Carrot and swede mash makes a great alternative side dish to mashed potatoes. Creamy & savoury but with touch of natural sweetness, flavoured with thyme and touch of nutmeg, it's so good!
Serve it as you would your mashed potatoes, this super simple carrot and swede mash will make tasty accompaniment to so many dishes.
Perfect for using up that swede you struggle with ideas for, it's creamy, inexpensive and filling too, plus you get two for the price of one when it comes to your veggie intake.
Looking for more swede recipes? You will love this Carrot and Swede Soup.
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Simple and budget-friendly.
- Great alternative to potatoes.
- Tasty idea for using up swede (rutabaga).
- Meal-prep friendly.
- Full of flavour.
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free too.
📝 Ingredients and substitutes
Here's what you will need to make my Carrot and Swede Mash:
Carrots and Swede (Rutabaga) - Our stars of the show. For tastiest result make sure to use equal amount of both veggies.
Vegan butter - Either salted or unsalted is fine, you will simply need to adjust seasoning accordingly.
If you prefer more defined flavours, feel free to use good quality extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.
Fresh thyme - Fresh oregano or rosemary would work really nicely too. Whatever herb you use I would recommend sticking to fresh herbs for this mash.
Nutmeg - It goes really well here and all you need is a pinch or to taste as its flavour is very strong. You could use a little bit of cinnamon instead.
Plant based cream - I like to add a splash of soya cream for extra richness but to be perfectly honest, this mash doesn't really need it so do as you please.
Salt and pepper - To season.
🔪 Instructions
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Start by peeling both carrots and swede and cutting them into chunks. Make sure they're similar size as you want them to cook evenly.
Put all the prepared veg into a saucepan and cover with water (just to cover the veg). Add couple of pinches of salt (up to a teaspoon), cover and bring to boil.
Simmer for approx. 20 minutes or until all the veg is fork tender.
Once cooked, drain the veg in a colander.
Next, return veggies to the pan and back onto the hob/stovetop on a low heat for a few seconds giving a pan a little shake to let the veg steam and dry out a bit.
Mash the veg with potato masher or immersion blender. The latter will give you a smoother texture.
Add some fresh thyme leaves and butter and mix them into the mash with a wooden spoon.
Last but not least, grate some nutmeg into the mash and mix it in (remember, less is more with nutmeg). Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Feel free to add some plant cream at this point as well.
Serve and enjoy!
🥡 Storing
Carrot and swede mash is perfect for making ahead.
Store: It can be prepared and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: It's also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Make sure it's cooled down before putting it in the freezer in a freezer-safe container.
Reheat: Defrost overnight in a fridge and reheat in a pan on the hob/stovetop or in the microwave.
💭 Pro tips
Salt cooking water to impart some initial flavour into your veg. I like to add a scant teaspoon of salt to cooking water and then adjust seasoning if needed once veggies have been mashed.
Immersion blender will give your mash smoother texture if that's what you're after (so will potato ricer). Use regular potato masher to achieve lumpier mash.
When cooking the veg ensure you drain and dry it thoroughly to avoid watery mash. I like to put drained veg back in a pan and dry it out on the hob/stovetop for a few seconds, giving a pan a little shake and letting the steam out.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Carrot and swede mash can be served exactly in the same way as mashed potatoes.
Try it with this delicious orange glazed tofu roast, Quorn chicken pie or my easy lentil loaf accompanied with some more delicious side dishes like vegan roast potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar and walnuts, cavolo nero with chilli, garlic and crispy capers, Asian Brussels sprouts with miso or some lovely braised red cabbage.
For simple supper we like to enjoy it alongside some baked beans and my vegan sausage rolls or veggie rolls.
You can also use it as a topping for your veggie cottage or shepherd's pie.
📖 Variations
- Try adding different spices. Instead of nutmeg, try touch of cinnamon. Smoked paprika or a bit of ground cumin would work a treat too.
- Try using herb or garlic butter for added flavour.
- Add few roasted garlic cloves to the mash before mashing/pureeing for that gentle, sweet garlicky flavour.
- Have you tried black garlic before. Few cloves of this sticky, treacle like delight would add another dimension to your mash.
- Swap thyme for rosemary or oregano.
- Vary the veg you use for your mash. How about swapping carrots for sweet potatoes and swede for celeriac?
❓ FAQs
It takes approximately 20 minutes of boiling to get both carrots and swede fork tender.
You might have boiled it for too long or didn't dry it enough before mashing. Always make sure you allow the veg to steam dry before you mash or puree it.
It's always best to ensure that vegetables have been dried before mashing but if you've already mashed them you can always try placing pan with your mash back onto low heat and trying to boil off excess liquid.
Carrots don't necessarily need peeling only scrubbing but I would still peel them if you prefer smoother mash (keep the peelings to make veggie stock).
As for the swede, I would peel it as its skin is that bit tougher especially later in the season.
Have you tried my Carrot and Swede Mash?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
📋 Recipe
Carrot and Swede Mash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 500 g swede peeled and cut into chunks similar size to carrots
- 30 g vegan butter see notes
- small bunch of fresh thyme see notes
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoon plant based cream optional
Instructions
- Start by peeling both carrots and swede and cutting them into chunks. Make sure they're of similar size so that they cook evenly.
- Put all the prepared veg into a saucepan and cover with water (just to cover the veg). Add couple of pinches of salt or a scant teaspoon, cover and bring to boil.
- Simmer for approx. 20 minutes or until all the veg is fork tender.
- Once cooked, drain the veg in a colander.
- Next, return veggies to the pan and back onto the hob/stovetop on a low heat for a few seconds giving a pan a little shake to let the veg steam and dry out a bit.
- Mash the veg with potato masher or immersion blender. The latter will give you a smoother texture.
- Add some fresh thyme leaves and butter and mix them into the mash with a wooden spoon.
- Last but not least, grate some nutmeg into the mash and mix it in (remember, less is more with nutmeg). Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Feel free to add some plant cream at this point as well.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving based on 4 servings (without plant cream) and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- Feel free to substitute vegan butter with 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
- Fresh herbs work best in this mash. Fresh thyme can be substituted with fresh oregano or finely chopped fresh rosemary. For more info regarding ingredients and substitutes see - Ingredients and substitutes.
- See - Variations for ideas on how to vary the recipe.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer friendly.
Matthew says
We had it in addition to roast potatoes at Christmas and everyone loved it. Thank you for such an easy yet delicious recipe.
joskitchenlarder says
So great to hear Matthew! 🙂 Thanks for the feedback.