The Creamiest Vegan Mashed Potatoes Recipe | Foodal (2024)

FAQs

Which is better for mashed potatoes, heavy cream or milk? ›

The best Creamy Mashed Potatoes consists of perfectly cooked russet potatoes, melted butter, heavy cream and a touch of tartness like crème fraîche.

Can I substitute the heavy cream in mashed potatoes? Short answer: Yes. Recommended substitutes: Whole milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk, onion cream. Caveats: Dairy is a free-for-all in mashed potato recipes.

For mashed potatoes that are smooth without being gummy, a potato ricer is your best bet. It gently presses the potato into fine pieces, so all that's left to do is add your liquid and a pat or two of butter.

Sour cream adds a little bit of tangy flavor and a boost of richness to mashed potatoes. It's a fun change from the standard milk or cream and butter combo usually flavoring mashed taters. You can even try your hand at making homemade sour cream from heavy cream!

Sour Cream: The sour cream helps keep the mashed potatoes fluffy. Cream Cheese: This adds a bit of creaminess without being too overpowering.

Adding the butter first helps to coat the starch in the potato, resulting in a creamier potato. Once the butter is absorbed; add the rest of the dairy.

Soy milk and olive oil

For a vegan dairy-free alternative to heavy cream, try mixing soy milk with olive oil. Much like the pairing of milk and butter, olive oil adds fat to the soy milk for a flavor and function comparable to heavy cream.

These creamy dairy-free mashed potatoes have all of the texture and flavor of regular mashed potatoes without any of the butter or heavy cream! Instead, I use almond milk (or coconut), vegan butter (or ghee if you prefer), salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and top them with chives for a punch of flavor.

Evaporated milk is an ideal heavy cream substitute in recipes that use heavy cream as a liquid. It won't whip well, but it's a great way to add moisture to baked goods. Substitute an equal amount of evaporated milk for heavy cream. Best for: baking.

Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.

Why add baking soda to mashed potatoes? ›

When you add baking soda, it reacts with the heat of the dish and the acid in the milk or cream to create small air pockets throughout the mash. These air bubbles translate to light and airy bites.

Overcooking was a pitfall I addressed when developing my recipe for the Fastest, Easiest Mashed Potatoes. The typical strategy for cooking spuds to mash is to cut them into chunks, with some recipes calling for a rinsing step after the cook to rid the potatoes of the excess starch that causes a gluey texture.

The yolk emulsifies water and fat to create a cohesive, velvety bite, while providing a little fat and body of its own. What is this? You can add an egg yolk to nearly any existing mashed potato recipe.

Liquid: Usually, this is where milk and butter comes into play, but for a dairy-free version, you could use broth instead. Just make sure you heat your liquid and add it a little at a time when your potatoes have been boiled and dried. Too much and you'll end up with a runny mess.

Is milk or cream better for mashed potatoes? I use half-and-half: it gives the potatoes the perfect creamy texture and rich taste. As a half-and-half substitute, you could also use heavy cream or whole milk. Whichever you use, just start with a little and add more as you need it.

Heavy cream provides more fat, richness, and thickness. Milk is lower in fat and calories. Use heavy cream when you specifically need those properties whipped cream, frosting. Milk works for some cooking/baking uses.

Substituting heavy cream (how long does cream last?) for milk in recipes is a common practice, especially when there's a need to achieve a richer texture and flavor. Heavy cream, with its high fat content, can stand in for milk by adding a certain decadence that milk typically lacks.

Full-fat dairy products such as heavy whipping cream contain more of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K than low-fat or nonfat dairy. Also, your body absorbs fat-soluble vitamins better when you consume them with fat.