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Scalloped Potatoes

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My favorite cheesy, creamy, garlicky, always-delicious scalloped potatoes recipe.

Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

Anyone else out there still have yet to plan your menu for Easter Sunday this coming weekend?

Well, good news: 1) you’re not alone and 2) I’ve gotcha covered!

We have all sorts of delicious recipes here on our Easter section of the blog that are sure to please a crowd. If you’re feeling those brunch vibes, there’s everything from my favorite 1-hour cinnamon rolls, to the world’s best sour cream coffee cake, to a classic breakfast casserole, to nearly every way to prepare eggs, to mimosas and more. Or, if you’re going more of the Easter dinner route, our family’s favorite salad, classic deviled eggs, these perfectly roasted Brussels sprouts, an easy fruit salad, these quick 1-hour soft and buttery dinner rolls might be calling your name. Of course, carrot cake (or this vegan, gluten-free carrot cake) is also a must around here every Easter.

But the other non-negotiable for me each Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving and — let’s be real — any night of the year that I’m craving some creamy, garlicky, cheesy comfort food?

Scalloped potatoes. ♡

Specifically, these scalloped potatoes (which are technically potatoes au gratin). In my humble opinion, they are simply the best. And in the years since I originally posted this recipe here on the blog, thousands of you have also tried them and agreed! So today, I thought I’d bump this recipe back to the top of the stack for those of you who might be new to the blog and looking for a tried and true recipe to make this weekend. As someone who has made these dozens and dozens of times, I can vouch — they won’t let you down.

Scalloped Potatoes Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Scalloped Potatoes Ingredients:

The ingredients to make this classic scalloped potatoes recipe are pretty simple. You’ll need:

  • Yukon gold potatoes: I prefer these to Russets because of their nice creamy texture and buttery flavor. Be sure to slice them uniformly — about 1/4-inch thick — so that they will cook evenly.
  • Shredded cheese: It’s important to have a good melty cheese for these. I have always preferred a nice sharp cheddar (not one that has been aged, since those don’t melt as well). But I have also made these with mozzarella, gouda, fontina and gruyere, and all have been delicious. So feel free to pick your favorite, or use a mix! Plus, some freshly-grated Parmesan is also a must.
  • Sliced onion: For extra flavor. I always cook the onion in the sauce, and then strain it out and add it to the middle layer of the potatoes, so that there aren’t a bunch of onion slices sitting on the top layer.
  • Garlic: If you ask me, the more the merrier. The recipe calls for 4 cloves, but I’ve used up to 8 before. :)
  • Fresh thyme: I’ve always used fresh thyme as my main seasoning for scalloped potatoes, but you could also use a teaspoon of dried thyme instead. Or any other favorite fresh herbs or dried seasoning blends! (I occasionally love adding a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning to my sauce — it’s delicious.)
  • Cream sauce: In lieu of heavy cream, my sauce for this recipe calls for a roux with butter and flour, whole milk and chicken stock (or vegetable stock).

Yukon Gold Potatoes for Scalloped Potatoes

How To Make Scalloped Potatoes:

To make this scalloped potatoes recipe, simply…

  1. Make the cream sauce. Sauté onion and garlic in butter until softened. Then stir in the flour to form a roux and help to thicken the sauce, followed by the stock, milk, salt, pepper and thyme. You want to cook the sauce until it just reaches a simmer. (Don’t let it boil, otherwise it can “break” and become watery once baked.)  Then remove it from the heat until you’re ready to put it to use.
  2. Layer the potatoes. Spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Top evenly with half of the cream sauce. (I usually strain out all of the onions and add them here too.)  Then sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and all of the Parmesan cheese. Top evenly with the remaining sliced potatoes, the other half of the cream sauce, and the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
  3. Bake: Cover the pan lightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce is all bubbly around the edges. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and the cheese on top is nice and golden. (If the cheese starts to get too brown on top, just lightly cover the top with a sheet of foil again until the potatoes are ready to go.)
  4. Cool. Transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of thyme and extra Parmesan.
  5. Serve. This casserole is definitely best fresh out of the oven, so dive in while it’s nice and warm!

How To Make Scalloped Potatoes

Possible Recipe Variations:

There are all sorts of delicious ways that you can customize these homemade scalloped potatoes if you would like. For example, feel free to…

  • Add bacon or ham: Diced cooked bacon or ham would be a delicious addition here! (Or go for the gold and make scalloped potatoes with ham and bacon!)
  • Add greens: Fresh kale or baby spinach would also be delicious. Just stir a large handful to the sauce before layering the potatoes.
  • Add pesto: For an extra herby twist, feel free to stir 1/4 cup of basil pesto into the sauce.
  • Use half sweet potatoes: I also love making a version of this dish with half Yukon gold and half sweet potatoes. The sweet/savory combo is such a winner.
  • Use a different cheese: Mozzarella, gouda, fontina or gruyere would also be delicious in place of the sharp cheddar. Or you could also sprinkle some extra crumbled/diced brie, goat cheese, or feta into the casserole.
  • Use cream: Feel free to sub in heavy cream for half of the milk for an even creamier dish.
  • Make it gluten-free: Just use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (in place of the standard AP flour). Or whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into the cold milk before adding it to the sauce.

Scalloped Potatoes

Make-Ahead Instructions:

Over the years, I’ve had lots of you ask if you can prep this recipe in advance — and the answer is yes! For make-ahead scalloped potatoes, just bake the scalloped potatoes and let them cool completely to room temperature. Then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. And on the day you are ready to serve them, bake the pan covered (with foil) at 350° for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are warmed through.

Scalloped Potatoes

More Potato Recipes:

If you love this recipe, be sure to check out some of my other potato faves including:

Enjoy, everyone!

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Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

Scalloped Potatoes

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 389 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Total Time: 80 minutes
  • Yield: 10 -12 servings 1x

Description

My favorite recipe for garlicky, cheesy, perfect scalloped potatoes.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 2 cups whole milk (or half and half)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
  • 4 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
  • 2 cups freshly-grated sharp cheddar cheese*, divided (feel free to add more cheese if you’d like)
  • 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Instructions

  1. Prep oven and baking dish: Heat oven to 400°F.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set it aside.
  2. Sauté the onion and garlic. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, and sauté for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent.  Add garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant.  Stir in the flour until it is evenly combined, and cook for 1 more minute.
  3. Simmer the sauce. Gradually pour in the stock, and whisk until combined.  Add in the milk, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme, and whisk until combined.  Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sauce just barely begins to simmer around the edges of the pan and thickens.  (Avoid letting it reach a boil.)  Then remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Layer the potatoes.  Spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.  Top evenly with half of the cream sauce.  (I usually strain out all of the onions and add them here too.)  Then sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and all of the Parmesan cheese.  Top evenly with the remaining sliced potatoes, the other half of the cream sauce, and the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
  5. Bake: Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  The sauce should be nice and bubbly around the edges.  Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.
  6. Cool. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack, and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of thyme and extra Parmesan.
  7. Serve. Serve warm.

Notes

Shredded cheese: As always when melting shredded cheese into a recipe, it’s best if you grate the cheese yourself just before adding it to the recipe.  Store-bought shredded cheese usually contains a coating that prevents it from melting smoothly.

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952 comments on “Scalloped Potatoes”

  1. This is hands down the best one I’ve made! So hungry from the smell I forgot to snap a pic! :-/ I will next time! 

  2. At 55 years old I’d given up on making scalloped potatoes due to the hit or miss experience I’d had. I braved it out and made it for Easter Dinner (gasp) for family (true foodies -gasp again) and they were a SMASH from the grandkids on up to the adults. It was THE most commented about food item I served. My husband’s idea of a good compliment is ‘not bad’. He got up for seconds saying ‘these potatoes are really, really good!’ So yummy I’m making them again today just for the fun of it. Thanks for this recipe!

    • We’re so glad to hear this recipe worked out well for you Flo! We appreciate you giving it a try and we appreciate your feedback! :)

  3. Worst recipe ever!  I’m no Martha Stewart but I can cook.  It turned out runny and the flavor was awful 

    • We’re sorry you didn’t care for this Autumn. It shouldn’t have been runny, and the flavor definitely shouldn’t be “awful.” We hope you’re able to find another recipe that works better for you.

  4. Great recipe! I made these tonight- super easy and tasty!  

  5. These are soooooooooooo good!!! I’m a decent baker, but not so much a cook but these were wicked easy to make. I was worried the sauce would break on me but it went perfect. I actually just got done eating these alone for dinner haha. I’ll be good and have a salad but these are really incredible. Thank you so much for sharing.

  6. Thank you for sharing your recipe ?

  7. These all looked and smelled delicious but i couldn’t find yukon potatoes, so i used white/gold potatoes instead and after 1 hour or so in the oven they were still not cooked? i wonder if i should have boiled them before slicing they would cook evenly and be soft and not crunchy and raw. But even after that i really liked the cream sauce and im probably going to use it for pasta one of these days :0 

    • Hi Andrea! Oh no, we’re so sorry to hear that! Hmmm, yukon gold potatoes are creamier and more tender, so it could be that the white/gold potatoes just needed more time, or that they should have been boiled a bit beforehand. We haven’t had any problems with the yukon golds though. We’re glad you enjoyed the sauce! Hopefully you can give this another try with the yukons and it will be better next time!

  8. I’ve made these before – and LOVED them.  They were such a hit, and so easy to make!  I want to make them again for a potluck, could you make ahead before baking and let it set in the fridge for a few hours?  Or would the potatoes get soggy sitting in the sauce?  Thanks!

    • Thanks Sam — we’re so glad to hear that! We wouldn’t really recommend making these ahead of time though, as the potatoes will oxidize and turn greyish brown. :(

  9. I made this for my roommates (I’m a college student) and they went bananas! I made three pans and there is only half a pan left. Amazing recipe that does not demand a lot for busy people like me. I substituted the thyme with oregano and it actually worked out pretty successfully too – bringing a more lady flavor. Thanks so much for sharing!!

    • We’re so glad these were a hit with your roommates Luci — thanks for giving the recipe a try! :)

  10. I enjoyed your recipe but you should know that your mobile website is so bogged down with intrusive ads that it was actually unusable in the kitchen. Given the option I would not use your website again.

  11. Love ALL of your recipes!  Thanks for this one. I have them in the oven right now!  Serving with bbq NY strip steak and roasting Brussels sprouts in the oven the last 20 min or so next to these potatoes. 

    • Thank you for your sweet comment Karen! That meal sounds fantastic, and we hope you enjoy the potatoes! :)

  12. I just put this beautiful potato dishes in the oven. I’m cooking for a father and daughter team. His wife had a baby a month ago and is in the hospital with the sick baby. The rest of the kids, six, are with grandma and grandpa,  a total of 8 kids! I want a comfort meal for the dad and oldest daughter,  who are missing the rest of the family. Your dish says “comfort”. Thank you. 

    • Oh my goodness, what a handful! And how kind of you to make this for them — we hope they enjoy it! :)

  13. The potatoes were delicious I used cheeder cheese slices and mozzarella instead it was the best ever

  14. What flour would you use to make this gluten free? Would rice flour work?

    • Hi Chantal! We haven’t experimented with gluten-free floors in this dish but we think your best bets might be to try cornstarch, arrowroot powder, a gluten-free flour blend. You could try rice flour, we’re just not as familiar with that one. We hope this helps!

  15. Do you think this would work with red potatoes? I normally don’t buy them but happen to have a full bag right now. I made this before with yukon gold and absolutely loved it and don’t want to risk compromising the deliciousness :)

    • Hi Leanne! We think Yukon golds work best for scalloped potatoes (they’re just creamier), but you can definitely use red potatoes if that’s what you have.

  16. Made these tonight for the first time and they were quite yummy!! Will definitely be making them again. Thanks for all of the great recipes!

  17. I have never been a fan of scalloped potatoes but fix them for the family and even I could not stop eating them! The sauce is so good I had a hard time not eating it with the spoon

    • Thanks Pam — we’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe — it definitely is all about the sauce! :D

  18. This recipe is great! It’s creamy and good and everything melts together so wonderfully. This recipe is very easy to make! 

  19. Sooo good! We all went back for seconds and didn’t feel guilty cause the recipe was so light.

  20. Do you think I can make a couple hours ahead of time and reheat? Or is this best right out of the oven?

  21. Made this today and it was great! Made accordin. To recipe except unused red potatoes as that is what I had. It required longer cooking time due to different potatoes, but this was great! I will make with the Yukon Golds next time, but awesome taste and flavor! Great recipe 

  22. Good recipe. I had to add some breadcrumbs near the end as it was a little runny.

    • We’re glad you enjoyed it! We’re not sure why it turned out a little runny — perhaps the sauce needed to cook longer to thicken more? Anyway, we’re glad the breadcrumbs helped!

  23. I made this recipe exactly as described and it was FABULOUS!! A huge hit!! I’m ashamed to say I used to make scalloped potatoes from a box, but I will never go back now. Thanks so much for sharing!

  24. I cooked it for an hour and a half. The potatoes are still not done! Why why why???? Every other part of it is delicious but why are the potatoes not done?? I even reheated it the next day hoping the microwave would finish off the potatoes. No! I’m sitting here looking at this dish that looks perfect and smells perfect but the potatoes are not done! So sad.

  25. I would love to make these but need to be at work all day! Wondering if this would work in the crock pot?

    • Hi Tami! Unfortunately we haven’t tried this recipe in a crock pot. There are recipes for crock pot scalloped potatoes out there (like this one), though it’s different because this recipe is more like a gratin (since it’s baked with the milk and has the melted cheese on top). Also, you’d still want to sauté the onion, butter and garlic together beforehand, for maximum flavor. You could try to follow the method in the other recipe, though our recipe calls for more liquid, so we’re not sure how it would turn out. If you do experiment with this, definitely let us know how it turns out!

  26. This is a delicious recipe! Just took it out of the oven and sampled it, I don’t know how anyone wouldn’t like it! Yum!

  27. Girl….

    This recipe is AMAZING! I made it tonight  and got rave reviews from my husband and our often testy and opinionated three year old! This will officially be added to the recipe mix and thank you so much for sharing it :-)

  28. This is by far the best scalloped potato recipe that I’ve come across. It was easy to make and delicious. I’ve printed this recipe and it has been added to my fave recipe binder! Thanks!

    • Thank you, what a sweet compliment! We’re so glad you gave these a try and that you enjoyed them! :)

  29. I made these tonight because comfort food was the order of the day.

    These are some of the best scalloped potatoes.

    At my house if you are going to eat something it should be made from scratch and full of the best flavors. I only had a red onion chopped that up and used it. My husband said these were some of the best scalloped potatoes he has ever had. That is saying a lot from a person that is a food snob.

  30. I tried this recipe for the first time tonight, and I gotta say it was pretty good! I did add my own little twist to it. I didn’t have yukon gold potatoes so I just used regular potatoes but cut them more thinly, and I added some red bell peppers with the onions just for some more veggies. I then added a bit of cooked ground beef on top and it was wonderful! Thank you for the recipe!

  31. I made this last night, they were AMAZING! Everytime I make something new for my boyfriend i ask him “would you want this again or not” before i would ask him, ” did you like it” and he would respond ” not bad”. Not a helpful answer! But last night he said this is really, really good!!! Making this again! only I did different was add diced ham:) Thank you!

    • Thanks for sharing with us, Kayla — we’re so happy you and your boyfriend loved these! :)

  32. I really really wanted this recipe to work but it didn’t. Mine came out watery. I did soak my potatoes in water the night before so it would be easy for me in the morning to cook. I could not find yukon gold potatoes in any of the grocery stores near me so I used red potatoes. I am not sure where I went wrong, please give me some tips!

    • Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. Not quite sure what happened — I wonder if soaking the potatoes caused the extra watery-ness?

  33. Scalloped potatoes do not have cheese in them — au gratin potatoes do.

  34. How can it be vegetarian if you use chicken stock

    • The recipe calls for chicken or vegetable stock, so if you use the vegetable stock, it is vegetarian. We hope you enjoy!

  35. These are the BEST scalloped potatoes I have ever eaten! I cut the recipe in half because it’s just the two of us and we still have plenty for another meal. I’m not sure if it’s the thyme or the Parmesan cheese that sent them over the top, but I am definitely saving this recipe. A mandolin for slicing the potatoes would have cut down on my prep time. 

  36. Hey do you think I could freeze this? Not sure if it’s been asked! If so do I cook it ahead and then freeze or prep and freeze and cook the day of?
    Thanks! I’ve made this before and it’s delicious! Making if for a family get together !

    • Hi Sheryl! You could try to freeze this but we wouldn’t recommend it because of the delicate potatoes and the high dairy content. Dishes with a lot of dairy typically don’t freeze very well and these potatoes would likely get mushy. We hope this helps though and that you enjoy the recipe!

  37. Can these be made the day before and reheated or finish cooking the next day. Thanks

    • Yes, you can definitely make these the day before and reheat them before serving. We hope you enjoy!

  38. Please don’t classify something as vegetarian if it includes chicken stock as an ingredient.

    • Hi Lealie — we wrote in the recipe that you can use chicken or vegetable stock, so if you use vegetable stock, then it is definitely vegetarian.

  39. This is a fantastic recipe. It will be my first time making these potatoes and I am confident it will turn out great! I am making therm for Thanksgiving. Do you think it will ruin the texture or cheese sauce if I make them the evening before and refrigerate, then reheat in the oven the next day at 350?

  40. Do you think they will be good if I bake the night before, refrigerate, and then reheat at 350 the next day? Or could this mess up the cheese sauce?

  41. Great recipe!!  Tried this recipe over the weekend.  My husband and I LOVED IT!  

    Easy, flavourful recipe!!!  I paired it with some bbq beef short ribs, veg and a chocolate cake for dessert!!!!  MMMMM….!

    Will make again definitely!!

    Thanks.

    • Thanks for sharing, Dawn — we’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed these (and the rest of your meal sounds fantastic)! :)

  42. Very nice recipe for scalloped potatoes. I like that you’ve cut the amount of fat and cholesterol for those of us who love these, but really don’t want that much cholesterol. However, where I come from – If scalloped potatoes have cheese in or on them, they’re called Potatoes Au Gratin. Mom never put cheese unless she wanted to call them ‘au gratin’, and she *loved* cheese.
    I’m making some of these for my husband and myself for Thanksgiving this year (2016), and since it’s just the 2 of us, I cut the recipe by one third. Soaking the potatoes removes a lot of the natural starch in them. That’s probably why the recipe turned out watery for some who tried it. For potatoes you want to make into hash browns, soaking is how you get them nice and crispy. Perhaps you could work out an amount of roux for those who prefer to soak them first? For those who enjoy these, when making scalloped potatoes I always use my trusty “salad shooter”. It’s about the most handy small appliance in our kitchen for these, and for making home made hash browns, frittadas, etc.
    I’m looking forward to seeing more of your recipes, and what you do with them. Mahalo!

    • Thank you, Meleli — we’re glad you enjoy the recipe, and we appreciate you sharing your tips with us! :)

  43. Tried these the other day. My whole family enjoyed them. I think this is the best scalloped potatoes recipe I have tried. My husband even commented about how good they were, and asked what I did differently. 

  44. Could you throw in some ham to this recipe? Or would it not turn out right??

  45. I’m non dairy so although I loved scalloped potatoes I haven’t had these since all this intolerance happened after very nasty cancer op . So looking  at your tweaking I’m wondering if I couldn’t tweak more ! Using almond milk and cornflour to thicken instead of the usual roux method . I’m not sure how to replace the cheesy aspect so I might just see how much I CAN  tolerate . 
    Thanks gifbputting scalloped pots  back on my menu . I have no problem with starchy Russets and we don’t see Yukon gold over in Uk so I’ll carry in using those .. pics to come . I’ll let you know how that works out . The almond milk is very creamy anyway . 

    • We’re glad you enjoyed these, Steph! You could try the almond milk and cornflour, and you could use a vegan cheese, or just cut back on the amount of regular cheese you use. You could also use a lactose-free milk, such as Lactaid. We hope this helps — definitely let us know how everything turns out! :)

  46. Hi Ali. This looks amazing and I’m going to make them for Christmas dinner. But I have a question first. We’re trying to eat healthier (that’s why I’m not in favor of the boxed kind), so can I use fat free milk and reduced fat cheese?

    • Hi Nancy! We’re sorry we didn’t get to your comment in time. You can use fat-free milk and reduced fat cheese for this. We hope you enjoy!

  47. I made this tonight for our Christmas dinner,I just cut the recipe into half.it was so good! we loved it.im going to make it again for new year since I have a bunch of friends coming.thank you for sharing your recipe.Merry Christmas!

    • Thanks for sharing, we’re so happy these were a hit, and we hope you had a wonderful Christmas! :)

  48. I love this recipe. I’ve made it several time. I also recommend your potato cheese soup. Yummy!

  49. How is this veggie w h en it includes chicken stock?

    • The recipe calls for vegetable stock or chicken stock, so if you use vegetable stock then it is vegetarian. We hope you enjoy!

  50. It’s far to many potatoes !!