These cheesy scalloped potatoes are a classic side dish recipe made with thinly sliced potatoes cooked in a thick and creamy cheese sauce. We love serving this side dish for a holiday meal, like Easter dinner and also as a side for cookouts during the summer.
These cheesy scalloped potatoes are a classic side dish recipe perfect for a holiday meal and summer cookout. We love making this dish as part of our Easter Menu and it is also a great side to serve with a summer cookout.
This cheesy potato dish is made with thinly sliced russet potatoes smothered in a creamy, rich cheese sauce and baked until the potatoes are tender and married with the cheese.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy Side Dish
- Holiday Dinner Recipe
- Kid-Friendly
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Russet Potatoes - We recommend using Russet potatoes for this recipe, because their high starch content results in tender potatoes and a thick cheese sauce. You can also use Yukon potatoes.
- Onion - A finely diced yellow onion adds extra flavor to the dish.
- Cheese - A blend of cheese is crucial for a creamy and rich cheese sauce. We use cheddar and Colby Jack in this recipe and recommend shredding your own cheese.
- Milk - Milk helps create the creamy cheese sauce that coats the potatoes.
- Flour - The flour helps thicken the cheese sauce. You can use regular unbleached flour or a gluten-free flour blend.
- Spices - Garlic, salt and pepper enhance the flavors of the dish.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Potato Peeler - A good potato peeler helps to easily peel the potatoes.
- Cutting Board - A cutting board is necessary when cutting the potatoes into thin slices.
- Knife - A sharp knife helps to easily cut the potatoes into thin slices.
- Baking Dish - A 9x13 baking dish is the perfect size for this side dish recipe.
- Cheese Grater - We love using this cheese grater to easily grate the cheese.
- Medium-Size Pot - A medium size pot is necessary for making the cheese sauce on the stovetop.
- Aluminum Foil - We recommend covering the baking dish with tin foil when baking the potatoes to hold moisture in so the sauce stays creamy.
How to Make Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Step 1. Peel and slice the potatoes then arrange in the baking pan.
Step 2. Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes.
Step 3. Bake the potatoes in the oven.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
This recipe makes 6-8 side dish servings. We recommend allowing the potatoes to cool for 5-10 minutes after removing the dish from the oven to allow the cheese sauce to thicken.
We love to serve this dish as an Easter dinner side dish and as a side for summer cookouts like a Fourth of July Barbecue.
If you like this recipe, you will love our other classic side dish recipes.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Thinly slice the potatoes. Classic scalloped potatoes are very thinly sliced, so do your best to slice the potatoes as thin as you can!
- Shred your own cheese. Store-bought shredded cheese is coated in starch to preserve the cheese. The starch coating prevents the cheese from melting properly. This is why we recommend shredding your own cheese to create a creamy cheese sauce.
- Prepare the dish ahead of time. If you are making this recipe for a holiday dinner or summer cookout, you can easily prepare it ahead of time. Simply follow the recipe and cook the cheesy scalloped potatoes up until the instructions to sprinkle them with cheese and cook with out the foil on top. Instead cover and place the dish in the fridge then sprinkle with cheese and finish cooking day of your event.
How to Store Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Refrigerator - cover the dish with plastic wrap or transfer leftovers to an airtight container to store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Recipe FAQ
Russet potatoes are the best potato for scalloped potatoes because their high starch content helps thicken the sauce and results in tender potatoes.
More Side Dish Recipes
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
These cheesy scalloped potatoes are a classic side dish recipe made with thinly sliced potatoes cooked in a thick and creamy cheese sauce. We love serving this side dish for a holiday meal, like Easter dinner and also as a side for cookouts during the summer.
Ingredients
- 5lb bag of russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1.5 cup shredded Colby jack cheese
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Clean and peel the potatoes.
- Cut each potato into thin slices.
- Place the thinly sliced potatoes in the baking dish in rows.
- Sprinkle the diced onion over the rows of potato slices.
- Make the cheese sauce by placing a medium-size pot on the stovetop with the burner on medium.
- Add the butter to the pot and allow it to melt.
- When the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk it into the melted butter.
- Pour the milk into the pot and whisk to combine it with the flour and butter.
- Set aside 1 cup of shredded cheese and add the rest of the cheese to the pot with the salt, pepper, and minced garlic.
- Stir to combine the cheese with the milk and allow the sauce to thicken over medium heat before removing it from the stovetop.
- Remove the pot from the stovetop and pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes in the baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and transfer it to the oven to cook for 50 minutes at 375 degrees.
- After 50 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and remove the foil.
- Sprinkle reserved cheese over top of the potatoes.
- Return the uncovered dish to the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender at 375 degrees.
- When the potatoes are done, remove the dish from the oven allow to cool for 5-10 minutes to allow the cheese sauce to thicken before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 547Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 536mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 7gSugar: 7gProtein: 22g
[…] we end the month with two delicious side dishes perfect for Easter Dinner in a few months – Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and our Strawberry Broccoli Salad with Homemade Poppyseed […]