Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

This easy scalloped potatoes recipe makes the best potato side dish! Tender slices of potatoes in an easy creamy sauce is a classic favorite!

Scalloped potatoes are an easy, classic favorite potato side dish that is great for a Sunday supper, holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! It makes the perfect side dish for serving a group. Except for mashed potatoes, it is hard to think of a more comforting potato side dish. Even though it seems so elaborate and elegant, it really couldn’t be simpler to make!

Easy Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

Originating from England, it is a recipe for uniformly and thinly sliced potatoes arranged in layers and baked in a creamy sauce. If you add the optional cheeses listed in my recipe, you have technically transformed your scalloped potatoes into Potatoes Au Gratin as traditional scalloped potatoes do not include cheese.

Scalloped Potatoes Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Potatoes: I prefer Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes that have been peeled and sliced to about 1/8-inch thick.
• Butter: you can use your preference of salted or unsalted butter in this recipe.
• Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe to make the signature creamy sauce for the potatoes.
• Milk or Heavy Cream: you’ll want to use whole milk or heavy cream in this recipe for the proper consistency in the sauce.
• Salt: if you are using salted butter, you can reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
• Ground Black Pepper: – I love to use black pepper, but for a traditional appearance of scalloped potatoes, white pepper works beautifully.
• Cayenne Pepper: I love the addition of cayenne pepper in this potato recipe. You can omit it from the recipe if you prefer.
• Optional Ingredients: onion, garlic, fresh thyme, cheeses

How to Make Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

Prep. To make my scalloped potatoes, begin by preheating your oven to 350º F. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Make Your Cream Sauce. The cream sauce is so easy to make. You are making a roux, a creamy sauce from butter and flour. To this roux, you are adding your milk or cream and seasonings.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until well-combined, then whisk in milk, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and any optional ingredients for additional flavors.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to whisk until the sauce begins to bubble slightly around the edges of the saucepan and has thickened slightly.

Remove from the heat and pour over the sliced potatoes in the casserole dish.

Bake. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is golden and the potatoes are fork-tender, an additional 45 minutes. For an even more golden top, you can broil it for 3 to 5 minutes.

Cool. Remove the Scalloped Potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. This allows the cream sauce to thicken and the potatoes to set for easier serving. Be sure to allow the potatoes to rest. Otherwise, the cream sauce can be too thick and cause the potatoes to not be as easy to serve.

Au Gratin Potatoes

You may be wondering what is the difference between au gratin potatoes and scalloped potatoes. While traditional Scalloped Potatoes do not include cheese, we love to add it from time to time. If you add cheese, you’ve made au gratin potatoes. Just stir your cheese into the cream sauce once you reduce the heat to a simmer.

I recommend using freshly shredded Monterey Jack, Gruyere, Fontina, Pepper Jack, or Cheddar Cheese, etc., instead of packaged pre-shredded cheeses. They are usually coated with an ingredient to keep the cheese from sticking together in the packaging. This coating causes the cheese not to melt as well, in my opinion.

How to Make Ahead, Store, and Freeze Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

To Make Ahead: Bake the scalloped potatoes as directed and allow them to cool. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, cover with foil and bake at 350º F until heated throughout about 30 minutes.

To Store: Cover cooled scalloped potatoes tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in 350º F oven until heated throughout, about 30 minutes.

To Freeze as Meal Prep: If you prepare them for your meal prep, I recommend cooking the first 45 minutes covered with foil. Allow to cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, you’ll want to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then bake until fork tender. This may take longer than 45 minutes since the original recipe had a hot cream sauce that the thawed-from-frozen dish does not.

To Freeze Leftovers. Yes, you can freeze any leftover scalloped potatoes. For this, portion the fully cooked leftover recipe into freezer-safe containers. Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, remove from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, remove the foil and cover it with a microwave-safe cover to reheat in the microwave, or leave the foil to reheat in the oven. Then reheat until warmed throughout.

Reheating Tip!

Note: I occasionally sprinkle the leftover recipe with a bit of water before I reheat. This produces steam as the casserole is reheated, which prevents the cream sauce from breaking and adds moisture.

What Can I Make To Serve with Scalloped Potatoes?

These potatoes are always a favorite side dish on our holiday table, served with Roasted Turkey or Ham. But you don’t have to wait for a special event to serve these. This recipe is simple and can even be made ahead, so enjoy them any time! Enjoy them with Skillet Rib Eye Steaks, Baked Chicken, or a meatless meal alongside green beans or a House Salad.

Here’s my Scalloped Potatoes recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

From the Add a Pinch recipe archives, originally published 2013.