I usually use a hand potato masher when making mashed potatoes, but you could also whip them up with an electric hand mixer. I tested this method out with the russet and Yukon gold mashed potatoes, and I felt that they made the Yukon gold version a little bit gummy but still good.
- Speaking of gummy mashed potatoes, do not blend them in a food processor or blender, as they will become very gummy.
- If you want to make these ahead of time and reheat them before eating, I suggest adding some more almond milk to loosen them up a little bit. You can either reheat them in a double boiler or in a pot at the store.
- Here are a few flavor-boosting suggestions if you’re looking to mix things up: roasted garlic, fresh herbs, pesto, horseradish sauce, mustard, vegan bacon bits, and vegan cheddar cheese. What flavors do you like to add to your mashed potatoes?
Looking For More Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes?
Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Vegan Stuffing with Green Apple and Sage
Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes are silky smooth and classically flavored! Perfect for your Thanksgiving table!
Ingredients
- 8–10 cups peeled diced potatoes, Yukon gold or russet work best
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, I like soy free Earth Balance
- 1/3 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
- Salt, black pepper and granulated garlic, to taste
Instructions
- Place cubed potatoes into a large pot and cover with cold water. Add a big pinch of salt (optional) and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes until fork tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain potatoes and add them back into the pot.
- Add in the butter, milk and mayo and mash with a potato masher or whip with an electric hand mixer.
- Season with salt, pepper and granulated garlic, to taste and serve immediately or keep warm until ready to serve! I like to garnish mine with some fresh herbs and a drizzle of melted butter.
Notes
I usually skip this step, but you can melt the butter and milk together in a small saucepan and then add to the warm potatoes so that they don’t bring the mashed potato temperature down.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Side, Gluten Free, Vegan
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
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