Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes
These vegan garlic mashed potatoes are fluffy, creamy with an incredible buttery taste. But the secret is, these mashed potatoes are made without butter.
Growing up, my favorite time of year was going to my grandmother’s for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She always had the best food. And the thing she was always most proud to make for us was her creamy mashed potatoes. They had the traditional heaps of cream and butter. And she knew exactly what to do to make them extra creamy.
I’d watch her in awe as soon as she would grab her potato peeler. She is exciting to watch in the kitchen and preserving that memory hasn’t been too difficult even after becoming vegan. We’ve been able to make mashed potatoes together and just switch to using plant based milks and butters in their place. Recently, we’ve experimented with using less plant based butter for medical reasons, and honestly, the potatoes still taste delicious.
Why I Chose To Make These Potatoes Without Butter
I definitely use butter in food and enjoy it when I wish to. However, most of the time, I try to be mindful of how much I do use due to health reasons. My family has a history of heart disease, and prior to going vegan, I’ve had my fair share of heart health scares like high cholesterol. So to help minimize on saturated fat, I try to see where I can make modifications as I see fit.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Potatoes: My grandmother ALWAYS uses Yukon Gold Potatoes, and that is something I always stick to. She also peels them, but I’m pretty partial to this step. Feel free to peel for the classic fluffy potatoes, but if you are looking for something more rustic, I like mashing them with the peel left on.
- Garlic: I love garlic in my potatoes, and I feel the best flavor comes from using 1-2 cloves of freshly crushed garlic. I use a garlic press to really make the garlic mashed finely so that they mix well into the potatoes.
- Miso Paste: In all my mashed potato testing, I find that adding a little miso paste really helps add some umami flavor that animal products like cream and butter add to recipes. I recommend a white miso or yellow miso paste for this recipe.
- Plant Based Milk: My favorite milk to use is unsweetened soy milk from the aseptic cartons you find on the store shelves. It doesn’t have the random sweetness that refrigerated soy milk has. Alternatively, I have made this recipe with unsweetened oat milk, almond milk and cashew milk, and it still comes out amazing as well.
- Nutritional Yeast: If you need to, you can choose not to add it in. However, since we are not using butter in these potatoes, the nutritional yeast is adding another layer of umami flavor that I absolutely love. Try not to skip if you can!
How to Make This Recipe
Assemble your steamer basket and add enough water to touch the end of it. Place your chopped potatoes and allow to steam with a lid until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Once the potatoes are cooked through, warm some milk up in a microwave. If using a potato ricer, go ahead and rice your potatoes into a bowl or place the cooked potatoes in a bowl along with your garlic, nutritional yeast and miso and a generous pinch of salt.
Mix all the ingredients well, adding half the warm milk and mashing well to incorporate. Add more milk as needed until the potatoes are fully mashed and creamy to your preference, then adjust salt and pepper to taste before serving warm.
Tips for the Perfect Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
- For a good potato flavor, use Yukon gold potatoes. Nisha from Rainbow Plant Life makes a great suggestion for using half Russet potatoes and half Yukon gold potatoes, so if you really want the perfect texture, this is a good combo to use.
- I recommend steaming your potatoes instead of boiling them. My main reason for suggesting this is that boiled potatoes become waterlogged and end up making your potatoes too loose and watery. I’ve tested these potatoes out both ways, and steaming always comes out the best for me.
- Cut your potatoes into cubes that are roughly the same size to help insure that they cook evenly at the same time.
- To make your potatoes extra fluffy and creamy, use a potato ricer. It truly mashes your potatoes the best, so if you are really into mashed potatoes, I highly recommend it. My grandmother has traditionally used a potato masher and a handheld mixer. A potato masher is more my speed, so use what you personally love.
- Use a creamy milk. I’ve had my favorite success with unsweetened soy milk from the aseptic containers found in the aisles of your grocery store versus the refrigerated cartons. It’s creamy, but no weird sweet notes in savory dishes like this. I also recommend unsweetened oat, cashew or almond milk as an alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a long time until someone gifted me one, I used my large whisk to mash my potatoes. The great thing about the whisk is that you can mash the potatoes and then vigoursly whisk to get them extra smooth. It’s a little extra arm muscle, but works like a charm.
You can boil your potatoes. Quarter your potatoes and boil in water that is generously salted. Once fork tender, drain in a colander and allow for excess moisture to drip off. I also like to pat them dry with a clean dish towel to help remove as much excess moisture on the surface as I can. This will help to make sure your mashed potatoes don’t end up loose and watery once mashed.
Absolutely! I like using room temperature butter and to add it to the potatoes when they are still warm as I’m mashing them. They come out so creamy and tasty this way too.
Storing and Reheating
Once your mashed potatoes have completely cooled, place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days. While I recommend serving these fresh, if you plan to make these ahead of time for Thanksgiving, I like to place mine in a baking dish and cover with foil. When ready to reheat, move the foil back and splash with 2-3 tablespoons of plant milk or vegan butter and place in the oven to warm through, for about 10 minutes at 350F. Stir well before serving.
How to Serve
These potatoes need their incredible miso mushroom gravy counterpart. All the umami flavors to elevate these fluffy mashed potatoes even more!
More Thanksgiving Sides to Try
- Fresh Baked Cranberry Sauce
- Moro de Guandules
- Herby Tofu “Ricotta” Stuffed Shells
- Chopped Kale Salad
- Roasted Butternut Squash Nourish Bowl
Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These vegan garlic mashed potatoes are fluffy, creamy with an incredible buttery taste. But the secret is, these mashed potatoes are made without butter.
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1/2–3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1–2 garlic cloves, mashed
- 1 tsp miso paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place a steamer insert or snugly fitting colander into a large pot. Add enough water to reach the bottom of the insert. Place the potatoes in the steamer insert and cover with a fitting lid to help trap the steam. Heat the pot until the water starts to boil, then reduce to a medium high heat and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- In a mug, microwave your almond milk for 20-25 seconds to warm.
- Remove steamed potatoes and place in a bowl along with your miso paste, mashed garlic and nutritional yeast. Pour half of the heated milk over your potatoes along with a generous pinch of salt. (Side note: If using butter, feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons at this point too.)
- Using a potato masher or large whisk, mash potatoes to help smooth them. As you mash, add additional milk until creamy desired consistency is reached. If using a whisk, when they get really nice and mashed, I like to whip the potatoes a bit with the whisk to make them extra fluffy.
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.
Notes
For a good potato flavor, use Yukon gold potatoes. You can also do a half and half mix of russet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes for a good fluffy texture and equal bits flavor.
I recommend steaming your potatoes instead of boiling them. My main reason for suggesting this is that boiled potatoes become waterlogged and end up making your potatoes too loose and watery. I’ve tested these potatoes out both ways, and steaming always comes out the best for me.
Cut your potatoes into cubes that are roughly the same size to help ensure that they cook evenly at the same time.
To make your potatoes extra fluffy and creamy, use a potato ricer. It truly mashes your potatoes the best, so if you are really into mashed potatoes, I highly recommend it.
Use a creamy milk. I’ve had my favorite success with unsweetened soy milk from the aseptic containers found in the aisles versus the refrigerated cartons. It’s creamy, but no weird sweet notes in savory dishes like this. I also recommend unsweetened oat, cashew or almond milk.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
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Hi, Catherine. I struggle to find miso paste where I live. What would be the best substitute for that in this recipe? I see the interweb says soy sauce or tahini, but just wanted your take on it. Thanks!