These Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes are made with plant-based butter, roasted garlic, and simple, healthy ingredients. They’re so easy to make and so delicious served with homemade gravy for Thanksgiving dinner!

My favorite part of Thanksgiving just might be the creamy vegan mashed potatoes. Plus all the delicious homemade gravy to serve it with! The creamier, the better, and these mashed potatoes are a top favorite – whether it’s the holiday season or not. My family always goes nuts for these simple vegan mashed potatoes and you won’t believe how simple they are to whip up!

These Vegan Mashed Potatoes are full of savory flavors and made healthier than usual with real food ingredients like plant-based butter and garlic. Even though the recipe is dairy-free and doesn’t include the usual heavy cream & dairy butter, I was honestly shocked at how creamy, smooth, and delicious they came out! I promise your family and friends are going to swoon over this easy vegan side dish. Let’s dive into the details 🙂

Ingredients for Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes

  • Yukon Gold Potatoes: I like to use Yukon Gold Potatoes. They are super creamy, so they’ll give you a softer, buttery & super creamy mashed potato without the need for a ton of butter. I wouldn’t recommend substituting for a different kind.
  • Vegan Butter: Make sure the butter is softened and not too stiff so it melts and incorporates easily into the potato mash. My favorite vegan butter brands are Miyoko’s, Earth Balance, and Flora Plant Butter. All will work well here!
  • Roasted Garlic Cloves: I like to roast an entire head of garlic to add to these mashed potatoes. It adds a mild and sweet garlic flavor that brings these from good to exceptional. If you only have raw garlic and don’t have time to roast any, use 1-2 cloves of minced or grated raw garlic, but don’t overdo as it can be very strong!
  • Sea Salt + Pepper: always important – make sure your potatoes are well seasoned!
  • White Miso Paste: this may seem surprising, and it’s not a common ingredient for mashed potatoes, but it adds such a lovely umami flavor. It’s barely noticeable and it’s optional, but I love adding it to these mashed potatoes to add that little extra something something. 
  • Fresh chives: chopped for serving, these are the perfect garnish! Any other fresh herbs or scallions can also be used.

How to make Vegan Mashed Potatoes

These mashed potatoes are incredibly easy to whip up! Not to mention how creamy they come out, full of simple yet flavorful ingredients. You will either need a potato ricer or a potato mash tool to get a good consistency. The ricer will help your potatoes be super smooth and creamy. The masher is perfect if you prefer a most rustic, chunky texture. Here’s how to make vegan mashed potatoes:

  1. Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks. Place them in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Cover in about 1 inch of water with salt and stir.
  2. Bring water to a boil and cook until fork-tender, and soft all the way through. This will take about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the potato pieces.
  3. Reserve 1 cup of potato cooking water in a liquid measuring cup. Then drain the potatoes and set aside.
  4. Soften the vegan butter, then place it in a small bowl. Add in roasted garlic and white miso paste. Whisk until well combined.
  5. Return the potatoes to the pan and cook for a few minutes over low heat to cook off any excess moisture. Run the potatoes through a potato ricer if using or mash with a potato masher.
  6. Add in the butter mixture and stir to melt and incorporate. Slowly add in the reserved cooking water, mashing as you do, until you reach your desired consistency.
  7. Taste for seasoning and add in more sea salt, pepper, or garlic as needed.
  8. Garnish with fresh chives and more vegan butter before serving!

Vegan Mashed Potatoes with Gravy

We loved serving these mashed potatoes with my favorite vegan mushroom gravy recipe. It adds the best flavor drizzled on top of the mashed potatoes.

Don’t let homemade mushroom gravy intimidate you either, this recipe is super simple to make! It’s also healthier than store-bought gravies, full of real-food ingredients versus any artificial additives.

Tips for the BEST Mashed Potatoes

Use softened butter: Make sure your butter is soft as this will help create the ultimate smooth and uniform texture throughout the mashed potatoes. If your vegan butter isn’t naturally softened, you can bring it to room temperature by placing it on the counter for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Alternatively, you can place it in the microwave for about 5 to 10 seconds.

White Miso Paste: This ingredient is optional but I found it adds the most incredible savory flavor to the mashed potatoes! Miso paste is essentially fermented soybeans known for its “umami” flavor when added to sauces or recipes. 

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The Best Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes

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  • Author: Rachel Conners
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Side Dishes
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

The best creamy vegan mashed potatoes made with plant-based butter, fresh garlic, and healthy ingredients! These mashed potatoes are so simple to make and perfect served with homemade gravy for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1½ teaspoons sea salt + more to taste
  • 6 tablespoons vegan butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoons white miso paste, optional – adds lovely savory flavor though
  • 1 head roasted garlic (see Notes for how to make) or 1–2 cloves raw garlic, minced or grated
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • Chopped fresh chives, for serving

Instructions

  1. Start by preparing the potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut into large, relatively even chunks. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and cover them by about 1 inch in water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir.
  2. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender. They should be soft all the way through. This will take about 15-20 minutes but can vary based on the size of your potato pieces.
  3. Reserve about 2 cups of the potato cooking water in a liquid measuring cup, and then drain the potatoes well.
  4. Once the vegan butter is softened, place it in a small bowl and add the garlic and miso paste. Using a fork or small whisk, mix them together until well combined.
  5. Return the potatoes to the pan and cook for a few minutes over low heat to cook off any excess moisture. Run through a potato ricer if you’re ricing the potatoes, or using a potato masher to mash well. Stir in the butter mixture until melted and incorporated. Slowly add the reserved cooking water, mashing, and folding as you add, until you reach your desired consistency.
  6. Taste for seasoning and add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. 
  7. Garnish with fresh chives and more vegan butter before serving warm.

Notes

  • How to make roasted garlic: heat oven to 375°F. Peel off the outer paperly layers of a garlic head, and then cut it in half lengthwise. Place on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap up in the foil and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the cloves are golden and tender. Let cool enough to handle and then you can use a knife to remove the cloves, or just squeeze them out of their papery skins with your fingers.
  • Adding cauliflower: You can replace up to one pound of the potatoes with cauliflower to lighten this dish up if you like, as well. If you do, make sure the cauliflower is super tender so it mashes well with the potatoes!

Keywords: thanksgiving, vegan, gluten free, mashed potatoes, vegetarian, healthy, side dish

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