Potatoes are a versatile and satisfying staple in many kitchens. They are easy to store and can be used in a variety of dishes, from cozy comfort food to light and refreshing salads. This article explores a collection of vegan potato recipes perfect for any occasion, drawing inspiration from family traditions and innovative plant-based cooking.
The Enduring Appeal of Potatoes
Potatoes hold a special place in many cultures and personal histories. For some, like those with relatives who farmed them, potatoes represent comfort, tradition, and a connection to their roots. Whether it's a simple dish of fluffy mashed potatoes or a more elaborate potato salad, these recipes evoke fond memories and a sense of home.
Tips for Storing and Preparing Potatoes
To make the most of your potatoes, proper storage is essential. Here are a few tips:
- Store in a dark, cool, well-ventilated place: A pantry or cabinet away from heat sources is ideal. Farmers can store potatoes for weeks in root cellars because of these conditions.
- Use a ventilated basket or mesh bag: Avoid storing potatoes in plastic bags from the store. Reusable mesh produce bags are a great option for potatoes, onions, and garlic.
- Wash only when ready to use: Washing potatoes before storing them can promote spoilage.
- Address green potatoes: Exposure to light can cause potatoes to turn green.
Vegan Potato Recipes for Every Occasion
Potatoes can be served as a savory party starter, a simple side dish, or a hearty main course.
Appetizers and Snacks
- Toasty & Crispy Mini Potatoes: These bite-sized potatoes can be dressed up or down for any gathering.
- Lemony Potato Wedges: A colorful and flavorful dish to enjoy with sauces, dips, or vegan cheese.
- Air Fryer French Fries: Save energy by using an air fryer to cook frozen fries.
Soups and Stews
- Hearty Veggie Stew: A nutritious one-pot soup with a bounty of vegetables, including potatoes.
- Cream of Potato Soup: A thick and comforting soup with broccoli, carrots, and white beans.
- Minty Pea & Potato Soup: A vibrant and fresh-tasting soup that's substantial enough for dinner.
- Vegan Potato Leek Soup: This soup gets an appealing flavor boost by using smoked paprika and dried thyme.
Main Courses
- Vegan Shepherd's Pie: A plant-based twist on a classic comfort dish with mushrooms, lentils, and mashed potato and cauliflower topping.
- Grilled Veggie Skewers: Colorful and delicious skewers perfect for outdoor entertaining.
- Bombay Potatoes: These Indian-style potatoes cooked with juicy tomato nuggets are super-easy to make, spicy, and moreish.
- Vegan Chickpea Curry Jacket Potatoes: Get some protein into a vegan diet with this tasty chickpea curry jacket.
Side Dishes
- Mashed Potatoes: The basics for making perfectly fluffy and delicious mashed potatoes.
- Candied Yams: A vegan version of a Thanksgiving favorite with sweet potatoes, cranberries, and a citrusy maple glaze.
- Grilled Potatoes: An easy potato side dish that is great for summer.
- Hasselback Potatoes: Elevate your Sunday roast with these garlic and rosemary hasselback potatoes.
- Lemon, Garlic & Bay Roast Potatoes: Take your roast potatoes to new levels of deliciousness with lemon, garlic, and bay.
- Parmentier Potatoes: Serve parmentier potatoes instead of chips or roasties for a more elegant side. This is a classic dish flavored with rosemary and garlic, and it's easy to make.
- Roast Potatoes with Paprika: Make roast potatoes that are tasty and healthy. Smoked paprika adds flavor and we have a top tip for a crispy finish.
Salads
- Potato Salad: A vegan version of a classic potato salad using vegan mayonnaise.
- Piccalilli Potato Salad: Combine piccalilli with potatoes, cucumbers, and radishes, then top with deep-fried onions.
- Mediterranean Potato Salad: Swap a mayonnaise base for cherry tomatoes, olives, roasted red peppers and fresh Italian herbs in this low-fat salad.
Mashed Potato Magic: Vegan Style
Plant-based mashed potatoes can be just as rich and satisfying as traditional versions. The key is to use the right ingredients and techniques.
Read also: Understanding potatoes and carbohydrate content
Key Ingredients for Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Potatoes: Yukon Golds are a popular choice, but any potato can be used, including sweet potatoes.
- Plant-Based Milk: Unsweetened and neutral-flavored options like soy milk or cashew milk work best. Oat milk can be too sweet, and coconut milk may alter the flavor.
- Plant-Based Butter: Adds richness and flavor.
- Garlic: Roasted garlic cloves mixed into your potatoes are a great way to amp up the flavor.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and chives are essential. Nutritional yeast can add a cheesy flavor.
Tips for Avoiding Gluey Mashed Potatoes
Over-mixing or using a food processor can break down the starches too much, making mashed potatoes gummy.
Vegan Mashed Potato Recipes to Try
- The Best Damn Vegan Mashed Potatoes: This recipe uses non-dairy butter to create a rich and herbaceous dish.
- Oil-Free Plant-Based Mashed Potatoes: This recipe uses nutritional yeast for flavor and soy milk for creaminess.
- Mashed Potatoes With Coconut Yogurt: Coconut yogurt adds richness to the dish.
- Garlicky Vegan Mashed Potatoes: Roasting a whole head of garlic and stirring the softened cloves into the potatoes amps up the flavor.
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Nutritional yeast and a dash of cinnamon give this recipe a unique yet crave-able flavor.
- Vegan Mashed Cauliflower: Cauliflower is a great low-carb alternative to potatoes.
Beyond the Basics: Creative Vegan Potato Dishes
Potatoes can be incorporated into a wide array of dishes, from casseroles to desserts.
Casseroles
- Potato-Spinach Casserole with Trumpet Mushrooms: A hearty casserole with a vegan cheese sauce.
- Vegan Moussaka: Eggplant and potato layered with tomato-lentil sauce and vegan cheese sauce.
- Indian-Spiced Cauliflower and Potato Casserole: This everyday curried rice-veggie casserole is packed with frozen corn, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chickpeas.
Curries
- Mushroom & Potato Curry: Create a tasty, spicy vegetarian dish with mushroom and curry in less than half an hour.
- Potato-Cauliflower Curry: This comforting curry dish is great for when you have a hankering for curry but you only have basic spices.
- Creamy Potato Curry: With a thick and creamy texture and irresistible flavor, this curry potato recipe is the ultimate comfort food dish.
Other Creative Uses
- Vegan Potato Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Greens: An Italian delicacy paired with wilted spinach, tender mushrooms, and a lemon-tahini sauce.
- Indian-Spiced Potato Salad: Potato salad with cucumber, bell pepper, onion, tomato, lime juice, cumin, and jalapeño.
- Vegan Niçoise Salad Bowls: A vegan take on the French salad with fingerling potatoes, beans, fresh thyme, artichoke hearts, and chickpeas.
- Sicilian Rice Balls with Mushrooms and Peas: Mashed potatoes combine with rice for the outer casing of these baked rice balls.
- Moroccan Chickpea-Potato Tagine: Cubes of potato soak up the flavors of this tagine with dried apricot and lemon rind.
- Potato Burrito Bowls with Salsa Fresca: Spicy roasted potato wedges and homemade salsa add flavor to these bowls.
- Delhi Chaat: Spiced potato cakes with chickpea curry and chutney.
- Vegan Potato "Cheese" Sauce: A potato-based vegan cheese sauce that is nut-free, gluten-free, and oil-free.
- Spinach-Potato Tacos: Tacos made with frozen spinach, corn tortillas, and potato.
- Potato-Onion Pizza: Roasted garlic, cannellini beans, and potato on pizza.
- Cilantro-Sauced Roasted Potato Bowls: Lime- and chili-infused baby potatoes baked with bell pepper and onion.
- Vegan Potato Bread: Use it as a base for your favorite sandwich; spread your favorite toast toppings over a slice; or simply enjoy it on its own, maybe with some homemade corn butter.
- Potato Broccoli Mini Frittatas: Satisfy your egg craving with these delectable mini frittatas: They’re great for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
- Festive-Spiced Veggie Pot Pie: Try this pie once and you'll fall in love with the gluten-free crust, which is made with mashed potato.
- Vegan Chili Cheese Fries: The real genius of this recipe is the use of potato to add creaminess to the vegan cheese sauce.
- Roasted Red Potatoes and Cabbage: The mild flavors of potato and cabbage get a lift when baked with oregano, lemon juice, chili powder, and black pepper.
- Potato-Edamame Hash on Toast: A potato-edamame hash that is as satisfying as it is delicious.
- Southwestern Potato Bowl: This spicy vegan potato bowl will keep your engine running for hours.
- Garlic Hash Browns with Kale: These baked hash browns are great for brunch, but also for that evening meal that you didn't plan but should have.
- Vegan Potato Scramble with Hot Chile Sauce: This hearty scramble is an ideal brunch for those times when you want something special.
- “Nacho” Vegan Baked Potato: You can use prepared salsa to save time.
- Boulangere Potatoes: This creamy potato dish is a great alternative to traditional scalloped potatoes, which tend to be high in fat.
- Italian White Bean, Kale and Potato Stew: You can’t beat a good stew when it’s cold out, and the white bean and potato combination in this one is delicious.
- Potato Salad with Avocado and Dill: Mashed avocado gives this dish a creamy texture without making it too rich, and the onion, celery and dill are the perfect potato bedfellows.
- Potato Pancakes: These baked potato pancakes are so easy to make.
- Lotsa Vegetable Chowder: Grab whichever vegetables you have on hand, and before you know it you have a delicious chowder.
Dispelling Myths: Potatoes and Health
Potatoes have often been unfairly labeled as unhealthy due to their starch content and common preparation methods. However, potatoes can be a nutritious part of a plant-based diet.
The Truth About Potato Starch
Starch is composed of glucose molecules, which our cells use for fuel. Studies have shown that potatoes can be satisfying and do not cause hunger spikes.
The Importance of Preparation
The key to enjoying potatoes as part of a healthy diet is to focus on how they are prepared. Instead of frying or loading them with butter and oil, opt for healthier cooking methods like baking, roasting, or boiling.
Read also: Convenient mashed potatoes and their nutritional value
The Benefits of Eating Potato Skins
Potato skins are a good source of fiber and nutrients. Leaving the skins on when preparing potatoes can increase their nutritional value.
Vegan Potato Topping Ideas
For Vegan Baked Potato Recipes: use plant-based toppings like vegan butter, vegan cheese, coconut yogurt, or even smoky almond slivers (instead of bacon) for toppings.
Read also: Healthy Irish Cuisine