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With thousands of reviews, this is a FIVE-STAR FAVORITE!
Tested and perfected, this classic Scalloped Potatoes layers sliced potatoes and onions with an easy homemade cream sauce. It’s baked until golden and bubbly.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights For Scalloped Potatoes
- Flavor: Creamy and slightly buttery, this is a true scalloped potato recipe with a creamy white sauce, onion, and butter.
- Prep ahead: These can be prepared a couple of days ahead of time. I’ve included directions in the recipe notes.
- Recommended tools: A mandoline will make for even slices and save lots of prep time.
- Kitchen tip: Scalloped potatoes will hold their heat for up to 45 minutes, so prepare them early if you need the oven space.
- Recipe tip: Let them cool for at least 20 minutes before serving so the sauce thickens.
Ingredient Tips For Scalloped Potatoes
This Scalloped Potato recipe uses simple ingredients.
- Potatoes: I use Yukon gold or red potatoes for scalloped potatoes. They have thin skins, so they don’t need to be peeled, and they will hold their shape. Russet or Idaho potatoes can be used and should be peeled; they won’t hold their shape as well but still taste great.
- Onion: Use either white or yellow onion to flavor the sauce. Soften the onion in butter to bring out the natural sweetness.
- Sauce: Milk makes the sauce creamy without being too rich or heavy. Broth may not be traditional, but it adds flavor and salt to the sauce. I prefer chicken broth, but vegetable broth can be used.
- Seasonings: Since this is a classic scalloped potato recipe, the seasonings are simple. Salt, pepper, onion, and garlic—be sure to salt each layer of potatoes, too.
- Variation: Add ½ teaspoon of dried thyme, crushed rosemary, or 1 tablespoon fresh parsley or chives to the flour.
Serving suggestions: Serve these Scalloped Potatoes next to baked ham for Easter or Christmas, alongside meatloaf for Sunday supper.
Gratin vs. Scalloped
The main difference between scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin is the cheese. Scalloped potatoes don’t generally contain cheese (although you can add cheese if you’d like).
This recipe has a creamy onion sauce; cheese can be added for an au gratin version—check the recipe notes for tips.
Steps for Scalloped Potatoes (overview)
Making scalloped potatoes from scratch takes time, but it is easy. There are four basic steps:
- Slice potatoes: Thinly slice the potatoes (a mandoline is helpful).
- Prepare sauce: Make the homemade sauce (recipe below).
- Assemble: Layer the potatoes and sauce in a baking dish.
- Bake: Cover and bake to make the potatoes tender. Uncover and bake to create a golden brown topping.
How to Freeze Scalloped Potatoes
To freeze scalloped potatoes, cook them for 25 minutes less than the recipe requires. Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze. To cook, thaw the potatoes in the fridge overnight and follow the directions below, adding 20 minutes to the covered cooking time.
Leftovers & Storage
Store leftover scalloped potatoes in the fridge for up to 4 days. They can be reheated in the microwave or oven. Chopped scalloped potatoes make great breakfast potatoes cooked until crisp in a nonstick skillet.
Did your family love these Scalloped Potatoes? Leave us a rating and a comment below.
Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1 large yellow 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 or red potatoes, *see notes, sliced about ⅛-inch thick
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
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.
- Combine the milk and broth. Gradually add it to the flour mixture, whisking until smooth after each addition. It will be very thick at first; continue adding a little bit of liquid at a time while whisking.
- 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 the sauce boil for 1 minute.
To Assemble the Potatoes
- Layer ⅓ of the potatoes in the prepared dish, seasoning with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Pour ⅓ of the cream sauce over top.
- Repeat the layers, including salt and pepper, ending with sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and potatoes are tender. Broil for 3-4 minutes if desired.
- Allow the potatoes to rest for at least 20 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 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 Casserole, Side Dish
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Just a question – you mention and link a roux, which we made and I assumed that was for the sauce. But later in the recipe there is no mention of the roux again…
So….do we…skip the things that look like a sauce ingredient now and just use the roux? since ow realizing that wasn’t actually part of your recipe?
or you used the roux to mix into your sauce? I know I can tweak this however I want, just clarifying the original instructions. thank you!
The butter and flour in step 1 is the roux in this recipe.
Excellent flavor.
Made these with no changes to the recipe. They are fantastic. Just like my grandmother’s.
I divided mine into two pans and I saw that there wasn’t enough sauce, so I poured a bit of heavy whipping cream in. Turned out perfectly!
Potatoes were tender but the taste was blah. I’m surprised by the high rating.
Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out as expected for you, Debby!
Im planning to make this soon. Was wondering if you could par boil the potatoes and/or raise oven temperature.
Hi Laurie, I haven’t tried it with this recipe but I think it should work just fine. I would follow the steps in this Cheesy scalloped potatoes recipe which does boil them first. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
fantastic recipe
I need gluten free meals
Hi Les, we don’t specifically create gluten free recipes but a lot of our recipes are naturally gluten free or can easily be made gluten free by swapping in gf flour or other alternatives. A few of my personal favorites right now: Beef Stew (especially with the snow on the ground!), Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole (my go-to weekend brunch), and this easy Sticky Honey Chicken recipe just to name a few!
Made these tonight and added some smoked kielbasa, it is so good!!!! I’ve been struggling to get the perfect consistency on my scalloped potatoes and this was it! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
I was looking for a simple recipe for scalloped potatoes that didn’t use cream or other fancy ingredients. This recipe is excellent. I had some leftover ham, which I spread around on the layers of potatoes, and also a partial bag of leftover shredded Mexican cheese, so I sprinkled that in there too. The result was amazing. Even my granddaughter ate these with abandon. This will be my go-to recipe in the future.
So happy to hear that, Mary! I am glad everyone enjoyed it.
That’s hands down the best scalloped potatoes recipe I’ve ever made. I have have been trying so many recipes to find one like my Gramma made and that was in the 50’s , excellent, good job
This recipe is wonderful! I will make again. It help me be creative and add my own touches.
I added 1 tsp of chicken bouillon along with salt and pepper.
I also substituted 1 cup of milk for half and half.
Delicious, very simple and easy to make. love the little pockets of sauce between the potatoes. I’ve been experimenting with tarragon, I sprinkled on top and it was such a nice addition. I am already craving them! Taste just as good microwaving the leftovers.
Deeeeeelicious!!!!! Great blend of flavors. I added cubed ham but followed the directions to an T and was not disappointed!
These potatoes are absolutely delicious! They came out perfectly as I followed the recipe exactly! These will definitely be a staple side dish in my household now.
I made this recipe for dinner tonight and yum, they came out delicious. I will be using this recipe for future. Thank you for sharing.
These came out great!! Made them as written for the first time. I don’t see any reason to change anything. Next time I may add some cheese for a flavor change.
I just made this recipe today as written and they were the best scalloped potatoes ever!!! Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe!!!
Can I use red potatoes for this recipe? I’ve made it a couple times already – I do use less potatoes than the recipe calls for to keep it moister and it’s always a hit!
Hi Amy, yes you can use red potatoes for this recipe. I would love to hear how the dish turns out for you!
Covered with foil first hour but still took almost 2 hours to bake. Taste-tested after an hour; bland, tasted like potatoes and milk gravy. I added garlic powder, more salt, basil, thyme and later, cheddar cheese. Tasted better, but won’t make this again.
Sorry this dish didn’t turn out for you, Ramona. Usually our readers love it!
Made this for dinner last night, I only had 3 potatoes so I halved the sauce recipe and it came out great. Good amount for 2 people.
I enjoy a lot of the recipes form this site, but I won’t make this one again as I also found it bland – both the potatoes and the sauce.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Katie!