Mashed potatoes are pretty freaking fantastic. They’re warm, comforting, and really quite versatile. You can eat them as a side dish, as a base to a bowl meal, and you can flavor them with any number of seasoning combos. The problem, though, is that most mashed potatoes contain a hefty amount of dairy. Cream and butter do make mashed potatoes awesomely rich and creamy, but I really don’t want people who can’t eat dairy or choose not to eat dairy to miss out on the magnificence of mashed potatoes. So, I made this Olive Oil Mashed Potato Recipe to make sure we can all get our mashed potato on.
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What Do Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes Taste Like?
It’s important to note that olive oil mashed potatoes are different than buttery mashed potatoes. It’s not one of those things where we’re trying to mimic the flavor of dairy mashed potatoes with non-dairy ingredients. No, this is a different beast. Olive oil mashed potatoes are super light and fluffy and not super rich or creamy. They’re a nice lighter alternative to the usually heavy dish. Because they’re lighter, they balance nicely with richer sauces or gravies without making the whole meal overly heavy.
This particular recipe also contains a good dose of garlic, rosemary, and black pepper because when you eliminate the rich, creamy flavor element, you need something to give the potatoes a punch of flavor in its place.
What Kind of Olive Oil Should I Use?
This depends largely on what your goal is. For the recipe below, I wanted the olive oil flavor to come through because the floral flavor of extra virgin olive oil pairs so nicely with rosemary and garlic. If you’re not a fan of the flavor of olive oil, you can use light olive oil, which will still give a good smooth mouthfeel but does not heavily flavor the potatoes.
Make Sure Your Olive Oil is Fresh
Before you begin, give your olive oil a sniff and a taste. The olive oil should not smell or taste bitter. If it does, that means your olive oil has gone rancid, and it will make your mashed potatoes taste very bad. Olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil, can go bad faster than other refined cooking oils, so it’s important to always check before you use it!
How to Use Your Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
Like I mentioned in the intro, mashed potatoes are so versatile! Use these dairy-free mashed potatoes to make a Loaded Mashed Potato Bowl, use them as a bed for some Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms, or as a topper for a Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie.
What Kind of Potatoes are Best for Mashing?
I prefer russets because I find them to be lighter and fluffier, but if you prefer a slightly more dense mashed potato, Yukon Gold is your winner. Waxier potatoes like red potatoes don’t mash quite as well and are a little better for dishes where you want them to hold their shape, like potato salad or adding to soups.
Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
Servings 6 about 1 cup eachIngredients
- 2.5 lbs. russet potatoes ($1.25)
- 1/2 tsp salt (for cooking water) ($0.02)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil ($0.48)
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary ($0.05)
- 1 cup vegetable broth, warmed ($0.13)
- freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- salt to taste (about 3/4 tsp) ($0.05)
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place the potato cubes in a colander and rinse well with cool water to remove the excess starch.
- Place the rinsed potatoes in a large pot, fill it with enough water to cover the potatoes by one inch, then add 1/2 tsp salt.
- Cover the pot with a lid, place the pot over high heat, and bring it up to a boil. Once boiling, remove the lid, and reduce the heat to medium. Continue to boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, or until they are very soft (they should break apart when pierced with a fork).
- While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the garlic infused olive oil. Mince the garlic and add it to a small sauce pot or skillet with the olive oil. Heat the oil and garlic over medium-low heat. Let the garlic sizzle in the oil for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is slightly softened, but not brown. You just want to take the spicy raw bite off the garlic flavor. Remove the sauce pot from the heat and set it aside.
- Drain the boiled potatoes in a colander and rinse again, briefly, with warm water. Return the rinsed and drained potatoes to the pot, with the heat turned off. Add garlic and oil, dried rosemary, some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill), and about 1/2 cup warmed vegetable broth.
- Mash the potatoes or use a mixer to whip them until light and fluffy, adding more vegetable broth as needed to keep them soft and moist (I used about 3/4 cup total broth). Taste the mashed potatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remember, adding an adequate amount of salt will help the flavors pop. Serve warm.
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Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Try these Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes with Salisbury Steak!
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes – Step by Step Photos
Peel and dice 2.5 lbs. of russet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place them in a colander and rinse them well under cool water to remove excess starch (too much starch makes mashed potatoes gluey).
Place the rinsed mashed potatoes in a pot and add enough water to cover them by one inch. Add 1/2 tsp salt. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium. Let the potatoes boil for about 10 minutes, or until they are very tender.
While the potatoes are boiling, mince four cloves of garlic and add them to a small sauce pot or skillet with ¼ cup olive oil. Place the pot over medium-low heat. Let the garlic sizzle in the oil for only 1-2 minutes to take the raw spicy edge off the flavor. You don’t want the garlic to brown or for the oil to get too hot. Remove the garlic and oil from the heat and set it aside.
After the potatoes have boiled, drain them in a colander, and give them a brief second rinse with warm water. Transfer the drained potatoes back to the pot, and turn the heat off. Add the garlic and olive oil, ½ tsp dried rosemary, and some freshly cracked black pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill). Add ½ cup warmed vegetable broth and begin to mash the potatoes…
Or you can whip the mashed potatoes using a mixer. Add more broth as you mash or whip as needed, to keep the potatoes soft and moist. I ended up using about ¾ cup, but it will depend on your potatoes and how you like them.
Taste the mashed potatoes and add more salt and pepper to your liking. Remember, adding enough salt helps the flavors pop. I added about ¾ tsp at the end, but it will depend on the salt content of your broth and your taste buds.
I made these for a dairy free mash alternative and they came out so, so good! Plus they reheat surprisingly well. I added a little more olive oil when reheating. I followed all instructions exactly, except I added a bit more salt. I’ll definitely make these again.
Pro tip: try using Better Than Bouillon for the broth. At my grocery store they sell it in little glass jars next to the regular cartons. It’s super convenient because it’s a concentrate–you just mix up the amount you need and don’t have to worry about the rest going bad.
Yes, we are huge BTB fans here! We use it in EVERYTHING. It’s a game changer!
A friend with a dairy allergy is coming for Thanksgiving, so I decided to try these out and see how they’d taste. They’re delicious! Thank you so much!
Will this still taste good without garlic? I need to make garlic-free recipes for my daughter.
I think that’s just going to be a matter of personal preference. I feel like they might be pretty plain without garlic, but if you’re not a garlic person they might be just fine to you. :)
This recipe looks fantastic! Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Hi, Charlotte! While you can do anything you want — and you could totally prove me wrong — I wouldn’t recommend making this and then freezing it because freezing potatoes changes the texture in a way that many find unpleasant. If you’re looking to split up the recipe to make it more manageable in a different way, I would suggest boiling the potatoes ahead. They can be drained, rinsed, cooled, and then stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for 1-2 days ahead. Then, just before serving, make the garlic oil, mash the potatoes and mix according to the recipe directions. ~Marion :)
I made this as a topping to the Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie!
I’m a dum dum and didn’t check my spices so I wasn’t able to drop in the rosemary! They are still good but please make sure you add the rosemary!
Definitely much lighter than mashed potatoes with dairy. I tried to be careful not to overmash. I noticed they don’t have that unfortunate gummy/tacky mouthfeel that you sometimes get with mashed potatoes. I am really excited to make these with the mushrooms and lentil gravy.
Would this work with instant mashed potatoes? Since lockdown last year I still have a box I need to get
Rid off .
I’m sure you could add some olive oil and herbs to boxed mashed potatoes if you’d like.
I initially added way to much broth because I was bouncing back and forth between the ingredient list and recipe photo steps. It might be nice to put an asterisk or note on the 1 cup of broth line.
Thank you for thinking of us dairy free folks!
Eating these right now with the Lentils with Mushroom Gravy recipe and OMG. New favorite. SOOOO GOOOD.
Made this tonight and paired with the lentils and creamy mushroom gravy. Both recipes came out delicious and when paired were fantastic! Will definitely be adding this to my rotation.
I’m not vegetarian, but I have occasionally used vegan sour cream in place of milk and butter and been just as satisfied as I would be with milk and butter. I do cook with olive oil, but am not fond of the flavor enough to want it as a main ingredient. The happy thing is that I can find this faux sour cream at Dollar Tree. Totally budget friendly.
Thanks for letting us know Wendy!
Thanks, Beth! Bob and I try not to eat much dairy. I’m going to try this dish.
Can these be refrigerated? I tried making non-dairy mashed potatoes once that dried out in the fridge. Are these meant to be served and eaten immediately or do you think they’ll keep for a few days?
Yes Steph! They can be made ahead a day or two. I would suggest making sure they’re stored air tight.
Thank you so much for thinking of us lactose intolerant people! I look forward to enjoying creamy mashed potatoes again without the side effects. Keep the dairy free recipes coming :)
You’re welcome Rachel!
We made something similar by combining two recipes. But instead of adding rosemary, we added some freshly chopped basil.
Oh that sounds delicious too!