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).
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. Sour Cream - This recipe is rich and it needs some tanginess for balance.
In terms of taste and consistency, a combination of half-and-half and butter is one of the best substitutes for heavy whipping cream—it tastes just like the real thing.
Start as you would any mashed potato recipe—by boiling the potatoes until tender—then allow them to cool before adding them to a ricer. "If you rice them right away, you're not allowing excess moisture to evaporate off the potatoes," Greg says. Skipping this step can lead to dense, gluey potatoes.
Sour cream adds a little bit of tangy flavor and a boost of richness to mashed potatoes. It's a fun change from the standard milk or cream and butter combo usually flavoring mashed taters. You can even try your hand at making homemade sour cream from heavy cream!
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.
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.
Chicken or vegetable broth: You can use chicken or vegetable broth instead of milk or cream to add flavor and moisture to mashed potatoes. This is a good option for those who are lactose intolerant or vegan. Sour cream: Sour cream can be used in place of milk or cream to add creaminess and tanginess to mashed potatoes.
Sour cream is an easy replacement for heavy cream. It can be easily stirred into a dish and offers another flavor profile to soups, stews and sauces. Plus, using it as a heavy cream substitute is a great way to use up that lingering tub in the fridge.
Thick-skinned varieties like russets will give you the fluffiest results. Steer clear of waxy red-skinned potatoes, which turn gluey when mashed. If it's too late to make the swap, change course and roast the potatoes tossed with oil, garlic and some fresh rosemary if you have it, instead of boiling them.
Just a pinch of baking soda is all you need to create mashed potatoes as soft as clouds. When you add baking soda, it reacts with the heat of the dish and the acid in the milk or cream to create small air pockets throughout the mash. These air bubbles translate to light and airy bites. Yum!
Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.
Adding egg yolks to a pot of mashed potatoes is an easy, dairy-free texture and taste upgrade that doesn't require any special techniques. The yolks harbor all the flavorful fats and emulsifying components and will thus effectively unify the fat and water in potatoes, translating to a smoother, uniformly creamy pot.
Is milk or cream better for mashed potatoes? I use half-and-half: it gives the potatoes the perfect creamy texture and rich taste. As a half-and-half substitute, you could also use heavy cream or whole milk. Whichever you use, just start with a little and add more as you need it.
Full-fat dairy products such as heavy whipping cream contain more of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K than low-fat or nonfat dairy. Also, your body absorbs fat-soluble vitamins better when you consume them with fat.
Heavy cream has too much fat. If you're doing a cake or something similar, the result will probably be very dense. If the recipe calls for milk and butter, you can replace 3/4 cups of water + 1/3 to 1/4 cup butter for 1 cup of heavy milk. I've done it with some success, it's not perfect but it'll do in a pinch.
Whole milk is a good choice for general cooking and baking, as it adds richness and flavor without being too heavy. Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are best for recipes that require a thick and creamy texture, or for making whipped cream.
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