Vegan mashed potatoes

Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Add to a large pot and fill with cold water to cover the potatoes by around 1 inch.

Bring to the boil, and then turn the heat down to let the potatoes simmer for around 14 minutes, until fork-tender.

Drain the potatoes, and place back into the pot. Warm briefly on a low heat to dry the potatoes out. Turn the heat off, and mash the potatoes in the pot with a masher.

In a separate pan, whisk the plant-based milk, garlic and onion powder together. Then add the vegan margarine and turn on the heat to low to allow it to melt. Leave to simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the warm margarine mix to the potatoes and stir well. If the potatoes are looking a little dry you can add a splash of more plant-based milk.

Add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with chopped chives, and serve alongside a hearty plant-based dish.

Tips & tricks

The types of potatoes you use can affect the overall end texture and taste. Russet potatoes are high in starch, so they’ll bring a really fluffy texture to your vegan mash. Yukon Gold potatoes are packed full of flavour and indulgently creamy, so they’ll make your mash rich, but less fluffy. You can also combine varieties of potatoes if you want a mix of light texture and rich flavour. In this non-vegan version, the recipe uses Ratte potatoes, which brings a nutty flavour to the mash for another flavour dynamic. These are a couple of our favourite options to use but you can experiment away in your kitchen with endless options.

We’ve shared a recipe above that adds the vegan margarine and milk whilst warm to the potatoes. If you add these cold, you’ll find it harder to combine all of the ingredients together, so it’s best to take the additional time to warm these up for top results. It’s also important to make sure you dry out the potatoes slightly before mashing, so your mash doesn’t end up soggy. This step has also been included in our recipe above.

How to serve it

You can simply serve the mash with salt and pepper, or you can add a dash of herbs, like chives, to finish the dish with a splash of colour. Popular in the winter, we love this one alongside plant-based sausages or, if it’s a special occasion, enjoy with a homemade nut roast or vegan Wellington. If you’re planning a vegan feast, you can find more inspiration with our popular vegan recipes here, like a lemon granita, to finish the feast. And we have vegan recipes for all seasons available to discover here, so you can explore plant-based eating whatever the weather.

Storage

You can store mashed potatoes in the fridge for up to three days. They must be stored in an airtight container, and ideally refrigerated within two hours of cooking to ensure there isn’t any bacteria build-up before storing. It’s possible to reheat the potatoes on the stove when ready to enjoy again, and you can add a splash of plant-based milk to loosen the potatoes when warming, if needed.