Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes

These dairy free mashed potatoes are creamy and delicious without using milk, butter, cream, or sour cream!

I love how creamy and flavorful these dairy free mashed potatoes are!

For the perfect mashed potatoes, I use half starchy and half floury (see the notes below).

For another dairy free version of mashed potatoes, don’t miss my mashed potatoes without milk.

These dairy free mashed potatoes and my mixed mashed potatoes (it uses white potatoes and sweet potatoes!) are two of my favorite sides from my Dairy Free Thanksgiving Recipes.

History of Mashed Potatoes

The first recipe for mashed potatoes first appeared in The Art of Cookery by Hannah Glasse in 1747.

Boil your Potatoes, peel them, and put them into a Sauce-pan, mash them well: To two Pounds of Potatoes put a Pint of Milk, a little Salt, stir them well together, take care they don’t stick to the Bottom, then take a quarter of a Pound of Butter, stir in and serve it up.

While the Art of Cookery originated in England, it was very popular in the Thirteen Colonies as well in America after the War of Independence.  

In fact, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington all owned copies of it.

About Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes

While mashed potatoes don’t have to contain dairy, they almost always do.

Most mashed potato recipes include milk, buttermilk, cream, butter, sour cream, and/or cheese.

You can make mashed potatoes without milk by replacing it with another liquid such as almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, reserved starchy water, regular water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock.

It doesn’t really make a difference if you use milk, water, or any other liquid because one isn’t necessarily better than the other.

To replace buttermilk in mashed potatoes, substitute it with dairy free buttermilk by using buttermilk made with oat milk or buttermilk made with almond milk.

To make mashed potatoes without butter, you need to substitute the fat in butter with another form of fat, like oil.

Mayonnaise is also a surprisingly good substitute for butter and sour cream in mashed potatoes.

How to make creamy mashed potatoes without milk?

Additions like dairy free milk, coconut cream, almond cooking milk, water, and mayonnaise can all help make something creamy without dairy.

What you use really depends on what you are making. With dairy free mashed potatoes, any of these options work.

Milk actually doesn’t make mashed potatoes super creamy. It mostly just adds liquid so the potatoes aren’t dry.

It is the addition of fat that makes mashed potatoes and other dishes creamy.

This fat usually appears in the form of butter or sometimes cream cheese or even sour cream.

However, you can use other forms of fat, such as oil, to get that creaminess.

To make them extra creamy, add a little bit of mayonnaise like I do in this recipe. You won’t taste the mayonnaise, but the mashed potatoes will be oh so creamy!

How can I thicken potatoes without milk?

My favorite way to thicken mashed potatoes without milk is just a little bit of mayonnaise, like I do in this recipe.

How do you make mashed potatoes without milk or butter?

Mashed potatoes can be made easily without milk or butter.

What you need is a liquid – whichever you prefer – so the potatoes aren’t dry.

Then, you need a fat to help make them creamy. Butter is usually used, but fats like olive oil, animal fats, and even mayonnaise can be used.

My personal favorite is mayonnaise, which is a surprisingly versatile ingredient.

Can I use almond milk in mashed potatoes?

Yes, almond milk can be used in mashed potatoes. Unsweetened barista styled almond milk is best because it is most similar to milk.

DO YOU PEAL POTATOES BEFORE BOILING FOR MASHED POTATOES?

You can, but you don’t have to. Potatoes that have clean skin can be washed and left on.

I like leaving the skins on, but I choose which way to do it based on the preferences of whoever else will be eating it.

TYPES OF POTATOES

There are generally three types of potatoes: waxy, starchy, and those in between.  

WAXY

Waxy potatoes, such as Red Bliss and fingerlings, have a smooth skin and creamy, almost shiny flesh. 

Because waxy potatoes are relatively low in starch and high in moisture, they stay intact when they’re cooked.  

STARCHY AKA FLOURY

The most common example of starchy potato are russets, A.K.A. Idaho potatoes.  

As you may have guessed by their name, they’re higher in starch and lower in moisture than waxy potatoes. They are matte-skinned and fall apart when boiled.

Starchy potatoes are ideal for adding creaminess to puréed soups or providing the airy, whipped texture to a mash. They are also good for roasting and frying.

IN-BETWEEN

These fall somewhere between the waxy and floury, making them the “all-purpose” potatoes.  The most commonly known of them are Yukon Golds.

Because they hold their shape when boiled, grated, or fried, and yield to mashing, they’re very versatile.

BEST FOR MASHED POTATOES

Since the waxy are most flavorful but the starchy are airiest, for the ideal mashed potatoes use half and half.  This is a tip I picked up from the New York Times.

However, if you could only choose one, choose the in between option like Yukon Gold. 

Or, if where you live you don’t have any clear way to know what type of potato you have available, use whatever you have.

WATER TEMPERATURE

Believe it or not, it’s best to begin cooking potatoes in cold water. It doesn’t have to be chilled, just the cold side from the tap.

While this may sound counterintuitive, cold water helps the potatoes cook more evenly.

Also, if it’s better that way, why waste the gas and cooking time by boiling the water?

MAKE AHEAD OF TIME

Unlike typical mashed potatoes, these mashed potatoes can be made ahead of time.  Usually, mashed potatoes get hard in the fridge due to all the butter, but the mayonnaise keeps these just as creamy.

Simply make the day before (or even a few days before) and reheat when ready to serve.

HOW TO STORE

Place in an airtight container or leave in a bowl and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Yield: Serves 4 to 6.