These coconut milk mashed potatoes are dairy free and vegan, creating a rich, creamy mash that’s sure to impress. Whether you serve them as a side dish at holiday gatherings or enjoy them for a cozy weeknight dinner, they’re going to be a hit!
This simple recipe uses basic ingredients and standard kitchen tools. It’s a quick, no-fuss way to whip up fluffy potatoes that anyone can enjoy!
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Ingredients for Coconut Milk Mashed Potatoes
This recipe uses 5 simple ingredients to create luxurious mashed potatoes. You’ll need:
- Potatoes: As the star of this dish, you’ll need some potatoes (any type can work). Yukon Gold are great for mashed potatoes due to their smooth, buttery texture. I use red potatoes for this recipe which also work well. You can peel the potatoes or not, depending on the texture you prefer.
- Salt: The best way to get flavorful mashed potatoes is by adding salt to the cooking water. This helps the potatoes absorb some salt as they cook and enhances their natural flavor. You can also season with additional salt at the end.
- Coconut milk: This dairy-free option creates rich and creamy mashed potatoes. I like to use about ¾ cups, but you can add more for even more luxurious potatoes. The type of potato you use also factors into how much milk you’ll need.
- Vegan butter: Add extra richness and flavor to the potatoes with some vegan butter. As a with the coconut milk, add as much as you like to get your desired flavor and texture.
- Nutritional yeast: One of my favorite ingredients, nutritional yeast contributes a savory, cheesy flavor to the potatoes. This is a great way to add vegan dairy-like flavor to recipes that typically rely on dairy for a lot of their flavor. Please note nutritional yeast is completely different from baking yeast and the two ingredients can’t be substituted.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes with Coconut Milk
Mashed potatoes are very simple to make. I don’t use any special tools or techniques as I like to keep things simple!
Step 1: Prep and Cook Potatoes
If desired, peel your potatoes. Potatoes with a thick skin (or ones that are a bit older) are best to peel. Then wash your potatoes well.
Cut the potatoes into evenly sized pieces and add to a large pot. The smaller you cut your potatoes, the faster they’ll cook.
Cover the cut potatoes with cool or room temperature water and add a generous amount of salt. Cooking potatoes in salt creates the best flavor, so don’t skip this step.
Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cook them until fork tender (meaning you can easily poke through the potato with a fork).
This takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes once the potatoes have started to boil (it really depends on how large the potatoes are cut). Boil without a lid and keep an eye on the pot as potatoes tend to overboil and make a mess.
Once cooked, carefully drain the cooking water.
Step 2: Season Potatoes and Mash
Keep the drained potatoes in your pot, then add in the remaining ingredients including coconut milk, vegan butter, nutritional yeast and more salt to taste.
Next, mash the potatoes. I use a basic potato masher; ones that have a grid-like pattern (as opposed to a squiggly line) work far better.
Taste your potatoes and adjust the ingredients as needed. You may want extra coconut milk, butter and salt to your liking.
Finally, serve the potatoes hot!
How to Serve as a Balanced Vegan Meal
I consider a balanced meal one that contains a good source of plant-based protein, carbohydrates, fats and lots of vegetables or fruits.
As this is a side dish, it isn’t meant to be a complete meal on its own. Potatoes provide lots of delicious carbohydrates along with fats from the coconut milk and vegan butter.
Mashed potatoes are best to serve alongside a protein and some extra veggies. This is easy to do with a classic roast dinner.
Pair the mashed potatoes with a seitan turkey roast, gravy and some vegetables like roasted green beans or balsamic Brussels sprouts!
You can also make bangers and mash with seitan sausage, brown gravy and a side of green peas!
Vegan Mashed Potato Variations
While these coconut milk mashed potatoes are delicious as-is, there are plenty of tasty ways to prepare this classic dish. Here are some fun ideas to keep things interesting:
- Roasted garlic: Adding lots of roasted garlic adds a fantastic depth of flavor to mashed potatoes.
- Herb infusion: Chop some fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, chives or parsley to elevate the flavor of this side dish.
- Loaded mashed potatoes: A favorite in my house, you can serve your mashed potatoes with vegan bacon bits, chives and vegan sour cream!
How to Store Leftovers
Cool the potatoes to room temperature before refrigerating in an airtight container for up to a week.
You can also freeze coconut milk mashed potatoes in any freezer-safe container for a few months.
If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!
📖 Recipe
Mashed Potatoes with Coconut Milk
Equipment
- Potato peeler (optional)
- Potato masher
Ingredients
- 3 ½ pounds potatoes (1.5 kilograms)*
- 2-3 teaspoons salt , for cooking water
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter (45 grams)**
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (10 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Step 1: Prep and Cook Potatoes
- Peel your potatoes if desired.3 ½ pounds potatoes
- Wash the potatoes to remove dirt or leftover bits of skin/peel.
- Cut your potatoes into evenly-sized pieces and place into a large pot.
- Next, cover the potatoes with water and season with a generous sprinkle of salt.2-3 teaspoons salt
- Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat. Keeping a lid on the pot can speed up the heating process. Once boiling, cook your potatoes (with the lid off to prevent over-boiling) until they’re fork tender. This takes about 12 minutes; cook time will vary depending on how large your potato pieces are.
- Once cooked, turn off your stove and carefully drain the potato water. Return the pot to the stove with your cooked potatoes in it.
Step 2: Season and Mash Potatoes
- Add the remaining ingredients to the cooked potatoes.¾ cup coconut milk, 3 tablespoons vegan butter, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, ½ teaspoon salt
- Mash your potatoes until they’re smooth and creamy.
- Finally, taste and adjust seasonings to your preferences.
- Optional to add roasted garlic, green onions or chives and/or black pepper for additional flavor options.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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About Nicole Stevens
Nicole is a vegan Registered Dietitian (RD) and founder of Lettuce Veg Out.
She helps people thrive on a vegan diet with balanced recipes and easy-to-understand nutrition science.
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