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Rich and creamy thanks to a combo of coconut milk and plant-based butter, these simple dairy-free mashed potatoes are the absolute best side dish for your dairy free and vegan dinners. They’re fluffy, garlicky, and wonderfully savory, and impressive enough to please everyone around your dinner table – dairy free or not.

Overhead view of a bowl of dairy-free mashed potatoes on a white table top. A silver spoon rests in the potatoes.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Naturally vegan and gluten free, these dairy-free mashed potatoes are absolutely every bit as delicious as traditional mashed potatoes. A splash of coconut milk and a pat of dairy-free butter added to fluffy Yukon gold or russet potatoes make them rich, creamy, and absolutely mouthwatering.
The potatoes are perfectly seasoned, playing up their natural flavors with garlic, salt, fresh black pepper, and fresh chives. The simple touches keep the mashed potatoes neutral and versatile enough to go with absolutely any meal. They’ll fit right in with your Thanksgiving spread, your Christmas feast, and your Tuesday night leftovers.

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Chef’s Tips

If you want to avoid a gummy or mealy texture – and believe me, you do – then stick to Yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoes. Both are naturally smooth and buttery so they’ll mash into the perfect dairy-free mashed potatoes. Red potatoes and fingerling potatoes, on the other hand, are low in starch and super waxy. They won’t give you that fluffy, creamy mashed potato texture you want here.
Can you use other dairy-free milk alternatives? You can, but I don’t really recommend it. Any liquid will help you get that thin, mashed consistency. You could technically even use water if you wanted to. Full-fat coconut milk, though, is the key for thick, rich, creamy mashed potatoes without any dairy. Almond milk will work, but it can make the potatoes mealy. Oat milk’s flavor isn’t neutral enough in my opinion.
Need a make-ahead side dish for a potluck, or just to get something checked off your list? These dairy-free mashed potatoes can be prepared a little early if needed. Here’s how: make them as instructed. Transfer them to an oven-safe dish. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Place the dish in an oven preheated to 200° Fahrenheit. Leave them to stay warm until you’re ready to serve them. Note that this method is best if you only need to keep them warm for an extra 15-20 minutes or so. Longer than that, you’ll need to check their temperature regularly with an internal thermometer. If their temp falls below 140°F, they won’t be safe to consume.

Close-up, overhead view of the left half of a large white bowl holding dairy-free mashed potatoes topped with brown gravy.

Dreamy Dairy-Free Recipes You’ll Love

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Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes

Prep:15

Cook:20

Total:35

Creamy, fluffy, and wonderfully savory, these dairy-free mashed potatoes are the absolute best vegan side dish, perfect for holiday dinners and average weeknight meals alike.

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6 servings

Ingredients

▢ 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoes; peeled, cubed
▢ 3 cloves garlic peeled
▢ 1 big pinch salt more or less to taste
▢ ¼ cup vegan butter 4 tablespoons, plus more for serving
▢ ½ cup full-fat coconut milk plus more as needed, at or close to room temperature
▢ 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
▢ 1 tablespoon chopped chives for serving

Equipment

cold water
Large pot
Fork
colander or fine mesh sieve
Potato masher
serving container

Instructions

Place cubed potatoes and peeled garlic cloves in large pot. Add cold water to pot until waterline sits roughly 1" above potatoes. Sprinkle 1 big pinch salt over top of water and place pot on stovetop burner set to high heat.
When water begins to boil, immediately reduce heat to medium-low. Cook potatoes, uncovered, 10 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes can be easily pierced with tines of fork.
Carefully pour water and potatoes into colander. Drain as much excess water as possible then return potatoes and garlic to pot.
Turn off heat under pot. Using potato masher, mash boiled potatoes and garlic until mixture is mostly smooth.
Add vegan butter, coconut milk, and pepper to pot with potatoes. Continue mashing until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and mashed potatoes are smooth and creamy. Add additional coconut milk as needed to achieve desired consistency.
Taste potatoes and add more salt if needed. When satisfied with flavor and texture of mashed potatoes, transfer potatoes to serving bowl. Sprinkle chopped chives over top of potatoes and serve warm with additional butter.

Notes

The mashed potatoes can be prepared a little early if needed. Just transfer them to an oven-safe dish, cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, and place the dish in an oven preheated to 200° Fahrenheit. Check the potatoes periodically with a thermometer to ensure their temperature never falls out of the food-safe range (below 140° Fahrenheit).
Make it Whole30: Use a compliant dairy-free butter. You can use ghee, but it’s technically not dairy free, only lactose free.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1serving, Calories: 218kcal, Protein: 4g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Sodium: 120mg, Potassium: 697mg, Total Carbs: 28g, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 1g, Net Carbs: 24g, Vitamin A: 29IU, Vitamin C: 31mg, Calcium: 28mg, Iron: 2mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Creamy Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes

What Makes This Recipe So Good