Seven Secrets For The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes

But I’m here to tell you that creamy yet fluffy, rich and luxurious vegan mashed potatoes are possible, if you know right techniques. In this post, I share seven secrets to making amazing vegan mashed potatoes at home, plus step-by-step instructions and video guidance. And, of course the recipe (which I make each holiday season to rave reviews from my non-vegan family)!

The secrets to making amazing vegan mashed potatoes

Secret #1: Use the right variety of potato

I’ve been making mashed potatoes for 19 years (yes, 19 years!), and I’ve tried every potato variety. My favorite mashed potatoes contain a combo of two types of potatoes.

Watch how to make amazing vegan mashed potatoes

With that said, here are seven secrets to absolutely amazing vegan mashed potatoes. Russet potatoes are high in starch, which means they’ll bring the fluffy texture that you love about mashed potatoes. However, they’re light on potato flavor, which is where Yukon Golds come in. Yukon Gold potatoes have loads of potato flavor. They’re also naturally creamy, which makes mashed potatoes rich and luscious, but they’re a bit lower in starch and a bit waxier. Takeaway: Combining Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes gets you mashed potatoes that are fluffy and light yet creamy and rich, and high in potato flavor. If you prefer airy, fluffier mashed potatoes (as opposed to creamy, easily spoonable potatoes), use all Russets. This is the same combo I use for my Fluffy Mashed Potatoes recipe in my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook, so if you love using your Instant Pot, be sure to check it out!

Secret #2: Choose the right plant-based milk

Traditional mashed potatoes contain a lot of high-fat dairy like half-and-half or heavy cream, as well as vegan butter and sometimes sour cream. As my version is dairy-free, these additions are obvi not an option.

Secret #3: Add umami with miso butter

In my pre-vegan days, I added sour cream and parmesan cheese to my mashed potatoes to provide a an irresistible savory note. Takeaway: In this plant-based recipe, my secret weapon is miso butter, which adds such a complex, rich, savory taste often missing in plant-based mashed potatoes. When you cream vegan butter with white miso and add roasted garlic, it becomes a serious umami bomb that will have your family coming back for more. If you’re looking more recipes that incorporate miso butter, be sure to check out my vegan mushroom risotto.

Secret #4: Salt as you go

Potatoes are dense little nuggets and need a fair amount of salt to penetrate them from within in order to be properly seasoned. Takeaway: To ensure your mashed potatoes are well-seasoned (and not bland or overly salty at the end), generously salt the water the potatoes are boiled in. This infuses flavor directly into the potatoes. You can’t replicate that depth of flavor by just sprinkling on some salt on top of the mashed potatoes at the end (though you should also salt the potatoes after everything is mashed and combined, taste, and add more salt to taste).

Secret #5: Dry potatoes before mashing

After you boil the potatoes, please be sure to dry them. If you just quickly drain the potatoes in a colander, they’ll still have moisture, which means watery, soggy, sad mashed potatoes.
Takeaway: After boiling, add the potatoes back to the pot (no water) over low heat and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the potatoes from sticking. The dry heat will help cook off any excess moisture.

Secret #6: Use a ricer or potato masher for the best texture

Contrary to what their name suggests, mashed potatoes need to be handled with care. I used to use an electric mixer to mash my potatoes, and they turned out nicely, but my mashed potatoes got great once I started using a ricer (affiliate link). Takeaway: A ricer or a potato masher are the best tools I’ve used for mashing potatoes. Potatoes are starch-heavy and like to be handled gently. Skip the electric mixers. And always say no to a food processor. All that heavy-handed jostling around makes for gooey, dense, gummy mashed potatoes.

Secret #7: Mix ingredients carefully and minimally

Along the same lines, please take care when mixing your wet ingredients into the mashed potatoes, or else your potatoes might toughen up and the ingredients won’t incorporate. Takeaway #1: Add your liquid ingredients while still warm. If the miso-butter or vegan milk are cold when added, it will cool down the potatoes and make it difficult to incorporate them into the hot potatoes. Takeaway #2: Fold the liquid ingredients into the potatoes gently, using a silicone spatula (or wooden spoon). You want to be gentle because potato starches like to be handled with care. Overmixing, especially if you use a waxy potato, like Yukon Gold, can make the potatoes watery.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Peel the potatoes, then wash them (potatoes are dirty AF!). Roughly chop the potatoes. I cut the potatoes into fourths or eights, depending on their size. Add the potatoes to a Dutch oven (affiliate link) or large saucepan and cover with cold water. If you add potatoes directly to boiling water, they’re more likely to cook unevenly. Add about 1 tablespoon kosher salt (half amount if using sea salt). Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft and almost fall apart when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return them to the saucepan over low heat and cook over dry heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the potatoes from sticking. If adding roasted garlic, slice off the top layer of a whole head of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and tightly wrap the garlic in foil. Roast in the oven at 400ºF/200ºC for 35-40 minutes until the cloves are practically oozing out and very soft. Then, mash the cloves with a fork. Using a fork, cream together the softened vegan butter and miso paste. If adding roasted garlic, you can mash it in here. Add the miso butter to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once almost melted, pour in the lite coconut milk and whisk well. Using a ricer, rice the warm potatoes into a large bowl. Stir them gently with a wooden spoon or spatula to smooth out. If using a potato masher or handheld mixer, mash the potatoes that way. Pour the warm miso-butter-milk mixture into the potatoes. Fold gently with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until well-combined and smooth. Season with a decent amount of salt and pepper to taste.