This Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Recipe is rich, creamy, and totally comforting. Made with just 7 ingredients, and less than 30 minutes of prep. If you’re looking for the best scalloped potatoes to serve for Sunday dinner, Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, this recipe is always the first dish gone!
Cheesy potatoes of any kind are one of my favorite side dishes. They go with practically any meal, and are always a winning classic side dish. You’ll love serving them with this Stuffed Flank Steak!
These scalloped potatoes would be a great option with an Easter ham, grilled pork chops, roasted chicken, or even a side dish with warm soup. They’re perfect to add to any meal, but would be especially great for a holiday dinner!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Simple Ingredients: Only 7 ingredients (and that counts salt and pepper), these are made with minimal prep and ready to bake with less than 30 minutes of your time.
- So Cheesy: Every bite is rich, cheesy, creamy, and flavorful!
- Crowd Favorite: These are always the first to disappear at any dinner or gathering. The only bad thing is you won’t have leftovers.
- Make Ahead Friendly: Easy to prep and store in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it on the day of, so you can relax ahead of time.
What you’ll need:
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Unsalted Butter: this gives the sauce substance and flavor, you can use salted butter if that is what you have on hand, cut the salt by 1/4 teaspoon when adding and season to taste.
- All Purpose Flour: this helps thicken the sauce by making a roux with the butter
- Half and Half: you can use whole milk instead of the half and half for a lighter, but slightly less rich sauce. You can also use heavy cream if desired
- Salt and Black pepper: for flavor
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Use freshly grated cheese for the best results. I love a sharp cheddar cheese, but medium cheddar, or your favorite cheese like Colby jack, or other would be delicious too.
- Peeled and Sliced Potatoes: personally, my favorite potatoes are russet potatoes, or yukon gold, which will give you the best tender potato. Other varieties may not soften when baking.
How to make Homemade Scalloped Potatoes?
Step 1: Make the Roux. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add in the flour and stir it into the flour and cook until the flour is mixed into the butter, and starts to get fragrant.
Step 2: Make the cheese sauce. Slowly pour in the half and half, stirring it into the mixture and cooking for a couple minutes until it is thickened. Remove from the heat and add in the salt and pepper, and some of the shredded cheese.
Step 3: Layer the Potatoes and Cheese. Layer some of the sliced potatoes into a casserole dish, pour about one third of the cheese sauce over the top. Repeat with more potatoes, more sauce, more potatoes, and the last of the creamy sauce.
Step 4: Bake the Scalloped Potatoes. Cover the potatoes with aluminum foil and bake until the potatoes are almost tender. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake until the sauce is bubbly, potatoes are soft, and cheese is golden on top.
Can Scalloped Potatoes Be Made Ahead?
These potatoes are a great make-ahead dish, though the longest part of the process is slicing the potatoes, and then over an hour of baking time. To make the dish ahead you can prep and layer the casserole as directed (though I recommend boiling the potato slices in hot boiling water for 5 minutes). Then cover the dish tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bake as directed, or until potatoes are tender.
Tips and Tricks:
- Slice the Potatoes Evenly: Make sure to slice the potatoes thinly and evenly to ensure they bake evenly throughout the dish. You don’t want to have some pieces that are thicker and aren’t baked through! I recommend cutting the slices between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. A mandolin slicer works best for getting even slices.
- Choose the Right Potatoes: I love using Russet Potatoes or Yukon Gold Potatoes because they become soft and creamy when baked, and cook well, but also hold their shape.
- Use Freshly Grated Cheese: Your sauce will be smoother if you freshly grate your cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking ingredients that can stop the cheese from melting smoothly.
- If the Sauce is too Thick: If your sauce seems to be too thick after cooking, add in a little more half and half or milk. Pour in a tablespoon or two at a time, while stirring until the sauce is thin enough to be poured. You want the sauce thick, but still pourable.
- To get Fork Tender Potatoes: Bake the potatoes covered with foil until they are soft. The foil will trap the steam and help the potatoes soften evenly. If your potatoes are not fork tender after baking the full time, you can cover them back up with foil again and continue baking in 10 minute increments until tender. Make sure to check the softness of the potatoes, not relying only on the timer. You’ll want a fork or knife to be able to slide easily into the centers without resistance!
- Let them Rest: After removing the casserole from the oven, let it sit for about 10-15 minutes so the sauce will thicken back up a little, so it will coat the potatoes, and not run all over your plate.
Recipe Variations:
- Add Ham: This dish would be a yummy way to use up some leftover ham. Dice the ham into small pieces and layer it between the rows of potatoes.
- Add Bacon: Diced bacon pieces would also be delicious added in.
- Add Onions: Another great addition to the dish would be caramelized onions. Cook them until soft, tender, and fragrant and layer them into the dish between the potatoes.
- Add More Seasonings or Herbs: Add about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or onion powder to the sauce for extra flavor. Top the potatoes with fresh herbs like parsley or chives for a nice look and light flavor.
Storing leftover Scalloped Cheesy Potatoes
If you have any leftover potatoes after your meal, store them in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The pan can be reheated in the oven until hot, or you can microwave individual portions.
Can Cheese Scalloped Potatoes be frozen?
You can also freeze the cooked potatoes by letting them cool completely, then transferring them to an airtight container, or other freezer safe container. To reheat the frozen potatoes let the pan thaw in the fridge overnight. Then bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until hot throughout.
What to Serve with These?
These scalloped potatoes would be a great option with an Easter ham, grilled pork chops, roasted chicken, or even a side dish with warm soup. They’re perfect to add to any meal, but would be especially great for a holiday dinner!
More potato side dish recipes:
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Scalloped Cheesy Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter (1/2 stick)
- 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 cups Half and Half (You can substitute whole milk)
- 3 cups Shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
- 1 tsp Salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper (to taste)
- 5-6 cups Sliced Russet Potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes, cut to about 1/8in slices)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13in pan with non stick spray.
- Melt the butter in a medium to large sauce pan over medium heat. 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
- Whisk in the flour and cook it until the flour is fully mixed into the butter, stirring it constantly, about 2 minutes. 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- Slowly pour in the half and half, while you are stirring to prevent any lumps, and cook until the mixture is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. 2 cups Half and Half
- Remove from heat and add in 2 cups of the shredded cheese, and the salt and pepper. 3 cups Shredded cheddar cheese, 1 tsp Salt, 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- Arrange about 1/3 of the sliced potatoes into the prepared pan. Pour 1/3 of the cheese sauce over the top, and spread it with a spoon to cover the potatoes completely. 5-6 cups Sliced Russet Potatoes
- Repeat with another third of the potatoes, cheese sauce, then the last of the potatoes and cheese sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender, enough that you can poke them through with a fork.
- Remove the foil and sprinkle the top of the dish with the last cup of cheese. Bake the potatoes for another 20 minutes or so until the sauce is bubbly, the top is golden, and the potatoes are fully soft.
Notes
- Slice the Potatoes Evenly: Make sure to slice the potatoes thinly and evenly to ensure they bake evenly throughout the dish. You don’t want to have some pieces that are thicker and aren’t baked through! I recommend cutting the slices between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. A mandolin slicer works best for getting even slices.
- Choose the Right Potatoes: I love using Russet Potatoes or Yukon Gold Potatoes because they become soft and creamy when baked, and cook well, but also hold their shape.
- Use Freshly Grated Cheese: Your sauce will be smoother if you freshly grate your cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking ingredients that can stop the cheese from melting smoothly.
- If the Sauce is too Thick: If your sauce seems to be too thick after cooking, add in a little more half and half or milk. Pour in a tablespoon or two at a time, while stirring until the sauce is thin enough to be poured. You want the sauce thick, but still pourable.
- To get Fork Tender Potatoes: Bake the potatoes covered with foil until they are soft. The foil will trap the steam and help the potatoes soften evenly. If your potatoes are not fork tender after baking the full time, you can cover them back up with foil again and continue baking in 10 minute increments until tender. Make sure to check the softness of the potatoes, not relying only on the timer. You’ll want a fork or knife to be able to slide easily into the centers without resistance!
- Let them Rest: After removing the casserole from the oven, let it sit for about 10-15 minutes so the sauce will thicken back up a little, so it will coat the potatoes, and not run all over your plate.
Nutrition
This recipe is originally adapted from Yellow Bliss Road. The cheesy scalloped potatoes were first posted on June 19, 2012. The photos and text were updated on March 3, 2023.
Gabrielle says
I dont think 40-50 is enough time for the potatoes to be soft. I just baked this dish and they werent ready. Highly recommend 90 minutes
Aimee says
You don’t bake the first time until all the way soft, The total time on my recipe is 60-70 mins, since you do additional time with the foil off. But sorry yours needed a little longer
Cindy Dempsey says
Cheesy scalloped tators are in the oven. They look great! Can’t wait to try them.
Aimee says
Hope you loved them!
C boyd says
Can this dish be made the day before?
Aimee Berrett says
I think it should be fine made ahead of time, but the one time I did this my potatoes let off a lot of water sitting in the fridge, so after you slice them dry them as well as you can with paper towels to get the extra moisture out!
six sisters says
We think the picture is great! We are drooling! Thanks for sharing this great cheesy potato recipe! We are so glad that you linked up to our “Strut Your Stuff Saturday”. Please come back again really soon! Thanks! -The Sisters
Pudd says
I love potatoes, they are tasty & there are tons of great recipes using potatoes.
This recipe is very tasty. Yum.
Danelle says
Yum! Nothing better than cheesy potatoes!
aimeeberrett says
Aren’t potatoes and cheese one of the best combinations ever? Like peanut butter and chocolate. There is simply nothing better.