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.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these!! Made a trial batch which lasted 24-hours, almost. Doubled the recipe for Christmas Eve dinner and they were devoured!! Thank you!!
I am making these again! Only change is that I will shorten the dash of cayenne, perhaps only half way across the kitchen. My first try had a little too much heat.
Fabulous recipe. The only problem I had was with the potatoes not cooking through. I did double the recipe and followed it exactly. Should I have precooked the potatoes? I used a mandolin to perfectly slice them super thin but they still took almost two hours to bake.
Great recipe
I made these for New Year’s Day 2023. What a hit! My daughter said they are “off the chain” and my wife ordered me to save the recipe. Follow the recipe, without any modifications, and you are guaranteed a spectacular side dish.
Haha Thank you!
Made for Christmas dinner – just great – guests loved it – no leftovers! :>(
I made this recipe a while ago with ham. I’m doing it again to day to use up some of the leftover ham from our holiday meal. Great recipe, easy to follow instructions.
I made these for my family’s Christmas dinner. Such an easy recipe and they turned out SO good. There were no left-overs. Creamy, cheesy goodness!
This recipe is labeled scalloped potatoes. Au gratin potatoes have cheese. Scalloped potatoes have a creamy sauce, typically no cheese.
Prepared for Christmas dinner and it was a hit! Doubled the recipe and used Larry’s instead of plain salt. That was the only tweak. Will be making again.
Turned out delicious. My partner and I made a few small changes: we did three layers of potatoes instead of two, and added some sauteed onions. In a cast iron skillet, with an oven that runs a little hot, the cooking time was just over 50 minutes. I’d definitely make these again. Oh and: I did one-and-a-half times the recipe, and five people at dinner (including me) ate up nearly the whole thing.
This is a great recipe, it’s so versatile. I added a clove of garlic, dried chives and parmesan cheese between the layers. Wow!
Mine needed an extra 10 min to cook.
Thanks!
These came together very quickly on a busy weeknight and they turned out delicious! My oven runs a little hot so I found about 50 minutes to be sufficient for the perfect texture. I’ll be making these scalloped potatoes again soon!
Thank you!
Amazing! I don’t usually leave reviews, but this was too good not to come back. I haven’t had scalloped potatoes since I was a kid, and taking the first bite was like walking down memory lane. I made as written, with some garlic and onion powder added to the sauce for personal taste. In an 8×8 I cooked for an hour and 15 minutes – this made them perfectly soft and melt in your mouth.
Thanks for leaving a review!
Actually, the difference between Scalloped and Au Gratin is the cheese. Scalloped potatoes don’t have cheese
Hi! I am going to make this for Christmas Eve dinner. I’m going to double this so I’ll be buying about 4 pounds of potatoes, do you know about how many potatoes that is?
Also, I’ve seen a few comments about the flour being too much. If I’m doubling the recipe should I double that and use 6 tablespoons of flour?
Thank you so much! I’m just nervous because I’ve never made these before and I’m making these for my husband’s family since his grandmother can’t anymore.
That would be around 8 large potatoes. I would weigh them at the store in the produce section to be sure. If you double the recipe double all the ingredients. Make sure you cook the flour mixture long enough so it doesn’t taste like flour.
A big hit last Christmas. Making again this year!!!
Thank you!
I’ll give it a 2, with the extra star being for the beautifully golden top. I’m not sure if it was the double layering or what, but everything beneath the cheesy goodness of the crust was a soggy, bland waste of ingredients. I followed the recipe to a TEE, which is unlike me. I generally adjust spices, etc. to my own taste but didn’t this time.
Fabulous & thanks! Loved the cayenned giving this recipe a touch of heat. Will be making again for sure!
Thank you!
Hi!
Would you recommend using evaporated milk rather than regular milk? Thanks! Making this tonight 😋
I think that would be great
Don’t care about you’re blog, where the recipe??
This is a rude way to ask for help
Click on “jump to recipe”/
A round of applause to the Girl who ate everything!
I have learned that a recipe is not just a list of ingredients, method really makes the meal.
That said, I followed the steps, but at the end you say ham goes well with this . . . I put it in, not along side. Hope that is okay.
What a tasty treat this was, total family hit! We both overindulged.
Perhaps the best part is the roux – Worlds better than my ‘family handed down’ recipe that called for layers made of sprinkles of dry flour and spices, then potato, then more flour . . . and the occasional dry flour bits and largely inconsistent taste while consuming them.
I’ve always had some cheese in or at the very least on top of scalloped potatoes no matter where they were eaten. Is the real answer to Au-gratin vs Scalloped the lack of roux and only a cheese sauce? Is it due to here in Wisconsin cheese goes well on most any baked dish? Who really knows/cares. One thing is for sure, this is a winner, if the recipe is followed or even if adjusted to a personal family favorite as the comments show.
Keep up the good work Christy – Thanks for all of the comments as well, ya’ll inspired me to try this.
Thank you Craig!
Delicious and easy!
I made this for my workplace’s Thanksgiving potluck today. It was a big hit! Just to avoid controversy, when I signed up, I called it “Scalloped Potatoes Gratin” LOL!
I added some garlic and onion powder to the sauce, but other than that, followed precisely. I think my oven ran hot. I could hear bubbling, and saw that some of the butter had separated, so I turned it down and cooked longer. It was still pretty creamy and tasted great! I wish I had doubled it!
Haha that made me laugh!
Hi! I was curious about trading out gluten free flour, and nut milk and ghee instead of regular milk, wheat flour and regular butter?
Sorry I haven’t tried it with all those substitutions so I don’t know.
I used gluten free flour and ghee. The results came out just like the picture. However, Idk if it was the substitutes I used or just the recipe but it wasn’t very flavorful.
Excellent, thank you for providing this traditional side dish which I was able to access with a few taps on the keyboard! I always forget the proportions for the roux, coming off a long hot summer. Grateful for cooler weather and comfort food season!
That’s so good to hear!
These are good, I did add diced onion and pepper and a bit of garlic powder. Delicious.
Thank you!
Hello, I was wondering if the oven should be heated the same and left the same time if I put the potato scallops in an aluminum foil pan?
Yes, all the same.
Thank you! I tried it and it was great. Do I have to double the ingredients if I’m making for more people? Also should I put the potato’s in water after cutting them up?
Yes put them in water after cutting and you should double if making for people.
I just wanted to see the comments to see if the recipe was good and everyone is mad about the name 😂 my grandma called cheesy potatoes scalloped potatoes too. Who cares?? I’ll definitely be using this recipe this thanksgiving, looks so good!
Scalloped potatoes do not have cheese. Potato au gratin do as the name implies.