Whole30 Mashed Potatoes
Whole30 mashed potatoes that are creamy, delicious and so easy to make! These paleo mashed potatoes are dairy free without and coconut milk, ghee or butter! You are not going to believe how creamy and rich these dairy free mashed potatoes are!
This post contains affiliate links. As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my policy and more about affiliate links.
Why you will love this recipe
- Delicious and versatile – who doesn’t love creamy mashed potatoes for weeknight meal or at a holiday meal? These vegan mashed potatoes are so creamy without any butter, heavy cream, coconut milk or coconut cream.
- Easy to make – never end up with gummy mahsed potatoes again! Learn how to make perfectly cooked potatoes every time and how to make the creamiest potatoes without them getting gummy or overworked.
- Great for holidays or meal prep – these healthy mashed potatoes reheat well and can easily be made doubled or tripled to feed a crowd! They are perfect for weeknight meals, holiday meals (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter) but could also be part of your weekly meal prep!
Ingredients
- Potatoes – the kind of potatoes you use matter here! I like to use gold potatoes, red potatoes or small baby potatoes since I like to leave the skin on. You could also use russet potatoes (which are a bit fluffier) but I would recommend taking the skin off first.
- Cashews – raw cashews are blended with some of the vegetable broth to create a creamy base for the mashed potatoes without any dairy!
- Vegetable broth – vegetable broth adds a lot of flavor to the mashed potatoes. You could also use chicken broth or stock or bone broth in place of the vegetable broth if you are not needing this recipe to be plant based.
- Olive oil – olive oil helps to make the potatoes a little bit creamier and gives them great body. You could use melted ghee or butter here but olive oil helps to keep this recipe 100% dairy free.
- Salt – salt elevates all the flavors and is an important ingredient in making these the best Whole30 mashed potatoes you have tried!
How to make Whole30 mashed potatoes
Start by washing the potatoes. Next cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Try to get the potatoes into even size pieces so they will cook up evenly.
Add the potatoes to a large pot. Add water to the pot until the water covers the potatoes.
Place the pot on the stove and turn the heat to high. Place a lid over the potatoes and bring them to a boil.
While the potatoes are coming up to a boil, soak the cashews. I like to bring water to a boil in an electric kettle then pour the hot water over the cashews to soak them. See notes below on other ways to soak cashews.
Once boiling, remove the lid and cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender (you can easily place a fork through the potato without resistance).
After the cashews have soaked for at least 5 minutes, carefully drain away the hot water. Add the soaked cashews and ½ cup of vegetable broth to a high speed blender. Blend on high 1-2 minutes until smooth.
After potatoes are fork tender, drain them in a strainer in the stove. Add the potatoes to a large bowl or back to the pot they cooked in. Pour in the cashew cream, the rest of the vegetable broth, olive oil and salt.
Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until they are virtually lump free. If you want to ensure your potatoes are creamy and rich, use your immersion blender at the end to blend the potatoes until smooth. Waiting until the end helps to ensure you don’t make the potatoes gummy.
Top tips
- Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes – uniform size guarantees they cook evenly. When you are testing if the potatoes are done, try to test the largest potato you can find.
- Don’t add potatoes to boiling water, instead bring the water up to a boil with the potatoes in the pot. When you add potatoes to boiling water, the outside of the potato cooks much faster than the inside and it can create unevenly cooked potatoes that are more likely to be gummy when mashing.
- Never use a food processor or high speed blender to make mashed potatoes. These spin too fast and will create gummy potatoes every time. Use an immersion (stick) blender instead or a ricer to make the best mashed potatoes.
- No need to peel thin skin potatoes like red potatoes or gold potatoes. Thicker skin potatoes like russets are often best peeled.
Other flavor combinations
- Everything but the bagel seasoning – add 1-2 tablespoons of this to make a fun twist on your mashed potatoes
- Fresh garlic and rosemary – chop the garlic and rosemary while the potatoes are cooking. Add the garlic and rosemary immediately to the potatoes once they are drained. The heat from the potatoes will slightly cook the garlic making it less bitter.
- Roasted garlic – add 4-5 cloves of roasted garlic to the blender with the cashews.
- Ranch – add 1 tablespoon dried chives, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon dried dill, 1 teaspoon garlic powder to the potatoes after mashing.
What to serve with mashed potatoes
- Salmon – these whole30 mashed potatoes would go so well with pecan crusted salmon, air fryer salmon or even simple salmon bites. Be sure to add your favorite veggie too like this perfectly cooked air fryer frozen broccoli.
- Chicken – make a meal by serving these dairy free mashed potatoes with ranch chicken bites, Italian chicken bites, instant pot bbq chicken, ground chicken sloppy joes or with air fryer chicken drumsticks! Don’t forget the veggies too – 5 minute creamy kale would be perfect with any of these options!
- Beef – serve with instant pot shredded beef or slow cooker balsamic beef.
- Vegan meal – serve these vegan mashed potatoes with lentil loaf, black bean lentil burgers or balsamic tofu for an epic meal. Dont’ forget the veggies too! Try these roasted brussel sprouts and asparagus or air fryer frozen brussel sprouts to make the meal complete!
Common questions
What are the best potatoes for mashed potatoes
Thin skinned potatoes like red potatoes or gold potatoes are best when you want to keep the skin on. These potatoes tend to be a bit more waxy in texture (vs. fluffy russets) but mash up easily and don’t need to be peeled. I like to make sure I buy organic potatoes when I won’t be peeling the skin.
Thicker skin potatoes like russet potatoes are also great for mashed potatoes. Since the skin is a bit thicker, I prefer to peel these potatoes before boiling them. These potatoes are starchier and cook up to be a bit more fluffy in texture.
Why are my mashed potatoes gummy?
Mashed potatoes get gummy when you overwork the potatoes. This often happens when you over mash them or use a blender or food processor to whip the potatoes. To avoid this, I like to hand mash my potatoes then at the end use an immersion blender to whip them to ensure they are thick and creamy without getting gummy.
Another option to making perfectly mashed potatoes is to use a potato ricer. The ricer allows the potatoes to get the perfect consistency (no lumps) for mashing without overworking the potatoes and causing that gummy texture.
How to cook potatoes before mashing them
- Stove – cut the potatoes into 1-2 inch pieces (all similar sizes). Fill the pot with potatoes then cover the potatoes with fresh water. Bring to a boil covered then remove the lid and allow potatoes to boil 10-15 minutes until fork tender. Drain the potatoes before mashing.
- Instant Pot – cut the potatoes into 1-2 inch cubes and add them to the instant pot insert. Add 1 cup of water and cook high pressure for 3 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release or release pressure manually after 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes before mashing.
- Microwave – poke a few holes in each potato with a fork. Microwave on high for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. If you want to speed up the process, cut the potatoes down into 2-3 inch pieces before microwaving.
How to soak cashews
There are 4 main ways to soak cashews. All of these work and your preferred method will depend on how much time you have and what
- Boiling water – if you have an electric kettle this tends to be the easiest option. Bring water to a boil in the kettle. Once water is boiling, pour the water over the cashews in a cup or bowl and allow the cashews to soak at least 5 minutes. Discard this water before using the cashews.
- Stove – bring water and cashews to a boil on the stove. Allow the water to boil at least 3-5 minutes to soften cashews. Discard water after boiling.
- Microwave – in a large bowl or glass, add the cashews and just barely cover them with water. Microwave for 2 minutes. The water will come to a boil in the bowl/jar during this time. Let cashews sit in microwave at least 5 minutes (the glass jar or bowl will be hot). Carefully remove the cashews from the microwave with oven mits. Drain and discard water before using cashews.
- Counter – soak cashews in fresh water on the counter for 6-8 hours. If you will be soaking the cashews longer, move them to the fridge. Discard the water before using the cashews.
How to reheat mashed potatoes
It’s best to reheat mashed potatoes on the stove. Simply add 1/4 -1/2 cup of vegetable broth (or water or dairy free milk) to the potatoes to rehydrate them as they heat up. Place the mashed potatoes in a pot with a tight fitting lid and heat them over medium low heat for 5-7 minutes until hot.
How to store leftovers
- Fridge: Place leftover Whole30 mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze dairy free mashed potatoes for up to 3 months. I like to freeze them in single serve portions. You can choose 1/2 cup or 1 cup portions in these SouperCubes. Once frozen solid, transfer to a freezer safe bag and be sure to label them with the name, date and use by date.
- When frozen, allow potatoes to defrost in the fridge for the best texture/consistency. Reheat using the instructions above.
Substitutions
- Potatoes – you can also use sweet potatoes or even butternut squash in place of the potatoes in this recipe. To make a low carb version, check out thise awesome vegan cauliflower mash recipe!
- Cashews – if you are nut free, you can use hemp hearts in place of cashews. You do not need to soak hemp hearts before blending them.
- Vegetable broth – you can use dairy free milk in place of the vegetable broth or you can use chicken broth or bone broth in place of the vegetable broth if you are not vegan or plant based.
If you love this recipe, you should try
- Instant Pot Rosemary Garlic Potatoes
- Vegan Roasted Potatoes
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes
- Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes
- Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes
- Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
- Air Fryer Potato Cubes
- Vegan Potato Soup
★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Whole30 Mashed Potatoes
$4.99 Recipe/$0.83 ServingWhole30 Mashed Potatoes – Vegan, Dairy Free, Paleo, Plant Based, Gluten Free – creamy delicious mashed potatoes without any coconut milk or butter! These mashed potatoes are perfect for weeknight meals or holiday dinners!
Print
Pin
Save
Rate
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes (red, gold or russets all work great) - $2.99
- 1/2 cup raw cashews - $0.93
- 1.5 cups low sodium vegetable broth, divided - $0.75
- 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil - $0.22
- 2 tsp. sea salt - $0.10
Instructions
- Start by washing the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1-2 inch pieces (make them the same size so they cook evenly).
- Add potatoes to a pot. Fill the pot with water to cover the potatoes.
- Place pot on stove. Turn heat to high. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, remove the lid and cook potatoes 10-15 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
- While potatoes are cooking, soak cashews. I like to bring water to a boil in electric kettle and pour boiling water over cashews. Let soak at least 5 minutes.
- After soaking cashews for 5 minutes, carefully drain cashews and discard water. Add cashews to high speed blender with 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Blend until smooth (1-2 minutes).
- After potatoes are fork tender, drain the water off the potatoes. Add potatoes to large bowl or back to pot they were cooked in.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the potatoes and mash them with a potato masher. If you want really smooth potatoes, blend them at the end with an immersion blender.
Notes
What are the best potatoes for mashed potatoes
- Thin skinned potatoes like red potatoes or gold potatoes are best when you want to keep the skin on. These potatoes tend to be a bit more waxy in texture (vs. fluffy russets) but mash up easily and don’t need to be peeled. I like to make sure I buy organic potatoes when I won’t be peeling the skin.
- Thicker skin potatoes like russet potatoes are also great for mashed potatoes. Since the skin is a bit thicker, I prefer to peel these potatoes before boiling them. These potatoes are starchier and cook up to be a bit more fluffy in texture.
- Stove – cut the potatoes into 1-2 inch pieces (all similar sizes). Fill the pot with potatoes then cover the potatoes with fresh water. Bring to a boil covered then remove the lid and allow potatoes to boil 10-15 minutes until fork tender. Drain the potatoes before mashing.
- Instant Pot – cut the potatoes into 1-2 inch cubes and add them to the instant pot insert. Add 1 cup of water and cook high pressure for 3 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release or release pressure manually after 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes before mashing.
- Microwave – poke a few holes in each potato with a fork. Microwave on high for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. If you want to speed up the process, cut the potatoes down into 2-3 inch pieces before microwaving.
- Boiling water – if you have an electric kettle this tends to be the easiest option. Bring water to a boil in the kettle. Once water is boiling, pour the water over the cashews in a cup or bowl and allow the cashews to soak at least 5 minutes. Discard this water before using the cashews.
- Stove – bring water and cashews to a boil on the stove. Allow the water to boil at least 3-5 minutes to soften cashews. Discard water after boiling.
- Microwave – in a large bowl or glass, add the cashews and just barely cover them with water. Microwave for 2 minutes. The water will come to a boil in the bowl/jar during this time. Let cashews sit in microwave at least 5 minutes (the glass jar or bowl will be hot). Carefully remove the cashews from the microwave with oven mits. Drain and discard water before using cashews.
- Counter – soak cashews in fresh water on the counter for 6-8 hours. If you will be soaking the cashews longer, move them to the fridge. Discard the water before using the cashews.
- Fridge: Place leftover Whole30 mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze dairy free mashed potatoes for up to 3 months. I like to freeze them in single serve portions. You can choose 1/2 cup or 1 cup portions in these soupercubes. Once frozen solid, transfer to a freezer safe bag and be sure to label them with the name, date and use by date.
- When frozen, allow potatoes to defrost in the fridge for the best texture/consistency. Reheat using the instructions above.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
243
Fat
7
g
Carbohydrates
40
g
Fiber
4
g
Sugar
4
g
Protein
6
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?Let others know by rating and leaving a comment below!
