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This easy scalloped potatoes recipe is incredibly comforting, creamy, cheesy, and rich! It’s a simple side dish that feeds a crowd and has very few ingredients.
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 a great weeknight side dish as well. 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 yet impressive this 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.
What 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!
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- 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.
- Here is the 9×13 baking dish pictured.
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. Grate the cheese, and slice the potatoes with a mandoline. In a small saucepan, add the butter and garlic. Fry until fragrant, then 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 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!
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 scalloped potatoes
- They go with any main course. Try my Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Garlic Butter Steak Bites.
- If you’re making these for Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving, try pairing with this Easy Roast Turkey, my Easy Roast Chicken (Lemon & Herb), or baked ham.
- For more crowd-pleasing side dishes, serve along with this Jiffy Corn Casserole, Baked Mac and Cheese, 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.
If you made these cheesy scalloped potatoes, please leave a star rating and review below! I love hearing from readers. I’m also on Instagram.
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.
- This recipe is also in chapter 8 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi There,
Is there a substitute that you can recommend for the heavy cream, or will that just throw off the recipe?
Thank you!!
Hi Tina! I haven’t tested anything besides heavy cream, so unless you’re in an experimenting kinda mood, I wouldn’t risk it. Anything lower fat is likely to separate in the oven.
I have use whole milk and it works just fine, but the heavy cream gives a richer taste, i prefer the heavy cream.
Oh my gosh…was lonely for my mom and this dish was on my mind. Better than mom’s. Added ham cubes. That was the childhood meal I was hungry for and this dish more than delivered!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! 😀
I have this recipe in the oven right now. Hope it tastes great! I’ll let you know!
Hope you love them, Jerry! 🙂
So…. I haven’t made these kinds of potatoes in many years. They are baking as I type….so excited after seeing your reviews 😍 I think that scalloped potatoes remind us to slow down and take time.
I hope you love them, Vanna!! I totally agree… sometimes it’s nice to slow down and make something with a bit of love!
Potatoes came out perfect! For some reason I haven’t made au gratin potatoes in years so I needed a recipe. So glad I found yours. They were delicious and the whole family loved them. I’m looking forward to leftovers. Thank you.
Fantastic!! That’s so nice to hear, Star! 😀 Thanks for writing me a review. XO
I made these today for dinner… Everyone loved them…I will make this my go to recipe…followed recipe…no changes were made…thank you for sharing your recipe
You’re very welcome, Susan!! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to write me a comment. Glad they were a hit!
How far in advance can this be made?
I’d do two days max, but overnight is probably the best IMO. Hope you enjoy the recipe! See the “make ahead tips” section of the blog post for details.
I see the make ahead directions. Do you bake them and then put them in the frig if you are making them the night before?
Hi! No, you assemble up until the baking step then refrigerate and then bake them the next day. That’s easier than trying to reheat the whole thing, I’d say.
Hi! Can you make this a day ahead of time?
You bet. There’s actually a tip in the blog post describing what I’d do.
Made this last night. It was delicious and quite simple to put together. I made 1 change because my family loves cheese. I cubed 8 ounces of Velveeta and melted them in the cream mixture. Turned out very rich and extra cheesy. Loved it!
I’m so happy they were a hit!! 😀
Made this for a friend’s dinner when I offered to bring scalloped potatoes – even though I’ve never made scalloped potatoes before and had no recipe in mind. I figured Salt and Lavendar had never steered me wrong, so when I saw she had a SP recipe, I knew it was the one. And holy cow did it deliver! I should have taken a picture, but it looked like something on a, well, food blog. It was bubbly, creamy, and browned to perfection. It was also a slam dunk! Everyone loved it. We had the leftovers for breakfast! I followed the recipe pretty closely, just added a teaspoon or two of thyme and an extra garlic clove for good luck. I shredded some sharp cheddar and grated some good parm. With the help of a mandolin, it came together quickly and easily, but with impressive results. I’ll definitely put this one in my actual recipe box (the highest honor at my house for a good recipe). Thanks!
That’s awesome!!! I’m so happy to hear that… thank you so much for your detailed review – it made my day. 😀