Homemade Scalloped Potatoes

Our Homemade Scalloped Potatoes recipe turns out so creamy and comforting, made with white cheddar cheese for delicious flavor, and perfect for a decadent holiday side dish.  

You know that little happy dance you do where your butt just kind of spontaneously starts wiggling when you take a bite of something particularly delicious?

Well. These potatoes start a happy dance every time, which makes them perfect for a holiday dinner. The whole family dances.

Holiday meals really are the best meals, partially because calories obviously don’t count on holidays and partially because holiday dinners tend to have a ridiculous number of side dishes to choose from.

You’ll find me every year with a plate full of these cheesy scalloped potatoes, a scoop of our Jiffy cornbread casserole, some of our broccoli cheese casserole, and obviously our green bean casserole with bacon.

Pile all that next to some ham or turkey and you’ve got a delicious holiday dinner.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes:

Now, before you get all angry with me…scalloped potatoes don’t usually have cheese. But, hey, these are cheesy scalloped potatoes and that’s the best kind.

Especially when you use a nice, sharp white cheddar cheese. So much flavor, so creamy and decadent, just seriously the best side dish.

In fact, these are so creamy and cheesy that when you start pouring the sauce over the potatoes, it’s going to seem like overkill.

You’re going to think you’ve overdone it.

Let me tell you a secret: You have not overdone it.

These homemade scalloped potatoes are going to be the most delicious thing on your Easter plate, I can almost guarantee it.

Ingredient Notes:

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For the Cheese Sauce:

Grated Cheddar – This easy homemade cheese sauce starts with freshly grated sharp white cheddar! You could use any variety of cheddar, but white is my go to in this recipe.

Milk, Butter & Heavy Cream – All that cream and butter is going to make this into a rich and decadent cheese sauce!

Flour – We’ll make a roux, which is just a mixture of fat, flour, and liquid that cooks up into a gravy.

Onion – The cheese sauce also gets flavor from onions. These are totally optional and can be left out for picky eaters.

For the Scalloped Potatoes:

Potatoes – You’ll need peeled and thinly sliced potatoes. I’d recommend using a starchy variety of potato like russet potatoes.

Cream of Chicken Soup – You can use the canned stuff or upgrade this recipe with my cream of chicken substitute! It’s an easy homemade alternative that’s much better than the canned stuff. Our cream of mushroom soup would work well too.

Sour Cream – It’ll add even more creamy flavor and texture to the scalloped potatoes with cheese sauce!

Seasoning – I’m keeping it pretty simple and seasoning with some salt, pepper, and dried parsley flakes. The cheese sauce will do most of the work!

Sauce for Scalloped Potatoes:

Onions: I add onions to this recipe so I cook them with the butter for a few minutes before adding the flour. I like them nice and soft.

Flour: Add the flour to your cooked onions and give it a stir to coat the onions in the flour and cook it for just a minute or two. Whisk in the milk and cream and keep cooking, whisking the whole time to avoid lumps, until the mixture thickens up a bit.

Roux: Whisk in the milk and cream and keep cooking, whisking the whole time to avoid lumps, until the mixture thickens up a bit. You’ve just made a roux!

Cheese & Soup: Remove the roux from the heat and stir in the grated white cheddar cheese until it melts and the sauce is nice and smooth. We’re not stopping there! We want these potatoes to be extra creamy and delicious. Add in a can cream of chicken soup (or our cream of chicken soup substitute) and some sour cream.

How To Slice Potatoes:

You’ll need a whole lot of Idaho potatoes. Wash them and peel them. You’ve got a few options for slicing:

• Food Processor – Use the slicer attachment and slice your potatoes into thin slices, about 1/8 of an inch thick. I’ve linked to my favorite processor below.
• Mandoline – Your second option is to use a mandoline slicer. This one has great reviews! This method takes a little longer, but you’ll get even slices in a fairly short amount of time.
• Knife – And, last, is a knife. Obviously, this option is going to take the longest, because you’re slicing the potatoes THIN and EVEN. But, if you don’t have a food processor or mandoline, this is the only way to go.

How To Make Scalloped Potatoes:

Potatoes: Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray and place half of the potatoes in the dish. It’ll be a nice thick layer of potatoes.

Cheese Sauce: Top the scalloped potatoes with half of the cheese sauce. Now, I know that it seems like a LOT of cheese sauce. That’s because it is. Just trust me.

Potatoes: Add the rest of the potato slices…

More Cheese: And dump the rest of that glorious cheese sauce over the top.

Bake: When you’ve finished preparing the homemade scalloped potatoes for baking cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes and then remove the foil and continue baking for another 45 minutes or so. We want those potatoes nice and tender and the cheese sauce good and bubbly.

Let me know if you try this scalloped potatoes recipe! I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Can I Make Scalloped Potatoes Ahead?

To make cheesy scalloped potatoes ahead of time you’ll do only a partial bake. Follow the instructions to prepare the scalloped potatoes and bake covered with foil for 30 minutes.

Remove it from the oven and let it cool on the counter before refrigerating for up to 3 days. To serve finish baking the cheesy potatoes uncovered for 45-60 minutes or until they’re cooked through and tender!

FAQ’s:

• Loaded Mashed Potatoes
• Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
• Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
• Cheesy Ranch Potatoes
• Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes
• Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
• Twice Baked Potatoes