I’m pretty sure I can say with confidence that everyone looks forward to mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving.
I mean, it’s a whole thing: if you have Thanksgiving, you have this iconic side dish. Smashed spuds are everyone’s favorite side, whether they admit it or not.
It’s one of those dishes that you give yourself an extra large heaping scoop, then look at your plate a little forlornly because it doesn’t look like quite enough. So you dive in for another.
It’s that dish.
The standard recipe has lots of tasty, fatty flavor components, like butter and cream.
But if you’re the kind of person who avoids those ingredients for whatever reason, making it can be… challenging.
So, I’ve tried many variations of a vegan version of this classic side dish. Some were okay (I mean, really, they’re carbs mixed with some kind of fat – they can’t be that bad). Some were pretty good.
But none have been as creamy as these.
I did something pretty crazy here to achieve that super creamy, melt-in-your-mouth taste that the traditional recipe has. I’ve tried all sorts of non-dairy milks and was never super impressed with the result. But this time, I succeeded. Two words:
That stuff has been my jam lately. Not like the fruity jam, but you get it. I am using it all over the place and LOVING it, like in my fresh pesto recipe and homemade caramels. It’s so good.
Aside from the cashew cream, my recipe has some vegan margarine, salt, roasted garlic, and crispy shallots.
Roasted garlic and crispy shallots! Love!
Even if you have no intention of ever making this non-dairy version, you must put roasted garlic and crispy shallots on your mashers next time.
These vegan mashed potatoes use cashew cream for the ultimate creamy texture. With roasted garlic and crispy shallots, they can’t be beat.
Ingredients
Scale
1 cup water
1/2 cup cashews
2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil*
4 tablespoons vegan margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Boil 1 cup of water. Combine with the cashews in a large bowl, and let sit for 30 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If preferred, peel the potatoes, or leave the skins on. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Carefully drop the potatoes in the boiling water, and boil for about 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.
While the potatoes boil, place the garlic cloves in a heavy, dry skillet. Cook on medium-high heat, turning every now and then, for about 15 minutes, until they have brown spots on all sides. Let cool, then remove the skins and trim the ends.
Peel the shallot and mince finely. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet and add the shallots. Cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the heat.
Add the cashews and their soaking water to a blenderwith the peeled roasted garlic cloves. Blend until smooth, 1-3 minutes depending on your blender. It’s best to let the blender stop and cool down every minute or so.
When the potatoes are done cooking, drain in a colander. Add to the bowl of your stand mixer and fit with the whisk attachment. Alternatively, add to a large, wide bowl and use a potato masher.
Add the cashew cream, margarine, and salt. Beat for about 5 minutes for slightly lumpy potatoes, and up to 10 minutes for smooth potatoes.
Serve topped with the crispy shallots.
Notes
*If your skillet is large, you may need to use more olive oil. You want to have plenty in there for the shallots to cook in, otherwise they may burn instead of browning.
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:20 minutes
Category:Side Dish
Method:Stovetop
Cuisine:Vegan
Keywords: mashed potatoes, vegan, Thanksgiving, side dish, cashew cream
How to Whip ‘Em Up
To make these super creamy, I used my KitchenAid mixer to whip them. It is by far the easiest way to make them nice and fluffy.
If all you have is a potato ricer or masher, that’ll work too, but will take a little more time. You’ll also have nice toned arms afterward!
The masher is also a great option if you prefer a chunkier side dish – I do really enjoy biting into perfectly al dente chunks scattered amongst the creamy base.
How do you like your pulverized spuds? Creamy or chunky? Skins or no skins? Do you have any special ingredients for making your own non-dairy substitute of this fall-favorite dish? Comment below, and rate my recipe!
And for more vegan potato recipes, why not try some of these:
Cabbage, Potatoes and White Beans
Potato and Chanterelle Soup with Fresh Arugula Pesto
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
Instead, I use almond milk (or coconut), vegan butter (or ghee if you prefer), salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and top them with chives for a punch of flavor. This potato recipe will make all of your Thanksgiving dinner dreams come true!
As always, better quality ingredients equals better tasting food. Heavy Cream - While you, hypothetically, could use whole milk or something, I don't recommend it. Part of what makes these the creamiest mashed potatoes is the CREAM! Use the cream, we aren't eating mashed potatoes for our health.
You can make a similar heavy cream alternative using regular milk and butter. Whole milk has a fat percentage of around 3.5% and is preferable to lower-fat varieties, but you'll still want to use more melted butter than you would with half-and-half. For best results, try mixing ⅔ cup of whole milk with ⅓ cup butter.
You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.
The test made a few things clear: soy milk, at its best, tastes closest to cow's milk. Oat tastes like a sweetly nutty cereal milk while almond tastes like the water left in your sink after washing the breakfast dishes.
Among other milk alternatives like almond milk, soy milk and oat milk, soy milk is by far the best for baking. I learned this over the course of several years and many cookies, cakes, muffins and pies. Moreover, some people will tell you that you must swap full-fat coconut milk in for heavy cream or half-and-half.
Sour Cream: The sour cream helps keep the mashed potatoes fluffy. Cream Cheese: This adds a bit of creaminess without being too overpowering. Heavy Cream: Increases the creaminess and helps thin out the potatoes a bit.
Overworking the potatoes will cause them to get gummy, potatoes should still be light and fluffy. 6. Add the butter first. Adding the butter first helps to coat the starch in the potato, resulting in a creamier potato.
Mashing the warm potatoes with softened cream cheese makes the final product unbelievably rich and creamy. Adding cream to fluffy whipped potatoes is certainly not a new technique. Mashed potatoes are always blessed with a hearty helping of butter, cream, milk, half and half, or some sort of combination.
Mix equal parts silken tofu and soy milk and blend thoroughly to make a high protein, vegan substitute for heavy cream. This mixture works well to thicken soups and sauces.
In fact, each fluid ounce of evaporated milk contains less than half the amount of calories and about one-fourth the amount of fat as heavy cream. “It works best in a 1:1 substitution in recipes like casseroles, soups and sauces, offering a similar texture but lighter consistency,” explains Brigham.
Runny potatoes can happen for a few different reasons. Too much liquid: This is the most common reason. In the mashing process you may have added too much milk or broth. Boiled too long: Boiling your potatoes for too long can make them water-logged, which (you guessed it) can contribute to runny mashed potatoes.
There are several reasons that you may have runny mashed potatoes but here are a few of the most common reasons your potatoes may be runny! What is this? Excess moisture. If you have excess moisture in your potatoes, like too much milk or melted butter, you can get soggy potatoes.
This is the most common, and perhaps the simplest way, to thicken mashed potatoes. You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry.
Any plant-based or dairy free milk is a great substitute for regular milk in mashed potatoes. For an even creamier mashed potato, use cashew cream, which is similar in consistency to heavy cream. For a richer option when you're short on time, use full fat coconut milk.
Whisk a little cornstarch into the warm potatoes, only a teaspoon at a time, until the potatoes thicken to your liking. The potatoes must be warm. You can also use tapioca starch or potato starch, although most cooks are less likely to have those products on hand.
Soy Milk. Soy milk is the OG of non-dairy milk and is made by soaking soybeans (which have been hulled and ground) in water. Soybeans contain essential amino acids, high levels of protein, and iron, and soy milk has lower fat and cholesterol levels than cow's milk. Soy milk has a subtly sweet, creamy, and mild flavor.
But forget about "creamy texture and flavor" because they come from using creamy dairy products. However, if you demand smooth mash, use a bit of broth, or even soy or oat milk. They'll enable you to achieve the paste-like quality that many folks seem to associate with mashed potatoes.
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