Scalloped Potatoes
Scalloped Potatoes are a classic dish with layers of potatoes and rich creamy cheese sauce on repeat! The ingredients are simple in these Scalloped Potatoes recipe but they are the perfect from scratch side dish to Easter, Christmas dinner, or Thanksgiving!
I may earn commissions for purchases made through links on this post.
CHEESY SCALLOPED POTATOES
Being the owner of this food blog since 2008, I’ve found that around Thanksgiving and Christmas I’m on call for everyone – friends, bloggers, family, neighbors for recipe questions that might arise.
Not even necessarily about recipes on my blog, just cooking in general. I absolutely don’t mind at all. I love to help when I can. But my phone is literally blowing up with texts and emails.
That’s not even counting all of the comments on my blog. I respond to every single question in the comments on my blog and sometimes that can be up to 100 a day. Phew.
I have other blogger friends that tell me that they always tackle comments in the morning when they’re fresh and ready for the day. Not me.
We all know by now that mornings don’t like me and vice versa. My husband and I don’t talk until at least 10AM to keep things tranquil. He’s not a morning person either. We’re quite the combo.
So you could imagine what kind of response I would write to the person asking me if they can replace the cup of sugar in the cookies with a cup of salt if I responded in the morning.
No bueno. I decided a long time ago that nighttime is the best time. I’m a lot nicer.
This potato recipe with cheese, ask me whatever you want about it. They’re fabulous by the way. And that’s coming from someone who loves her mashed potatoes.
The most important thing in this scalloped potato recipe is to make sure you slice potatoes thin. No one wants to bite into a thick potato. Do they? I sure don’t.
SCALLOPED POTATOES INGREDIENTS
The ingredients in scalloped potatoes are very simple and traditional.
- Potatoes – Yukon Gold potatoes or Russet potatoes are best for this dish.
- Butter, flour, and milk – For your roux, these ingredients make the base of a cream sauce. If you really want it rich use heavy cream instead of milk.
- Salt and Pepper – are essential to flavor this dish.
- Cheddar cheese – I like a sharp cheddar cheese because it gives the dish a lot of flavor. You could definitely use any shredded cheese you like.
- Paprika – mostly use for color but adds a little flavor.
WHAT ARE THE BEST POTATOES FOR SCALLOPED POTATOES?
I prefer Yukon gold or Russet potatoes for this dish. Yukon potatoes tend to hold their shape better and don’t need to be peeled but Russets work well too.
HOW TO SLICE POTATOES
Slicing potatoes is the most time consuming part of making scalloped potatoes. While you can cut them evenly with a knife, you can save a ton of time and effort by using a mandoline to slice them. This V-shaped one from OXO creates nice, even slices—just be sure to use the finger guard while using it.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCALLOPED POTATOES AND POTATOES AU GRATIN?
Scalloped potatoes are traditionally in a creamy sauce whereas au gratin potatoes have a crunchy breadcrumb topping.
Do you see how thin I sliced these?
Here’s the secret sauce. Well, actually it’s called a roux with some milk and cheese whisked in.
Two layers of potatoes and sauce in the casserole dish so no potato is left behind.
Then you bake it until you think the cheese is burning. It’s not. It’s just toasting until perfect.
Enjoy! If you’re doubling this cook it in a 9×13 pan!
HOW TO MAKE SCALLOPED POTATOES
Instructions:
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
In a small sauce pan, melt butter and stir in flour.
-
whisk in the milk and season with salt and cayenne.
-
Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
-
Reduce heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.
-
Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased 1.5 quart baking dish (8×8 or 9×9 will work)
-
Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
-
Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
-
Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on top.
-
Top with some paprika for color.
-
Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F and when cheese is golden brown.
WHAT CAN I MAKE WITH SCALLOPED POTATOES?
Scalloped potatoes are great with ham or turkey, served with a green salad or side such as asparagus or broccoli.
CAN I MAKE THESE AHEAD OF TIME?
Yes. Although it’s not ideal. Potatoes can oxidize when exposed to air. To reduce the chances of this, soak the cut potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes before assembling. Yukon potatoes do not oxidize as fast as Russet potatoes will.
For best results when making ahead, partially bake them. Just bake for 30 minutes, let cool, cover, and refrigerate.
On the day of serving, remove from fridge and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes before baking. Bake for 30-40 minutes uncovered until heated through.
OTHER POTATO RECIPES:
- Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole
- Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes
- Jalapeno Popper Mashed Potato Bake
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes
- Funeral Cheesy Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Ranch Roasted Red Potatoes
- Mashed Potatoes – two Ways
- Buffalo Chicken and Potato Casserole
Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes, (Yukon Gold or Russet; about 2 pounds give or take)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 dash cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- paprika
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 1.5 quart baking dish (8x8 or 9x9 inch baking dish will work).
- In a small sauce pan, melt butter and stir in flour.
- Whisk in the milk very slowly and season with salt and cayenne.
- Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
- Reduce heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.
- Place a half of the sliced potatoes in the baking dish. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on top. Top with some paprika for color.
- Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F or longer until the potatoes are fork tender.
Video
Notes
Hi can I make this ahead of time?
I’ve got to say. This is about the easiest recipe for scallop potatoes. I cook for a lot of family during the holidays and this was requested by a family member. The sauce is what makes it! You can tweak it a bit to your own liking, like more cheese!
Thank you
I took this to a lunch today. None of it came home and one discerning lady said it was the best she had ever had. It’s a winner!
When your 18 year old son texts you from the other room, after serving these for dinner—
“These potatoes are so f**king good. It’s not even funny.”
He nailed it.
Perfect, delicious recipe.
Oh boy! I guess that’s good
I know and I did add 1/4 cup of milk extra, and I knew and I did cover with foil for the 1 st 30 minutes or it would had burned. I’ll do this recipe for sure again with alterations
Thanks
I made these potatoes tonight, and the results were excellent! I doubled the recipe and used an oblong baking dish. I did not feel a need to alter any part of the recipe, which is highly unusual for me! I did not have any russets or Yukon Golds on hand, so I used white potatoes, and they worked fine.
The first time I used my new mandoline, many years ago, I cut myself pretty badly and hadn’t used it since. I was a bit hesitant about trying it again, but with a little practice and a lot of care, I achieved great results.
As far as ten minutes for prep time–good luck with that! More like 30 minutes+. I supposed I would get a bit faster the next time. Baking does take a full hour to make sure the potatoes are tender.
Anyway, yum! And lots left over for more enjoyment. Thank you!
Really liked this recipe. Followed it completely since it was my first time making it. I feel like the only part I would change would be the amount of salt in the cheese mixture. I would probably reduce to a 1/2 or even 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I thought the dish was a little salty for my taste.
Can you remake this and freeze it or keep it in the fridge? We are camping with a large group for thanksgiving and I am doing the potatoes but just want to throw them on the smoker the day of the dinner so I don’t have to do prep in our tiny trailer.
I Would recommend freezing. The potatoes can sometimes brown if left in the fridge.
Can I add ham if so do I have to increase other ingredients
You can definitely add ham and you don’t have to increase the ingredients.
Au gratin literally means with cheese!! I get so tired of folks posting scalloped potato recipes with CHEESE! Get it right folks. Cheese is optional!! Shouldn’t be required to taste good. Scalloped potatoes are with roux only!!
The semantics of a name is really not a valid reason to deduct stars for a delicious recipe. Did you even bother to make this?
Shut the fuck up
Thank you, your recipe sounds great. Making candied ham this weekend.
Please, how thin are you suggesting to slice the potatoes?
Thank you
Made this for Sundays dinner and was disappointed, I cut small sliced
potatoes but when cooked (a hour) the potatoes never got tender enough to really enjoy, I recommend par boiling them before putting in the oven, the sauce was fabulous, I will be cooking again but knowing now. Thanks for this recipe it opened my mind up to try other things.
One more thing I did use half and half and I did slice them very thin
Very easy and delicious I didn’t change a thing.
Thank you!
The flavor is awesome. But my Russet potatoes never got soft.I see others had the same problem. Next time I will Parboil my potatoes before slicing.
For recipes like this, I microwave the potatoes until they are half-baked. Par boiling is more work & I’ve found the potatoes can become water logged.
Can you make these ahead and freeze them?
We added a little BBQ seasoning (Meat Church Holy Gospel to be exact). Wonderful, yummy recipe!
Yum!
I used 2 cups buttermilk instead of 1.5 milk. I also added 1 med. sliced yellow onion to the middle layer was amazing. 9 x 13 dish was perfect and aged white cheddar 2 cups.
Nice recipe
Thank you
Thank you
I made these scalloped potatoes last Christmas Eve at our annual party and everyone loved them, not a bite was left. I hand sliced Very thin potatoes (much thinner than shown) which was time consuming but so worth it. I also used pre shredded sharp cheese. This year, I’m using a slicer for both the potatoes and shredding my own cheese. I double the recipe and add in a little heavy cream. Delicious!
I’m making this recipe for Easter. I have limited oven space so I’m asking if I can make this in a crockpot? I also have to double the recipe.
Sorry. I haven’t tried this in a crockpot.
Minor correction: “au gratin” in French literally means, “with cheese”, not “with topping”. Traditional scalloped potatoes have no cheese.
Your recipe looks great, though, and very straightforward. I look forward to trying it sometime!
Cheers!
If I use about 10 lbs potatoes, do I also double ingredients for the roux? Or is this too much liquid? I plan on cooking in crock pot. TIA.
I’m making this recipe for Easter. I have limited oven space so I’m asking if I can make this in a crockpot? I also have to double the recipe.
If you double the potatoes you should double all of the ingredients.
I have not made this yet, but I plan to make it for Easter dinner. I have a question about what to use to thicken the sauce if I want to make it wheat-free. I was wondering if I could use Velveeta and thin it with heavy cream. I could add the other ingredients shown, including the cheddar.
Use a gluten free flour. That’s what I do. I use Bobs Red Mill free 1 – 1 baking flour.
Sure! I haven’t tried it but don’t see why it wouldn’t work
Hi, I really want to try your recipe for Easter but I didn’t see the amounts used for the sauce.. Please email me how much flour, butter and milk you use.
Thanks
Sorry! It’s probably too late. The quantities are listed on the recipe
I sliced my potatoes and par boiled them for 4 -5 minutes. Then I drained and put them in cold water to shock them, and let them sit in the water for a few. I followed the recipe for the cheese sauce, but I also put Velveeta cheese sauce packets in it along with one cup of broth; beef, chicken, tomato, whatever you want to use. Tomato Polo broth. Whatever you want to use that adds a little bit extra liquid. Since I par cooked the potatoes till they were a little bit soft I only had to cook for 45 minutes. Turned out great just the right consistency the Velveeta sauce packets that I put in it added so much cheesy intensity. You can buy the Velveeta packets 3 to a box for $3.28 at Walmart
I have some left over buttermilk from some butter I made a couple days ago. Do you think I could add that into the milk or would it throw off the flavor?
I think it would be great.
I love the simplicity of this recipe. I did make a few modifications to suite my taste-buds. I added a tsp each of onion powder, garlic powder and fine ground pepper and strips of bacon on each layer.
Thank you Lilli!
Still the best
Hi. I assembled these potatoes this afternoon. It seemed that 1.5 cups of liquid wasn’t enough. Has anyone else had this issue?
For the cheese sauce roux I generally double everything, but I am also using a larger size casserole dish
Sorry that was meant for the previous post
The flavor is very good, but – I sliced 2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes and ended up with 8 cups of potatoes so had to adjust the rest of my ingredients.
For the cheese sauce roux I generally double everything, but I am also using a larger size casserole dish
Can you use red potatoes?
Karen
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why not.
Can you use heavy whipping cream
Yes!
can you please tell me is it 1/2 cup per person 1/4 cup etc
It’s about 3/4 cup per person.
LOL – this recipe is for a single serving. Nom nom nom
THE BEST scalloped potatoes!!!
Quick and easy to make, tastes great. I added a bit more cheese.
We love that recipe, we just switch the cheese for gruyère!
These were so easy to assemble and delicious to eat! My son declared them “best potatoes ever”!
How much paprika would you use?
You just give it a light dusting for some some color, a few shakes here and there, I use smoked paprika myself, I also add fresh chopped chives before I bake, some extra color and taste