These easy creamy vegan mashed potatoes are fluffy, comforting, and easy to customize. Make them on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, then choose vegan butter, olive oil, or tahini for an oil-free option. Add roasted garlic for deeper savory flavor.
Serve them with my rich and creamy cashew gravy, easy vegan gravy, or hearty vegan meatloaf.
A Quick Look: Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- 🕒 Time: 30 minutes for the stovetop method
- 👥 Servings: 5
- 🥔 Best Potato: Yukon Gold
- ✨ Texture: Smooth with a ricer or rustic with a hand masher
- 🌱 Dietary Info: Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, with an oil-free option
- 🍽️ Options: Classic, oil-free, or roasted garlic
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Jump to:
- A Quick Look: Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Why This Recipe Works
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Tested Tips
- How to Make Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Garlic Option
- Make It Your Way
- Make it a Meal
- Mashed Potato Troubleshooting
- Storage & Make-Ahead
- Vegan Mashed Potatoes FAQs
- More Easy Weeknight Comfort Food
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Growing up, mashed potatoes were always a comfort food I looked forward to. I could’ve happily eaten them every day, and not much has changed.
These days, I make them a couple of different ways. For weeknight meals, I often use the Instant Pot and make them without vegan butter or oil, adding tahini for a little richness. For holidays and special occasions, I usually use vegan butter and roasted garlic for a more traditional mash.
What I love most is that the same basic recipe can work both ways without feeling like two completely different dishes.
I like to serve these alongside homemade vegan stuffing and vegan cheesy hash brown casserole for a cozy holiday dinner.
Why This Recipe Works
- Yukon Gold potatoes stay naturally creamy. Their smooth, buttery texture works especially well in dairy-free mashed potatoes.
- Starting in cold water promotes even cooking. The potatoes heat gradually, so the centers soften before the outsides begin to fall apart.
- Warm plant-based milk blends in smoothly. It keeps the potatoes hot and makes it easier to control the final consistency.
- Steaming works well in the Instant Pot. Keeping the potatoes above the water helps prevent excess moisture.
If you're looking for a light everyday mashed potato made without milk, try my creamy mashed potatoes without milk, which pair really well with roasted cabbage steaks.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here are the key ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe for vegan mashed potatoes, plus easy swaps if needed:
- Yukon Gold potatoes: My first choice for their naturally creamy texture and buttery flavor (skins may be left on). Russets make a fluffier mash, while red potatoes create a more rustic texture.
- Vegan butter or olive oil: Vegan butter (I like Earth Balance) gives the richest, most traditional flavor. Olive oil works well for a lighter variation.
- Unsweetened plant-based milk: Soy or oat milk gives the creamiest texture, but unsweetened almond milk also works. Avoid sweetened or vanilla-flavored milk.
- Roasted garlic: Optional, but it adds a mellow, savory flavor. Use one head or adjust to taste.
- Tahini: Use for the oil-free variation. Start with less so it adds richness without making the potatoes taste strongly of sesame.
See the recipe card for the full ingredient list and exact amounts.
For more easy potato recipes, try my Air Fryer potato wedges and Air Fryer sweet potato wedges.
Tested Tips
- Use a potato ricer: If you want smooth mashed potatoes without lumps, I highly recommend using one. It's my preferred method for Yukon Golds.
- Let the potatoes dry before mashing: After draining, return them to the warm pot for 1–2 minutes so excess moisture can evaporate.
- Add the fat before the milk: Mash in the vegan butter, olive oil, or tahini first, then add the warm plant-based milk gradually. This gives you more control over the final texture.
- Cook until completely tender: A fork or knife should slide through the center easily. Slightly undercooked potatoes are much harder to get smooth.
- Stop once they’re creamy: Overmixing can make mashed potatoes gluey.
Next, try my cheesy broccoli and cauliflower baked potatoes or these grilled foil potatoes.
How to Make Vegan Mashed Potatoes
Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
Stovetop Method
- Step 1: Cover evenly cut potatoes with cold salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until completely fork-tender.
- Step 2: Drain well and return the potatoes to the warm pot for 1–2 minutes to let excess moisture evaporate.
- Step 3: For the smoothest texture, pass the hot potatoes through a potato ricer. For a more rustic mash, use a hand masher.
- Step 4: Gently stir in the vegan butter, olive oil, or tahini. Add the warm plant-based milk a little at a time until creamy, then season to taste.
Instant Pot Method
- Add 1½ cups water to a 6-quart Instant Pot. Place the potatoes in a steamer basket above the water.
- Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, allow a 10-minute natural release, then release the remaining pressure. Finish with the ricer or hand masher and add the remaining ingredients as directed above.
Have you ever tried mashed potatoes with a little spice? I often add my creamy jalapeño salsa to these potatoes. So good! For group gatherings, one of my favorite ways to serve them is in these crispy mashed potato tacos.
Roasted Garlic Option
Roasted garlic adds a mellow, savory flavor without the sharp bite of raw garlic. Slice the top from a garlic head, drizzle with a little olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast at 400°F for 30–40 minutes, until soft and golden.
Roast it while the potatoes cook or make it 1–2 days ahead. I usually save this variation for holidays or prepare the garlic ahead for an easier weeknight meal.
If you have extra Yukon Gold potatoes, use them in my boiled vegetables recipe with cabbage and other tender vegetables.
Make It Your Way
- Classic: Use vegan butter and leave out the roasted garlic.
- Rustic: Leave some of the skins on and mash by hand.
- Extra creamy: Fold in 2–4 tablespoons vegan sour cream after mashing. Start with less, then add more to taste.
- Fresh herbs: Finish with chives, parsley, or green onions.
Make it a Meal
- For an easy comfort-food bowl, layer mashed potatoes, corn or roasted veggies, cashew gravy, and tofu sausage crumbles.
- Spoon one-pot vegan chili over the mashed potatoes for an easy, hearty dinner.
- Finish the meal with vegan pumpkin mug cake or vegan pumpkin pie with a pecan-graham cracker crust, or a warm pumpkin spice chai latte.
Mashed Potato Troubleshooting
- Too thick: Add warm plant-based milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Too thin: Return the potatoes to low heat and stir gently until some moisture evaporates.
- Gluey: This usually comes from overmixing. Stop as soon as the potatoes reach the texture you want.
- Watery: Drain more thoroughly and allow the potatoes to dry briefly before mashing.
- Flat flavor: Add more salt first (sparingly). If needed, add a little more vegan butter, olive oil, tahini, roasted garlic, or black pepper.
For an easy meal-prep lunch or dinner, pair these mashed potatoes with Instant Pot vegan mac and cheese or baked mac and cheese and a simple steamed vegetable.
Storage & Make-Ahead
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Make ahead: Prepare the potatoes up to 2 days before serving. For holidays or batch cooking, my favorite meal prep tools can help keep everything organized and ready to reheat.
- Reheat: Warm gently with a splash of plant-based milk, stirring only until creamy again.
- Freeze: Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
If you use your Instant Pot for weeknight staples, try my Instant Pot chickpeas next.
Vegan Mashed Potatoes FAQs
Vegan butter gives the most traditional flavor, while olive or avocado oil creates a lighter variation. For an option without added oil, use tahini with a little extra warm plant-based milk.
Yes. I often leave the thin skins on. For a rustic texture, use a hand masher. If you use a potato ricer, most of the skins separate as you work.
More Easy Weeknight Comfort Food
Need another easy dinner idea? These are some of my favorite comfort foods for busy weeknights, including recipes that pair well with mashed potatoes or help use up leftovers.
Did you try this recipe? Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest! 💛
📖 Recipe
Easy Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 3 lbs Yukon Gold or other yellow potatoes, scrubbed, quartered evenly, and peeled if preferred
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter, or olive oil, plus more to taste or 1-2 tablespoons tahini for an oil-free option
- ¾ cup unsweetened plant-based milk, warmed, plus more as needed
- 1-¼ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for the cooking water, or to taste
- 20 turns pepper
- 1 head roasted garlic, optional
- 1 Chopped chives, parsley, or green onions for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Roast the garlic, if using. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the top off from the garlic head. For the classic version, drizzle with a little olive oil. For an oil-free version, wrap it in foil without oil. Roast for 30–40 minutes, until soft and golden.
- Cook the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Salt the water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until completely fork-tender.
- Drain: Drain well and return the potatoes to the warm pot for 1–2 minutes to release excess moisture.
- Rice or mash: For the smoothest potatoes, pass the hot potatoes through a potato ricer. For a more rustic texture, use a hand masher.
- Add In: Gently stir in the vegan butter, olive oil, or tahini, then add the warm plant-based milk a little at a time until creamy.
- Season and serve: Add the 1¼ teaspoons of salt and black pepper, taste, and adjust as needed. Garnish with chives or parsley, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Instant Pot: Add 1½ cups of water to a 6-quart Instant Pot. Place the potatoes in a steamer basket above the water. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, allow a 10-minute natural release, then release the remaining pressure. Allow additional time for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
- Oil-free option: Use 1–2 tablespoons tahini instead of vegan butter or olive oil, then add warm plant-based milk as needed.
- Ricer vs. masher: Use a potato ricer for the smoothest texture. A hand masher is better for a more rustic mash.
- Roasted garlic: Add one head of roasted garlic for a deeper savory flavor. It can be roasted with or without oil.
- Butter Note: For a richer holiday-style mash, add more vegan butter to taste.
- Avoid overmixing: Do not use a blender or food processor, which can make mashed potatoes gluey.
- Extra creamy: Fold in 2–4 tablespoons vegan sour cream after mashing.
Nutrition
Julie Gaeta is a plant-based recipe creator, certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and mom of nine who's been plant-based for over 20 years. She's cooked approximately 4,382 pots of beans and can't vacation without her juicer and pasta pot. Her work has been featured in HuffPost, Yahoo, YourTango, and other major outlets. She helps others simplify wellness and feel good again through her blog, coaching, and weekly newsletter.
Julie Gaeta says
One of my favorite things about cooking is that recipes don't have to be all-or-nothing. Some nights these are simple and oil-free, other times I add roasted garlic and vegan butter for a holiday meal. Both are delicious!