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Making this easy scalloped potatoes recipe from scratch is simple for an Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas side dish! They are incredibly comforting, creamy, cheesy, and rich.
You may also like my Funeral Potatoes or this Cheesy Potato Casserole.
Why you’ll love them
Scalloped potatoes are the best holiday side dish, but they’re totally worth making for an everyday occasion or Sunday dinner. It’s thinly sliced potatoes that are cooked in a garlicky cream mixture which thickens in the oven for irresistible layers of potato and cheese heaven.
Layering the slices might seem tricky, but this step-by-step guide will show you just how hassle-free this impressive side dish is to assemble. You’ll even have time left over to make these Deviled Eggs too for your next feast or gathering!
Is this potatoes au gratin?
- Sort of! If you want to get a little technical, this dish borrows a technique from au gratin potatoes. There’s cheese not only on top but also in between each potato layer, which just adds to the deliciousness. Lots of sources use the terms interchangeably, but mine is kind of a hybrid of au gratin and scalloped potatoes. Whatever you call it, it’s delicious.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Potatoes – use either Russet or Yukon gold. Either will work.
- Butter – for the base of the cream sauce
- Garlic – if you’re a garlic lover, go ahead and add more
- Heavy cream – for ultimate creaminess. I wouldn’t recommend using anything else
- Cheese – we’re using both cheddar and parmesan for extra cheesiness!
How to make scalloped potatoes
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grate the cheese, and slice the potatoes with a mandoline. In a small saucepan, add the butter and garlic. After frying for 30 seconds, stir in the cream and salt & pepper. Let it warm, and remove from the heat.
Arrange half of the potato slices to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. It’s ok if you don’t do this perfectly evenly! Pour half the cream mixture over top.
Sprinkle on half the cheddar and parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining potato slices over top of the first cheese layer. Pour in the other half of the cream mixture.
Top with the rest of the cheese, and bake until golden.
Make ahead tip
- Assemble the potatoes up until the step prior to baking. Cover them tightly with foil, and refrigerate up to a day ahead.
- It may take a bit longer to cook them than suggested since they’ll be cold coming straight from the fridge. I’d let them warm up on the counter for an hour or so prior to baking!
Tools for this recipe
- I highly recommend using a mandoline slicer to get even slices fast. It takes me less than 5 minutes to cut the entire 3 pounds of potatoes up. I also always use a protective glove so it’s a worry-free experience.
- Definitely grate your own cheeses. They will taste and melt a lot better, so it’s worth the bit of extra effort. I use this grater for the cheddar and this grater for the parmesan.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream for something lower fat. It may curdle/separate and it won’t thicken the same since there’s no roux in this recipe.
- You could change the cheeses up if you wish. For example, any nicely melting cheese like Gruyère will work instead of cheddar for a twist.
- You’re welcome to throw in some herbs if you like such as rosemary or thyme.
What to serve with it
- If you’re making these scalloped potatoes for the holidays, try pairing with this Easy Roast Turkey, my Easy Roast Chicken (Lemon & Herb), or baked ham.
- For more crowd-pleasing side dishes, serve it along with this Jiffy Corn Casserole or my Green Bean Casserole.
Leftovers and storage
- They will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge in a covered container.
- Reheat these potatoes in a covered saucepan on the stove at a low heat vs. in the microwave unless you put it on a lower setting. The cream is likely to separate if you warm the potatoes up at too high of a heat. You could also warm them up in the oven if you’ve got a lot left still in the casserole dish. Cover with foil.
- I wouldn’t recommend freezing leftovers because of the cheese and cream.
Questions about this side dish? Did you make it for the holidays? Let me know in the comments below!
Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 3 pounds Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups heavy/whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and move the rack to the middle position.
- Meanwhile, grate the cheeses and prepare the potatoes by peeling them and using a mandoline slicer to cut them into 1/8" (3 mm) slices.
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and once it's melted, add the garlic and cook it for about 30 seconds. Add in the cream, salt, and some pepper. Let it warm through, stirring occasionally. As it reaches a boil, take it off the heat.
- Arrange half of the potatoes on the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish (overlap the potatoes but don't worry about arranging them perfectly). Pour half the cream mixture over top, and then add half of each cheese. Repeat the process for the second layer, finishing up with a layer of cheese on top.
- Bake, covered with foil, for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick slides into the potatoes without much resistance. Ovens vary, so check for doneness earlier than suggested if your oven runs hot.
- Let the potatoes sit for 5-10 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
- Serves anywhere from 6-10 depending on serving size/what else you serve these with.
- I highly recommend using a mandoline slicer to cut the potatoes into uniform slices quickly and without hassle. I always use a protective glove with my mandoline.
- You may want to place the baking dish on a baking sheet just so any splatter/spills don’t end up in your oven (especially if your baking dish is a bit shallow).
- See blog post for more tips including how to make these ahead and step-by-step photos that show how to layer them.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I was excited to try this recipe
because it looked so good and was easy to fix. Unfortunately; I was very disappointed. My husband and I both felt that the dish was very bland and that it did taste like anything more than than potatoes with melted cheese over them. I have had scalloped potatoes before and this recipe was a failure.
Hi Taysha. Sorry it didn’t work out in your kitchen, but we’d love to troubleshoot why given that it’s one of our most popular recipes. Did you salt it adequately and use good-quality ingredients?
Made this dish tonight came out good.
I think sliced potatoes on the mandolin I think they were too thin and seem kinda soupy. But it cam good.
Glad you liked it! Did you use the same setting as I did? You may have gone a bit thinner than intended.
This turned out great! I was nervous about prepping in advance because potatoes brown so quickly after being peeled and sliced. I was able to peel, slice, and then put the slices in a bowl of cold water to keep them from browning until I was ready to work with them. Just before transferring them to the dish, I put them on some paper towel to make sure it didn’t get too watery in the pan. I found that they still browned a bit on the top when being kept in the fridge for a couple hours, so I decided to bake it early and then just reheat it in the oven on lower heat before serving. It was a huge hit. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, JV!! Thanks for your review!
Made it exactly as stated, except I replaced Parmesan with Gouda. Maybe that was a mistake, because the sauce broke. Tasted fine, just wasn’t pleasant looking. 🤷
Was this recipe supposed to have flour in it? I made it as you posted and it turned out really runny. I compared it to other recipes and they added flour so I thought I would check. It has a great flavor just really runny.
Hi Judy! Nope… the instructions are correct. I do mention in the blog post that it doesn’t contain a roux (and you can see in the step-by-step photos as well). Did you use at least 33% fat cream? Something lower in fat would definitely lead to a more liquidy sauce. It’s also possible that your oven runs a little bit cooler if you did indeed use heavy or whipping cream. I am not sure what went wrong as it’s worked for me in multiple tests, and many reviews are also positive. In any case, I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t quite work out for you. 🙁
This is a great dish, I add onions to it and a few red pepper glad for extra flavor!
Love that!!
so easy, quick and delicious! my new favorite recipe!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Piper!! Thanks for your review!
Love this Recipe. Family love it.
I’m thrilled to hear that, Connie!! Appreciate your 5-star review!