Use tangy vegan yogurt instead of milk and butter to create the best, most luscious healthy mashed potatoes. It's a trick you'll return to again and again, with results that tastes just like rich sour cream mashed potatoes! No oil, butter, or milk and only 3 ingredients.
This recipe was a happy accident. Around Thanksgiving I was making mashed potatoes when I spotted my Mason jar full of Instant Pot cashew yogurt in the fridge.
So instead of reaching for vegan butter and soy or almond milk, I dolloped a few large spoonfuls of yogurt onto the potatoes while mashing. The result? The best damn mashed potatoes I've ever had!
They tasted like SO much more than the sum of their parts, as if they were loaded with rich sour cream and/or cheese, yet they're almost fat free.
Now I recognize this method may not be for everyone (it helps if you're actually a fan of tangy sour cream and yogurt). But even if you're skeptical, the flavor and creaminess yogurt gives the mashed potatoes is SO worth a try.
Ingredients
You'll need just a few ingredients to make this healthy side dish, but of course you can add other fun flavors, as well.
- Potatoes - I like to use mostly Yukon gold potatoes with 1 or 2 russets thrown into the mix. You can also do all gold potatoes or half and half.
- Plain vegan yogurt - I've tested the recipe with both cashew yogurt and soy yogurt. I prefer homemade vegan yogurt simply because it's creamier, without the gums and other thickeners found in commercial yogurts. But if you're not comfortable making your own yogurt yet, go with a plain, unsweetened store-bought yogurt like Forager's Cashew-gurt or Kite Hill almond yogurt.
- Garlic powder - or you can cook 2 cloves of fresh garlic with the potatoes
- Fine sea salt
- Black pepper
Optional additions and toppings to try:
- Fresh chives or parsley
- Vegan Parm
- Vegan Bacon Bits
- Shredded vegan cheese
- Crumbled almond queso fresco
How To Cook Potatoes for Mashing
There are several ways you can easily cook the potatoes, including boiling, steaming, or in an Instant Pot.
Boiling is probably the easiest method that doesn't require special equipment. For the best flavor it's important to generously salt the cooking water. This is the method I've included in the recipe below.
As you can see in the photos below, these days I often cook mine in the Instant Pot. It's so easy, produces consistently soft and creamy potatoes, and uses less water.
My blogger friend Rosa at This Healthy Kitchen has a great post that will teach you the simple method for No-Drain Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
How to Store Mashed Potatoes
Store leftover mashed potatoes in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat briefly in the microwave or on the stovetop, and add a splash of unsweetened milk or extra yogurt when reheating to return the mashed potatoes to their original creamy texture.
They also freeze well. Store in an air tight container in your freezer for several months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Fully or partially peel the potatoes. Obviously, this is personal preference, but I find that too many pieces of skin detracts from the enjoyment of ultra creamy mashed potatoes. I usually remove 90 to 100% of the peel, and that's even with thin-skinned gold potatoes. I recommend fully peeling russets.
- For even cooking, cut the potatoes into similarly sized pieces.
- Don't undercook the potatoes. For consistently smooth mashed potatoes, test the consistency of several pieces of potato by sliding a knife into the center. It should slide in very easily.
- Immediately after draining the cooked potatoes return them to the pot. You want them to stay hot during mashing.
- Taste as you go when seasoning the potatoes. Add ingredients in small increments; you can always add more salt and yogurt, but you can't take it away!
Healthy Tip: sneak in a veggie by using a combination of steamed cauliflower and potatoes.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these tangy yogurt mashed potatoes with my Oil-Free Mushroom Gravy and a side of Parmesan Roasted Broccoli.
This beautiful and simple Seitan Roast is the perfect main dish pairing.
If you like this recipe, you might also like these Savory Vegan Mashed Sweet Potatoes made with yogurt!
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Vegan Mashed Potatoes With Yogurt
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes or a combination of golds and russets
- fine sea salt
- ⅓ to ⅔ cup plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt, room temperature I highly recommend homemade cashew or soy yogurt, but store-bought works too!
- up to ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes, or partially peel them to keep some of the skins. Cut into similarly sized 1-inch thick pieces. Place potatoes in a large stock pot, and add enough water so the potatoes are covered by about 1 inch. Stir 2 teaspoons sea salt into the water. *Alternatively, you can cook the potatoes in an Instant Pot as recommended in this no-drain mashed potatoes recipe by This Healthy Kitchen (link opens in a new tab).
- Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 12 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of a potato slides in easily. Drain potatoes in a colander, and immediately return them to the warm pot.
- With a potato masher, give the potatoes a brief first mash, just until they're chunky. Add about ⅓ cup yogurt, ¾ teaspoon salt, and a scant ½ teaspoon garlic powder to the pot. Mash again to fully incorporate the ingredients.
- Taste and season with black pepper and additional yogurt, salt, and garlic powder as desired. The amount of yogurt needed will depend on how tangy the yogurt is and your personal flavor preference.
- Serve warm with your favorite toppings such as chopped chives, black pepper, vegan parm, or gravy.
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