These creamy dairy and gluten free high fiber mashed potatoes are delicious for the whole family! My picture by picture directions are visually friendly and easy to follow.

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Enjoying Food and Managing Blood Sugar

In high school at a Christmas pancake fundraiser, I realized that food was affecting my blood sugar levels and mood. My mother was a diabetic, so we rarely ate pancakes. Thus, I ate and ate and ate. In less than an hour, I felt very irritable. About an hour later, I felt sleepy. I recognized the symptoms that I had so often seen in my mother. However, I had no idea how to help myself.

In hindsight, difficulty breaking down processed sugar most likely explained my stomach issues and fatigue. While growing up, my mother realized I needed more sleep than my siblings. Since my father was in the military, I rarely saw a doctor more than once a year. Needless to say, answers were not found. That is not until my mother was diagnosed with diabetes.

I began to feel better after my mother and father changed our family’s diet. My father moved us to the country. We grew our own vegetables, bought chickens and a few cows. Suddenly, my diet changed from overly processed food to fresh and organic food. To this day, I still enjoy gardening and life in the country. I am happiest in the kitchen experimenting with new gluten and dairy free recipes.

Thanksgiving Traditions

What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods? Since my mother is diabetic, we always ate sweet potatoes. They are higher in fiber than white potatoes. However, there is nothing like mashed potatoes and gravy with leftover turkey. Unfortunately, eating mashed potatoes typically spikes my blood sugar.

Do you know that different types of potatoes have different amounts of starch? According to WebMD, potatoes quickly affect our blood sugar. My blood sugar spiked whenever I ate a potato, mashed potatoes, or enjoyed potato soup. I oftentimes needed a nap afterward. I was so bummed that I became determined to find a way to enjoy potatoes. Today, I am sharing a few of my secrets.

Kill Bacteria and Increase Fiber

Keep the potato peel on your small red potatoes! Before you cut the potatoes up, scrub and soak them in apple cider vinegar to kill bacteria. No peeling is such a time saver when the potatoes are so small. Soak them in the water with a 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar for twenty minutes or longer. Then, scrub, rinse, and dice up the potatoes.

Decrease the Starch

Learning about the different types of potatoes is the first step towards decreasing the amount of starch in your potato dishes. I had no idea there were so many choices. I discovered that red potatoes have a medium amount of starch. Also, they mash up into a creamy texture.

A friend gave me a wonderful tip. Clean and cut up the potatoes hours before you need to cook them. Place the chopped potatoes in a bowl and cover them with water. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Soaking cut up potatoes in water for hours removes starch. Also, adding ½ teaspoon of salt to the water while they soak adds to their flavor. Before cooking, strain the potatoes to get rid of the starch. Then, add clean water and a bit more salt.

Dairy and Gluten Free High Fiber Mashed Potatoes Ingredients:

• 1-2lbs of organic red potatoes
• 1/4-1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 4-6 tablespoons of dairy free or vegan butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt for water
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt for mashed potatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 2 teaspoons of Benefiber (optional)
• 1/2 cup of reserved potato water or dairy-free milk

Dairy and Gluten Free High Fiber Mashed Potatoes Directions:

Scrub your red potatoes under running water.

Measure out 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar.

Pour the apple cider vinegar into a large bowl. Add your small red potatoes. Then, add enough water to the bowl to cover the potatoes. Soak the potatoes for 20 minutes to give them a good cleaning before you make your mashed potatoes. I clean my potatoes this way because I like to leave the skin on them for additional nutrients.

If you peel your potatoes, you can choose to skip soaking them in vinegar water.

Rinse the potatoes off after 20 minutes and then chop them up. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will cook.

Fill your pot with water. Add your potatoes to the pot and allow them to soak for at least 20 minutes to draw out some of the starch. (this step is optional, but beneficial if you have blood sugar issues)

Strain the soaked potatoes in the sink.

Fill the pot with fresh water. Then add your potatoes and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Turn the burner on medium to medium-high heat. I like to put mine on #6.

Bring the pot of water with the potatoes to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low.

Simmer the potatoes for about 30 minutes.

The potatoes are done when a fork easily breaks a piece apart.

Put a bowl under the strainer to reserve the potato water.

Strain your cooked potatoes.

In a mixing bowl, add 4-6 tablespoons of any type of dairy free butter. If I have vegan plant-based butter sticks, their Tablespoon markings save time. Another option is any dairy-free butter like Earth Balance’s Soy Free Butter.

Add your strained potatoes to the mixing bowl and add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Measure out a 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

Add the black pepper to the mixing bowl and mix the potatoes on low or medium.

Add 2 teaspoons of Benefiber to the mixing bowl. Benefiber makes your mashed potatoes high in fiber and helps regulate blood sugar. (optional)

While it is mixing, add 1/2 cup of your reserved potato water or dairy-free milk of your choice.

Enjoy your creamy dairy and gluten free high fiber mashed potatoes!

Printable Recipe Card for Dairy and Gluten Free High Fiber Mashed Potatoes