If you don’t want ooey gooey cheese covering every single nook and cranny of your scalloped potatoes then look away. These Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are perfection! If you happen to want an easy Crock-Pot Scalloped Potato, I’ve got ya covered. You may also love my Potatoes Au Gratin with Smoked Sausage.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
For this recipe, I take a cream sauce and smother it over thick-cut potato rounds. I like to use a mandolin so that our potato slices come out the same every time. This is seriously the most amazing cheesy scalloped potato recipe that I have ever had.
Scalloped Potatoes vs. Au Gratin Potatoes
Why is there so much confusion about scalloped potatoes versus Au Gratin Potatoes? Well, they are very similar. So, we are calling our dish cheesy scalloped potatoes, and let me explain why we can do that. We are basically combining the best parts of both dishes.
A traditional scalloped potato dish consists of sliced potatoes layered in a casserole dish and baked with heavy cream and lots of herbs. A traditional Au Gratin Potato dish, on the other hand, has grated cheese sprinkled between the layers, resulting in a cheesy, more decadent dish. In both dishes, the potatoes are cut into rounds, but the potatoes used in scalloped potatoes are often cut a bit thicker than those in au gratin potatoes.
What Potatoes are Best for Scalloped Potatoes?
When choosing a potato for scalloped potatoes, I recommend a Russet potato (like I used for this recipe) or Yukon Gold potatoes. These two kinds of potatoes are starchy enough to help thicken the sauce and they will also turn out soft and tender. If you choose a more waxy potato, they may not soften up. Also, slice the potatoes as evenly as you can (which is why I recommended a mandoline earlier). Keep the thickness from 1/8 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch to ensure the potatoes are cooked evenly.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
So many people have asked if this could be combined with Ham. Without a doubt. This would be amazing with the addition of ham! I would maybe cube it and put it in between the rows of potatoes. Really, all you need to do is add it to the ingredients list, it will incorporate with the rest of the recipe just fine. That would take this from a side dish to a knock out the main course!
No matter which way you decide to prepare this cheesy scalloped potatoes dish, you will not be disappointed! Neither will anyone at your dinner table. Seriously? What is there not to love!?
I love to pair this with other holiday favorites like the worlds WORST stuffing, roasted carrots, creamy mashed potatoes and herb butter roasted turkey!
More Side Dishes
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Equipment
- Medium saucepan I like this one from Kitchenaid!
- Mandoline (optional)
- 2-Quart baking dish I use a glass baking dish like this one!
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices (about 2 pounds)
- 1 yellow onion, sliced into rings
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups whole milk, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray an 8×8-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Arrange the potatoes and onions in the prepared baking dish, staggering potato and then onion.
- In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened.
- Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted and smooth, about 30-60 seconds.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 85-90 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- For a crisp topping, change the oven setting to broil after the potatoes are baked. Broil until golden brown.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
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Made this 3 different times in the past 6 months and it is perfect every time!
This recipe sounds delicious and i want to make it for our family thanksgiving dinner. Can i make it the day before??
Hi Sharon!
Make-Ahead Instructions:
Prepare and Assemble: Follow the recipe steps up to pouring the cheese sauce over the potatoes and onions in the baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Refrigerate: Store the assembled, uncooked dish in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. This is great if you’re prepping the night before a big event.
Bake When Ready to Serve: Remove the dish from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to let it come closer to room temperature. This helps the dish bake more evenly. Bake as instructed.
If you are at all concerned about the cheese sauce potentially thickening too much or separating during storage, here’s an alternative approach:
Option 1 (Standard Approach): Prepare and pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes and onions before refrigerating. This is the easiest method and works well.
Option 2 (For Extra Freshness): Assemble everything except the cheese sauce. Store the potatoes and onions covered in the baking dish and keep the cheese sauce in a separate airtight container. When ready to bake, reheat the sauce gently on the stovetop, then pour it over the potatoes right before baking.
Hope that helps!
I can’t wait to make this! Thank you for including make ahead instructions!
Can you make this with red potatoes
If I prep this the night before will the bake time be the same? I imagine sitting with cheese sauce over night will soften the potatoes and reduce cook time?
I made this but I didn’t have whole milk, so I did half skim and half heavy cream. Delicious!
Can i add diced ham?
Sure – I have a recipe for that 🙂
https://iambaker.net/scalloped-potatoes-ham-and-cheese/
Can this be made in a roaster/crock pot?
I have a recipe for crock pot scalloped mashed potatoes! 🙂
https://iamhomesteader.com/crockpot-scalloped-potatoes/
Hi, wondering if you think it would be ok to leave out the onions?
I have made it with just some onion powder in the cheese sauce. It really brings the flavors together, but you do not need the raw onion if you don’t like it.
These turned out delicious!
Hi Amanda,
This recipe is delicious! I made a couple adaptations. I microwaved the potatoes and onion for 5 minutes before adding the sauce and popping in the oven due to a time crunch. Bake time was 45 minutes. I also added 1/2 cup sour cream.
This is now my go to recipe!
I made this without the onions and it was really good. I did have to add more salt for seasoning. They tasted very bland. But overall, they were great!
Can I substitute russet potatoes for gold potatoes?
Hi Amanda! Love your recipe! I also was in crunch for time and did the same short cut as Donna did… Pre microwave to kickstart the potatoes and it cut my baking time to 25 mins… I set oven at 425° in convention bake mode- faster than regular bake.
I also added 1/2 c sour cream! I Only use *El Mexicana sour cream- Original Mexican Style (red lid)* It truly tastes the best out of all the others out there!!! I was an AMAZING flavor and went perfect with our Thanksgiving Supper!
Thank You!