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.
Laurie says
We love this recipe, I just finished prepping it for the oven (2nd time we are making it) I think the prep time is way off. I notice 1 other comment said the same thing. But they are so worth the time. Added leftover Easter ham this time.
LISA COLEMAN says
van i cook at a higher temp for shorter period of time? i got family that needs to leave and i want them to try this?
Amanda says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Yvonne says
Love these scallop potatoes. They are my go to when I don’t know what to cook and I’m bored with the norm. Everyone loves them. Thank you Amanda for a great recipe.
Randi says
Followed exact cooking instructions and it came out perfect. Used cheddar, smoked gouda, and parmigiana reggiano. Also used smoked paprika.
Angela Morrison says
So good.
Vikki says
Have made these potatoes from this recipe several times
Always turns out great even with different variations
Nicole Da Silva says
I followed your recipe exactly for the partially cooked make ahead recipe. The flavor was outstanding, but my potatoes were under cooked when I served them on the day.
I was so dissappointed. I prebaked for 55 minutes in the oven then allowed to cool and refridgerated for one day. On Chistmas I cooked another 50 mintutes and broiled at the end. They looked, smelled and tasted amazing, but they were only partially cooked. Can anyone tell me what I did wrong? I am so sick of recipes not being reliable for this type of dish.
The Chunky Chef says
Oh no! I’m so sorry you didn’t have a good experience with this recipe. I know how frustrating it can be when recipes don’t live up to your expectations. The only thing I can think of is if a different potato type was used, or they weren’t all cut super thin.
mauiRibD says
Good recipe. Timing is off and pre-prepping still needs to be done. I was an hour out but taste was good. I did not use Thyme. I compensated with Garlic most likely. ***k these turned out well. Fussy people I thought enjoyed. Make it your style, yellow potatoes I think not red, I would make it again.
Teresa Hale says
Hi! I can’t wait to make these for Xmas. I don’t have dry mustard. Is it totally necessary? If so, I’ll get some. Also, can I use Half and Half in place of whole milk? I already have it on hand. Thanks so much. Happy Holidays!
The Chunky Chef says
You can substitute with a little bit of regular mustard if you have it, or omit it 🙂 And yes, half and half should work well! Happy Holidays to you too!
HALEY T says
Absolutely AMAZING!!!! This will be my go to recipe for making scalloped potatoes. Guests said that it beat any 5star steakhouse potatoes! Highly recommend this recipe.
Fran Boland says
Amazing recipe with great flavours and just the right creamy consistency! I was looking for a make ahead scalloped potato dish and this recipe came out perfect! I used a combination of alternating layers of Russet and sweet potatoes which gave the dish a very appealing look. The amount of milk in the recipe is just right and the seasonings are perfectly balanced. I substituted smoked applewood cheddar for the regular cheddar cheese which paired really well with the gruyere. This will definitely be my go to recipe for scalloped potatoes for all of our holiday and special family gatherings. It was enjoyed by all!
Chery says
In the post you mention that if you want to make ahead that you should bake the potatoes for one hour and then reheat for 30-40 min the next day. However, in the comments you are telling people to bake them for only 30 min initially and then 30-40 min the day of serving. I am confused…..do you bake them for 30 min or one hour on the first day? I don’t want to over bake them and have mush but also afraid to under bake. Just planning my oven schedule for the holidays.
The Chunky Chef says
I would follow the instructions in the body of the post, as that was added after doing some extensive additional testing with regard to making ahead of time, which happened after those comments from a few years ago. Also, as with all holiday recipes, I recommend making a test recipe to make sure it’s perfect on the day of 🙂
Samantha Velez says
This is so yummy and creamy. Simply wow. I am going to try these in the coming weekend. Thank you so much for the recipe
Annette says
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit.
Tami Dunstan-Adams says
These Scalloped Potatoes were amazing! I was worried about the amount of cheese sauce, it seemed like such a small amount, and it came out perfect! I didn`t have the other cheeses on hand and made it using only cheddar, I can only imagine how over the top delicious this would be using the Gruyere and Parmesan. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe 🙂
r6nationals says
I just made them for dinner tonight. The only change needed is with the flour. Substitute your favorite all purpose gluten free flour for the flour in the recipe. None of the other ingredients have gluten in them.
Marianne V. says
Just took this out of the oven (second time making it) and it is so divine. I cut up some russet potatoes to about 1/16″ with my mandoline and used 4-cheddar, Italian blend and gruyere cheeses. Baked for 50 min. covered, topped with panko and crushed corn flakes, baked another 20 min. uncovered thenbroiled on high for 2 minutes.
Sharon says
Wow these look so yummy. I am definitly going to try these
rbxcodes says
Usually just add extra cheese to sprinkle on top. Have done mix of old cheddar and smoked cheddar, whatever kicking around.
Harshini says
This dish is absolutely amazing!! I made it a few years back for xmas and it was a hit. I make it every year and occasionally when requested by friends. I couldn’t find Gruyere and used a 3 cheese blended pack plus parmesan which worked great. Thanks for sharing.
Amanda says
I have this in the oven baking right now. I added some sausage to the mix so I hope I don’t ruin the recipe with the addition. The cheese sauce smelled amazing as I was cooking it so I am sure that will be awesome. Thanks for the recipe.