My partner and I are vegan and vegetarian respectively. Usually I can handle cutting (mainly cheese) out of my diet. However, that works when it is just two people cooking or going out to eat for themselves. But, when you are in a large family like mine where everyone gets together for Thanksgiving, dietary restrictions, awkward stories and all, you don’t want to just be stuck eating cranberries and dinner rolls. So my partner and I made mashed potatoes for last year’s Thanksgiving, and to our surprise, they were a hit! It was especially surprising since my Nana (maternal grandmother) is known for her mashed potatoes.
Here is my version of vegan mashed potatoes. Since I am on a budget, the most expensive thing on the list of ingredients is Earth Balance. It’s a non-dairy butter that keeps pretty well, and is priced around $4.50 at Safeway. But, if you get the Earth Balance for your potatoes, you’ll also have something to put on the aforementioned dinner rolls! The recipe below is about 4 servings and takes probably a half hour to make. I adapted this recipe from this website.
- 6 medium potatoes, diced (it is up to you if you want to peel the potatoes or not)
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 Tbsp vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
- about 4 Tbsp vegan cream cheese (usually Tofuti or Trader Joes brand)
- 1 tsp garlic salt
Mind you, the salt, garlic salt and pepper can all be changed based on your personal taste. Such as, if I am cooking for myself, there will be more black pepper, but my partner likes more garlic salt. It’s all about finding what you like! You can also add in some Daiya cheese (found at most grocery stores) or replace the garlic salt with chopped cloves of garlic.
- Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Add salt into the water and bring the potatoes and water to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, lower the heat and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
- Once tender (pierce them with a fork or knife; if you can’t pin down the potato, you’re all set!), drain your potatoes. Then you can either move them into a large mixing bowl or use the pot to prepare the rest of your recipe.
- Now the fun part: mash! I like to use a potato masher (you can get them for $1 at either Ikea or the dollar store) but others may want to use an electric mixer. Either is fine, but be sure that you don’t over mash your potatoes. Keep them fluffy; anything past that and you get a paste like concoction.
- Add in everything else and adjust as needed.
