Scalloped Potatoes are an easy classic recipe, perfect for your Easter dinner, Christmas, Thanksgiving, or even Sunday dinner.
In this classic side dish, thinly sliced potatoes and onions are layered in an easy homemade cream sauce and baked until tender, golden, and bubbly.
What are Scalloped Potatoes? Said to have originated in England, the word ‘scallop’ refers to how the potato is sliced. Thin and uniformly cut potatoes are layered in a casserole dish, covered with a seasoned onion cream sauce, and baked. The result is this savory scalloped potato recipe! While traditional scalloped potatoes do not have cheese, we sometimes add a little bit.
It’s easy to prepare with simple ingredients.
This recipe is homemade from scratch for the best flavor.
Nothing says comfort food like a perfect scalloped potatoes recipe.
Potatoes: Use thin-skinned potatoes such as Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes as they don’t require peeling, and they hold their shape well. Russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes can be used and taste great; however, they are more starchy and tend to break apart.
Onions:Onion is a traditional ingredient in a classic scalloped potato recipe like this one, and it adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. It’s softened in butter to bring out the natural sweetness.
Sauce:The sauce for these scalloped potatoes is quick to make. Flour, butter, and milk give it a creamy texture, while broth adds extra flavor.
Seasonings: Simple seasonings are all that are needed, including salt, pepper, onion, and garlic.
Cheese: To add cheese to scalloped potatoes, remove the sauce from the heat and stir in up to 2 cups of shredded cheese. Sharp cheddar cheese is a great option.
Herbs: Add ½ teaspoon of dried thyme, crushed rosemary, or 1 tablespoon fresh parsley or chives to the sauce along with the flour.
Making scalloped potatoes from scratch takes time but is relatively easy.
Slice potatoes: Thinly slice the potatoes (a mandoline is helpful if you have one).
Prepare sauce: Prepare the homemade sauce according to the recipe below.
Assemble: Layer the potatoes and sauce in a baking dish.
Bake: Cover and bake. Uncover and bake a little bit longer; this step creates a delicious golden brown topping on the scalloped potatoes.
Scalloped potatoes will hold their heat for a long time, so they can be prepared up to 45 minutes early if needed. Be sure to let them cool for 20 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to thicken.
Slice the potatoes thinly and evenly to ensure the scalloped potatoes cook evenly.
To make preparation easy, use a mandoline to slice the potatoes ⅛-inch thick. You can find them for around $25.
If adding cheese to the sauce (which will turn these into Potatoes Au Gratin), remove the sauce from the stove and stir in up to 2 cups of shredded cheese. I recommend a bold-flavored cheese such as sharp cheddar or gruyere.
Season the potatoes with salt and pepper between layers.
Cover with foil while the potatoes bake—the steam helps to cook them a bit faster. Uncovering towards the end of cooking adds a gold brown top.
To prepare this scalloped potato recipe ahead of time, partially bake them as directed below.
Prepare as directed in the recipe below and bake the dish covered for 50-60 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool completely on the counter (leave them covered; the steam will help finish cooking).
Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. On the day of serving, remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered for about 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.
More Cozy Potato Recipes
This scalloped potato recipe is at the top of our list for holidays (especially paired with ham). Here are more favorites.
Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
Scalloped Potatoes are the perfect potato casserole! Tender potatoes in a creamy onion sauce baked to golden perfection.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
To make the sauce, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion begins to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes more.
Combine the milk and broth. Add mixture, a little bit at a time, whisking after each addition. The mixture will be very thick at first, continue addomg in a little bit of liquid at a time, whisking until smooth.
Once all of the liquid has been added, increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil while whisking. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and let it boil for 1 minute.
To assemble the potatoes, layer ⅓ of the potatoes in the prepared dish and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Pour ⅓ of the cream sauce over top.
Repeat the layers, including salt and pepper, ending with sauce over the final layer of potatoes. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Uncover and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and potatoes are tender. Broil for 3-4 minutes if desired.
Allow the potatoes to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Bake the dish covered for 50-60 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool completely on the counter (leave them covered, the steam will help to finish cooking). Cover and refrigerate.
On the day of serving, remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered for about 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.
Calories: 286 | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 484mg | Potassium: 1122mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 465IU | Vitamin C: 30.8mg | Calcium: 179mg | Iron: 7.7mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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Potatoes au Gratin are also called cheesy potatoes because the white sauce is actually a cheese sauce (and they often have cheese sprinkled between the layers and/or breadcrumb topping).
This scalloped potato recipe can (of course) be topped with cheese or have cheese added in but sometimes I love the simplicity in this recipe without cheese. The sweetness of the onions and milk is the perfect addition to these sliced potatoes!
These potatoes will keep in the fridge for about 4 days and reheat well in the microwave, oven or in a frying pan! If you want to freeze them longer, yes, scalloped potatoes can be frozen!
Almost any casserole dish can be frozen perfectly with a little know-how. If making a freezer meal, the best way to freeze scalloped potatoes is to not fully cook them all way, but leave them a little undercooked. Then, once they are cooled in the fridge, portion them out the way you want to and wrap carefully before putting in the freezer. To reheat, simply thaw and finish the cooking until the potatoes are tender again!
While that’s a great option, most often we want to freeze leftovers. In this case, these scalloped potatoes freeze well, although I do find they sometimes break apart a bit when reheated but they still taste great!
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