Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes [Vegan, Oil/Butter Free, Instant Pot]

These vegan mashed potatoes are one of the highlights of our Thanksgiving meal every year. We always have a lot of meat-eating family for Thanksgiving and my brother was shocked to learn these mashed potatoes were vegan.  They are just as easy as regular mashed potatoes, but using the cashew cream as a base adds healthy fats and proteins in place of the butter and cream.

A lot of Dairy-Free mashed potatoes recipes will call for Almond Milk or coconut milk. I prefer the neutral taste of homemade cashew milk or cream. It lends a natural creaminess with a neutral yet rich flavor.

I have also been making my mashed potatoes a day in advance for years. It was such a great feeling one Thanksgiving Day to tell my husband most of the food was already done and I had very little to do to get it ready for dinner. We’ve hosted Thanksgiving at our house for most of the last 7 years, and with little boys in the house, it’s always great to use those final hours cleaning up. Keeping the house clean for very long can be a challenge!

To make the mashed potatoes in advance, simply add an additional 1/2 cup liquid once you reach the desired consistency. Cover a glass bowl with plastic wrap, making sure to leave space for the potatoes not to touch the plastic wrap. I am usually super careful to avoid plastic in the microwave, but this has been one place where I’ve made an exception since the food doesn’t come in contact with it.

Most recently I’ve been making the potatoes in the Instant Pot. I love the stainless steel interior that allows me to beat the potatoes right in the pot without damaging the finish. If you have an Instant Pot, this is definitely the way to go.

Print Recipe

Mashed Potatoes (You'd never Believe are Dairy-Free!)

Servings

Ingredients

• 5 lbs potatoes large Costco potatoes are usually a few ounces shy of a pound, so 6 is about 5 lbs)
• 1 cup unsalted cashews preferably raw & unsalted
• 2 cups water
• 1-2 tsp sea salt or to taste

Servings Ingredients 5 lbs potatoes large Costco potatoes are usually a few ounces shy of a pound, so 6 is about 5 lbs) 1 cup unsalted cashews preferably raw & unsalted 2 cups water 1-2 tsp sea salt or to taste

Instructions

1. Start a large pot of water to boil on the stove.
2. Heat 2 cups water in microwave for 2 minutes and then add cashews
3. Peel and cut potatoes into 1 inch squares and add to boiling water.
4. While potatoes cook, blend cashews and their soaking water in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy and no chunks remain.
5. When potatoes are fall apart tender, drain off most of the water (I usually don’t even get all of the potatoes into the strainer, just enough to get out most of the water). Add cashew milk and 1 tsp sea salt and mash with a potato masher or hand mixer (but be careful if you are using a nonstick pot, I did some damage with my hand mixer once). Taste and add more salt to taste. I also usually have some plain (NOT vanilla), unsweetened almond milk on hand that I add if they need a little more liquid.

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

1. When potatoes reach desired consistency, add an additional 1/2 cup nut milk or water and store in glass bowl. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate, avoiding contact with the potatoes and plastic. When ready to serve, poke holes in plastic and microwave for about 12 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

1. Place 2 cups of water in bottom of Instant Pot and add peeled and cut potatoes. Cook at high pressure for 12 minutes. Meanwhile prepare cashew cream. Allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure. Drain off and reserve some water.
2. Use hand mixer to break down potatoes with cashew cream. Add additional water to reach desired consistency and salt to taste. You can use the Instant Pot keep warm setting to keep these warm for several hours if needed.