I am a mashed potato snob and these Creamy Whole30 Mashed Potatoes are top-tier good! But, turns out, I have been making mashed potatoes all wrong. I recently learned two hacks that have made all the difference.
These are made for pooling gravy into — spoon my dairy-free country gravy right over the top.
Game-Changing Hacks
There are a few hacks to amazing mashed potatoes that everyone should know:
HACK 1
First, use chicken broth to boil the potatoes in instead of water! Chicken broth is an easy swap to get your mashed potatoes perfect every time. Boiling potatoes in water can make your mashed potatoes watery and it’s tricky to make sure you don’t boil them too long so they don’t soak up too much water. Not at all the case with boiling them in broth – instead they are soaking in extra flavor as they boil!
HACK 2
Second, use a potato ricer (above)! When making mashed potatoes by hand mine would often come out gummy when I used a hand mixer or lumpy if I mashed by hand. So, how to get them silky smooth without a mixer? Two words: potato ricer. I had no idea what that was. But, turns out it’s a way to make them creamy smooth without getting gummy from over mixing!
This is the potato ricer I use – it’s simple to use, just pushes the boiled potatoes through tiny holes, and works like a charm! I am NOT one for having any more stuff than I truly need…and also this one might be worth it if you love creamy homemade potatoes!
HACK 3
For the best textured mashed potatoes, use room temperature butter and warmed milk.
WHY? Adding COLD ingredients cools the potatoes and causes the starches to seize, making them difficult to incorporate and leading to a sticky or gummy consistency.
But, don’t use melted butter, as it doesn’t incorporate well. Think room temperature butter or ghee!
Ingredients
- Yukon Gold Potatoes – These are my potatoes of choice for mashed potatoes due to their flavor and starch content. I usually don’t peel them – even using the ricer, the peels will just separate out. I also think this recipe turns out well with russets, my second choice. But, if you use russets, be sure to peel them first! Russet skin is tough and not great in mashed potatoes.
- Chicken broth or bone broth – Seek the hack above as to why cooking mashed potatoes in broth instead of water is ideal and an awesome flavor boost. If you are on a Whole30, make sure you double-check and use a compatible broth, particularly with no added forms of sugar. VEGAN option – Use an equal amount of vegetable broth instead!
- Because we use broth that already has salt in it, we don’t salt the liquid we boil the potatoes in!
- Ghee or vegan butter – Ghee is clarified butter and has the milk solids removed from it, so it’s allowed on Whole30. However, if you have a true dairy allergy, use dairy-free butter like Miyokos.
- Salt – I just use table salt here.
- Coconut milk (canned, full-fat) – I love coconut milk because it is thick, rich, and a fantastic dairy-free swap for cream. My favorite brand is Thai Kitchen. But, you can use another dairy-free milk of choice as needed.
Trust me, this is the mashed potato recipe you didn’t know you needed!
Creamy Whole30 Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Optional - Potato Ricer
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds yellow potatoes about 6 medium
- 2 cups chicken broth or bone broth; use vegetable broth for Vegan
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter room temperature for best texture, see notes if on Whole30
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup canned full-fat unsweetened coconut milk or other non-dairy unsweetened milk; warmed before adding
Instructions
- Chop potatoes roughly in to about 1.5" chunks. I did this by cutting the potatoes into 1/8s. No need to remove skin unless that is your personal preference.
- Combine broth and potatoes in a large pot on the stove over high heat. Broth will not fully cover potatoes. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium and cover with a lid. Cook covered for 10 minutes or until tender.
- Strain broth from potatoes, saving the broth.
- While potatoes are still hot, mash the potatoes with a standard wire masher or use a potato ricer for the creamiest results (see notes).
- Add vegan butter to mashed potatoes, stirring gently to combine. Add the salt and coconut milk and stir again. Add back in reserved broth to desired texture. For me, this was 3/4 cup broth. Freeze any leftover broth and use in a future soup.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For the best texture mashed potatoes use room temperature butter and warmed milk. Adding COLD ingredients cools the potatoes and causes the starches to seize, making them difficult to incorporate and leading to a sticky or gummy consistency.
- But, don't use melted butter, as it doesn't incorporate well. Think room temperature butter or ghee!
- Boiling with the skins on will help the potatoes not absorb too much liquid. I remove the skins while ricing them.
Nutrition
This recipe is our favorite for mashed potatoes! We do not have a ricer, but we like a few bigger pieces.
That’s so great to hear! I love that you embrace a few bigger pieces — that little bit of texture makes mashed potatoes extra cozy and homemade. I’m so glad this recipe has become your go-to, and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! 💛
I’m from Idaho and have VERY high standards for anything related to any type of potato. I know I am a walking stereotype.
These delivered and ARE the perfect comfort food.
My family and I would like to take a moment and officially welcome this recipe into our family cookbook.
Okay, official potato recipe cookbook status from a true Idahoan? That is high praise and absolutely made my day! So happy this one hit the comfort food mark—thank you for the fun and thoughtful review!
Super delicious and creamy mashed potatoes. thank you for posting the recipe.
Happy Holidays!
I’m happy you loved the flavor and texture of this recipe! Thank you for the review.
Made these for Thanksgiving this year! They came out great. The broth adds such great flavor. I did peel the potatoes first and liked the texture that way. I used coconut oil instead of ghee. Don’t waste your time making just one batch…double it right away! Thanks for a great recipe!
Haha, I love that you go right to the need to DOUBLE these. Yay! Thanks for sharing what modifications you enjoyed, those are always helpful. Thank you for the review, those help me so much!
These are so, so, so good! I made them last year for Thanksgiving, and I’m back again for the recipe for tomorrow’s holiday feast! I am printing it off this time, so I have it at my fingertips all year long.
(I don’t have a potato ricer, but I pushed my potatoes through my potato masher (instead of mashing down on them) and it worked great. A little extra work, but I think it was worth it.)