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.
Did you make this recipe?
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made this for our pot luck, senior housing in a LG roaster, was still not enough …. my first time making scalloped potatoes. they went fast, thnx
Made the recipe two days ago. All potatoes were covered in the sauce and cheese . Froze it until this morning. Several potatoes had turned black around the edges. What did I do wrong??? Can we still eat this?
Help! It’s ready to go. It really takes 80-90 minutes @ 400? Covered?
Hey I made this to the tee and it’s absolutely delicious.
I did have a problem at 400° that the cheese sauce burnt on top and i’m curious as to how it didn’t burn. I scraped it off and it looks delicious. I taste tested the sauce and added a little salt and pepper to my taste and it’s absolutely amazing.
I just would like a tip on how I can do it without burning the cheese.
Thanks so much for the recipe and it’s amazing!
Hi Nate –
Step #5 says this:
Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
So if the dish is covered with aluminum foil, the cheese won’t burn. Glad you figured out how to still make it amazing!
Be patient while waiting for mile mixture to thicken, it’s worth it. I also forgot to cover my potatoes when I put it in the oven so the top got pretty brown quickly, but even if too brown, these were delicious, every single person loved them, I will definitely make them again, I’ll remember the foil next time. Thank you for this recipe.
I consider myself a good cook and I have been trying to make homemade Scalloped Potatoes for Christmas Day the last 4 years UNSUCCESSFULLY. I found this recipe and I declared this my last try before I gave up. My husband even asked me this year if I was purposefully trying to ruin Christmas dinner.All I can say is WOW! First time ever..they turned out perfectly. Not mushy, not undercooked and the most flavorful I have ever tasted. My whole family declared these the best ever. Thank you sooo much for giving me hope. I never write reviews but thought this recipe was more than worthy of one. I want to make sure that if there is anyone else out there like me.. who has tried and failed.. that they give this one a chance!! Thank you..thank you!
Made this for Christmas dinner and they were a hit at my house. Only thing I changed was adding some light sour cream and I didn’t add the onions due to picky eaters. Now we have a scalloped potato recipe for our regular rotation thank you!
made this twice. Our family really enjoyed it along with Baked Ham for Christmas dinner. I made the recipe exactly as written.
My only comment would be to add the additional salt and pepper before baking. Easier than trying to add once it is cooked
Added chopped garlic to the butter flour mixture, then added chopped fresh parsley to the milk mixture. After a few minutes, added the cheese. So good!
I made this with left over ham added into the layers, my husband’s idea. It was a delicious dinner!