Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

5 from 22 votes

These olive oil mashed potatoes are an easy and delicious side dish. Quick to prepare, it's a great vegan recipe to make for Thanksgiving!

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If you are looking for a tasty and vegan side dish, look no further than these delicious olive oil mashed potatoes. These homemade potatoes are so easy and quick to make and can be made ahead of time too, perfect if you are planning to serve them for Thanksgiving or the holidays.

Mashed potatoes with olive oil in a large bowl with a spoon

Ingredients & substitutions

  • Potatoes: The best potatoes to use when making mashed potatoes are starchy potatoes. Yukon Gold is a favorite as they get really nice and fluffy. Avoid waxy potatoes like fingerlings and reds.
  • Garlic: Garlic is an easy way to add a burst of flavor to this side dish.
  • Salt and pepper: For seasoning.
  • Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor and texture. The oil replaces the need for any milk or butter so that the mashed potatoes are plant based and yet still luxuriously creamy.
  • Thyme: Use both fresh and dried thyme to add a great earthy freshness and works great with the garlic.
Ingredients to make the recipe

How to make mashed potatoes with olive oil

  1. Place the potatoes and garlic in a pot or salted boiling water.
  2. Cook the potatoes until they are fork tender. Then you can drain the liquid but keep some if needed to soften the mixter later.
  3. Mash the potatoes with the rest of the ingredients.
  4. Adjust the seasoning or add more olive oil or starchy cooking water to reach your desired consistency.
3 images in collage to show the potatoes in a pot with garlic, then with water then after cooking mashed

Tips for making VEGAN mashed potatoes

  1. Make sure potatoes are fork tender before draining. To test, poke a couple potatoes with a fork and make sure that they easily split apart.
  2. Start the potatoes in cold water that you bring to the boil. This will cook them more evenly than if you placed them straight into boiling water.
  3. Wash your potatoes well before peeling them. Avoid getting specks of dirt on the flesh of the potato by rinsing and scrubbing them in cold water.
  4. Salt the water that you are boiling the potatoes in. This will help them to start absorbing flavor right from the start, similar to what you’d do when cooking pasta.
  5. Don’t toss the cooking liquid. This warm starchy liquid can help with mashing the potatoes so you don’t have to use any dairy or overdo it with the olive oil.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make them ahead of time?

These olive oil mashed potatoes are a great make ahead side dish. Let them cool to room temperature before storing in a container in the fridge. They will keep well for 3 to 4 days. Reheat the potatoes gently on the stovetop, stirring so that they don’t stick.

Do you need to soak potatoes for this recipe?

If you have time, once you have peeled the potatoes, let them sit in a pot of cold water for 15 minutes. This helps to make the final mash less gluey, but if you use Yukon Gold you don’t necessarily need to do this.

What do you serve them with?

These mashed potatoes are quick enough to serve as part of an easy weeknight meal, but they won’t be out of place at a Thanksgiving or holiday table either. They work wonderfully with so many dishes. Try them with:
Thanksgiving Turkey
Beef Stew
Air Fryer Salmon
Sautéed Chicken and Mushroom

Olive oil mashed potatoes in a large bowl with olive oil on top

More potato recipes:

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Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

These olive oil mashed potatoes are an easy and delicious side dish. Quick to prepare, it's a great vegan recipe to make for Thanksgiving!
5 from 22 votes
Servings 8 servings
Course Side Dish
Calories 151
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Video

Ingredients
  

Instructions

  • Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add potatoes, garlic and salt and cook on medium heat until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.
  • Drain potatoes and garlic, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Using a potato masher, fork or beater, combine the potatoes, garlic, olive oil and thyme in the large pot. Add as much of the reserved cooking liquid to reach desired consistency.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl, and serve warm with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh thyme and freshly cracked black pepper, if desired.

Notes

Storage: Store any leftover mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 
Make Ahead Instructions: Let them cool to room temperature before storing in a container in the fridge. They will keep well for 3 to 4 days. Reheat the potatoes gently on the stovetop, stirring in some extra olive oil and the cooking water so that they don’t stick. You can also stir in some vegetable broth while you reheat.

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 589mg, Potassium: 486mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 12IU, Vitamin C: 23mg, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American
Course: Side Dish

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Comments

  1. These were delicious and easy. I even forgot to do the garlic in water sonI added a little garlic powder. They were amazingly good.

  2. This is the only way I’ll make mashed potatoes from now on!! Not a fan of dairy in my food so I definitely appreciate this recipe. I love the tip to reserve some cooking liquid, that’s what helps get the potatoes smooth and not dry. My family loved it!

  3. I tried the olive oil mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, 💯!! I was worried how the mashed potatoes would taste without dairy but they were good 😋😋