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, or Thanksgiving!
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.
These Scalloped Potatoes with cheese, ask me whatever you want about them. They’re fabulous by the way. And that’s coming from someone who loves her mashed potatoes.
The most important thing in scalloped potatoes is to make sure you slice them 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 or Russet potatoes are best for this dish.
- Butter, flour, and milk – For your roux, these ingredients make the base of a creamy sauce.
- 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 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.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCALLOPED POTATOES AND POTATOES AU GRATIN?
Scalloped potatoes are traditionally in a creamy sauce whereas potatoes au gratin 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 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:
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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 casserole 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.
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 Potatoes
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes
- Funeral 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.
This is the 5th time I have made this potato dish. I have made it exactly according to directions and my family loved them. I will kick it up a notch by adding some jalapeños. We have a huge harvest of jalapeños this year. Thanks for posting a fantastic recipe!
Thank you Carol!
Wow for a person who has a website or blog you certainly don’t know about cooking 🤦♀️, to state what’s the difference between scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin you’ve failed to mention cheese, scalloped potatoes don’t have cheese, potatoes au gratin do, that’s the main difference.
Go make your own blog then
Your know-it-all attitude is quite unappetizing. Some tact would serve you well. Potatoes au gratin are named for the cheesy, bread crumb crust on top. The potatoes are usually sliced thicker, such as by hand. Scalloped potatoes are thinner sliced and may or may not have cheese.
TRUE, classic SCALLOPED potatoes have NO CHEESE in them at all; it has nothing to do with a crunchy topping. Classic AU GRATIN potatoes have the cheese in them. You are misleading your readers with new age chicanery. Shame on you.
Where do you get off shaming someone for their hard work? For doing something they love? For helping others feed their families? The shame should be on your judgemental soul.
Excuse me but the person was stating fact the person should not be stating something inaccurate when it comes to providing information relating to cooking, I would be stating shame on you as well! It’s stating something deceptive how is that not shameful? Anybody who knows anything about cooking would know that true scalloped potatoes do NOT have cheese you should not be coming down on someone for stating fact! Quite frankly the person should be embarrassed for stating inaccurate information!
You said anybody who knows anything about cooking knows the difference. If you’re as knowledgeable as you think, what are you doing on this website? You can see the included cheese in the photo, but you still clocked. Go make your own recipe instead of criticizing others.
You said anybody who knows anything about cooking knows the difference. If you’re as knowledgeable as you think, what are you doing on this website? You can see the included cheese in the photo, but you still clicked. Go make your own recipe instead of criticizing others.
Exactly! True scalloped potatoes don’t have cheese there are so many people that include cheese in a scalloped potatoes recipe it drives me crazy!
Just leave the cheese out then, it’s not hard
Who cares? No one said you have to make it. Choose another recipe.
You have it backwards. “Gratin (French pronunciation: [ɡʁatɛ̃]) is a culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or butter.”
“Gratin dauphinois is a French dish of sliced potatoes baked in milk or cream, using the gratin technique, from the Dauphiné region in south-eastern France. There are many variants of the name of the dish, including pommes de terre dauphinoise, potatoes à la dauphinoise and gratin de pommes à la dauphinoise.[1] It is called potatoes au gratin in American English. Some purists insist that a gratin dauphinois must not include cheese, which would make it a gratin savoyard.“
So gratin refers to the crispy crust, and classic, “purist” potatoes au gratin don’t have cheese. Check your facts before you get angry at someone.
Great Recipe . . . I bumped mine up just a bit by adding some beacon crumble and sour cream . . . Just had to make my own recipe . . . But a Great Big Sincere Thank you
This was an easy delicious recipe… and is now apart of my monthly menu effective immediately. I did slice and par- boil the potatoes for. About 8 minutes. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly.
So happy to hear that.
I’ve made this recipe about a dozen times now, and it’s perfect every time. It’s the perfect thing to bring to a “potluck”, and I always double the batch to a 9×13 pan. We live in Wisconsin and enjoy access to exceptional cheeses. Sometimes I have a small amount of several varieties, so I shred them to the suggested amount and stir them into the roux. I always come home with an empty pan and rave reviews! Thank you for this recipe!
Thanks for your feedback
Quick question: I prepped the recipe last night, plan to bake it tonight. Instead of cheddar I used a local raw milk alpine cheese (I’m in Bozeman, MT) and I used about two lbs of spuds but it doesn’t seem like there is enough sauce. How enveloped in the sauce should the spuds be prior to baking? Should I stir them to ensure they are covered? Thanks for your guidance!
They should be fine. The potatoes kind of shrink when they cook and bury in the sauce
These were delicious, and a little quicker than my usual scalloped potato recipe. I did bake them a few minutes longer than one hour and they were ever so slightly more firm than we’re used to, but no one cared ……they were gone in a flash!
Yay!
These were so good. I used caution with flour as another commenter stated and only used 2Tbsp, and the dish was perfect. Will definitely be using this recipe in the future and will try the cheese sauce for Mac n cheese too.
Hi. I followed the scalloped potatoes recipe, put in the oven for an hour. The sauce was delicious however, the potatoes were still raw and hard. What do I do wrong?
You might need to slice them thinner or cook longer depending on your oven.
This is not scalloped potatoes it is potatoes a gratins. Scalloped doesn’t have cheese.
These were amazing! Followed the recipe to the letter and the entire family (wife, parents, brother, nieces) proclaimed that these *must* be served at family gatherings. As a bonus the sauce would be perfect for homemade mac and cheese. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome!
Making this today for the second time this month! I parboil the potatoes for 4-5 minutes because for some reason my potato dishes take forever in the oven! And once that’s fine, the potatoes won’t turn pink and can be pre-assembled! Also followed the recommendation of some reviewers to add onion – I just cook in the sauce for a couple minutes. Much easier to use a food processor to slice the potatoes and shred the onion and cheese! Delicious!
I added a diced jalapeño and some homemade bacon bits to this recipe. I layered them between the potatoes and cheese sauce. It’s now a family favourite.
Thanks. Happy to ehar that.
Would recommend 1-2 tablespoons of flour rather than 3.
Just made this dish. Easy to make. And a fabulous texture and flavor. Thanks!!
You’re welcome!
Not to be particular but, if you are adding cheese to the sauce, you are making au gratin potatoes. Scalloped potatoes do not have cheese in them.
**NoT tO Be PArtICulAr** 😂
These were delicious! People are so pretty – cheesy potatoes, scalloped potatoes, what does it matter? They’re really good and super easy to make! Thank you!!
Word! I’m baking mine now and they smell absolutely delicious, no matter WHAT they’re called!
Umm, au gratin maybe but not scalloped. Make it right please.
PS: Curdling comes from using too high heat when preparing the cheese sauce. It’s as contrary as chocolate when it comes to seizing.
Hi there. I was just wondering if anyone had problems with the sauce tirning a little grainy?
That usually means your heat was too high.
If you used bagged cheese(processed) that could happen as well.
If you make them without cheese, do I need to change anything in the recipe?
No, but they won’t be quite the same.
These were so good! Served them yesterday on Easter and the family raved about them. I used an 8×8 dish, and ended up having three layers of potatoes and cheese sauce. Will definitely be making again! Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome!
These are delicious. My family loves them. I’ve made them twice now. This time I made them gluten free and dairy free and they were still great! I used arrowroot starch and oat milk.
Love this recipe. We’ve made it multiple times now. It’s so easy and everyone raves about the flavors. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
These potatoes are great. I do like you said pre heat for thirty minutes.
No problem trying to get the potatoes cooked at the time of serving.plus
I make them pretty thick 🥰
Good to know!
Scalloped potatoes do not have cheese. That’s au gratin
It would be nice if the ads weren’t covering all the ingredients, with no way to close them… 😡
You can download an add blocker for your computer or phone. I don’t see any adds.
To make it gluten free, which would work better – corn starch or a gluten free flour blend?
At different times, I’ve used a GF 1 to 1 flour blend and cassava flour and both of those worked beautifully.
Yes!
Fantastic recipe! We absolutely love it.
Scalloped or au gratin -whatever! These are delicious! Will definitely be making these again and again!