Vegan Mashed Potatoes

How oh how have I never posted a from scratch mashed potato recipe before? Well I love mashed potatoes. And they are so easy to make vegan! I love them mashed with the skins left on because you add more nutrients and fiber to each bite. But you can peel if desired. I have four favorite ways to easily make ordinary vegan mashed potatoes sing!.. Buttery Chive, Turmeric, Cheezy-Hemp & Smoky Paprika.

Get my easy vegan mashed potato recipe and let that comfort food glow fill your dinner table..

Mashed potatoes are pure comfort food and pair well with just about anything. Plus they are so easy to modify and get creative with! These are just a few of my favorite ways to "spice up" my mashed potatoes...

Spiced..

Buttery...

Fluffy turmeric spiced..


Turmeric is a super healthy spice (it is a powerful antioxidant and anti inflammatory) that I try to squeeze into my recipes any way I can. Turmeric is often used to spice potatoes, in recipes like samosas, so this mashed potato recipe infused with turmeric is an instant winner. You could even add in some cayenne or minced chilies to add some spiciness.

The Smoky Paprika is a another mashed potato winner. It adds a slight spiciness, beautiful red color and smokiness too. Just take your plain buttery mashed potatoes and fold in the paprika to taste. Easy.

And my Cheezy Hemp potatoes are a favorite. I make these a lot! All you do is add nutritional yeast (Kal brand used) and a sprinkle of hemp seeds to the mashed potatoes. Add in more non-dairy milk if needed to smooth out the texture. Serve warm. I like to fold the hemp seeds in very last when the potatoes are warm so that they are never "cooked" - raw is the healthiest way to serve hemp seeds and all hemp products really.

Hemp-cheezy mashed..

Other Ideas.. You can also try cinnamon-orange zest potatoes for a "sweet" spin. Or try roasted garlic potatoes. Or fold in some tempeh bacon for vegan bacon mashed potatoes!

There are SO many options, I'd love to hear everything you do with mashed potatoes!

Mashed Potatoes: Buttery, Turmeric, Cheezy or Smoky Paprika
vegan, makes 6-7 cups of mashed potatoes (dinner party quantity!)

2.5lbs of russet potatoes (I used mini russets, with a slightly thinner skin than large russet potatoes)
1 ⅓ cups non-dairy milk, plain/original flavor
salt and pepper to taste - start with ¼ teaspoon salt + ⅛ teaspoon pepper
*for a gourmet flavor boost try truffle salt! Delicious in mashed potatoes
2-3 tablespoon vegan buttery spread (or substitute with your favorite healthy oil, walnut, coconut or EVOO)
5 cloves of garlic

Variations:
Buttery Chive: Top with chopped chives and extra vegan butter
Cheezy-Hemp: Fold in ½ cup nutritional yeast, an added ⅓ cup non-dairy milk or creamer and raw hemp seeds to taste
Turmeric: Fold in turmeric spice to taste (I add about ½ teaspoon per 1 ½ cups)
Smoky Paprika: Fold in Spanish-style Smoky Paprika spice to taste (I add about ½ teaspoon per 2 cups)

Ultra Creamy: Substitute half of the non-dairy milk with unsweetened soy creamer.
Super Savory: Substitute half of the non-dairy milk with veggie broth. Monitor the added salt closely since most broth contains sodium.

Directions:

1. Scrub your potatoes very well. Chop them into rough cubes. The larger the potato the longer it will take to soften in the boiling water.
2. Toss all chopped potatoes, a few pinches of salt and the raw garlic cloves in a large soup pot and fill with water until about one inch of water covering the potatoes. Bring to a boil and boil until the potatoes are tender enough to slice with a fork.
3. Drain water and transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
4. Add in one cup of the non-dairy milk, softened vegan butter and a starting amount of salt and pepper (a few pinches of each.)
5. Using a hand mixer (on off) mash the potatoes as much as possible. Then start blending on the lowest setting. If you have a fancy potato mashing tool for your mixer you can use that too. But an ordinary beater will work. Continue blending the potatoes and slowly add in the remaining non-dairy milk.
6. Blend until the clumps are gone or mostly softened and the potatoes are generally silky smooth. (If you want ultra-silky, thin potatoes, add in more non-dairy milk and blend in a Vitamix!)
7. When potatoes are at a lovely texture, do a taste test and modify the salt/pepper.
8. Fold in the spices or flavoring ingredients listed above for mashed potato variations.

Serve warm, freshly blended or reheat in a 350 degree oven for about fifteen minutes. If your potatoes are in the fridge a bit too long before serving, you can re-blend with an added splash of non-dairy milk before reheating and serving.

Leftovers, update. Just whipped these up for my mom who is visiting and she said I HAD to post the recipe. All I did: reheated the leftover turmeric mashed potatoes in the microwave with a splash of coconut milk. Topped with cayenne and fresh chives and slices of vegan Kite Hill cheese. Smelled amazing!..