Easy Vegan Mashed Potatoes - Karissa's Vegan Kitchen (2024)

Fluffy and buttery vegan mashed potatoes seasoned with garlic, onion, salt and pepper. This is an easy side dish recipe that can be finished in less than 30 minutes, including prep time!

What is your favorite version of potatoes? Fries, baked potato, chips, or mashed? For me, it’s a close tie between fries and mashed potatoes. I like fries with a veggie burger, but vegan mashed potatoes and gravy are a must for special occasion dinners!

They have to be good mashed potatoes, though. No gluey chewy bland potatoes, thanks. These mashed potatoes are so fluffy, flavorful, and buttery…but totally vegan, of course!

You can find the full recipe, including ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.

Ingredients

• Potatoes: Yukon gold potatoes make very smooth mashed potatoes. You can also use white potatoes or russets. Russets have a lighter, mealy texture in comparison to the other recommendations.
• Dairy-free milk: Use your favorite unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk. I usually use oat milk because I prefer the neutral flavor. Other great options are almond milk, cashew milk, and soy milk.
• Vegan butter: Earth Balance is my favorite, but any kind will work. You can even substitute olive oil in a pinch.
• Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Instead of garlic powder, you could use 1-2 minced garlic cloves.

For extra rich mashed potatoes, add a dollop of vegan sour cream or vegan cream cheese after the potatoes are mashed.

Instructions

Making vegan mashed potatoes is not much different than the traditional recipe, aside from using non-dairy milk and vegan butter.

First, peel and quarter the potatoes. The recipe calls for medium potatoes which are about 2-3 inches in diameter. If you have to use a couple of larger potatoes, just cut them to relatively the same size.

Put the potatoes in a large pot, then cover with water. Bring to a boil on high heat on the stovetop until the potatoes are soft and tender. Drain well and return to the pot. Mash using a potato masher.

In the meantime, the magic happens. In a small saucepan, add some plain non-dairy milk, garlic powder, onion powder, and vegan butter. Heat until the vegan butter has melted, then let the mixture simmer for a couple minutes. This will allow some of the liquid to evaporate, creating a thicker (a.k.a. more creamy) sauce.

Add the sauce to the potatoes and stir until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve warm! Add more butter on top or make some vegan gravy.

Make Ahead

If you want to make life simpler, especially if you’re prepping for a big meal like Thanksgiving, you can make these the day before and reheat when ready.

To reheat in the oven, place the mashed potatoes in a casserole dish and add few pats of butter on the top to keep them moist. Cover the dish with foil. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are warmed through. Time will vary depending on the amount of potatoes and size of the casserole dish. Just keep an eye on them!

If they do come out a little dry, mix in some warm vegan milk to bring back moisture.

Storage

How long will leftovers last in the fridge?

If you happen to make a big batch and have some leftovers, store them in a container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. Heat them up in the microwave, or use the oven heating method outlined above.

Variations

Cheesy: Try these cheesy vegan mashed potatoes for a twist on the classic dish.

Instant Pot Instructions

This is a great option if you want to save some space on the stove or don’t like having a big pot of boiling water going. Here is the the best vegan Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe!