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    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Vegan Mashed Potatoes (Without Butter)

    Published: Sep 29, 2022 · Modified: Sep 29, 2022 by Richard Makin

    🥜 NF
    🌾 GF
    🫛 SF
    <30 mins
    🌱 VG

    Publised on 29/09/2022. Last Updated on 29/09/2022 by Richard

    Jump to Recipe
    5 from 20 votes

    Silky smooth vegan mashed potatoes with a velvety creamy texture and buttery flavour. Light and fluffy and perfect for vegan thanksgiving dinner, vegan Christmas dinner or just a nice vegan Sunday lunch!

    Mashed potatoes without butter.

    The ultimate side dish for with any vegan thanksgiving VEGAN MASHED POTATOES! Nothing compares to those fluffy peaks of carby heaven! But who's been victim of sub-par vegan mashed potatoes? *raises hand sheepishly* For such an easy dish, there's a lot that can go wrong with mashed potatoes without butter!

    Jump to:
    • 🥔 Ingredients
    • 🥣 How do I make vegan mashed potatoes?
    • 🍴 Serving Suggestions
    • 👨🏼‍🍳 Tips and Tricks
    • 📒 Recipe Card
    • Mashed Potatoes without Butter
    • 🥗 Related Recipes

    So here's my recipe! Here to save you from rubbish vegan mashed potatoes FOR LIFE! That means no more gluey sticky wallpaper paste potatoes! No more lumpy mash and definitely no more dry, flavourless mush! I'm talking about super smooth, creamy vegan mashed potatoes every time!

    So if you're getting ready for the holidays or for a nice vegan thanksgiving, you're gonna need a batch of Vegan Dinner Rolls and some mashed potato and a nice big vegan turkey, and you're good to go!

    Vegan gravy on mashed potatoes in a serving dish.

    This recipe was designed with a full roast dinner, vegan Christmas dinner or vegan thanksgiving in mind. This means it's ideal for with my vegan chicken , vegan turkey or vegan beef roasts! Obvs, it's mashed potatoes, so it's super versatile too. 

    It's also ideal for a plate of bangers and mash with peas and my homemade vegan gravy! Use it as you choose! The power of flawless vegan mashed potatoes is in your hands! If you're ready to get started with your thanksgiving dinner, check this post out for my fave recipes!

    Vegan thanksgiving dinner with mashed potatoes in the centre of the plate.

    🥔 Ingredients

    Here's everything you'll need to make deliciously creamy mashed potatoes without butter:

    • Potatoes: Preferably maris piper or russet, peeled and cut into 1.5 inch cubes.
    • Vegan Butter: Use some extra for serving!
    • Plant Milk: Ideally full-fat oat or soy milk without flavourings or sweeteners.
    • Fine sea salt.
    • Black pepper for serving.
    • Chives or fresh parsley for serving.

    🥣 How do I make vegan mashed potatoes?

    As always, the FULL RECIPE is at the bottom of the page but if you're in a rush to get started on your vegan thanksgiving dinner, scroll on down there. Alternatively, here's a step by step breakdown!

    Some mashed potato recipes contain everything from double cream to egg yolks, so although this recipe seems super basic, I thought it'd be great to get a real classic up here so you can rely on it again and again! 

    1. Boil your potatoes

    Prepared potatoes in a pot of boiling water.

    Alright, let's get cracking! And of course any good recipe for vegan mashed potatoes starts with POTATOES! I like to use maris piper potatoes for this recipe. Alternatively you can use russet but if you're going rogue, be sure to give the variety a good google before use. You should avoid waxy varieties and stick with fluffy, floury varieties instead.

    We're first going to peel, chop and boil our potatoes in lots of water with a good pinch of salt, for about 15 minutes. The boil time varies obviously depending on the size you cut the potatoes, so do regular checks on your largest piece of potato with a fork. When a fork inserts easily the potatoes are done. 

    2. Steam dry the potatoes

    Drained, cooked potatoes drying in a colander.

    Dry spuds = good mash! We don't want to introduce any unwanted water into our mash so we're going to drain our hot potatoes and let them steam dry in the colander before we even DREAM of mashing them!

    But don't wash up the pan you boiled the potatoes in yet! We're going to use the residual for something else!

    3. Melt your vegan butter and warm the plant milk

    Vegan butter and milk melting together in a large pot.

    Place the plant milk and vegan butter in the warm pan and allow it to melt/warm. The idea is that when we mash our potatoes, we want to be adding hot ingredients only. Anything else will cool down the mash. You can also add seasoning at this point, as it'll guarantee complete distribution throughout the mash, but go easy on the salt - it's better to add too little than too much. 

    4. Mash the potatoes

    A ricer ricing the potatoes into the pot with the milk and butter.

    OK I say mash the potatoes because this is a vegan mashed potatoes recipe after all - but what I really mean is rice the potatoes IF you have a potato ricer! This contraption guarantees ZERO big lumps in your vegan mashed potatoes plus it additionally requires less elbow grease. It's a good idea to give everything a good mash even if you're using a potato ricer. This way your vegan butter and plant milk are evenly distributed. 

    If you don't have a ricer, don't worry, just PLEASE don't use a food processor or blender. The blades move VERY quickly and will activate all the starch in the potatoes, making them gluey and sticky. 

    5. Mix well and season

    Mashed potatoes in a large pot being stirred with a spatula.

    Next, mix everything really well! This will help distribute the butter and milk thoroughly, additionally it's also another good chance to add some seasoning to your mash. Salt and pepper it up! 

    6. Serve your vegan mashed potatoes!

    Vegan mashed potatoes without butter served in a serving dish with fresh herbs.

    Your vegan mashed potatoes are now ready to serve! I like to top with some more vegan butter, some black pepper and either fresh parsley or fresh chives. Bingo! Dinner is ready!

    Mashed potatoes without butter served with vegan butter and chopped fresh herbs in a serving bowl.

    🍴 Serving Suggestions

    You're now ready to serve! But what with!? Here are some suggestions! I like to serve my vegan mashed potatoes with:

    Vegan Turkey Roast

    Easy Vegan Gravy

    Vegan Stuffing

    👨🏼‍🍳 Tips and Tricks

    • Choose the Right Potatoes: Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes work best, as they have a fluffy texture when mashed. Avoid waxy potatoes like red or white potatoes, which can get gluey.
    • Even-Sized Pieces: Cut the potatoes into even-sized pieces so they cook evenly.
    • Creamiest Texture: Use a potato masher or ricer rather than a food processor or blender. Over-mixing can make the potatoes gluey.
    • Seasonings: Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, vegan Parmesan, fresh herbs like chives, green onion, dill or parsley. For special occasions, fold in roasted garlic or caramelized onions.
    • Toppings: Top with crispy fried onions, fried mushrooms, or gravy for delicious add-ins.
    Close up of melting vegan butter on vegan mashed potatoes.

    It helps me MASSIVELY if you can rate and review this recipe below. This blog is here because people like you actually use it and cook these recipes!

    Alternatively, take a picture and pop it on instagram! You can follow me here if you don't already, or use the hashtag #schoolnightvegan when you post! 

    📒 Recipe Card

    Featured image for mashed potatoes without butter.

    Mashed Potatoes without Butter

    Silky smooth vegan mashed potatoes with a velvety creamy texture and buttery flavour. Light and fluffy and perfect for vegan thanksgiving dinner, vegan Christmas dinner or just a nice vegan Sunday lunch!
    5 from 20 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 13 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 28 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 283kcal
    Author: Richard Makin

    Equipment

    • 1 large saucepan
    • 1 colander
    • 1 potato ricer or masher

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 kg potatoes preferably maris piper or russet, peeled and cut into 1.5 inch cubes
    • 80 g vegan butter plus extra for serving
    • 170 ml plant milk ideally full-fat oat or soy milk without flavourings or sweeteners
    • 2 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • Ground black pepper for serving
    • Chives or fresh parsley for serving
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Fill a large saucepan with water plus 2 teaspoon of the fine sea salt and bring to the boil. Add the potatoes, making sure they’re all covered by the water, and bring to the boil again.
      1.5 kg potatoes, 2 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • From the point the water begins to rapidly bubble, cook the potatoes for around 15 minutes or until fork soft.
    • Drain the potatoes through a colander. While the empty pot is still warm, add the vegan butter and plant milk. Allow them both to warm/melt while the potatoes steam-dry in the colander for 3 minutes. 
      80 g vegan butter, 170 ml plant milk
    • Carefully add the potatoes back to the pan, being careful not to splash yourself with the milk or butter. Mash the potatoes with a masher or a potato ricer until smooth and stir into the warmed milk and vegan butter. Season with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt then serve with extra vegan butter, ground black pepper and fresh chives.
      Ground black pepper for serving, Chives or fresh parsley for serving

    Notes

    1. It may well feel like a mashed potato hack, but trust me, do not ever use a blender to make mashed potatoes. The blades more way too fast and will only result in a gluey, sticky bowl of mashed potatoes.
    2. If you're using a vegan butter which browns, you can use this feature to add even more flavour to your vegan mashed potatoes. Just add the butter to the pan after you've drained your potatoes and place back over the heat. Stirring constantly, the vegan butter should begin to foam and pick up some small flecks of brown. Keep going until the vegan butter is nutty and fragrant. Allow to cool for a minute or two before adding the vegan milk, followed by the potatoes. The browned butter will really make your mashed potatoes stand out!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1084mg | Potassium: 1096mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SchoolNightVegan or tag #schoolnightvegan!

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    Comments

      5 from 20 votes (20 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Daria

      June 23, 2024 at 10:25 pm

      Hi Richard, why the title says „without butter”? 😀

      Reply

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