This collection of vegan potato recipes includes everything from crispy roast potatoes and creamy mash to hearty stews, comforting soups, and sweet potato dishes.
If you want to skip all the info about the different varieties and my cooking tips and tricks, you can jump directly to the list of potato recipe ideas below. 🥔
Potatoes have a reputation for being simple, but that’s exactly what makes them so brilliant. They’re affordable, filling, widely available, and endlessly versatile – equally at home in a comforting bowl of soup, a crisp tray of roasties, or a hearty one-pot dinner such as goulash or jackfruit stew.
Potatoes always make me think of the film The Martian. Matt Damon’s character – a botanist who becomes stranded alone on Mars – basically keeps himself alive by growing and rationing potatoes. You’re probably not likely to find yourself stuck on another planet anytime soon, but it’s still good to know potatoes are one of the more reliable and nutritious foods to have on your side.
Anyway, this post includes lots of vegan potato recipes covering different cooking methods, cuisines, and styles, along with a few tips on choosing and cooking different varieties.
If you don't want any of that extra information, you can jump straight to the list of vegan potato recipes below. 🌱
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Jump to:
- What are they? 🥔
- Potato types 🌱
- How to cook 🧑🍳
- Top tips 🤓
- Potato recipes 📋
- Mains 🥘
- Soups 🍲
- Sides 🧈
- Breakfast 🥞
- Sweet potatoes 🍠
- FAQ ❓
What are potatoes?
Potatoes are starchy root vegetables that have been a staple food in many cultures for centuries. They’re naturally vegan, widely available, and incredibly versatile – you can boil, roast, mash, fry, or bake them depending on the dish you’re making.
You’ll generally come across a few different types, which vary in texture and how they cook (more on that below). Some hold their shape well, while others break down into a soft, fluffy texture that’s perfect for mash and comfort food.
It’s also worth noting that sweet potatoes aren’t actually the same as regular potatoes. They come from a different plant family, but they’re used in similar ways and are just as popular in vegan cooking.
Types of potato
Different types of potatoes behave differently when cooked, so it’s useful to know what works best for each method.
Some become soft and fluffy, making them ideal for mashing or roasting. Others hold their shape better and are more suited to things like potato salad and traybakes. There are also versatile all-rounders that can handle a bit of everything.
The infographic below gives a quick overview of some common potato varieties and the dishes they’re best suited to: 👇
All-rounder potatoes
Examples: Maris Piper, Yukon Gold, Desiree, Kennebec, Sebago
These sit somewhere in the middle between fluffy and waxy potatoes (see below), making them a versatile option for lots of different dishes. They generally crisp up well, hold together reasonably well, and can also be mashed without becoming gluey.
They’re ideal for:
- Roast potatoes
- Mash
- Wedges and chips
- Gratins and bakes
- General everyday cooking
If you’re not sure which potatoes to buy, all-rounders are usually the safest choice.
🥔 Favourite recipes of mine: vegan 'fish' pie or vegan dauphinoise potatoes.
Floury potatoes
Examples: Baking potatoes, King Edward, Russet, Idaho, Estima
These have a higher starch content and become soft and fluffy when cooked. They tend to absorb flavours well and break down more easily, which is exactly what you want for things like baked potatoes (jacket potatoes) or smooth mash.
They’re ideal for:
- Baked potatoes
- Mash
- Thick soups
- Roast potatoes
- Chips and fries
Because they soften so much during cooking, they’re usually less suitable for potato salads or dishes where you want neat chunks that hold their shape.
🥔 Favourite recipes of mine: crispy roast potatoes or vegan mash.
Note: Where a recipe calls for floury potatoes, I often just use Maris Piper (an all-rounder) since they’re widely available in the UK and work well in most dishes.
Waxy potatoes
Examples: Charlotte, New Potatoes, Jersey Royals, Red Bliss, Fingerling, Nicola
These contain less starch and more moisture, which helps them stay firm after cooking. They have a smoother texture and hold their shape well, making them perfect for lighter dishes and recipes with sliced or diced potatoes.
They’re ideal for:
- Potato salad
- Boiling and steaming
- Hearty stews
- Traybakes
- Sliced potato dishes
Waxy potatoes won’t usually give you the same fluffy interior as floury varieties, but they’re excellent when texture and structure matter more.
🥔 Favourite recipes of mine: vegan potato salad with lemon-mustard dressing.
Sweet potatoes
Sweeter, softer, and slightly different in texture, sweet potatoes work well in:
- Curries and stews
- Soups
- Mash
- Roasted dishes
They cook a bit faster than regular potatoes and don’t crisp up in quite the same way, but they bring a completely different flavour to the table.
🍠 Favourite recipes of mine: sweet potato dal or sweet potato and black bean chilli.
How to cook potatoes
There are loads of ways to cook potatoes depending on the texture and flavour you’re after. Here’s a quick guide to the most common methods.
Boiling
Peel (optional), chop into even chunks, and simmer in salted water until tender. Boiling is the starting point for recipes like vegan mashed potatoes or zingy vegan potato salad.
Roasting
Toss potatoes (parboiled or otherwise) in oil and roast at a high temperature until golden and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Roasting works especially well with most potato varieties and is perfect for recipes like crispy vegan roast potatoes or baked potato wedges.
Mashing
Boiled potatoes can be mashed with plant-based butter, milk, or other ingredients until smooth and creamy (or left slightly chunky if you prefer). Mashing is ideal for comforting side dishes and recipes like vegan mashed potatoes or sweet potato mash with lime.
Frying
Potatoes can be pan-fried, shallow-fried, or deep-fried depending on the texture you’re after. Frying is great for crispy edges and hearty comfort food, making it ideal for dishes like breakfast potato hash.
Pancakes & fritters
Grated or mashed potatoes can be combined with other ingredients and fried into crisp patties or fritters. This is a great way to use up leftovers and works well for quick meals, snacks, or brunch dishes like vegan potato pancakes or sweet potato pancakes.
Soups & stews
Potatoes can be diced and simmered to add bulk to soups and stews, or blended for a smooth and creamy texture. They’re ideal for hearty, filling meals such as vegan leek and potato soup or jackfruit 'beef' stew.
Baking (whole potatoes)
Whole potatoes can be baked in the oven until crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy in the middle. Baked potatoes are simple, filling, and easy to customise with your favourite toppings (vegan chilli is a personal favourite), making them a reliable option for quick lunches or comforting dinners.
Air frying
Potatoes can be cooked in an air fryer for a crisp exterior and fluffy middle using less oil than traditional roasting or frying. Air frying works especially well for wedges, chips, and smaller roast-style potatoes, while also reducing cooking time.
Top tips for cooking potatoes
A few simple tips can make a big difference to your results:
- Salt your cooking water well – especially for boiling
- Cut evenly sized pieces so everything cooks at the same rate
- Rough up potatoes after parboiling for extra crispy edges when roasting
- Don’t overcrowd the tray when roasting – space = crispiness
- Dry potatoes before roasting or frying to avoid steaming
- Season as you go, not just at the end
Once you get the basics right, potatoes are one of the easiest and most versatile ingredients to cook with.
Vegan Potato Recipes
Here’s a collection of vegan potato recipes covering everything from crispy side dishes and comforting soups to hearty mains and sweet potato meals. Use the sections below to find something that suits what you’re in the mood for.
If you’re not sure where to start, I’d recommend something like crispy vegan roast potatoes or vegan leek and potato soup – both simple, reliable, and packed full of flavour.
- Mains 🥘
- Soups 🍲
- Sides 🧈
- Breakfast 🥞
- Sweet potatoes 🍠
Comfort food & hearty meals 🥘
Potatoes are perfect for hearty, satisfying meals that are packed with flavour and easy to make in big batches. This section includes comforting dishes like stews, pies, curries, and chilli – ideal for colder days or whenever you’re after something filling and nourishing.
Vegan Goulash (Hungarian Stew)
Feeling Hungary? Get a load of this vegan goulash. Featuring paprika, potatoes, smoked tofu, and portobello mushrooms, it's a supremely tasty one-pot meal.
Vegan Stovies (Scottish Potato Stew)
These vegan stovies are a simple, hearty, and wholesome twist on a Scottish classic. Looks basic, but the final product is so much better than the sum of its parts.
Vegan ‘Beef’ Stew with Jackfruit and Potatoes
Vegan ‘beef’ stew? Made with jackfruit? It might sound unconventional at first, but this hearty one-pot meal delivers all the comforting flavours you’d expect from a classic stew.
Vegan Cottage Pie
This vegan cottage combines a lentil and vegetable base with a creamy mash topping for a delicious, rich, and comforting take on an absolute classic.
Ultimate Vegan ‘Fish’ Pie
This one is a bit of a show-stopper if I do say so myself. It combines king oyster mushrooms, banana blossom, and smoked tofu in a creamy sauce for a truly top-drawer meal.
Breakfast Hash with Potatoes and Black Beans
Full of flavour, colour, and texture – this breakfast hash is perfect on a weekend when you've got a bit more time on your hands (but still want to keep things to one pan).
Quinoa Stew with Sweet Potato and Broccoli
This vegan quinoa stew combines delicious flavours for an ultra-healthy one-pot meal that's both gluten-free and nut-free.
Sweet Potato and Lentil Dal
One of my favourite dishes to batch-cook at home, this sweet potato curry provides a healthy meal that's delicious, nutritious, and satisfying.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli
This sweet potato and black bean chilli is delicious, healthy, and hearty. Enjoy it as a one-pot meal or along with your favourite sides.
Potato soups 🍲
Potatoes are ideal for soups thanks to their creamy texture and ability to make dishes feel hearty and satisfying. This collection includes everything from smooth blended soups to chunkier, stew-like bowls packed with flavour.
Vegan Leek and Potato Soup
This vegan leek and potato soup is plant-based comfort food at its very best. Creamy, hearty, and filling, it's also cheap and easy to make.
Vegan Cullen Skink
Hold the haddock and step into the wonderful world of vegan cullen skink. This recipe takes the traditional Scottish soup and gives it a plant-based makeover for a tasty dish that's fish-free.
Broccoli and Potato Soup
This vegan broccoli and potato soup includes dried tarragon for a delicious bowl of plant-based goodness that's both easy to make and easy on the eye.
Wild Garlic Soup
Wild garlic soup is a great one to try if you have an abundance of the fresh green leaves that appear outdoors each spring.
Spiced Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup
This Thai-inspired sweet potato and coconut soup is vibrant, creamy, and warming. It makes for a delicious lunch or light meal.
Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
Pumpkin and sweet potato soup is a creamy and vibrant twist on some of the other spiced pumpkin soup recipes you might find out there.
Pinto Bean Soup with Chilli and Lime
Featuring a nice kick of chilli and lime, this vegan pinto bean soup is a hearty and healthy recipe that's brimming with plant-based goodness.
Creamy White Bean Soup
This vegan white bean soup with lemon and parsley is a simple, healthy, and delicious bowl of pure good stuff.
Hearty Black Bean Soup
Packed full of nutritious plants and with a couple of spuds to thicken it up, this is a healthy and delicious recipe that's high in protein and very filling.
Vegan potato side dishes 🧈
From crispy roast potatoes to creamy mash and fresh potato salad, the humble spud can be turned into some of the best side dishes around. These recipes are easy to pair with a wide range of mains and work for everything from weeknight dinners to big family meals.
Vegan Scalloped Potatoes (Dauphinoise)
These easy vegan scalloped potatoes – also known as dauphinoise potatoes or gratin dauphinois – are delicious, creamy, and indulgent.
Ultimate Vegan Mashed Potatoes
Featuring dairy-free substitutes, wholegrain mustard, and nutritional yeast, vegan mash is a great side dish for anything from regular weeknight meals to Christmas or Thanksgiving.
Vegan Roast Potatoes
Don't believe the hype about goose fat – these vegan roast potatoes are divine with just regular olive oil and salt.
Zingy Vegan Potato Salad (Mayo-Free)
Featuring creamy spuds, fresh herbs, and a tangy lemon-mustard dressing, this vibrant potato salad is just asking for a place on the table at your next barbecue or summer meal.
Sweet Potato Mash with Lime
Welcome to the world of alt-mash, where it's not uncommon to come across eccentric characters like this vegan sweet potato mash with lime.
Baked wedges
These crispy baked potato wedges are slightly crunchy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, and coated in a delicious Cajun seasoning mix.
Pancakes, fritters & breakfast-style 🥞
Potatoes work brilliantly in crispy pancakes, savoury fritters, and hearty breakfast dishes. Whether you’re using up leftover mash or starting from scratch, these recipes are simple, satisfying, and packed with flavour.
Vegan Potato Pancakes (Using Leftover Mash)
Light, fluffy, crispy, and slightly cheesy, these vegan potato pancakes use a simple recipe to turn that leftover mash into something special.
Sweet Potato Pancakes
Got some leftover sweet potato mash that you want to turn into another meal? Try your hand at these sweet potato pancakes with fresh chilli and lime juice.
Breakfast Hash with Potatoes and Black Beans
Packed with crispy potatoes, black beans, and plenty of colour and flavour, this easy one-pan breakfast hash is hearty enough for brunch, lunch, or even dinner.
Vegan White Pudding
Featuring pinhead oats and a wonderful combination of savoury flavours, you can think of this as a little brother or cousin to the almighty vegan haggis.
Sweet potato recipes 🍠
Sweet potatoes bring a softer texture and natural sweetness that work brilliantly in everything from soups and curries to mash and chilli.
A lot of these have already appeared in other sections above, but I’ve grouped them together here as well to make things easier if you’re specifically looking for vegan sweet potato recipes.
Sweet Potato Mash with Lime
Creamy, vibrant, and slightly zesty, this sweet potato mash with lime is an easy side dish that works well with all sorts of meals.
Sweet Potato Pancakes
These sweet potato pancakes are soft in the middle, crisp around the edges, and packed with fresh chilli and lime flavour. They’re also a great way to use up leftover sweet potato mash.
Sweet Potato and Lentil Dal
Sweet potato and red lentils come together in this comforting vegan dal that’s healthy, satisfying, and perfect for batch cooking.
Quinoa Stew with Sweet Potato and Broccoli
This nourishing quinoa stew combines sweet potato, broccoli, and warming spices for a healthy one-pot meal that’s both gluten-free and nut-free.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli
This sweet potato and black bean chilli is hearty, flavour-packed, and easy to make in one pot. Enjoy it on its own or with your favourite sides.
Spiced Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup
Creamy coconut milk and warming spices make this sweet potato soup rich, vibrant, and full of flavour. It’s ideal for a light meal or cosy lunch.
Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
This pumpkin and sweet potato soup is smooth, creamy, and gently spiced, combining two naturally sweet vegetables in one delicious bowl.
Cooking with potatoes FAQ
Yes, potatoes themselves are naturally vegan. Just watch out for non-vegan additions in some dishes or shop-bought products, such as butter, cream, or animal fats.
No – whether or not you peel potatoes usually comes down to personal preference and the type of dish you’re making. Potato skins can add texture and flavour, and they also contain fibre and nutrients. For dishes like mash or dauphinoise, some people prefer peeled potatoes, while skins work especially well for e.g. baked potatoes, wedges, and potato salad.
Floury or all-rounder potatoes are usually best for roasting because they crisp up nicely on the outside while staying fluffy in the middle. Popular choices include Maris Piper, King Edward, and Russet potatoes.
Roast potatoes usually need plenty of heat and space to crisp up properly. Overcrowding the tray can cause them to steam instead of roast, while drying the potatoes well and roughing up the edges after parboiling can help create a crispier finish.
Although they’re used in similar ways, potatoes and sweet potatoes actually come from different plant families. Sweet potatoes are generally softer and sweeter in flavour, while regular potatoes tend to be starchier and more neutral. Both work well in a wide range of savoury dishes.
Yes – many cooked potato dishes freeze well, including mash, soups, stews, and curries. However, the texture of potatoes can sometimes change slightly after freezing and reheating, especially in dishes with larger chunks.
More vegan recipe collections
Looking for more easy vegan meal ideas? Check out these other recipe collections for plenty of inspiration:
- Vegan tofu recipes – a roundup of simple and delicious ways to cook with tofu, from crispy dishes to comforting mains.
- Vegan chickpea recipes – a collection of easy and flavour-packed recipes using chickpeas, including curries, stews, salads, soups, and crunchy snacks.
- Vegan curry recipes – flavour-packed curries using a range of ingredients, perfect for easy weeknight dinners.
- Vegan main meals – a mix of satisfying meals to keep your weekly rotation fresh and interesting.
- Vegan comfort food – hearty, feel-good dishes when you’re craving something a bit more indulgent.
- Vegan wild garlic recipes – a collection of ways to make the most of wild garlic when it starts popping up around spring each year.
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