The best vegan mashed potatoes! Mashed with vegan butter, garlic and herb-infused soy milk, they are rich and packed with flavour. Serve these perfect dairy-free mashed potatoes at any time of the year. They are easy enough for weeknight dinners and special enough for the holidays!
2.5 lb / 1.13 kgpotatoes, I like to use Yukon Gold
4clovesgarlic
2teaspoonssalt, plus more to taste
enoughwater to cover
240 mls / 1cupsoy milk, it must be unsweetneed and unflavoured
6tablespoonsvegan butter, plus a bit more for the serving
6leavesfresh sage
2sprigsfresh thyme
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Add to a large pan.
Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the potatoes with the salt, then cover with cold water. About an inch over the potatoes.
Place a lid on the pan and bring to a boil then simmer until the potatoes are really tender and a knife inserts into them easily. It will take 25 to 30 minutes depending on how big the potato chunks are.
Meanwhile, while the potatoes are cooking, add the milk, butter, sage, thyme and pepper to a small pan and place over medium heat until hot and the butter is melted. Turn off and set aside to allow the flavours to infuse while the potatoes finish cooking.
Drain the potatoes. At this point, you can remove the garlic cloves if you want just a hint of garlic flavour, or leave them in and mash them up with the potato for a more powerful garlic flavour. I like to leave mine in because I love garlic!
Either return to the pan and roughly mash with a potato masher or a handheld electric whisk, or transfer them to a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment. My preference is either my stand mixer or a handheld electric whisk. They make super creamy mash so I recommend you use either of those if you have them.
When the potatoes are roughly mashed, remove the herbs from the milk mixture and discard them, then pour the milk mixture into the potatoes and beat again really well until super-soft and creamy. It might feel like too much liquid at first but once you beat it, it will be fine.
Taste and add more salt and pepper if it needs it. I tend to add an extra teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of pepper at this stage. Beat well after adding it and taste again and tweak as needed.
Serve with a little more butter, a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper and some chopped parsley or chives if you have them.
Instant Pot Instructions
Peel the potatoes, cut into quarters (if really large cut into ⅛'s) and add to the Instant pot along with the peeled garlic cloves and salt. Cover with water to about an inch above the potatoes.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal the vent, then cook on the STEAM setting for 12 minutes. Release the steam right away and drain the potatoes.
Either return to the Instant Pot insert and roughly mash with a potato masher or a handheld electric whisk, or transfer them to a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment. My preference is either my stand mixer or a handheld electric whisk. They make super creamy mash so I recommend you use either of those if you have them.
When the potatoes are roughly mashed, remove the herbs from the milk mixture and discard them, then pour the milk mixture into the potatoes and beat again really well until super-soft and creamy. It might feel like too much liquid at first but once you beat it, it will be fine.
Taste it and add more salt and pepper if it needs it. I tend to add an extra teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of pepper. Beat well after adding it and taste again and tweak as needed.
Serve with a little more butter, a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper and some chopped parsley or chives if you have them.
Video
Notes
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you have more mouths to feed, but if using an Instant Pot be sure to not fill it more than halfway. Success Tips
Feel free to leave the potato peel on if you prefer a more rustic mash.
Want the potatoes to cook faster? Cut them into smaller chunks.
If you only want a hint of garlic flavour, remove the cloves after the potatoes are done cooking. Mashing them with the potatoes will create a more powerful garlic flavour (which I love!).
If you want the very best results, use unsweetened, unflavoured soy milk. It’s way better than any other plant-based milk in this recipe.
Mash the potatoes right after draining. Don't leave them sitting around or else they’ll become harder to mash.
Don't skimp on the vegan butter! It's really important for flavour.
Be generous with the salt and pepper. It's so important in mashed potatoes!
Don't use white pepper. Black pepper tastes way better.
To make in advance - Follow my instructions for making the mashed potatoes then transfer to a large oven-proof dish or container. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To freeze - As long as you have used the milk and butter as per the recipe, these vegan mashed potatoes will freeze well for up to three months. If you didn't use plenty of milk and butter when mashing then they will not freeze well. The process is very much dependent on the fat in the milk and butter. Allow the mash to cool completely then transfer to a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer. To freeze individual portions, line a baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop out portions with a cup onto the surface of the paper and place the whole tray in the freezer just until the portions have frozen solid. Then remove them from the tray and place in a freezer bag or container until needed.To reheat in the oven - Remove from the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350 °F (175 °C). Before you put them in the oven pour over 120mls / half a cup of soy milk and a few tablespoons of vegan butter (no need to melt it, lumps of it are fine). Don't stir. Just leave it pooling on the top. This protects the potato and stops it from drying out. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until piping hot. Give the mash a good beat with a wooden spoon or a handheld mixer before serving to make it nice and fluffy. To reheat on the stovetop - Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large pan and add half a cup of milk and a few tablespoons of vegan butter. Place the pan over low heat and stir constantly until piping hot. To reheat in a slow cooker (or to keep warm after mashing) - Transfer the mashed potatoes to the slow cooker insert and set to low. They should be hot after about 2 hours but can be left on for up to 4 hours. Before serving add half a cup of warm soy milk and a few tablespoons of vegan butter then beat well with a wooden spoon or handheld electric whisk.