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These stewed potatoes make a rich, creamy, and flavorful side dish. Using just four simple ingredients, you’ll have them on the table in less than 45 minutes. Serve this recipe with greens and plant-based protein for a well-balanced meal!
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Affordable ingredients: Requiring only 4 affordable ingredients, this recipe is light on the wallet and big on taste — much like our potato soup.
- Perfect side dish: Recipes like mashed potatoes and stewed potatoes work as great side dishes for almost any meal.
- Allergen-friendly: This stewed potato recipe is vegan and gluten-free, making it a great option for most dietary needs.
- Easy to make: Anyone can prepare this simple, low-maintenance dish. Plus, only one pot means clean-up is a breeze!
🥔 What are stewed potatoes?
Stewed potatoes are a thick, chunky version of mashed potatoes. They’re made by boiling peeled white potatoes in butter until they’re soft, tender, and ultra-savory.
They can easily be enjoyed as a stand-alone dish, but we prefer pairing them with a high protein component and some type of green for a complete meal.
📜 History
Stewed potatoes are classic Southern comfort food, but potatoes go back much further! Did you know archaeologists have found potato remnants in the ancient ruins of Peru and Chile that date back as far as 11,000 BP?
Throughout the colonial era, potatoes made their way from South America to places like Europe and the United States. From there, dishes like stewed potatoes, smothered potatoes, potato casseroles, and mashed potatoes flourished!
🌱 Are they vegan?
Traditionally, stewed potatoes are made with butter (and sometimes milk), making them suitable for vegetarians. However, we swapped out dairy butter with a plant-based version and didn’t experience any big changes in flavor!
🏆 What are the best potatoes for stewing?
Although any type of potato works well for stewing, the best varieties are waxy potatoes (also known as boiling potatoes).
These potatoes are high in moisture yet low in starch, allowing them to hold up well in recipes like this. Some of our favorite types of waxy potatoes include Yukon Gold, yellow, red, new, and fingerling potatoes.
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
Potatoes — As we mentioned, go for waxy potato varieties like Yukon Gold, red, new, or fingerling. For the best texture, make sure to peel the potatoes.
Butter — There are so many dairy-free butter brands nowadays like Earth Balance, Milkadamia, Miyokos Creamery, and Melt — use whichever one is available near you! Don’t replace the butter with oil unless you want a greasy stewed potatoes recipe.
Garlic — For ultra-savory flavors, add garlic or onion powder (or both). We don’t recommend using fresh garlic or onion for this recipe as the powdered form adds a roasted, nutty flavor.
Salt & pepper — To enhance the other ingredients and add a little kick!
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 Instructions
Step 1 — Place the potato cubes, vegan butter, onion or garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a large saucepan. Add water until the potatoes are just covered (usually around 3-4 cups).
Step 2 — Bring the potatoes to a light boil and cook until fork-tender, which takes about 25-30 minutes.
Step 3 — Reduce heat to medium-low, continuing to stir for a few minutes until the potatoes reach your preferred consistency.
Step 4 — Serve immediately while warm with fresh chives and cracked black pepper on top. Happy eating!
If you have questions about this stewed potatoes recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🥗 What to serve with stewed potatoes
Serve these thick and creamy stewed potatoes with other sides and mains like the following:
- Lentil loaf — Flavorful lentil “meat” loaf smothered in homemade barbecue sauce.
- Air fryer zucchini — Fork-tender zucchini made in the air fryer.
- Air fryer green beans — Garden-fresh and zesty green beans.
- Vegan carnitas — Crispy jackfruit carnitas marinated in a citrus rub.
- Cornbread — What’s more comforting than cornbread?
🌡️ Storage & reheating
Keep these storage tips in mind for your stewed potatoes:
Fridge — In an airtight container, stewed potatoes will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Freezer — We don’t recommend freezing stewed potatoes since the texture will be slightly off. However, it’s always best to freeze if the option is between that and wasting food. Just make sure they are kept in a freezer-safe container.
Reheating — Reheat in a pan over medium until warmed through. If you prefer fewer dishes, you can always heat them in a microwave at 30-second intervals.
♻️ Variations
Herbs and spices — Add other herbs and spices like thyme, rosemary, parsley, oregano, basil, cumin, or chili powder for a change of flavor.
Potatoes — Although not the best choice of potatoes for stews, many classic Southern recipes swear by using Russet potatoes in a recipe like this. You can also try sweet potatoes for a whole new flavor profile.
Skin-on — For added health benefits, keep the potato skins on instead of peeling them. Just remember, the texture won’t turn quite as creamy.
Toppings — We love topping ours with salt, pepper, and chives. Other choices include vegan cheese, caramelized onions, parsley, or tempeh bacon bits.
🧑🍳 Top tips
Don’t cover the pot — Cooking the potatoes without a lid allows the cooking liquid to evaporate, creating the quintessential rich and creamy texture.
Don’t skip peeling — To achieve the smoothest consistency, take the time to peel your potatoes.
Adjust the consistency — Boil the potatoes for as long as you want in the last step to achieve your preferred consistency (10 minutes is best for us). For a thicker stew, boil them longer, for a thinner stew boil them for less time.
💬 FAQ
If your potatoes are still too soupy after boiling them down, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water, then add it to the pot. You can also thicken them with flour if you aren’t on a gluten-free diet.
When the largest potato is fork tender and soft, your potatoes are ready to eat. The consistency is a personal preference, so continue simmering them for an additional 5-10 minutes until they thicken to your liking.
Yes, this stewed potatoes recipe is gluten-free.
🍴 More potato recipes
If you like these stewed potatoes, check out more of our favorite potato recipes:
- Tortitas de papa: Crispy potato cakes that are great for brunch or snacks.
- Pambazos: Chile-dipped bread that’s fried and stuffed with vegan chorizo and potatoes.
- Papas a la Mexicana: Mexican-style potatoes cooked with onions, tomatoes, and green chiles.
- Papas con chorizo: Vegan Mexican chorizo mixed with fork-tender potatoes.
- Air fryer hash browns: Crispy, crunchy, and golden-brown potato patties.
- Air fryer sweet potatoes: Perfectly crispy-yet-tender sweet potato cubes.
Creamy Stewed Potatoes
Equipment
- Potato peeler
- Chef knife
- Medium-large saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds white or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces ($1.06)
- ½ cup vegan butter ($1.16)
- 1 teaspoon onion or garlic powder ($0.03)
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper, plus more to taste ($0.01)
- ~3-4 cups filtered water
For serving optional
- Fresh chives, minced
Instructions
- Place the potato cubes, vegan butter, onion or garlic powder, salt, and cracked black pepper in a large saucepan. Add water until the potatoes are just covered, around 3-4 cups.
- Bring the potatoes to a light boil and cook until fork-tender, about 25-30 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, continuing to stir until the potatoes reach your preferred consistency, around 9-10 minutes.
- Serve immediately while warm with fresh chives and cracked black pepper on top. Happy eating!
Notes
- Don’t cover the pot — Cooking the potatoes without a lid allows the cooking liquid to evaporate, creating the quintessential rich and creamy texture.
- Don’t skip peeling — To achieve the smoothest consistency, take the time to peel your potatoes.
- Adjust the consistency — Boil the potatoes for as long as you want in the last step to achieve your preferred consistency (10 minutes is best for us). For a thicker stew, boil them longer, for a thinner stew boil them for less time.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe to recipe. All prices are in USD.
