Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes - so creamy! (gluten free & vegan)
These dairy free mashed potatoes are so rich and creamy - made with oat milk and garlic, they’re fluffy, gluten free, vegan, and taste just like you remember!
Equipment
- Potato masher, ricer, or food mill
Ingredients
- 3 pounds gold potatoes - about 5 potatoes
- 1 large russet potato
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 cup oat milk - see notes for recommendations
- 1/2 cup dairy free butter - see notes for recommendations
- 1 t salt - to taste
- chives - optional
Instructions
Prep
- Wash and peel potatoes. Remove any little eyes or sketchy spots using the end of the peeler or a small knife.• 3 pounds gold potatoes• 1 large russet potato
- Cut medium-sized potatoes into quarters and larger potatoes into 6-8 pieces each. This doesn't have to be precise; you are aiming to get your pieces more or less the same size so they'll cook evenly.
Cook the Potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water until the water covers the potatoes by about 2 inches. Cover the pot and place over a burner set to high.
- Peel garlic cloves and slice off any hard ends. (There is no need to chop them; they'll get mashed up later!) • 6 cloves garlic
- Drop the peeled cloves into the pot with the potatoes, and when you do, add about a tablespoon of salt to the water as well. Give everything a good stir and put the lid back on.
- Once the water starts to boil, remove the lid and set a timer for 20 minutes. Continue to boil the potatoes uncovered. After 20 minutes, pierce a potato with a fork – you should be able to pierce it easily with very little resistance. If it is still firm, continue to boil and check again every 5 minutes. (Note: Try to resist piercing them unnecessarily – too much poking about can make your potatoes watery!)
- When the potatoes are soft, drain them in a strainer and give it a good shake or two to remove most of the water. Put the drained potatoes back in the hot pot and set the pot back on the hot burner (which is now turned off). (Note: All this heat should help the potatoes dry out more, which will help the potatoes become extra fluffy.)
Heat the Milk & Butter
- While the potatoes dry, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Measure out the oat milk into a large measuring cup. Get out the dairy free butter; set aside 2 tablespoons or so for later and put the rest (6 tablespoons, cut into a few pieces) into the oat milk. • 1 cup oat milk• 1/2 cup dairy free butter
- Heat the oat milk and dairy free butter in the microwave for about 2 minutes or on the stove top until all is melted and warm.
Mash the Potatoes
- Move the potato pot to the counter. Working directly in the pot, use a potato masher to mash the potatoes. Do not add any milk or butter to the potatoes at this point. Stir the potatoes occasionally to reach the lumps hiding along the edge of the pot. You will begin to see that the potatoes that are mashed will be lighter in color and opaque, while the lumps will be more yellow and appear almost translucent. Continue to stir and mash, looking for the yellow lumps to target with your masher. You can also use a ricer or food mill to mash the potatoes.
- When you no longer see any lumps, add the salt. Begin to add the milk mixture gradually, stirring to incorporate. When you’ve added most of the liquid, taste the mashed potatoes and adjust to your liking. You can always add more salt and more oat milk if you prefer. Keep in mind that the potatoes will thicken as they cool.• 1 t salt
- Place in a bowl and top with remaining pats of butter and minced chives for garnish. Enjoy!• chives
Notes
TIPS
- Mashing: I recommend this particular potato masher. Most potato mashers produce lumpy potatoes, but this one has small enough holes that it actually makes smooth, lump-free mashed potatoes!
- Reheating: If your potatoes cool off a bit while mashing, or the rest of the meal is not quite done yet, not to worry. You can easily reheat the potatoes in the microwave (check after every couple of minutes) or on top of the stove. You can also keep them in a warm oven (less than 200°F), covered, for up to 2 hours. Other options: keep warm in a slow cooker (set to low) or in a heatproof bowl (covered), set over a pot of simmering water.
- Storage: Any leftovers should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Making Ahead & Refrigerating: To help make a big day of cooking a bit less stressful, feel free to make these a day or two ahead and reheat, tightly covered in foil, in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. If they are a bit dry after reheating, add a bit more oat milk and/or dairy free butter.
- Making Ahead & Freezing: If you would prefer to make your dairy free mashed potatoes weeks in advance, feel free to freeze them. Make sure they have cooled completely before freezing, then wrap them tightly in several layers of plastic to keep out the freezer burn.
- Thaw them in the refrigerator the day before and reheat in the slow cooker or on top of the stove, stirring periodically on low – you may need to add a bit more oat milk.
- As long as the potatoes were frozen in an oven safe container, you can also reheat them directly from frozen in the oven or microwave:
- For the oven, remove the plastic and place, covered in foil, in a 350°F oven for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- For the microwave, remove the lid, cover with parchment paper, and microwave for about 10 - 15 minutes, stirring periodically, until hot.
- For more advice on making ahead and freezing, check out this helpful Bon Appétit article.
- Dairy Free Milk: I recommend Oatly Original Oat Milk (the light blue box) because it is the only dairy free milk that passes my Milk & Cookies Test (i.e., I would drink it straight up with a plate of cookies).
- Dairy Free Butter: I recommend Miyoko's Creamery Salted European Style Plant Milk Butter (the yellow box) because it has way more flavor than most dairy free butters.
- Dairy Free: This recipe is dairy free as written. Make sure to use oat milk (or another plant based milk) and dairy free butter to keep these mashed potatoes dairy free.
- Gluten Free: This recipe is naturally gluten free. Most homemade mashed potatoes should be gluten free (as long as they don’t have some kind of breadcrumb topping). If you are using a box of instant potatoes, though, be sure to check the label.
- Vegan: This recipe is vegan as written. Make sure to use oat milk (or another plant based milk) and dairy free butter to keep these mashed potatoes vegan.
- If You Aren't Dairy Free or Vegan: If you don't need to avoid dairy, feel free to swap out the dairy free milk and butter with the regular types.