How to Make the Best Scalloped Potatoes (2024)

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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.

I wasn’t terribly fond of Scalloped Potatoes growing up, but they usually came from a box. The real thing, made from scratch, is a dairy-carb lover’s dream: Layers upon layers of tender potato rounds swimming in creamy-cheese sauce. What’s not to love about homemade scalloped potatoes?

This dish is perfect for a holiday meal like Christmas or Easter, but it’s easy enough that you can make it during the week if you are craving a little pick-me-up. And if you have leftover ham, chicken, or turkey, feel free to stir it in.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• 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.
• Cheese:A block of cheddar, shredded, seems to work best. Pre-shredded cheese can contain ingredients that prevent the cheese from melting smoothly. However, if you have a brand of shredded cheese that you rely on, go ahead and use it.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 1-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until foaming. Whisk in flour until cooked through, about 1 minute.Whisk in milk until smooth.Bring cream sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until thickened. 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 a dash of cayenne).

2. Layer half of the potato slices in bottom of prepared baking dish.

3. Top with half the cheese sauce. Layer the second half of potatoes and top with remaining cheese sauce.

4. Pour remaining ½ cup cheese over the top and sprinkle with paprika.

5. Bake uncovered until heated through and the cheese and melted and golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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! I love it, and you can get it on Amazon for $59.89.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This recipe makes 8 servings of scalloped potatoes, ½ cup per serving.
• Storage: Store leftovers covered 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.
• 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: Garnish your potato dish with fresh thyme, fresh chives, fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese or coarse kosher salt.
• Au Gratin Potatoes: Potatoes au Gratin are a lot like scalloped potatoes but have cheese sprinkled in between each layer of potatoes.