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vegan mashed potatoes covered in dairy free cheese in aqua colored bowl on old stressed wooden tabletop
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5 from 2 votes

Cheesy Vegan Mashed Potatoes

These cheesy vegan mashed potatoes are going to rock your world. They are warm, creamy, healthy, and amazingly delicious. Serve them for any meal of the day and they will be a huge hit with everyone!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Sides
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 225kcal
Author: Terri Edwards

Ingredients

Mashed Potatoes

Cheese Sauce

  • 1 cup potatoes peeled & diced
  • 1/4 cup carrots diced
  • 1/4 cup onion chopped
  • 1 cup broth from veggies
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews (or 1/2 c white beans)
  • 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 pinch paprika
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper optional

Low-Fat Vegan Mayo

  • 1 package silken tofu soft, firm, or extra firm
  • 1 tablespoon sweetener pure cane, sucanat, maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice or other vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mashed Potatoes

  • I like to begin with the cheese sauce. Normally, I have some of this already on hand because we use it with so many other dishes. If I don’t happen to have some in the refrigerator, there’s likely some in my freezer.
    Making the cheese sauce is as simple as boiling a pot of potatoes, onions, and carrots, adding them to a blender with spices, and blending until smooth. See my instructions below. Once it is ready, set the cheese sauce to the side until it’s time to add it to these mashed potatoes.
  • Next, make the mayonnaise recipe unless you are using store-bought.
    This makes approximately 1 pint of mayo, but you will only need 2 tablespoons for this recipe. Use the rest on sandwiches, wraps, or to make my vegan ranch dressing. The mayo will last in the refrigerator for about 10 days in an airtight container.
  • Start work on the mashed potatoes by washing and then peeling and dicing the potatoes and garlic cloves.
  • Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover potatoes and bring the pot to a simmer over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook about 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
  • When they are ready, remove the potatoes from heat and drain all the water out by placing them in a colander.
  • Place the potatoes in a large bowl with all the other ingredients (except the cheese sauce)–mayo, plant milk, and spices. You’ll want a bowl big enough for mixing well. Sometimes I even just put them back in the big stock pot I cooked them in to save on clean up with dishwashing.
  • Next, mash the potatoes up with a hand mixer or potato masher. I personally love to use a hand mixer to get them nice and creamy. It’s also called the lazy girl way out because a potato masher takes so much more work.
  • Taste and adjust any ingredients to get them to your preferred tastes. Usually salt and mayo make a big difference as you are tweaking this recipe to get it right.
  • Lastly, add in 3/4 cup of the Cheese Sauce and mix well. Drizzle the final 1/4 cup of the sauce over the top of the potatoes.
  • Serve as a side with my Vegan Meatloaf. Talk about comfort food, and these are perfect for holiday dinners!

Cheese Sauce

  • 1. In a medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in the pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender--approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
  • 2. When veggies are tender, drain and place them in a blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
  • 3. I have a Vitamix blender and so don't take the time to soak my cashews. That thing is powerful and everything that goes into it comes out creamy. However, if your blender isn't jet engine speed, soaking the cashews in warm water for at least 30-minutes before adding to this recipe will help this recipe come out more creamy. 
  • The cheese sauce recipe will make just under a quart, which is more than you will need for this casserole. You’ll find that the leftovers are terrific on pizza, nachos, baked potatoes, and so much more. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Vegan Mayonnaise

  • Open the silken tofu container and drain the water it has been packed in. If you're using shelf-stable tofu which doesn't need refrigeration, there is no need to press it.
    Place all of the ingredients into a blender and process until smooth and creamy.

Video

Notes

Tips and substitutions:
  1. Potatoes- I’ve used a lot of different types of potatoes for making these mashed potatoes including Russet, red, and yellow. Whatever you have on hand should be just fine.
  2. Cook time- Don’t overcook the potatoes, so the finished product will not be mushy.
  3. Plant Milk- I personally love to make these with plain almond milk because it’s my go-to for all my recipes. It makes terrific dairy-free mashed potatoes. We have a recipe for making your own almond milk if you would like to give it a try.
  4. Secret ingredient- Most definitely don’t leave out the homemade mayo. It’s a key ingredient.
  5. Seasoning- Adjust the salt to your taste preference, as it can make a huge difference in flavor for this dish.
  6. Holiday side dish- These mashed potatoes are perfect for Thanksgiving and other holidays.

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2.3g | Fiber: 8g