If you’ve ever had real home-cooked cheesy scalloped potatoes, you know they’re hard to beat. I’ve taken that classic dish and added a garlic Parmesan flavor, as well as added 3 kinds of cheese. Rigorously tested, these scalloped potatoes are no-fail, and can be made ahead of time or frozen!
Looking for other holiday side dishes? You’ve got to try my Homestyle No-Boil Mashed Potatoes, Cheesy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, and Ultimate Dinner Rolls!
CHEESY SCALLOPED POTATOES
You guys, I have never spent nearly half as long coming up with a recipe title, than I have for this post. I went back and forth on cheesy scalloped potatoes or potatoes au gratin.
Which then led to a spiral of googling to try and figure out what the heck the difference between scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin is. My deduction? It’s still not very clear!
Traditionally, scalloped potatoes are baked with no cheese, in a cream sauce, most often made with raw flour in the sauce that thickens up as it bakes… and potatoes au gratin are cheesy potatoes, but traditionally have a breadcrumb topping.
However, so many scalloped potatoes recipes have cheese in them, and not many au gratin recipes have the breadcrumbs. So confusing.
In the end, I went with my past… and called this recipe cheesy scalloped potatoes, since when I was growing up, my Mom made scalloped potatoes, and they always had cheese in them.
HOW TO MAKE SCALLOPED POTATOES
- Make sure you cut the potatoes very thin! Using a mandoline slicer makes this SO much easier (I’ll link to the one I use at the end of the post).
- No need to use heavy cream for the cheese sauce, whole milk works just as well. But if you’d like to use half and half or heavy cream, you can!
- Red and yukon gold potatoes are my favorite for scalloped potatoes, since they hold up well to the baking, and don’t need any peeling (unless you want to). Russet potatoes will work (and are cheaper), but they could potentially fall apart more during the long baking time.
MAKING SCALLOPED POTATOES AHEAD OF TIME
Usually this recipe is made for a holiday, when oven space is at a premium, and your time is precious. For that reason, I did some extra testing and have come up with a great, easy way to make these scalloped potatoes ahead of time!
I’ve found making this recipe ahead works best when you partially cook the potatoes first. Plus, that means you don’t have to bake them that long when reheating!
Baking the dish for 60 minutes gets the potatoes about 75% of the way cooked through. Let the dish cool, then cover tightly and refrigerate for 1-2 days.
Reheat at the same baking temperature, for 30-40 minutes.
Can you just imagine how amazing your house will smell while this ultra cheesy dish is baking? You’ll have to find something to do to keep yourself busy, because you’ll definitely be hungry!
FREEZING SCALLOPED POTATOES
As a bonus, this dish can also be frozen, using the same instructions as the make ahead directions. Just freeze the covered, partially cooked dish instead of refrigerating it.
Scalloped potatoes can be frozen for 2-3 weeks. Defrost by setting the dish in the refrigerator overnight.
crockpot scalloped potatoes
If you absolutely cannot or would rather not bake them (which is how I think they taste best), you can layer the scalloped potatoes in a greased slow cooker in the same manner as directed for this recipe. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.
Still want to bake the scalloped potatoes the day you make them but want to shave some time off? Microwave the sliced potatoes for about 10 minutes, to cut down on the total baking time (it will take about 45-50 minutes).
ADD-INS FOR SCALLOPED POTATOES
They’re amazing as-is, but if you want to add some extra flavor, here are my favorite options.
- Diced ham
- Sliced mushrooms
- Peas
- Different cheeses
Making this for Easter? Try these with my Copycat HoneyBaked Ham, Cranberry Almond Broccoli Salad, and don’t forget the Carrot Cake or Lemon Pie for dessert!
SHOP THE RECIPE:
- Mandoline Slicer – Once you try using one of these, you’ll wonder how you EVER sliced vegetables without it!
- 2 qt Baking Dish – I used a Le Creuset one for these photos, which I can’t seem to find online, but this is a great one!
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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lbs red potatoes, washed, but not peeled
- 1 1/4 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, washed, but not peeled
- 1 onion, sliced thinly
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup gruyere cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- fresh chives, for garnish
- fresh parsley, for garnish
- additional 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- additional 1/4 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
- additional 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 2 quart casserole dish and set aside.
- Slice potatoes in 1/8" thin slices (I use this mandoline slicer), and set aside.
- Add butter to medium saucepan, and heat over MED heat. When butter is melted, add garlic and saute for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add flour, whisk, and cook 1 minute. Slowly add milk, whisking continuously, until no lumps remain. Whisk over MED heat until mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
- Turn off heat, add cheeses, dry mustard, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper, and stir until smooth.
- Layer half the potatoes and onion slices in prepared casserole dish, pour approximately half of the cheese sauce over potatoes and let sit for a minute. Repeat with remaining potatoes, onions, and cheese sauce.
- Sprinkle top of potatoes with gruyere, cheddar and Parmesan. Spray aluminum foil with cooking spray, then cover the casserole dish (sprayed side down). Place casserole on a baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake uncovered an additional 25-30 minutes. Potatoes should be tender and cheese melted. Broil on HIGH for a minute or two for extra browning and crispiness.
- Sprinkle top with chives and parsley and serve.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Jennifer Harper says
Hands down the BEST scalloped potatoes I have ever made! I pretty much stick to the recipe, except the Gruyère cheese because I can’t ever find it, so I use jalapeño cheese or whatever “melty” cheese I can find. I think I’m cooking this for the 4th time today. A couple twists or differences I do (besides the cheese) are Idaho potatoes instead of Yukon, smoked paprika instead of regular, sweet onion, fresh herbs in place of the dried (if I have them growing in my hydroponic garden), & probably more cheese, LOL. Thank you for posting this recipe, and FYI: this is my very FIRST review of a recipe, so it’s got to be really good!!
The Chunky Chef says
I’m SO happy to hear how much your enjoy these! Your substitutions sound amazing, and the minute you said you probably added more cheese, I think we just became best friends lol.
Yvonne says
This is my new favorite Cheesy Scalloped potato recipe! Turned out great and was oh so cheesy—made with no changes to recipe for Christmas Day.
Thank yo so much Amanda for sharing this .
Yvonne
Elizabeth says
I am going to make on Christmas! Do you think I could use Parmesan/Reggiano cheese? I just bought some 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
That sounds delicious!
Evelyn Ojeda-Buoncore says
Just simply amazing. My family loved this dish and is going in my recipe book!! Extremely delicious 😋
Pat Maslowsky says
Love these scalloped potatoes!! I’m wondering when you suggest microwaving potatoes to cut down cooking time, how much time with the foil on them how much without the foil? I’m taking a guess & cooking for 40 min then checking them & deciding from there. TIA!
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you enjoy them! I would bake for 35-40 minutes, and go from there 🙂
Marissa says
I see it is 1 1/4 pound of Yukon gold and red potatoes but really how many potatoes is that?
The Chunky Chef says
That’s nearly impossible to say, since all potatoes can vary so much in size. Most grocery store sells potatoes by the weight as well 🙂
Pat says
Turned out so yummy! Made it the week before Thanksgiving w my daughter & she liked them so much I’m bringing it to Thanksgiving for a larger group!! I can’t wait!!
Jessica says
Just the thing for a cold winter night with 50+ mph winds! Delicious!
Melanie says
This has been requested by my family a lot. It turns out perfect every time. The cheese sauce is so delicious it would be great for fondu.
Excellent recipe!!
Raerae says
Excellent! Have made this more than once always with a different combination of cheeses just using the same quantity. Used the toggle to make different serving sizes. Always a hit!
Andrew Lee Augustine says
Au gratin just means creamed potatoes
Michelle Byrd says
Made these for Christmas today – everyone loved them but I was embarrassed because the bottom and sides appeared burnt (Very thin layer) but the everything else was just fine? I buttered the dish as directed and cooked at the temp and time stated – top wasn’t burnt everything was great. Anyone know why I had this issue with the bottom and sides? Everyone ate it – including the burnt parts and said they were delicious. I even liked it and ate what appeared burnt and tasted great! But it did look bad 🙁 Love the flavors! I was using a brand new Staub baking dish I received this morning – washed and dried prior of course! 🙂
Teresa says
Best scalloped potatoes in the world
Sarah Antonelli says
Awesome!
Nanci says
This was so easy and my boyfriend loved them, he said they’re his new favorite side dish.
Jane Blundell says
Thank you for sharing your scrumptious recipes. I will definitely be trying most of them out. The cheesy potatoes will be first on the list!
Robert Corley says
Yes I made this one of the best scalloped potato recipes I’ve ever seen it is from now on my go-to recipe with a few minor changes
Shana says
Can I get away with making this recipe without the Yukon potatoes? If so, what should I change measurement-wise?
Looks great though can’t wait to make it! 🙂
Amanda says
So you want to use all red potatoes? You’ll need 3 lbs of potatoes total for this recipe 🙂
Marla says
Loved this recipe. It kicks it up a notch! Great potatoes!