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At dinners and parties throughout the Midwest, Scalloped Potatoes are always the first thing to disappear. This recipe uses a quick, made-from-scratch cheese sauce that’s layered with plenty of potatoes.
Why you’ll love these Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
I grew up with Scalloped Potatoes that came from a box, and they tasted like the box. But after going to culinary school and mastering all the mother sauces (and daughter sauces), Scalloped Potatoes suddenly became a whole lot more interesting. Some things are just better when they’re made from scratch.
In Scalloped potatoes, you build layers of potatoes separated by a cheese sauce. But if you want to get technical, you make a roux first, then add milk to make a béchamel sauce (mother sauce), then stir in cheese to make a mornay sauce (daughter sauce). It’s all very fancy and French, but it’s also just a cheese sauce.
Don’t skip the cayenne pepper, even if you’re feeding kids. It’s just a little bit and it’s not terribly spicy, but it adds a welcome flavor and a bright color.
Scalloped Potatoes are the perfect side for a holiday meal like Christmas or Easter, but they’re easy enough that you can make them during the week, too. And if you have leftover ham, chicken, or turkey, feel free to stir it in to the sauce before you layer it between the potatoes.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Scalloped Potatoes
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Butter: Mix with flour to make a roux, the base of the cheese sauce.
- Flour: Regular all-purpose flour.
- Milk: When you add milk to your roux, it’s technically a béchamel sauce. Add cheese to a béchamel, you end up with a mornay sauce.
- Cheese: Any shredded cheese is fine. Shred it off the block yourself or buy a bag already shredded.
- Salt and pepper: It’s crucial to season your cheese sauce so the casserole isn’t bland. I have my suggested amounts of S&P in the recipe. It’s okay if the sauce tastes a little salty because it will flavor 3 pounds of sliced potatoes.
- Cayenne pepper: This adds a a subtle heat and flavor to the sauce and I highly encourage you to add it. Anything more than ¼ tsp. might be too spicy for kids in my opinion. I used ½ tsp. and loved it.
- Potatoes: Starchy russet potatoes are the best choice for scalloped potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes are another good choice as they are a hybrid of starchy and waxy potatoes. Use a mandoline if you have one, but a sharp knife works fine too.
- Chives: Garnish your potato dish with fresh chives, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese, paprika, or coarse kosher salt.
What is a mandoline slicer?
A mandoline slicer can be super helpful to quickly get uniform potato slices for Scalloped Potatoes. In our roundup of the best mandoline slicers, I included the Progressive International Slicer that I’ve used for years as the top pick. It’s stable, can stand on its own, and can even make waffle shapes.
How to Make Scalloped Potatoes (in oven)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter until foaming. Whisk in flour until cooked through, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in milk until smooth. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes longer.
- Stir in 1 cup cheese and season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne if using (I like 1 teaspoon salt , ½ teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon of cayenne, see note 2). It’s okay if the sauce tastes just a little salty because it will be flavoring 3 pounds of potatoes. You should have about 3 cups of cheese sauce.
- Drain the potatoes well in a colander and blot dry with a clean kitchen towel. Layer half the sliced potatoes in bottom of prepared baking dish.Top with half the cheese sauce (about 1 ½ cups). Layer the second half of potatoes and top with remaining cheese sauce.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese over the top.
- Bake uncovered until heated through and the cheese is melted and golden brown, about 1 hour. Garnish with fresh chives or paprika and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatos Recipe Tips
- Yield: This recipe makes about 12 servings of Scalloped Potatoes, ½ cup per serving. Your exact number of servings depends on how you slice it up.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: This recipe can be assembled, covered, and refrigerated (unbaked) up to 1 hour in advance. Bake as directed in the recipe. If you make the recipe further in advance than one hour, you may have a lake of grainy gray or brown liquid in the pan. This isn’t harmful but may look unappetizing. If this happens to you, just drain off the liquid and proceed with the recipe as directed.
Best Scalloped Potatoes Variations
- Mix up your mix-ins: For a heartier side dish that verges on main course, layer in thinly sliced ham between the potatoes or crumble cooked bacon over the top of the casserole. Thinly sliced onion, leeks, or sliced garlic cloves can be added to the layers of potatoes for a little extra flavor.
- Garnishes: G
- Slow Cooker: Prepare the liner of the pot as you would the casserole, then build the dish following the same instructions. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. They don’t get as toasty or crispy on the top, but they’ll still taste delicious.
- Au Gratin Potatoes: Potatoes au Gratin are a lot like scalloped potatoes but have cheese sprinkled in between each layer of potatoes along with the cheese sauce.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes FAQs
If you need valuable oven space and have the extra time, this recipe is easy to make in a crock pot or slow cooker. Just prepare the liner of the pot as you would the casserole, then build the dish following the same instructions. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. They don’t get as toasty or crispy on the top, but they’ll still taste fabulous.
To pre-bake the Scalloped Potatoes, bake them according to the recipe, then cool completely to room temperature. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate. Reheat the casserole (covered with foil) at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until warmed through.
Yes, scalloped potatoes freeze well. I suggest partially baking them until the potatoes begin to brown but aren’t fully cooked. Wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap, label, date, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake at 350 degrees until a thermometer reaches 165 degrees in the middle.
Starchy russet potatoes are the best choice for scalloped potatoes because they cook up tender and soak in the cheese sauce. Yukon gold potatoes are another good choice as they are a hybrid of starchy and waxy potatoes.
Potatoes au Gratin are a lot like scalloped potatoes but have cheese sprinkled in between each layer of potatoes.
In this recipe, we make the scalloped potatoes uncovered. The dry heat from the oven helps the sauce bubble to cook the potatoes, and the cheesy topping gets golden brown.
Favorite mains for scalloped potatoes
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Homemade Scalloped Potatoes (in Oven)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter (¼ cup or ½ stick)
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (¼ cup)
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- cayenne pepper to taste, optional (see note 1)
- 3 pounds potatoes peeled, thinly sliced, and submerged in water (see note 2)
- fresh chives or paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter until foaming. Whisk in flour until cooked through, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk until smooth. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes longer.
- Stir in 1 cup cheese and season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne if using (I like 1 teaspoon salt , ½ teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon of cayenne, see note 2). It's okay if the sauce tastes just a little salty because it will be flavoring 3 pounds of potatoes. You should have about 3 cups of cheese sauce.
- Drain the potatoes well in a colander and blot dry with a clean kitchen towel. Layer half the sliced potatoes in bottom of prepared baking dish. Top with half the cheese sauce (about 1 ½ cups). Layer the second half of potatoes and top with remaining cheese sauce.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese over the top. Bake uncovered until heated through and the cheese is melted and browned, about 1 hour. Garnish with fresh chives or paprika and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cayenne pepper: This adds a a subtle heat and flavor to the sauce and I highly encourage you to add it. Anything more than ¼ tsp. might be too spicy for kids in my opinion. I used ½ tsp. and loved it.
- Potatoes: Starchy russets are the best potatoes for scalloped potatoes. I like to use a mandoline slicer for easy uniform slices, but a sharp knife works fine too. Aim for 1/8-inch slices (not too thick, not too thin). Store the potatoes in water up to 24 hours in advance to prevent oxidation (and to get ahead on prep).
- Yield: This recipe makes about 12 servings of Scalloped Potatoes, ½ c. per serving. Your exact number of servings depends on how you slice it up.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
I followed the recipe to a “t”…
Absolutely the BEST!! I have this recipe saved for years to come! I used the gold potatoes. And to slice them, I used a mandolin slicer and it worked fantastic!
They were so delicious that I made additional batches of them to freeze and enjoy later. Tonight, I’m going to heat a frozen pan… fingers crossed!!
I’m so glad you loved them, Chuck! I hope it turns out perfectly! – Meggan
I made these for dinner tonight but the hour was not long enough, potatoes we still very under done. they were tasty though. May cover for first 30 minutes? Love your recipes.
Thanks, Diana! I’m sorry they didn’t bake in time. I wonder if the oven needed a little more time to preheat, or the potato slices were on the thicker side. Sorry again! – Meggan
I can’t rate the recipe very high I plan on making it tomorrow for dinner next a small spiral ham. It does sound good.
Hi Richard! I would love for you to come back and rate the recipe after you try it tomorrow! Thanks! -Meggan
These are very delicious, but they are not scalloped potatoes, they are potatoes au gratin. There is no cheese in scalloped potatoes, and certainly no cheese on top! I will definitely make them again, though. They turned out great.
Hi Heather, I’m so happy you loved it! It’s commonplace now for scalloped potatoes to contain cheese and the terms to be interchangeable. I understand where you’re coming from, though! Take care! – Meggan
I made this recipe the day before wanted to use it when I took it out of the fridge raider it had a bunch of brown water like stuff in it. I dump that watery stuff I haven’t baked it yet so I don’t know how it’s going to turn out.
I’m confused. In the notes section you indicate potatoes can be assembled and refrigerated up to 3 days before baking, but you responded to marina in the comments section to slice potatoes and keep in cold water, assembling just prior to baking? Which is it?
Hi Linda, the response was from an old comment. This was updated this year and can be made ahead of time. I hope you enjoy it! – Meggan
Could you please send me recipe for scalloped potatoes…to my email…
Just sent it over to you, hope you enjoy! – Meggan
I just wanted to remark, not to a specific recipe (although I could) but rather to how well put together you sight is.
Easy to follow
Easy to get further specifics
Detailed
Simple
Thank you. Love it.
Thank you so much Alan! Really appreciate that. – Meggan
Hi. These sound yummy. One question, I want to make these today for tomorrow’s dinner. Will the potatoes turn dark/black if made ahead of time?
Hi Marina, I would say you could prep the potatoes ahead of time and keep them submerged in water. It is possible they’d be fine if you built the whole casserole ahead. I think they would be, but since I haven’t tested it, I don’t know for sure. I’d hate to ruin your potatoes. So to get ahead, just prep the potatoes and refrigerate them in water. Thanks! -Meggan
Thanks for this special recipe. It’s in the oven, and smells yummy! We’re from Michigan, and always appreciate the Midwestern stories as well. Have a great day!
Made these scalloped potatoes tonight and added diced ham to each layer. It was straight fire! 🔥🔥🔥 SOOO good that I ate too much and I’m in physical pain. My husband already said we definitely need to make these again soon.
I’m glad you liked it Lindsay! Hopefully you can move today. 😉
This recipe looks very easy to make. I am looking forward to try it on Saturday, 9-28-19. Then I will let you know how it tastes and worked out for our Lords Kitchen Day.
I was taught that scalloped potatoes have NO cheese,and au gratin potatoes have cheese…..Yet so many recipes today are including cheese. Am I mistaken in my thinking?
Hi Diane, you are actually spot on in your thinking. You’re right. And I didn’t even know! I’m from Wisconsin things end up having cheese that might not otherwise have it or need it. However, I consulted my culinary textbook from school and you’re right. Potatoes, bechamel, nutmeg, butter, salt and pepper. That’s it. I should probably redo my recipe. Thank you for pointing that out!