Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are the perfect side dish for the holidays or potlucks. They’re made with delicious layers of potatoes, cream and cheddar cheese.
Serve these creamy Scalloped Potatoes with Perfect Easy Ribeye Steak, Oven Baked Pork Chops, Ultimate Garlic Pork Loin Roast, or with and of your favorite Holiday Recipes along side your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey.
SCALLOPED POTATOES
Scalloped Potatoes are a potato casserole dish the perfect easy recipe to serve alongside the main course and your classic Green Bean Casserole you know you HAVE to make. Especially when the holidays come around. We know the secret to a great meal is in the side dishes you serve, and potatoes go well with pretty much anything.
We’ve served these for both Christmas and Easter Dinner every year for as long as I can remember because they’re always a HUGE hit. Plus my youngest loves helping me layer the potato slices in the dish, making cooking a family activity.
Scalloped Potatoes are the perfect crispy, creamy side dish and comfort food to serve alongside the main course, especially when the holidays come around. Simple Scalloped Potatoes add a tough of class and don’t take all day to put together, which is a real plus when you’re cooking for the holidays.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCALLOPED POTATOES AND AU GRATIN POTATOES?
Potatoes Au Gratin are more indulgent and use thinner sliced potatoes arranged in a shallow baking dish. It usually has a cheese sauce made from gruyere or cheddar, nutmeg, and cream, similar tasting to a bechamel sauce.
Scalloped potatoes recipe traditionally don’t require any cheese and are more simple to make, but you can add cheese if you’re in the mood for cheesy scalloped potatoes.
If we’re getting technical, Scalloped Potatoes don’t have cheese. Traditionally, Scalloped Potatoes are made with flour, butter and whole milk, also known as a roux, and are slowly baked to make them crisp. While that does sound amazing, everything is better with cheese.
In my quick and easy Scalloped Potatoes recipe I add just a little bit of cheddar cheese on top for flavor and color, because it makes the potatoes even richer and more flavorful. Other similar potato recipes use a thick cheese sauce poured over the top.
VARIATIONS ON SCALLOPED POTATOES
- Spices: Play with your favorite flavors to make it your own. Want to add some spice, a bit of cayenne goes a long way. Want a warmer flavor? Add a bit of nutmeg.
- Cheese: The best Scalloped Potatoes are cheesy Scalloped Potatoes. sharp cheddar, gruyere. parmesan cheese cheddar cheese mozzarella cheese.
- Baked Potato Toppings: These classic flavors like bacon, chives, sour cream, coarse ground black pepper will match the flavors in this recipe.
- Vegetables: You can also sneak some veggies in this side dish. Try diced cauliflower, thinly sliced garlic or really thin cut peeled zucchini between the potato slices.
Fun Variation! Scalloped Sweet Potato Casserole
Try making another version of this recipe with sweet potatoes. Slice them thinly and layer, then add cinnamon and brown sugar to the saucepan before pouring it over the potatoes. Once it’s out of the oven, top with mini marshmallows. It’s like a scalloped Sweet Potato Casserole!
MORE DELICIOUS POTATO RECIPES:
HOW TO MAKE SCALLOPED POTATOES:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Lay the potatoes one on top of each other in rows with half the salt and the minced onions.
In a pot, add the butter on medium heat until melted, then add the flour, pepper, and remaining salt, whisking well for 30-45 seconds. - Add in the milk and heavy cream slowly while whisking until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cream sauce over the potatoes and cook covered in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Spread shredded cheddar over the potatoes and cook uncovered in the oven for an additional 25 minutes.
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SCALLOPED POTATOES FAQS
- How thin should Scalloped Potatoes be? About ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Use a mandoline slicer to get consistently thin pieces.
- What kind of potatoes are used for Scalloped Potatoes? The best potatoes for scalloped potatoes are russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes.
- What’s the difference between Scalloped Potatoes and au gratin potatoes? Traditionally, Potatoes Au Gratin have cheese and Scalloped Potatoes don’t.
- Why are my Scalloped Potatoes still hard? The potatoes are too hard because they’ve been sliced too thick. Keep them thin and they’ll get nice and soft.
- Can you freeze Scalloped Potatoes before baking? Yes. Make sure to keep the dish tightly wrapped to keep moisture out and you can bake the potatoes when you’re good and ready.
EVEN MORE HOLIDAY SIDES:
TIPS FOR MAKING SCALLOPED POTATOES
- I love serving this on the holidays, especially on Christmas or for Easter dinner, because the pattern looks really decorative on the table.
- Sprinkle the top with a little bit of cheese and broil for 2-3 minutes to add a really nice golden brown color on top.
- It might take a few minutes of whisking to get your sauce to thicken. After you add milk to the flour and butter, bring your sauce to a boil then lower it to a simmer to prevent burning.
- When adding the flour to the melted butter, whisk until the flour has browned and smells slightly nutty, then add the milk. This gives the creamy sauce a really nice rich flavor. Whisk continuously so the milk doesn’t curdle.
- You can make this dish gluten free by using cup for cup gluten free all purpose flour in place of the regular flour.
- Mince your onions in the food processor to cut down on time.
- If you don’t want to use cream, you can use half and half to help lighten up the recipe and save calories.
HOW LONG ARE SCALLOPED POTATOES GOOD?
- Serve: Scalloped Potatoes can be kept at room temperature for up to two hours, but no longer than that.
- Store: Cooked Scalloped Potatoes will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator. You should always let them cool down to room temperature before you put them in an airtight container and put them away. To reheat them, take the plastic wrap off of the baking sheet and put the whole pan in the oven for a few minutes until it’s heated through or plate them up and put them in the microwave.
- Freeze: Cooked Scalloped Potatoes will stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months, but be aware that your creamy sauce will more than likely separate upon reheating.
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes sliced into ¼ inch slices
- 1/2 yellow onion minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup cheddar cheese , shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Lay the potatoes one on top of each other in rows with half the salt and the minced onions in a 9x13 baking dish.
- In a pot, add the butter on medium heat until melted, then add the flour, pepper, and remaining salt, whisking well for 30-45 seconds.
- Add in the milk and heavy cream slowly while whisking until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cream sauce over the potatoes and cook covered in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Spread shredded cheddar over the potatoes and cook uncovered in the oven for an additional 25 minutes.
What size casserole, please. 8×8? 9×9? 9×13? Thanks.
Hi Peggy, 9×13 baking dish. Updated recipe card and thanks so much for bringing this oversight to our attention!
Enjoy!
Would it be a big deal to put the weight in?
Four russet potatoes are a crap shoot…
Cheesy potatoes recipe looks truly yummy, serves 8, so perhaps BIG potatoes.
Can I add ham ?? also I love Love your recipes. I would love to be a guest at your dinner table
I am worried. I am making the potatoes. I took one out when I put the cheese on. They are very hard still. I want to turn the heat up because I dont think they are going to be ready. But, what happens to the sauce?
Oh no! How thick were your potato slices? They should be about 1/8-1/4 in thick.
This is my absolute FAVORITE holiday side dish! So much cheesy goodness and the flavor is amazing!
Agreed! Love the cheesy goodness too!
These scalloped potatoes are my daughter’s favourite! No mashed potatoes are ever accepted. lol Thank you for sharing a great recipe!
Haha, sounds like she has good taste!
This reminds me of a dish that my in-laws serve at every single get-together. They call them “funeral” potatoes. I can never get enough of this ooey, gooey, cheesy goodness! So delicious!
I’m making this recipe as we speak. They’re doing great. Can’t wait to eat them with my meatloaf tonight ????
Made these potatoes to jazzy up St Patty’s Day dinner along with the cabbage steak and slow cooked corned beef recipes, also found on this site. They were all a big hit, especially these potatoes!! The cheese on top made the dish delectable! I didn’t have whole milk in the house, so used heavy cream and low-fat half and half. Came out extra rich, but still delicious! Making it again for friends tonight and using the low-fat half and half with the whole milk this time to see the difference. I’m sure will be just as delicious!!
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it.
This looks delicious. I would like to thicken with cornstarch instead of flour. How much cornstarch should I use?
I would recommend cutting the amount in half if using cornstarch. Good luck!
Wonderful texture and taste! I make this as a side with your KFC copycat recipe. My family loved it and I will make it again. I definitely would recommend your website to everyone! One of the very best!
So sweet of you to say! I’m so glad you’re loving the site!
What size dish do you put this scalloped potato recipe in to bake?
9×13
Is this recipe for an 8×8 pan? I need to double recipe for large family. Looks amazing! I will be doing a gluten free version.
Thanks!
This was made in 9×13 pan. I hope you enjoy it!
Could you prepare the day before and do the cooking the next day?
I probably wouldn’t do that. The potatoes could turn color on you.
This looks incredibly delicious!
Thanks, Erin!
Looks incredibly delicious! I bet those flavors are amazing, need to try this soon!
Enjoy!
Scalloped potatoes is a favorite around here. The addition of cheese makes it irresistible!
Totally agree!
These scalloped potatoes are the ultimate comfort food side dish! So perfect for the Christmas dinner menu!
What a great side dish, especially as the holidays are coming up! This looks very tasty indeed
So great for the holidays! You can never have too many potato options!
I could eat scalloped potatoes every day! These look just perfect!
Thanks, Anna!
My family absolutely loved them! Thank you for such an easy recipe.
You’re welcome!
Can you make this a day ahead, refrigerate & reheat next day? If so, how long to reheat? Looks yummy! Tnx!
Yes 🙂
Cover it with foil and reheat in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy!
So tasty! I salt to taste.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Our house loves au gratin, but we might need to try this out!
Definitely!