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!
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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:
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In a small sauce pan, melt butter and stir in flour.
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whisk in the milk and season with salt and cayenne.
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Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
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Reduce heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.
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Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased 1.5 quart baking dish (8×8 or 9×9 will work)
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Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
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Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
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Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on top.
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Top with some paprika for color.
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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
My wife and kids love this recipe. I am going to make them for evey holidays!!!
So happy to hear that!
I have never attempted scalloped potatoes before. They were perfect.
So happy to hear you liked them!
Awesome!
Made this with the skin still on the potatoes and they still came out delicious. I made them with Bacon Cheddar stuffed pork chops. Even my picky husband ate them.
Sounds delicious!
These are delicious! I’ve never commented on a blog recipe before, but I’ve made these three times since January 1st and everyone always comments on how good the potatoes are. You deserve your 5 star rating. 🙂
Well I feel honored that you commented! So happy to hear that you liked them.
Very flavorful. Good, simple recipe
Thank you!
I’ve made these 3 times in the last 3 weeks. I’m completely obsessed. Thank you so much!!
So happy to hear this!
Made these to go with salmon. They were great!
Thanks so much for the recipe.
Great combo!
I made these for Easter and they were incredible! I froze part of them and when reheated they were still perfection!
Good to know they reheated well!
The cayenne pepper really makes this dish. We like a little heat, so I kicked it up a notch. Delicious potatoes!!!
Thank you! I agree!
Absolutely delicious! My daughter told me next time I make it I have to make double lol My whole family really enjoyed it and the best part was how easy it was to make! Thanks so much for the recipe!
You are welcome!
Excellent, delicious 😋
Thank you!
These were easy, delicious, and a big hit with My hubby and. one of my kiddos! (One of my other kids doesn’t like cheese, and one doesn’t like potatoes. I’m not sure how they are mine, but they definitely are, despite their weird palates.)
It’s hard to please them all. Haha.
Hi I’m back. I made these for Easter my family loved them. I’m back today using leftover ham chopped up with potatoes. They were delicious just as before. These will definitely be a regular.
Thank you Stacee for the feedback!
Christy,
Thank you so much for your site and sharing of so many awesome recipes. I used this ‘scalloped’ potatoes recipe and your Confetti Bacon Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole for Easter. We loved them both. I will be back for more recipes in the future. You may not be able to be left alone with cinnamon rolls or chocolate chip cookies, but for this mother of 6 it would be either of these potatoe recipes (hence why we had potatoes for breakfast and potatoes for dinner on Easter 🙂 )
Have a great day!!!
Lori
PS, I think most of us are confused about scallop vs au gratin potatoes, I agree with another reader: awesome cheese potatoes – enough said 🙂
Hahaha yes cheese potatoes it is!
I really enjoyed the Scalloped Potatoes. it was very easy to make and used simple ingredients.
It came out perfectly.
Thank you Elissa!
I am just trying this now. Instead of salt for the rue, I used onion salt for a little added flavor! So good! Thanks for posting!
Great idea!
For 50 years I have never been happy with all the different scalloped potatoes I’ve tried but yours made my Easter dinner special. Thank you
So happy to hear that!
So I used this recipe for Easter and it was delicious. I used a mandolin to slice my potatoes and they ended up being the perfect size to place them like I was making ratatouille ( with the onion rings fitting if I cut them in half) ended up with 2 whole onions and placed between every 2 or three layers of potato. Filled up my 9×13 dish perfectly! I did the normal amounts for the sauce recipe, but I used oat milk and dairy free cheese. Tasted so good and the dish was cooked on the earlier side. No hard potatoes and some delicious pepper jack cheese on top during the broiling stage (dairy free of course). We were the only ones at dinner that are dairy free and everyone enjoyed them! No left overs!
Thank you for your feedback Ashlee!
My potatoes stayed hard, I cooked exactly as said, covered and then uncovered, used cheddar cheese. Cooked at 350 in a glass 8×8 pan for 50 min then another 15 and then another 15. What could cause this? The flavor was excellent. I cook/bake all the time cakes, cookies, roast bake properly
More time. Every oven is different!
I used to have the same problem with scalloped potatoes taking HOURS to get done. Turns out switching from a clear glass pan to a metal one solved my problem. Slicing the potatoes thinner (as this recipe says) helps also. I was skeptical about this recipe as it said to bake at 350° for only an hour but the potatoes came out perfect!
I used a mandolin slicer to get potatoes super thin. I think if they were any thicker, I would have to add time to get tender.
Excellent point.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made these the night before our Easter dinner and they were a hit! They were easy to make and everyone loved them, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Thank you JoAnn for your feedback.
Scalloped potatoes recipe was perfect!
Thank you Laura!
very nice, with ingredients we had on hand, used skim milk; added black pepper, mentioned, but not listed in ingredients
Thank you Gordon.
I made these delicious potatoes, yesterday, for Easter! They were perfect with ham, fresh green beans and scalloped corn! My family loved them! No leftovers! Thank you for this easy and yummy recipe!😀
You are welcome Kristine!
oh my goodness, thank you so much for this recipe! It was delicious! I printed it out to go into my, family eats cookbook!
So happy to hear that.
Easter Dinner guests agreed that the scalloped potatoes tasted great. But I added extra milk to extend the sauce and still wish there was more sauce..
Confession, I only eye balled 4 cups of potatoes…just know a little more sauciness would be better for my expectations.
Fair enough.
The cheese sauce separated into unpleasant layers and was greasy. I do not recommend.
Sounds like something went wrong on your end. That shouldn’t have happened.
I agree, my cheese sauce turned out perfect!
I’ve never made scalloped potatoes, this was the first recipe that popped up in my Google search!
Couldn’t have been easier and so delicious, my family gobbled them up and requested them to be made more often!
Thank you!
Thank you Jennifer for the feedback.
Delicious but did a double batch and cooked 1 hour and potatoes weren’t cooked through. Cooked for another 10 min.. still not cooked through. Ended up cooking an extra 30 min total but still some potatoes were hard. Any recommendations? I would love to try again. I cut them thin like the photo in this recipe. Not sure why it didn’t work for me.
Also I used a 9×13 pan!
Try boiling the potatoes about 15 minutes before putting layers in the baking dish. Also I added diced onion as well.
Great tip!
Yeah it definitely doesn’t seem like they cooked long enough or were thin enough.
Made these exactly as written and they were great! The only thing I would change next time is to cook them, maybe, 65 minutes as the center potatoes were slightly undercooked. Otherwise, everyone enjoyed them and I would definitely make again!
Thanks for the tip!
These were wonderful! I did add a sliced onion and doubled the recipe, and they were fantastic! Keeping this recipe handy.
Thank you Ann. I’m glad you liked them!
Easy to follow and absolutely delicious! Whole family loved them. Thank you!
Thank you!!
Made these today with Easter lunch. Ham, asparagus, deviled eggs, and scalloped potatoes. They were delicious. I definitely will be cooking these again.
Awesome to hear that Stacee.
I was looking for a new scalloped potato recipe as mine has always turned out bland and to runny. This is the best I have ever tasted. SOOO good.. I added a bit of chopped onion and 1/2 clove chopped garlic to the butter in sauce pan before adding the flour and milk and cayenne. I also layered sliced ham in with the layers so need to cut down on salt if you do that as the ham is very salty. By layering ham in between, it stays wonderfully moist and adds great flavor. I used colby cheese and it was great. This will be my new scalloped potato recipe from now on.
Great! I bet the onion was a great addition.
Family loved these!! Made with oat milk and turned out great.
Thank you Tonya. So glad you liked them!
I don’t care what these are called, they are fantastic!!! These will replace every other potato recipe I have. Thank you!!!!!
Thank you Kayla!!
I just made these for Easter because someone ate the hash browns I was going to use for funeral potatoes. What a happy accident! Everyone said they were better than funeral potatoes! I doubled the recipe and used 1 cup chicken broth, 1 cup milk, and 1 cup cream for the sauce. Then I added about 3/4 cup sour cream just because I had it. It was perfection!
I bet sour cream is great in these Stephanie. What a happy accident!
Yes! I will be making these again and again! Perfect! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Lorene!
I made the scalloped potatoes for Easter and they were a HUGE hit. I will definitely be making them again.
Awesome Heather. Thank you!
Daughters home from college so we are trying to make the best of our quarantine time with her and make it fun for her. Just made these and can’t wait to dig in. They look delicious.
Thanks Steve. Hope you enjoy!
Can these be frozen for meals later. Made 3 days ago and they were fabulous with left over ham layered in. Would lime to make another batch for later. Thank you
These are fantastic and turned out perfectly. Thank you for posting – Great for Easter this year with a smaller group. Of course the stovetop method worked – it’s an age-old way to make a white sauce, so the reader below must have turned the heat up too high. Your directions are spot on.
Thanks for having my back Cyndy!
I made these today for Easter; they came out perfectly and were delicious. I added garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper, but other than that I followed the recipe exactly. I appreciated the ease and the relatively small quantities compared to other similar recipes I found. Since we didn’t get together with family this year, it was nice not to have to halve a larger recipe. Thanks!
Thanks Kris. I always add garlic powder to everything. Don’t know why I didn’t think to add it to this.
These are delicious!!! My family loves them!!
Thank you Shirlz!
In the oven I’m excited to try these, they smell so yummy. Thank you so much for sharing
Thank you Amanda!
Getting ready to pop these in the oven for Easter dinner! I doubled the recipe! Thanks!
Hope you love them!
This recipe is simple to make, beautiful in appearance, and absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Patrick!!
I look forward to trying new recipes!
Thank you! Hope you do!
These are NOT Scalloped Potatoes, these are Au Gratin Potatoes! CHEESE makes them Au Gratin… I was looking for a Scalloped Potato recipe, which only uses cream or milk, probably a thickener like flour, maybe onions, salt, pepper?, etc.
You should change the name.
Nancy, if this recipe is not the one you wanted, no need to be critical. Just leave it and find another recipe. Be kind.
Thanks Amy!
Nancy,
Sorry you don’t like the name.
Delicious.
Thanks Jill!
Please include quantity of ingredients? Im cooking this dish tomorrow, will have to guess on qty.
Keep scrolling, they are at the bottom! 😀
Sorry. Not sure what you mean?
Just wondering if you’ve ever made these the night before and then baked the next day? Recommendations on doing it that way?
The only problem is sometimes the potatoes can turn a slight gray color…
Super easy recipe. Made these as a “pay it forward” & had to come back to write down the recipe so I could give that too!
Thank you William!! That is a great compliment.
Thanks for the recipe! I don’t care if they are called Au gratin potatoes. or Scalloped potatoes! I just wanted a recipe for what we call Cheesy Potatoes and this looks perfect! Cant wait to try!
Haha thanks Amber!
Can these be thrown into a crockpot or will the sauce break/separate?
I haven’t tried them in the crockpot. I think the sauce could separate.
I dont recommend the whole stove process. The milk turned clumpy and I wasted a bunch of ingredients.
I layered my pan with potatoes
Then layered cheese on top
Then put another layer of potatoes on top
Then poured 2 cups of milk on top
Sprinkled some pepper and salt
Then layered on more cheese baked for 55 minutes
Yummy!
Sorry it didn’t turn out for you. It’s never given me problems.
Great recipe! I like to add thinly sliced onions in the layers, as well. It’s so delicious!
Onions would be a great addition!
I made these today and I doubled the recipe and left the cheese out because I added ham and I used a little 5 pepper spice. All I can say is DELICIOUS!!! Thanks for sharing❤
You are welcome!
Your recipe was easy to follow, all ingredients I had at home. My family loved it. I added white pepper instead of the cayenne.
Thank you Karen!
Do these reheat well the next day?
Yes!
Thank you so much. I made theses tonight and they were perfect.
Thank you for taking the time to tell me!
I agree with Jen – these are Au gratin potatoes, Growing up, we used to have these a lot, and they were never served with cheese. As Jen said, the crunchy topping was optional – we never had it. Au gratin potatoes were layered with cheese and could have a crunchy topping or just a nice cheese topping. Both dishes are delicious.
Sounds good!
Fantastic! Easy cheesy! Simple ingredients that everyone has in their kitchen.
Thank you Victoria!
This is an absolutely delicious recipe bit these 100% without a doubt are NOT scalloped potatoes, they are au graten potatoes, bread crumb toppings are usually optional, some recipes dont even call for it. Most au graten recipes call for a cheese topping. Scalloped potatoes do not have cheese in them. That’s actually the one ingredient that distinguishes scalloped from au graten.
Okay.
I made this last night and it was yummy. I didn’t use milk instead I used beer and chicken broth.
I sauté sweet onion 1st, placed the onion in the deep dish. I pre-cooked the sliced potatoes (not over cooking), layered them in the dish, poured the sauce over according to the instruction. I baked it for half an hour.
I Pre-cooked the potatoes this time around because I followed this exact recipe for last Christmas and it took longer then the suggested cooking time. I changed the ingredients a bit and my family loved it more this time around. Thank you for the recipe. I may have changed the ingredients and the way I cooked this dish but the concept of this recipe which gave me the insight to explore what else I can do to cut the cooking time down and to enhance the flavors.
Thank you for your feedback!
Thank you for this easy and delicious comfort recipe! The only tweak I made was adding some caramelized onions and pieces of ham steak with the first layer of potatoes. It is a quick, easy and delicious recipe!!
Sounds amazing!
These are Au gratin potatoes. Scalloped potatoes don’t have cheese.
Okay
Excellent and ash. I make this often. Thank out
You’re welcome!
Very good looking reciepes
Thank you!
Easiest, most delicious scalloped potato recipe ever! Thank you!!
You are welcome!
Very simple to make and delicious. This is my 3rd time making this receipe. Thanks for sharing your receipe. Was a hit with the family.
Thank you!
This recipe is “Potatoes Au Gratin”. Generally, casseroles with cheese like this are called “Au Gratin”. The term is French, literally “by grating”, from the verb gratter “to grate” meaning Cheese or Bread Crumbs.
“Scalloped Potatoes” has only onion, milk, flour, butter, and seasoning and definitely no cheese.
20 Year Army Cook
Okay!
This was a great quick and easy recipe! I made a few minor adjustments. I sauteed fresh garlic and green onion in my butter/flour mixture. I also used half and half instead of milk and added extra cheese. My family loved it! I will definitely use this again. Thanks for the recipe.
You are welcome!
I made these yesterday and they came out amazing!! The only thing I will do next time is add a little more milk. Just a tiny bit, because my sauce was still a little thick. I also added diced ham I had in the freezer from Christmas! It was sooo good!! I will make these again!! Super easy to make!
I found this to be a really excellent dish. I’m currently 50 years old and mobility isn’t what it used to be, so I enjoy finding easy dishes like these that take minimal effort and return maximum taste. I substituted Smoked Paprika for the Cayenne in the recipe (1/4 tsp.). Then a nice dusting of the same on top. Will definitely be making this again.
No, no, no. There is NO cheese in scalloped potatoes. Your recipe is for potatoes au gratin. Please do some research before you publish fallacies.
Chill out
Agreed.
Scalloped potatoes DO NOT have cheese sauce….that would be augratin.
I agree, no cheese
The best recipe ever! I layer this dish with meat. Turns out so delicious. I recommend this to anyone.
If you are cooking sauce on low till it boils how can you reduce the heat—from low would be off.
Called simmer…….duh
On electric stoves, its low then off. There is no simmer. I just put mine on 4 ( low/ med), then turned down to low.
Good, but too salty! Maybe half that much would be better.
Bechamel, not roux