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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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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.