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.
You’ll Love These Scalloped Potatoes Because…
- Nothing says comfort food like a perfect scalloped potatoes recipe.
- Tested and perfected, this recipe has thousands of 5-star reviews!
- This recipe is homemade from scratch for the best flavor.
- It’s easy to prepare with simple ingredients.
Ingredients for Scalloped Potatoes
- Potatoes: Thin-skinned potatoes such as Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes are my first choice 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 tend to break apart.
- Onions: Onion is a traditional ingredient in a classic scalloped potato recipe like this one. I soften it 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 a boost of flavor.
- Seasonings: Simple seasonings are all that’s needed, including salt, pepper, onion, and garlic.
Variations
- 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.
How to Make Scalloped Potatoes
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 bit more; this step creates a delicious golden brown topping on the scalloped potatoes.
Quick Tip
Scalloped potatoes will hold their heat for a long time, so they can be prepared early if needed.
Be sure to let them cool for 20 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to thicken.
Tips for Perfect Scalloped Potatoes
- Slice the potatoes evenly to ensure the scalloped potatoes cook evenly
- To make prep easy, use a mandoline. You can get them for around $25.
- If adding cheese to the sauce (which will actually make these into Potatoes Au Gratin), remove the sauce from the stove and stir in up to 2 cups of shredded cheese.
- Season the potatoes with salt and pepper between layers.
- Cover with foil while the potatoes bake so the steam cooks them a bit faster. Uncover towards the end of cooking for a gold brown top.
To Prepare Scalloped Potatoes Ahead of Time
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 to 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
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper divided
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes *see notes sliced about ⅛-inch thick
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Uncover and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and potatoes are tender. Broil for 3-4 minutes if desired.
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Allow the potatoes to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Prepare the potatoes as directed in the recipe.
- 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.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
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What is the Difference Between Scalloped and Au Gratin Potatoes?
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!
Can You Freeze Scalloped 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!
REPIN this Fantastic Casserole
Thank you for having an ACTUAL scalloped potatoes recipe! Classic scalloped potatoes do not have cheese….those would be au gratin. Apparently the internet believes all scalloped potatoes have cheese! Your site never disappoints! ❤️
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
great recipe as per usual for this site.
added shredded cheese in between my layers!
Doesn’t list temp for baking. 50-60 min @ 400* ? convection?
In step one we preheat the oven to 350°F. We cover and bake for 45 minutes. Then uncover and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes before broiling for 3-4 minutes or until golden on top.
I made these for Easter dinner and they were a HUGE hit! My whole family couldn’t stop raving about them. I followed the instructions to a tee and they were so perfect. Definitely adding this to my regular rotation! SWP Employee
Absolutely excellent!
Made these potatoes for Easter brunch and the ENTIRE family went CRAZY for them. I feel like the chicken stock(I used the “Better than Boullion” veg one) helped the cheese sauce not curdle like it sometimes did in the past. Will be my “go to” scalloped potatoes recipe from now on!!
Yummy…
I made this for Easter dinner with a ham. It was a 12 out of 10. So much flavour. I sprinkled fresh Parmesan cheese between the layers. Thank you for your cooking knowledge and interesting recipes.
I made these for our Easter dinner and we loved them! I used baby Yukon gold potatoes which were sweet and tender. My only suggestion is that this recipe made quite a bit more than 6 servings – I would say more like 8. But that just means more delicious leftovers!
Can you add diced ham to this recipe?
Sure you can!
Made these for Easter and my family loved them! They were so easy to prepare ahead of time and just reheat when ready to serve. Everyone went back for seconds! SWP Employee
So happy everyone enjoyed this recipe!
Hi Holly. I have been making and failing at my mom’s recipe. I have made several of your recipes and loved them all (I never left a comment but I will going forward!) I loved these so much! It reminded me of hers, but better! My husband was shocked that I went back for more! I never do that! I decided to freeze half of the recipe. I took it out at 50 minutes and set it to cool. I forgot and left it out overnight! I am sobbing! ARGH! I am already planning them again. I better not make that mistake twice! Anyway….thankbyou SO MUCH!
Oh no! So sad, Lynn! I love this recipe too. I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Creamy sauce but not very flavourful. I did add some cheese layered in. I probably would add some spices (rosemary, etc) next time
Those sound like delicious additions. Thanks for sharing, Brianna!
I sliced the potatoes thinly with a mandoline. despite being for 1.5 hours, the.potatoes weren’t cooked through. Very disappointing.
Hi Lura, I am so sorry to hear that! Did you slice them about ⅛” thick? We use approximately 3 pounds of potatoes for this recipe. If using more that would increase the cook time slightly.
Had my mom’s old recipe that I did not want to give up. But decided to move forward with this recipe and I was over the moon with the flavours. It is now a keeper in our family. Thank you.
Really good recipe…I sliced and par boiled the potatoes for about 5-7 minutes first and added some fresh sharp cheddar. It came out great!
I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s always been a big hit! Most recently I added some thyme when I was cooking the onions and garlic, and per the recommendation I did use a mix of cheddar and Gouda cheeses. Super easy and quite delicious. Everyone wanted some of the leftovers, and for this to be six servings, know they are huge servings!
Delicious!!
very good tasting. I will for sure make this again.
Can vegetable broth be used instead of chicken broth for this receipe? I have a vegetarian in the family. Thanks!
Yes it can, it is a little bit sweeter and will change the flavor slightly but it will still work.