Don't get me wrong, these
I'm still not sure if I want this recipe to focus on the
Let's talk a little about both.
The smashed potatoes are simple. Boil up some baby potatoes in your favorite pot. Sure, Instant Pots are great and all, but you really don't need one for this. Just plop some taters down in a pot with water and boil for about 25 minutes or until fork tender.
Then, we drain them and then smash them.
I'm not talking about mashed potatoes here, but smashed. In other words, find something flat and smash them down a little. That's it.
Then you can either put them in an oven, a broiler, or an air fryer until they get crispy on the outside.
Crispy on the outside - creamy on the inside! Add a little seasoning and maybe some freshly chopped green onions or parsley.....yum.
But let's not forget the Aioli.
Aioli is a sauce that is traditionally made with oil so I knew I'd have to get creative to keep this as low-fat as I could.
I was going to use cashews - as many vegan cream sauces do - but like I said, I was concerned about the fat.
Then, I thought, "Ok, I'll use white beans". But really didn't want a BEANY flavored sauce either. Tofu? Lots of people do not like tofu or are allergic to soy. What about Cauliflower? Again,
So I went back to the cashew idea because I knew the flavor would be pretty neutral and I really wanted the garlic to stand out as the star of the show.
But then I couldn't get it creamy enough, even with my Vitamix. And NOBODY wants a creamy aioli with chunks of cashews floating around. So I added the beans anyway. And oh my word - what a difference.
This sauce is SO creamy now you'd swear it was mayonnaise, and without any of that beany
An additional benefit of adding the beans is now I've essentially reduced the calorie density of my cashew sauce - a lot. Now don't think you can just go eat the entire bowl, because that would STILL be a LOT of calories.
But as a dip or drizzle sauce? Especially for these
Perfect.
I can honestly see this sauce being used in a lot of ways. As a dip for my homemade fat-free Potato Chips, or maybe as the mayonnaise in my Vegan Tuna Salad.... all kinds of things.
If you use it for something besides these potatoes, please leave a comment below and let me know, and I'll share it in my Facebook Group.
Ok, so with all that said - let's smash some spuds
Smashed Potatoes with Vegan Garlic Aioli
As I said above, get a little bag of baby potatoes (I used a 24oz bag of Yukon Golds which yielded about 16 potatoes) and boil them until fork tender - about 25 minutes.
Want to use your Instant Pot? No problem. Add the trivet and a cup of water, then your potatoes. I'd go MANUAL for about 5-7 minutes.
Then we simply drain the potatoes and let them sit for about 5 minutes to cool.
Carefully take a potato and using whatever smasher you can find - gently smash the potato until it's flattened.
I used this kind of potato smasher. I tried the old fashioned kind and it wanted to mash my potatoes, not smash them, so I reverted back to the round type. I'll post a pic and link here to my Amazon Store so you can see what I'm talking about. (Note: Affiliate link - I'll make a few pennies if you buy one).
Then we simply place our flattened potatoes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven until the outside edges get crispy - about 30-40 minutes.
OR - place them in your air-fryer at 325 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes.
Vegan Garlic Aioli
The aioli is easy.
Add all the ingredients in the recipe section below to your blender and blend away until super creamy and smooth. You will have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times, but take your time and it will eventually get smooth.
Notes:
- Soak the cashews for at least 1-2 hrs before - it helps then get creamier.
- Adjust the amount of garlic to your own personal taste. I used 3 large cloves - but I love garlic.
- Rinse and drain the beans, but save some of the bean liquid (
aquafaba ) just in case you need to thin down the sauce a little. - The recipe will make more than enough Aioli. You can store it covered in your fridge for about 7 days. Use the extra as a mayo replacement, or dip, or maybe even a dressing.
That's it! I'm anxious to hear what you think so please, leave those comments!
And until next week - Keep on Cookin'!
Smashed Potatoes with Vegan Garlic Aioli
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 45 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 baby potatoes 1x
- Category: Potatoes, Sauce
- Method: Stove, IP, Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American, Vegan
Description
Don't get me wrong, these smashed potatoes are amazing all by themselves, but when you add my new Vegan Garlic Aioli they are transformed into little bites of pure culinary awesomeness.
Ingredients
Smashed Potatoes
- 24 oz bag baby gold potatoes
- your choice of seasoning - to taste
- chopped green onion and/or fresh parsley for garnish
Vegan Garlic Aioli
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 1-2 hrs
- 15oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup water
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 Tbs nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Boil potatoes in a large pot of water until fork tender - 25-30 min OR........
- You can also use your Instant Pot and trivet: add 1 cup of water and potatoes, secure lid, MANUAL for 5-7 min, quick release
- Drain potatoes and let sit 5 minutes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Smash potatoes flat and lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet
- Bake in the oven for 30-40 min or until edges get crispy OR
- Air fry at 325 degrees for 15-20 min
Vegan Garlic Aioli
- Add all ingredients to blender and process until smooth and creamy. You will probably have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.
Notes
Valerie
Oh wow! These were amazing. Think this will be my new comfort food meal but also looking forward to using the sauce with pasta tomorrow too. I sometimes find raw garlic too strong so I roasted a head of garlic in the airfryer and added 6 cloves of that! Perfect balance of garlic flavour without feeling like I'm going to be smelling of it for days like I seem to with raw garlic. Amazing, thank you.
John
Can the aioli be frozen?
A
Can you use all beans instead of cashews
Mary
The Vegan Garlic Aioli is divine and addictive. Could not stop eating the sauce all by its lonesome. Cashews are so calories dense that next time I am going to start with a 1/2 C and see what happens.
Nora Boyle
Since discovering black salt I decided to sub that for regular in the recipe. I found I don’t blend things long enough or add enough liquid to get it to MY liking. Now it’s so smooth. What a great recipe!
Amelia
Thank you for the recipe! I'm avoiding cashews at the moment, though hopefully not forever, for reasons not related to weight loss (though it will help with that). I saw that you had considered using soy and discounted it for this recipe, but I'm wondering if you have a similar recipe that uses white beans and tofu? I would not know how to find it if you did...
Susie
Easy to make and tastes so yummy! I poured boiling water over the nuts and soaked for 5 minutes because I was in a rush to get it ready. I used the aioli to dip fresh artichoke leaves instead of butter. Then used it with the smashed potatoes for dinner... It also made a great spread for fresh baguettes the next day.
Thank you Chuck!
Christine
This is really delicious! I had the aioli over the smashed potatoes for dinner tonight and am going to try an aioli pasta with veggies tomorrow!
Donna
Please, please, please come up with salt-free versions of your recipes. I'm on a low sodium diet, and most vegan/vegetarian recipes are useless to me because of the amount of sodium in them. Because I'm not a good cook, I'm not able to eliminate salt from recipes and determine what else I need to add to make the recipes taste good. I'm just not the kind of cook who can taste something and say "it needs X".
Michelle
I've been vegan for a year and this was one of the first recipes I tried. The garlic aioli is life changing. Thank you for this fantastic recipe.
Porsche
Is there an alternative to using cashews? We have a nut allergy in our family.
Janine
My son is also allergic to nuts. I have heard you can sub sunflower seeds for cashews but I haven't tried it. Does anyone have any experience using sunflower seeds in recipes like this?
Heidi
I always do half to 2/3 sunflower seeds with half to 1/3 cashews (soak same as the cashews)… but I bet it would be just as good with 100% sunflower seeds.
Sally Bivins
Made the potatoes and garlic aioli 2 days agao. The potatoes were so crispy in the air fryer. Delicious! Iwasn't impressed the the aioli UNTIL...2 days later. The flavors had time to meld and, oh my, it was wonderful!!! Today, I combined some garlic aioli with salsa for a dressing on a cabbage salad and used the same combination on compliant tostadas tonight. I'll be keeping a batch of this in the fridge. It's so versatile.
Lori
Has anyone tried freezing leftover aioli? I'm wondering if it would affect the consistency.
Amelia
I would like to know this, too! Did you try it?
Sue Ann
I love this! The only problem is they're so good I can't stop eating them! Love the aioli, too -- I can see using it on a regular basis as a pasta sauce, salad dressing, or veggie dip. The dip would be great to take to a potluck. Thanks!
Pam
As I was making this, I realized I had no white beans. So, I modified it to be a spicy aioli instead and used 1/2 a can of refried pinto beans instead of the white beans, lime juice instead of lemon, and added a bunch of chipotle hot sauce. It's delicious!
Jackie Clinansmith
Just a Note: If you should happen to forget to add the water, you end up with an amazing dip! LOL
Lori
When I make smashed potatoes I use the bottom of a pint glass. Works great!
Cassandra
I’ve never soaked cashews. How much water & do I blend the water too or drain? Thank you! I’ve tried your cauliflower taco meat & goulash! Amazing recipes!
Chuck Underwood
Always drain.
Jessica S.
These are great. I cooked the potatoes in the Instant Pot and then baked them. The texture is fantastic, creamy inside. The sauce is also very tasty. Thank you!
Jessica S.
I just discovered that the sauce is also fantastic on artichokes as well and as a salad dressing!
Mary
What a great way to cook potatoes! Took our first pass at this recipe, feel we could have a) cooked the potatoes a tad longer for greater crispness, and b) measured our freshly cooked beans better. Hey, it makes a fine hummus, too! Anyway, tasty, and we’ll get it right next time!
Ellen de Walais
Made these today super yummy and the sauce - brilliant!!
I make cashew sauce a lot but of course it's high in fat. This alternative is beyond delicious, and the guests I tried it on had no clue it was dairy free OR had beans in it!
Thanks so much Chuck 🙂
Ryan
If you soak the cashews overnight , they blend far better. If that's not an option and one has a nutribullet, it really does a number on those nuts. I've made a cashew based Caesar dressing this way and the consistency is super creamy.
Julia Rossen
Totally scrumptious! Simple and straight forward.to make.
Lesley
Would this be good without nutritional yeast?
Chuck Underwood
Probably - go ahead and try it
Doug
I haven’t made this yet, but did get the cannelloni beans. After my initial trial, I want to try it with roasted poblano peppers.
This sauce has so much potential, thanks Chuck for another winner!
Toni
I went to make this tonight and realized I didn’t have white beans! It was delicious without them!
Jeanne Lucas
Oh my, Chuck, this garlic aioli is amazing! Thanks for a perfect recipe. Absolutely love it. I wasn't planning to make potatoes today but I have to now. 🙂
Shelly
This was so yummy!! the only thing I would have done was to soak my cashews a little bit longer as mine didnt puree down enough to be a smooth sauce after 2 hours (I did use organic natural cashews)
But it was so tasty I didn't care... and looking forward to the leftovers that I have!!!!
Abby Kuo
I added less cashews, more beans and used it as a pasta sauce, so delicious, love the garlic flavor.
Carly
We made this last and it was so easy and so good. Loved the garlic aioli! Its such a good sauce to top on lots of different things. Everyone was surprised one of the ingredients is beans.
ROBERTA KAUFMANN
I cook Brussel Sprouts this way! Boil, Smash then Roast till crisp! I season them with lots of paprika, pepper and garlic!
Susn
Thanks for the recipe. Smashed potatoes are really good love the Aioli sauce. I will be using that a lot in place of mayo and on broccoli etc.
Shann Allen
In the recipe you call for a can of whitecbeans. Is that garbanzo beans?
Chuck Underwood
No, if you watch the video I show you the can of beans I used. It simply says White Beans.
Adrienne Cartledge
when I shop for white beans there are no cans labelled white beans . . . are they known as anything else - butter beans? White Kidney beans ? Help.
Chuck Underwood
Navy or great northern
Donna
Would Canellini work?
cynthia
SHANN: THE WHITE BEANS USED ARE CANNELINI BEANS, ALSO KNOWN AS WHITE KIDNEY BEANS.
Becky
These sound amazing! Smashed potatoes are such a good idea. My husband now wants smashed sweet potatoes, not sure how we'd go about that!
JoAnn M Lakes
just do the same thing with small sweet potatoes. Trader Joe's and other grocers sell baby (small) sweet potatoes. I just scrub mine, prick and toss into the microwave to cook before smashing.