The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Creamy, rich, & fluffy vegan mashed potatoes flavored with lots of butter, fresh herbs, and garlic.

Believe it or not, you can make mashed potatoes that are rich, ultra creamy, and fluffy but without the dairy. These Vegan Mashed Potatoes are infused with lots of fresh herbs, garlic, and of course, loaded with butter for that deliciously creamy texture.

Mashed potatoes may seem like a straightforward dish, but there are actually a few tips that can make them next level!

The type of potatoes you use, mashing technique, temperature of milk, flavor additions, and how you combine the ingredients all affect the final product. I’ll help walk you through how to create the best mashed potatoes!

How to make The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes:

1. Add potatoes to a large heavy-bottomed pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and stir in salt. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until fork can be easily inserted into the potato without resistance.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the infused milk. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, thyme, rosemary, and garlic. Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes until aromatic. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large liquid measuring cup (for easy pouring) and strain the milk mixture. Discard solids. Set milk aside.
3. Drain the potatoes into a colander. Transfer back to the pot (taken off the heat) and let sit for 5 minutes. The potatoes will continue to steam which removes excess moisture.
4. Take out a large mixing bowl to prepare the mashed potatoes. Press the warm potatoes through the potato ricer into the bowl. Add the softened butter. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix the butter into the riced potatoes. Alternatively, you can combine with an electric mixer on low speed. Once the butter is fully incorporated, slowly mix in ⅓ milk mixture at a time. Season with salt and pepper. I recommend adding a bit of salt, taste, adding more, taste, and repeat until perfectly seasoned!
5. Garnish with fresh chives and serve warm. I recommend pairing it with my favorite homemade mushroom gravy (recipe in notes)!

Tips for making The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes:

Type of potatoes. When looking for the right potato to use in mashed potatoes, you want to look at starch content. Higher starch content potatoes will be easier to mash and create a fluffy and creamy final product. Yukon gold potatoes are my personal fav, as they are high in starch! They also have a delicious buttery flavor.

Russet potatoes also have a higher starch content, but I find them blander in flavor.

Mashing technique. For an evenly light and fluffy texture, I HIGHLY recommend a potato ricer. Running your potatoes through a ricer eliminates any clumps and incorporates air which = fluffy mashed potatoes!

Temperature of milk. Always make sure to add warm vs cold milk to your warm potatoes. Adding cold milk may result in a gluey texture and more effort while mixing.

Flavor additions. Adding fresh herbs and/or garlic = more flavorful mashed potatoes! I recommend infusing your milk with these ingredients. Your kitchen will also smell amazing afterwards.

Slowly adding the milk. Once you add too much milk, there is no going back. That’s why I like to slowly add in the milk to control how much I am putting in.

Why you’ll love these Best Mashed Potatoes:

Creamy & fluffy. If you follow the tips above, you’ll create vegan mashed potatoes that are nothing short of creamy and fluffy.

Rich & flavorful. The best mashed potatoes call for a generous amount of butter which creates a delicious rich flavor. These mashed potatoes are also flavored with lots of fresh herbs and garlic.

Easy & simple. These mashed potatoes are ready in less than 1 hr and are mostly prepared in one-pot!

Perfect thanksgiving side dish. I mean…what’s Thanksgiving without the mashed potatoes? Bring this to your Thanksgiving dinner and wow your guests.

Best paired with this homemade Mushroom Gravy. Highly recommend drowning these creamy mashed potatoes in my favorite homemade mushroom gravy.

If you’re looking for more delicious thanksgiving side dishes, you’ll also love these Crispy Garlic Fingerling Potatoes with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce, this Herbed Jalapeno and Almond Cornbread, and this Baked Mushroom Risotto.

Also, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram don’t forget to tag me @healthienut + #healthienut! I love seeing your mouthwatering recreations!