Learn how to make the best creamy and flavourful Vegan Mashed Potatoes in an instant pot or on a stove top! This dairy free mashed potato recipe is oil free, gluten free and made with just 5 ingredients.
Canadian Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I’m crazy excited for all the delicious food! A staple on my thanksgiving menu is mashed potatoes. Nothing is better and more comforting than a pile of creamy, garlic-y mashed potatoes alongside the rest of the feast. I’ve tried a couple vegan mashed potato recipes that just didn’t meet my expectations… watery, flavourless and kind of oddly oily? When testing this recipe, I knew these mashed potatoes HAD to be: creamy (but not oily), fluffy, NOT watery, flavourful and easy to make. My biggest tip is slightly drying out the potatoes to get super fluffy mashed potatoes. Okay now, you ready to make the best vegan mashed potatoes? Let’s get it.
Ingredients for the Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes
All you need are 5 ingredients to make fluffy, creamy & delicious Vegan Mashed Potatoes!
- Starchy potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russets)
- Soy milk
- Garlic
- Black Pepper
- Salt
Need more flavour? Try adding in dried herbs, nutritional yeast and, or miso paste (my fav)!
Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes?
Starchy potatoes are the way to go for perfect, fluffy and creamy mashed potatoes. My favourite variety to use are Yukon Gold potatoes but Russets are also great for mashed potatoes. If using Russets, you may need to add 1-2 tbsp more of milk because they tend to be slightly drier.
Best Non-Dairy Milk for Vegan Mashed Potatoes?
I’ve tried using almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, oat milk, soy milk and even the left over water from the cooked potatoes and soy milk was superior. The other milks just left a flavour that didn’t really work well with dairy free mashed potatoes. The left over water from the potatoes just made the whole batch watery so I don’t recommend using that.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes with a Instant Pot
The instant pot method because it literally only takes 15 minutes!
- Wash & Cut Potatoes: Scrub and wash the potatoes and then chop them into quarters. Rinse the potatoes in cold water.
- Cook Potatoes: Seal instant pot with the lid and set to MANUAL for 6 minutes on high. Release the steam. The potatoes should be fork tender. Drain the potatoes and then set the instant pot to SAUTEE over low heat.
- Peel & Dry Potatoes: As the instant pot is heating up, carefully peel the skins off the potatoes. Optionally, keep some on for texture. Move the potatoes around using a wooden spoon so they don’t burn but dry out.
- Flavour Potatoes: One the potatoes look slightly dried out, add in the garlic, rosemary, nutritional yeast, miso paste, soy milk, salt and pepper.
- Mash the Potatoes: Use a potato masher or pastry cutter to mash the potatoes to desired consistency.
- Taste & Season: Taste the potatoes and add in any additional salt or pepper as needed before serving.
How to Make Vegan Mashed Potatoes on the Stove
Mashed potatoes on the stove is exactly the same as in the instant pot, except it’s in a large pot on the stove and takes roughly around 30 minutes. Just add in the chopped and rinsed potatoes into a large pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a medium high or medium where it keeps the pot of water boiling. Let the potatoes cook for around 20 minutes, until fork tender. Drain the water, place it back onto the stove over low and follow the same steps as mentioned above.
How to Store & Freeze Mashed Potatoes
- In the fridge: Place in a air tight container for up to 2 days.
- In the freezer: Line a baking tray with parchment paper, divide into portions and then plop the mashed potatoes on top. Flatten and then place into the freezer. Once fully frozen, transfer them into freezer bags.
How to Reheat Mashed Potatoes
- Over the stove: Add the mashed potatoes into a saucepan and reheat over medium heat. Let the potatoes dry out and add 1 tbsp of soy milk if needed.
- In the Oven: Place the mashed potatoes into a baking dish cover with foil. Bake in the oven at 350 F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
- In the Microwave: Place the potatoes into a microwave safe with and microwave uncovered for 1 minute, or until heated through.
What to Serve Mashed Potatoes With
Mashed potatoes can be enjoyed on their own if made and seasoned well but take it to the next level with some delicious vegan gravy! Serve alongside with some vegan meatloaf, or any other thanksgiving sides.
Tips & Tricks for the BEST Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Cut the potatoes into large chunks: This prevents too much water going into the potatoes, which means gross watery potatoes.
- Salt the water. This adds flavour to the potatoes from the get-go. Remember to taste as you go and add as much salt as needed for your taste buds.
- Invest in a good potato masher. I own a flat potato masher but also really like using a pastry cutter especially when leaving some skin on the potatoes to cut through them.
- Don’t overwork the potatoes. Overworked potatoes means glue-y sticky potatoes. If you like completely smooth mashed potatoes, I recommend using a ricer instead of a traditional masher.
- Drain the potatoes & dry them out. Watery potatoes? No thanks! Drain the potatoes as much as possible and then cook off any left over liquid over low heat. Stir the potatoes every few seconds to that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Once it looks slightly dried out, add in the rest of the ingredients. .
I hope you guys try this Vegan Mashed Potatoes recipe out and love it as much as I do! If you follow the steps and tips, you’re guaranteed to get super fluffy, creamy and flavourful vegan mashed potatoes every time.
More Thanksgiving Recipes to Try
- Vegan Biscuits (Gluten Free + Oil Free)
- Maple Pumpkin Corn Bread (Vegan + Gluten Free + Oil Free)
- Spicy Eggplant & Tomato Dip
- Vegan Smokey Maple Baked Beans
If you recreate this Vegan Mashed Potatoes recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 lbs / 4 large starchy potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russets)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 3–4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Optional (for flavour)
- 2 tsp dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley or oregano)
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, to taste
- 1 tbsp miso paste, to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Wash & Cut Potatoes: Scrub and wash the potatoes and then chop them into quarters. If using smaller potatoes, chop them in half. Rinse the potatoes with cold water and then place them into the instant pot. Mix 1 tsp of salt with 1 1/2 cup water and then pour it into the instant pot.
- Cook Potatoes: Seal instant pot with the lid and set to MANUAL for 6 minutes on high. NOTE: It takes around 5 minutes for the instant pot to actually start cooking. Once the timer goes off, allow the steam to release naturally or carefully move the valve open. The potatoes should be fork tender. Drain the potatoes and then set the instant pot to SAUTEE over low heat.
- Peel & Dry Potatoes: As the instant pot is heating up, carefully peel the skins off the potatoes. I like to keep some on for texture. Move the potatoes around using a wooden spoon so they don’t burn (2-3 minutes)
- Flavour & Mash the Potatoes: One the potatoes look slightly dried out, add in the garlic, add-ins, soy milk, salt and pepper. Use a potato masher or pastry cutter to mash the potatoes to desired consistency.
- Taste & Season: Taste the potatoes and add in any additional salt or pepper as needed before serving.
Stove Top Method:
- Wash & Cut Potatoes: Scrub and wash the potatoes and then chop them into quarters. If using smaller potatoes, chop them in half. Rinse the potatoes with cold water and then place them into a large pot.
- Cook Potatoes: Fill the pot with enough cold water to cover the potatoes. Leave 1 inch of space at the top so the pot doesn’t overflow. Bring the water to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook for 12-15 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from the heat and drain the potatoes.
- Peel & Dry Potatoes: Bring the pot back onto the stove over low and carefully peel the skins off the potatoes. I like to keep some on for texture. Move the potatoes around using a wooden spoon so they don’t burn (2-3 minutes).
- Flavour & Mash the Potatoes: One the potatoes look slightly dried out, add in the garlic, add-ins, soy milk, salt and pepper. Use a potato masher or pastry cutter to mash the potatoes to desired consistency.
- Taste & Season: Taste the potatoes and add in any additional salt or pepper as needed before serving.
Notes
Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Instant pot
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 233
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 854mg
- Fat: 1g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.7g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 6.5g
- Cholesterol: 0
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
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ive always struggled to make creamy and flavourful mashed potatoes but i was blown away after trying out this recipe ! using russet potatoes rlly helped , and i just sort of broke down the potatoes with the back of a spatula and it all came together. left the skins in, which i didnt mind at all (a little extra fiber IMO hehe) so flavourful !
I love that you made these in the instant pot!
Hi Angela,
Thank you! 🙂