The most delicious Fluffy Buttermilk Vegan Mashed potatoes ever! Creamy, light, fluffy and better than dairy and yet, oil-free! Dairy-free and made with yukon gold potatoes!
Let’s be real here. Mashed potatoes are the epitome of comfort food. When I asked this question on Facebook, mashed potatoes was one of the biggest responses. I agree too. I love them. I love them fluffy, not overly blended or with too much moisture/liquid.
But, I also love simple. On the day of Thanksgiving, or any day really, I don’t want to fool with a bunch of steps and techniques. These mashed potatoes are delicious, easy and quick. No weird ingredients, just simplicity.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN MASHED POTATOES
The key to the best mashed potatoes is well, the potato! It HAS to be yukon gold or yellow potatoes in my opinion. Why? Well, because they are the creamiest and I swear they taste like they have butter in them. I’m not a fan of russet potatoes or red potatoes for making mashed potatoes, as they are dry and bland as can be in flavor, so you need to add too many ingredients to spruce them up.
You’ll only need 4 main ingredients (+ salt/pepper):
- yukon gold potatoes
- canned “lite” coconut milk
- garlic powder
- apple cider vinegar
I love a little fresh thyme on top of my mashed potatoes, but it most definitely is a necessity in my gravy as well. It gives a wonderful flavor and aroma. Fresh thyme is more potent, so use dried if you prefer.
These vegan mashed potatoes are also oil-free and low-fat, but they sure don’t taste it. My secret is flavoring the water you boil the potatoes in with garlic and salt. It adds overall depth to the potatoes!
To complete the perfect mashed potatoes, is gravy. Not just any gravy guys, the best gravy I’ve ever had!! It is my Thyme Cabernet Gravy and you will want to drink it, it is so good. So basically, you need to make it too.
Fluffy Buttermilk Vegan Mashed Potatoes pair beautifully with my Spicy BBQ Lentil Loaf!
MORE VEGAN POTATO RECIPES
- Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
- Low-Fat Smoky Broccoli Potato Soup
- Miso-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
- Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Smashed Potatoes
MORE VEGAN SIDE DISHES
- Vegan Oil-free Zucchini Fritters
- Best Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
- Skillet BBQ Baked Beans
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Fluffy Buttermilk Vegan Mashed Potatoes
The best Vegan Fluffy Buttermilk Mashed potatoes ever! Creamy, light, fluffy and better than dairy and yet, oil-free! Dairy-free and made with yukon gold potatoes!
Ingredients
Seasoning for cooking potatoes
- 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes (7-8 medium sized ones, this is the key to the buttery flavor, so I wouldn't recommend using another potato)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Flavors added to cooked potatoes
- 1/2 cup lite canned coconut milk, lukewarm (only brand I use is Thai Kitchen, See note below for subs)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (If you don't want a buttermilk flavor, just omit)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fine ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (this gives a nice kick of garlic flavor, use half if you want less of a pronounced garlic flavor)
- Optional garnish: fresh or dried thyme
Note
- Coconut milk is the creamiest milk for potatoes and will yield the best result taste/texture wise. It makes them so creamy and no, it doesn't leave any coconut taste. If you can't have or don't want coconut, please do NOT add almond milk, it won't work the same and the taste will kind of ruin them. If you don't mind soy milk, use that instead, or even cashew milk, but make sure it is unsweetened/flavored.
Instructions
- Peel and chop up your potatoes into 1/2 inch chunks. Add them to a large pot with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil and once boiling, add both the teaspoons of salt and garlic powder and give it a quick stir. This tip really flavors the water, so that the potatoes have depth of flavor. Turn the heat to medium-high, so they don't cook too high of heat. Cook for about 15 minutes until they are fork tender. Drain and let sit for 5 minutes to release some of the water. Tip: While the potatoes are cooking, add the coconut milk and vinegar to a cup and stir. Let sit for a few minutes.
- Add the salt, pepper and garlic powder to the milk and stir.
- Add the potatoes to a large serving bowl and roughly mash with a potato masher to break them up.
Now add the reserved coconut milk mixture and mash again until very smooth or until desired consistency. If you want yours less fluffy/more creamy, add more milk, but you'll need more spice. Taste and add any extra salt/spices if desired. I added just another pinch of salt, as it was really wonderfully flavored. I garnished mine with fresh thyme because I love a fresh element added, but dried thyme or any of your favorite herbs would work. Fresh thyme is more potent, so use dried if preferred. Feel free to add vegan butter if desired. I personally don't add it, but know some like it. Serve with my Thyme Cabernet Gravy!
I’m like you. A bit of chunk always meant that they were homemade when I was growing up, I absolutely love that touch of acid from the vinegar, awesome
Absolutely Angela! I like them smooth, but not overly smooth/wet. I don’t want to drink my potatoes, haha! But one could certainly tailor make them to their desire by adding more milk. Thanks girl! The vinegar definitely takes them up a notch and more depth than the traditional mashed potatoes…gives it a little somethin somethin 🙂
I love mashed potatoes and for me it wouldn’t be a Thanksgiving meal without them. Your vegan version really looks and sounds great. Coconut milk is a wonder, so creamy and I think it would make a great mashed potato. I like to use sour cream in mine so the vinegar/buttermilk is just like the potatoes I love.
Me too Suzanne! I HAVE to have mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving or something is missing, haha!
I adore potatoes, and have been eating LOTS OF THEM along with lots of squash right now. Cannooott get enough. I love rosemary on mine with a side of brussels sprouts. I cannot wait for Thanksgiving!! This is my favorite of all your silverware sayings thus far.
Brandi, mashed potatoes are the king of COMFORT FOOD! I always go for potatoes when I eat too much Asian food (haha) and I love creamy potato mash especially the one with loads of crazy delicious gravies! I’m a huge fan of Yukon gold and yellow potatoes, they are definitely creamy and naturally yummy – I used these type of potatoes in almost everything else. What a great idea to add coconut milk! I use unsweetened soya milk for the creaminess, but I must try this with lite coconut milk! I love the smell of fresh thyme…they are a little pretty herb!
Thank you Rika! Well, then you will love my next post, as this gravy is the best I’ve ever had! Not a typical bland gravy!!
These sound wonderful Brandi! We eat mashed potatoes a lot around here and yesterday I made a lovely potato, vegetable mash 🙂 I can’t wait to try your recipe! The addition of coconut milk sounds diivvvinee! Pinned 🙂
Thank you so much Ceara!! Your potato veggie mash sounds so good!
Ceara and Brandi are my favorites! Both of you always come up with delicious plant-based recipes that I can trust. Going to make these mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving!
Thank you so much Lori! So kind of you! Enjoy my mashed potatoes recipe!
Like everyone else it seems, I love mashed potatoes – everything about them says comfort. Add gravy and it’s a complete meal as far as I’m concerned!
Heck yeah!
As I said, we could totally have a thanksgiving feast together!! So yummy!! And I love thyme. I use it a lot. Such a yummy herb!
Party time!
I will eat anything with potatoes in it. This looks so good!
Thank you so much! Me too!
PERFECTION! I cannot wait to make these!!! <3
Awww thanks so much Mandy!! I can’t wait for you to make them either! xo
I’ve only ever used russets for mashed potatoes and now after reading this post, I totally want to try yukon gold! Leave it to you, Brandi, to make a decadent, rich, fatty staple like mashed potatoes healthier yet still retaining its delicious flavour. Excellent tips about layering flavour – I always season as I cook, not only at the end. It makes a huge difference!
You are so right Nancy! Definitely makes a huge difference!
Coconut milk is such a saviour when it comes to making creamy vegan dishes. I’ve been using it to make caramel recently and it’s so delicious! Love this mashed potato recipe. What an awesome variation for days when comfort food is just required (and yes, I do think that those days happen!). Gorgeous post Brandi xxx
Oooh caramel! I’ve seen coconut milk caramels at Whole Foods and have been dying to try them. The best caramel I’ve ever had is my Sweet Potato Caramel and I use coconut milk in it as well. SO creamy and mind blowing. Thanks so much for the compliment Heather!
i can just smell the thyme and fluffiness taking me away. great for this coming holiday 🙂
Thanks so much Al! I sure hope you enjoy them and let me know if you make them!
Oh, I love mashed potatoes and these look fabulous! I’m a big lover of Yukon Gold potatoes as well. I don’t make potatoes too often because I can’t stop eating them once I start!!! Can’t wait for Thanksgiving!
Thanks so much Melanie! They are an awesome, super healthy food so it’s kind of hard to overdose on them, they are fat-free! 🙂
Brandi, these are simply the best mashed potatoes I have ever had. The coconut milk made them so fluffy and creamy, there is absolutely no need for anyone to use butter anymore. I love how your recipes are so healthy and simple by using only 8 ingredients or less. Can’t wait to serve these on Thanksgiving and many times after that. Keep these amazing recipes coming!!
Made these for the first time on Thanksgiving. HUGE HIT! We absolutely loved them. We added fresh thyme as a garnish and found that the aroma was extremely enticing. No salt or other seasoning was added at the end. There was no need. Thank you so much for these Brandi.
We also paired it with the Thyme Cabernet Gravy. OMG……It was a taste party in my mouth!
I love to hear that, thank you so much! I love hearing that about my recipes, that the flavor at the end needs NO additional tweaking, as that is always my goal. I’m so glad it was such a hit and I agree….total taste party in the mouth with that gravy, haha! Thanks so much for the feedback!
I made these for Thanksgiving and they were the best mashed potatoes I ever had! These are great for anyone, especially if you are vegan or can’t have dairy! These are so much better for you than the butter and milk-laden ones most of us grew up with! Thanks for coming up with consistently easy and delicious recipes!
Thank you so much Gale for the wonderful feedback!! So glad to hear they were the best mashed potatoes ever! Thanks for sharing your photo on Instagram too!
Hands down the BEST mashed potatoes we’ve ever had! I wish I could have taken a photo of the giant mound of potatoes on Josh’s plate at Thanksgiving! So creamy, fluffy and the flavor was amazing. I think we’ll be using coconut milk from now on when we make mashed potatoes. Great recipe, Brandi!
Awww thank you so much Mandy!! I’m so thrilled to hear that and a giant mound of potatoes is MY thing too! Haha! 🙂
These were sooo flipping good! Seriously the best mash ever..thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Wonderful Amanda! Thank you so much for the feedback!
These were outstanding!!! I can’t believe I’ve been putting dairy into my mashed potatoes for years and never once thought to use coconut milk. Brilliant. Can’t wait to try the gravy too!
Xoxo Jacqueline
Aww thanks so much Jacqueline!! I’m thrilled you loved them so much, thank you so much for the feedback, it means so much to me!
Made these again. I did discover an issue. Your suggested serving is not even close! I am afraid that with the Thyme Cabernet Gravy, I could sit here and eat the whole 2 pounds! Oh man…I am trying to eat slowly.
So delicious!!!!!
Haha! Well, the serving is based on eating it along with other foods as a complete meal, haha! But you are SO right, it is very tempting to JUST eat potatoes and nothing else, it is that good! Thank you for the feedback, it made me smile! 🙂
This was my dinner last night. Well, for me and the husband. With the cabernet thyme gravy. Seriously perfect comfort food and as a bonus, the house smelled like Thanksgiving. Haha.
Thanks for another terrific recipe! I am OBSESSED with your creations!
Thank you so much Caroline! I’m so happy to hear you loved the potatoes and the gravy so much! Thank you so much for the support and I’m so happy you are loving my recipes! 🙂 🙂
I’m so glad I found this delicious recipe! We’re newly vegan and I hadn’t been able to find a really good mashed potato recipe to replace our old favorite butter-and-buttermilk version. This absolutely did the trick! Now I’m off to explore the rest of your recipes.
Yay Suzanne! So glad you found me and thrilled you loved these mashed potatoes! Thank you so much for letting me know!
I was just testing out steaming potatoes to make mashed potatoes, but didn’t have milk and wanted to avoid butter. Remembered that there was coconut milk in the fridge (although it was vanilla, the spices masked it) and wondered if that would work. So glad I found your site. Will be keeping this in mind the next time I make them. Will also have to try with yukon gold instead of russet.
Sounds wonderful, thank you so much. So glad you found my site!
Brandi these mashed potatoes are by far the BEST vegan mashed potatoes i have ever had. Even sad eating hubby loved them! Definately on my fav list will be making weekly!
I’m so happy to hear that Joy!! SO, so glad to hear your hubby loved them too, such wonderful news! They are my favorite I’ve ever had too, thank you so much for the feedback, it is so appreciated!
I use a lot of your recipes for my daily cooking and it seems a lot of them use coconut milk. Where I live in Alaska, full fat coconut milk is usually around $4 a can and the lite coconut milk is nearly non-existent and even more expensive when I have found it. To save myself money I’ve been buying cases of full fat coconut milk on Amazon and diluting it myself, since that’s all lite coconut milk is, diluted coconut milk. Comparing the nutrition labels for the two different milks, I’ve determined that about 3 parts water to 1 part full fat coconut milk is equal to lite coconut milk, so 1 can of full fat equals 4 cans of lite. I don’t know if this is something you already knew about, but I don’t see any point in paying for water that I can get from the tap for free. Now I can make any of your recipes without the guilt of expensive ingredients!
That being said, I made these potoatoes today using the above method, but instead of plain water for diluting, I used the potato cooking water and adjusted the salt to take into account the extra salt in the water. They came out so deliciously fluffy, the best mashed potatoes I’ve had vegan or not! They will definitely be made again for Thanksgiving! Thank you for the recipe!
Hi April! So good to hear from you and thank you so much for sharing! I am thankful for you sharing that. I have known that lite is just watered down, but too lazy to figure it out the exact measurements, so thank you, haha! I’m SO happy to hear these are the best mashed potatoes you’ve ever had, wow! Thank you so much for the feedback!
Very very tasty!!!! I didn’t add the vinegar bcs I was afraid wouldn’t like it, but I will next time bcs your recipes are always winners at home. Thanks Brandi!
Thank you so much Silvana! So glad it was a hit! Yes, add the vinegar, it’s not detected at all, it just give the potatoes a richer buttermilk flavor! Thank you!
These buttery delicious potatoes were the highlight of our first vegan Thanksgiving meal. I made a trial run two days before and my daughter took one bite and turned to me and said , ” Did you put butter in these? You did! You put butter in them. There’s no way there’s not butter in these…” After I showed her the recipe she ate all but one serving. (thank goodness I had already scooped some out for myself. 😉 Needless to say we made then again on Thanksgiving and will continue to enjoy them often. Thanks, Brandi! I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well.
So wonderful to hear Colleen!! I’m so happy they were such a hit and isn’t it amazing how they really do taste like they have butter!?! Thanks so much for leaving awesome feedback! 🙂
THESE ARE AMAZING!! Covered them with tons of your Thyme Cabernet Gravy and…wow, delicious!! We added mushrooms and asparagus to the leftovers and had an amazing 2nd meal + some lunches from them. Thank you so much for providing this great recipes. Each one is a hit!
BEST mashed potatoes I ever had! Loved these so much! Probably the only way I’ll make mashed potatoes from now on.
Yay! SO happy to hear that Jessica, thank you so much for the feedback! I agree, too, lol! They are my favorite I’ve ever eaten in my life 🙂
Hi! I made these yesterday for Thanksgiving, and I had to come on here to say how amazing they were!!! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe 🙂 They were a huge hit!
I’m so very happy to hear that Sarah, thank you so much for leaving feedback!!
These are amazing!!! Thank you so much!!
So happy you loved them Sasha, thank you for the feedback!
I made these last night with the cabernet thyme gravy. They were WONDERFUL!! The gravy was so good i could have eaten it as soup. 🙂
Yay! Thank you so much Cat! I agree, that gravy is straight up addictive!
Oh my goodness, I just made these and they are to die for! I was wondering if you could use coconut milk in mashed potatoes and yours was the first recipe that came up in search. You have turned me into a believer — really the creamiest! Personally I could taste the coconut a little bit, but it added to rather than detracted from the flavor. It’s probably because I had russet instead of Yukon gold potatoes (that’s what I get for sending my husband out to get the groceries 😉 Love love love this recipe, thank you!
Hi Marlene! Oh, I’m so glad to hear you loved these so much! Oh my gosh, try them next time with the yukon gold potatoes and they are EVEN BETTER! They give a very noticeable butter flavor and anytime I make them for guests, nobody even detects coconut! SO glad you loved them even with the russet 🙂
I am wondering if you have made these in advance? I have a rather busy couple of days and need to take these Christmas day. I was hoping to make them today and warm up in a slow cooker on Christmas (2 days from now). I made these on Thanksgiving and they were amazing!!
Hi Melissa! I’m so sorry, I am sure I am too late, but I’m not sure how they’d taste. Reheated potatoes aren’t usually just as good as freshly made. However, that is usually reheating them in the microwave that gives them a very weird taste. Hopefully using a slow cooker will be fine. Let me know if you do them that way!
Thanks so much for the reply, I know how hectic holiday time can be! I ended up making the potatoes ahead of time and then reheated in the oven and placed into the slow cooker for the Christmas party we went to. They were delicious and I didn’t have to add any more of the coconut milk mixture. They were still moist and super flavorful. On the day I made them, my daughter (super picky) announced they were my best potatoes yet! Day made! Thanks again for such a fantastic recipe, definitely my new go-to!
Can you make the Cabernet gravy the day before and reheat?
Yes, definitely! Just whisk it well and reheat on low.
OMG! The best mashed potatoes EVER 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing your recipes with those of us not quite so talented in the kitchen!!!
Yay!! So so happy to hear that Stacey, thank you for the awesome review! Would you mind at all to leave the star rating, they really help me out! It’ll prompt you to comment again, thank you so much!!
I made your mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving for the first time. I tripled the recipe even though I had never tried the it before. AMAZINGLY delicious!! So easy too! The only change I made was cooking the potatoes in my Instant Pot….6 pounds of potatoes, 1 cup veggie broth, your seasoning instructions, 15 minutes, high pressure, quick release. Everyone scarfed them and no one could guess the secret coconut milk ingredient. I was a bit worried that there would be a coconut milk taste, but no.. only creamy and savory Vegan 8 deliciousness!!! I bought the cookbook and this was the first recipe I tried. I will write up an Amazon review too. 😀
Oh that is just wonderful to hear Carrie, thank you so much for the lovely review! Yup, totally can’t taste the coconut milk with the “lite” version, that’s what I love so much about it, you get the creamy taste but no coconut 🙂 Thank you so much for buying my book too, I really appreciate it!
Made these for Christmas. Oh my word…these potatoes are TO DIE FOR. I had held off on making vegan mashed potatoes, figuring they’d be a disappointment compared to my favorite (very non-vegan) version. I was wrong – these are wonderful! This has now become my go-to recipe.
Yay! So glad to hear this Diana!!
These mashed potatoes are amazing and absolutely addictive! Thanks for developing and sharing this recipe!
So very happy you loved these Kathy, thank you so much!
I made this recipe as I found it in your cookbook. First off, I’ve made quite a few recipes from your cookbook and all have been very, very good. These mashed potatoes are the best I’ve ever made and tasted. My husband loved them. My son came over and I gave him some food to take home. He tasted the potatoes and said they were really good. These will become a staple in my home. Simple to make and the flavor! And to think there isn’t a drop of butter in them, yet the creaminess makes them taste so rich.
Thank you so much Jeannie for the amazing comment, so happy to hear how much you are loving the book and how much you loved these potatoes! Yay!
Love your cookbook and this is by far my most-made recipe since getting it last year! I doubled the recipe last Thanksgiving for my entire meat/dairy-loving family and they LOVED them!! Kept asking me what kind of butter and cream I used 😆. My grandma said they were the best she’s ever had. Phenomenal recipe and my family just loves your cookbook! Made the blueberry muffins today. Thanks for this easy and delicious recipe and all of our other favorites!!
So very happy to hear that Elle, yay!
We are fairly new to the vegan lifestyle and was looking for something to go with a lentil loaf. Was a little skeptical that mashed potatoes could taste so good with coconut milk, vinegar and spices – but I’m certainly a believer now. Everyone at dinner – vegans and non-vegans alike – loved these mashes potatoes. There were no leftover mashed potatoes so I will be sure to make more next time.
Oh that is just so wonderful to hear Diane, thank you for the feedback!
This recipe looks amazing! I’ve been vegan for years, but always make mashed potatoes with dairy for the family on Thanksgiving and I miss out. I’m testing this on Sunday and making potatoes that I too can eat this year! 🙂 I will be cooking for 8 (including 4 teenaged boys!) and we will want leftovers. I will double it for sure, but do you think I can safely triple in a large stock pot? Off to check out your gravy recipe now!
Hi Kristi! Sounds wonderful! Yes, if you have a really large pot, I think you should be fine. Just make sure you use the listed weight amounts and water amounts and salt/garlic powder for the boiling water so your potatoes are seasoned correctly, obviously tripling everything if that’s what you’re doing!
Made these for Thanksgiving and not one person missed, or even noticed, that these weren’t filled with cream and butter! They were delicious.
That is amazing to hear Marzgirl, thank you for sharing!!
Can you taste the coconut milk?! If so, is there an alternative “milk” that is dairy free that won’t leave the taste behind?
Hi there, please read the Note on the recipe card. It addresses this. You want to stick to the lite coconut milk for the best results.