Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are made with thinly sliced potatoes layered in a rich homemade cheese sauce and baked until golden and bubbly. They cost about $1.18 per serving and make an easy side dish for holidays, Sunday dinners, or busy weeknights.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
This dish is seriously the best comfort food. If you have never made homemade potatoes au gratin before, it is a must try. The flavor can’t be beat and each bite is rich and creamy. Once you make these, you will never go back to store bought mixes. The flavor is richer and all around amazing.
My family loves this recipe just as much as our other favorite potato side dishes. If you’re looking for more comfort food, try our funeral potatoes, instant pot scalloped potatoes, stove top scalloped potatoes recipe, potatoes au gratin recipe, crock pot scalloped potatoes and ham and scalloped corn recipe if you are interested.
Quick Glance at this Recipe
- Budget-Friendly: Made with simple ingredients like potatoes, milk, broth, and shredded cheese.
- Family-Tested: Creamy, cheesy layers make this a side dish everyone comes back for.
- Real-Life Prep Time: About 20 minutes, plus baking time.
- Method: Baked casserole side dish.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Assemble ahead and bake when ready.
- Best For: Holidays, Sunday dinner, potlucks, or an easy comfort food side.
Ingredients
- Russet Potatoes – Thinly sliced potatoes. You can also use Yukon Gold Potatoes
- Butter – We used unsalted butter
- Flour – We used all purpose flour
- Milk – Use 2% or whole milk. You can also use heavy cream instead of the milk if you prefer.
- Chicken Broth – See Chicken broth substitutes
- Minced Garlic – If you use garlic cloves, learn how to How to Mince Garlic Cloves
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Use Shredded cheese but you can also use Colby Monterey Jack Cheese and Pepper Jack Cheese
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.
How to Make Scalloped Potatoes
Follow along with my simple instructions to learn how I make my cheesy scalloped potatoes recipe.
Step 1 – First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You will need a 9X13 baking pan and spray it with cooking spray.
Step 2 – Second, melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Once melted, add the flour and minced garlic and whisk together.
Step 3 – Whisk in the chicken broth, then gradually pour in the milk, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the salt and pepper, then cook over low heat, whisking often, for about 3-4 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step 4 – Turn the heat down to low (don’t turn it off) and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, a handful at a time. Keep stirring over the low heat until each addition is fully melted before adding more, about 2-3 minutes total. If the cheese isn’t melting smoothly, warm the sauce for another minute over low heat — just don’t let it boil, or the sauce can turn grainy.
Step 5 – Now get your baking dish and put half of the potatoes in it. Then carefully pour half of the cheese sauce on top of the potatoes you just put in the casserole dish. Do another layer of potato slices and cream sauce. That is it!
Step 6 – Now just bake the scalloped potatoes uncovered for about 55 to 70 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Step 7 – During the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking, switch the oven to the broil setting. Let the potatoes broil until the top starts to get slightly browned.
Step 8 – Once you take the potatoes out of the oven, let them sit at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes before you serve them. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Shredded Cheese – It is best to shred your own cheese instead of using the pre-shredded cheese. It melts smoother and more evenly.
- Slicing Potatoes – Make sure to slice the potatoes about the same size so they cook evenly. Using a mandolin helps to slice the potatoes evenly.
- Baking Dish – This recipe is large enough for to be baked in a 9×13 baking dish. But you can also use two 8×8 baking pan.
- Watch for Bubble-Over – This dish bakes uncovered, so if your baking dish is on the fuller side, place it on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. If the top is browning faster than the potatoes are cooking through, loosely tent it with foil for the remaining bake time, then remove the foil for the last few minutes so it can still brown before broiling.
Additions and Variations
These au gratin potatoes can be made with additions and variations. Add in fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary or fresh thyme. It would even be delicious with diced ham for a hearty side dish.
You can even add in vegetables such as diced onions or bell peppers.
A few readers have put their own spin on this recipe with great results. One swapped the chicken broth for vegetable broth and used a blend of cheddar and pepper jack cheese for a little kick. Another topped the finished dish with crispy fried onions (like the kind used on green bean casserole) during the last few minutes of baking for extra crunch.
Serving Suggestions
- Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
- Air Fryer Southern Fried Chicken Recipe
- Slow Cooker Traditional Meatloaf Recipe
- Easy Crock Pot Pork Chops
- Mississippi Pot Roast
Honestly, these potatoes go with just about anything. These are just a few of our favorites.
Frequently Asked Questions
We sharp cheddar cheese in this recipe but you can use any type of cheese that you prefer. We do recommend using fresh shredded cheese instead of the packet shredded cheese for the best flavor.
The best way to prevent your scalloped potatoes from being to watery is to use the right kind of potatoes. You want to use a starchy potato such as Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes. Also, there is no need to soak or rinse the potatoes. This removes the starch which could turn your dish to be watery.
If you pull the dish out and the sauce is thinner than you’d like, don’t worry — let it rest at room temperature for the full 15-20 minutes as directed. The sauce continues to thicken as it cools and the potatoes finish absorbing liquid. If it’s still thin after resting, next time try increasing the bake time by 10-15 minutes, or slice your potatoes slightly thinner so they release more starch into the sauce.
Yes! Assemble the potatoes and cheese sauce in the baking dish, but don’t bake it yet. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the top layer of potatoes before covering the dish — this keeps air off the sliced potatoes so they don’t turn brown or gray in the fridge. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then let the dish sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking as directed (it may need a few extra minutes in the oven since it’s starting out cold).
Not exactly, but they’re close cousins. Traditional scalloped potatoes are potato slices baked in a simple cream or milk sauce, while potatoes au gratin add cheese between the layers. This recipe is a bit of a hybrid — we build a cheese sauce right into the base, so you get the cheesy layers of au gratin with the classic scalloped potato technique. If you want the more traditional cheese-between-the-layers version, try our Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe. Either way, it’s rich, creamy comfort food.
Storing and Reheating Tips
- Storing – Store the leftovers in an airtight container. The leftovers will stay fresh for 3-4 days. We think they taste even better the next day.
- Reheating – Reheat the leftovers in the oven or microwave depending on how much you have leftover.
- Freezing – You can freeze scalloped potatoes, but the texture may change some. We recommend making fresh and enjoying within a few days.
More Easy Potato Recipes
These homemade Scalloped Potatoes are creamy, cheesy, and always a favorite for holidays, family dinners, and potlucks. They are simple to make with affordable ingredients and taste so much better than the boxed versions.
If you try this Scalloped Potatoes Recipe, please leave a comment and a star rating below. We love hearing how it turned out for your family and any delicious additions you made.
Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Potatoes thinly sliced (⅛ inch thick) (Russet or Yukon Gold)
- ¼ cup Butter
- ¼ cup Flour
- 2 cups Milk 2% or whole milk
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9X13 baking dish with a non stick cooking spray.
- Melt ¼ cup of butter in a small sauce pan and then whisk in ¼ cup of flour and 1 Tbsp minced garlic.
- Whisk in 1 cup of chicken broth and then gradually add in 2 cups of milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Stir in the 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of pepper, then cook over low heat, whisking often, for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Reduce the heat to low (don't turn it off) and stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese a handful at a time, stirring constantly until melted before adding more, about 2-3 minutes. Keep the heat low so the sauce doesn't boil once the cheese is in, or it can turn grainy.
- Then place half of the potatoes (1.5 lbs) in the baking dish. Pour half of the cheese sauce on top of the layer of the potatoes in the pan. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and cheese sauce.
- Bake uncovered for 55-70 minutes at 350 degrees F until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Switch the oven to the broil setting and broil for 3-5 minutes until the top of the scalloped potatoes are browned slightly.
- Remove and let the potatoes set at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Decent recipe but does not specify how long to heat the sauce to melt the cheese. Stirring until smooth does not get it hot enough.
Thank you for the feedback! Heat the sauce over low heat, whisking constantly, just until it is smooth and heated through. Then turn off the heat and stir in the shredded cheese until completely melted. I’ll work on making that clearer in the recipe!
Concise and thorough instructions. Easy to follow and customize. Better than the all recipes one for sure! If you don’t have your own recipe definitely use this one and add whatever you want, it’ll turn out great. *If you don’t want to worry about bubble over in the oven, use a bigger pan, cook time will be fine at 70 min
Thank you, Nathan! I appreciate your comment and feedback.
Was thinking of getting those dried onions over the top, the ones you use for green bean casserole?
Yes! Crispy fried onions would be delicious on top. I would add them toward the end so they stay nice and crunchy!
Made this recipe & my husband told me to save the recipe. Had to substitute some of the ingredients because that’s what I had. Used vegetable broth & cheddar/pepper jack cheese. Also added onions & red pepper flakes.
I love that! Your substitutions sound delicious, especially the pepper jack and red pepper flakes. So glad your husband enjoyed it too!
Why don’t you make this recipes printable? So much easier than working off smart phone.
Diane – If you scroll to the bottom, there is a printable recipe. Hope this helps! Have a great day!
Thank you! I saw it right after hitting send. Ooops!
We sampled the sauce and could hardly wait for the potatoes to finish baking. My mom only made boxed au gratin and of course these were far superior. Family loved them!
I’m so glad to hear this Margaret! Thank you for sharing and for the positive review of the recipe!
Wow good, just like mom’s !
That is the best compliment! Thank you so much for sharing Douglas and for the positive review of the review!
Absolutely delicious!!
Jackie – Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
The easiest side dish and tastiest that I serve at get togethers and they are the RAGE !