This Cheesy Garlic Scalloped Potatoes makes the perfect Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday side dish. Soft and thinly sliced potatoes are layered and covered in a luscious and creamy garlic cheese sauce.
I know you want to dig into this cheesy loveliness, because WHO CAN RESIST?!?
Love potatoes? Don’t forget to also check out some of my other favorites on the blog: Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Potato Casserole with Andouille Sausage, and Crispy Baked Potato Skins.
The BEST Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
This is our go to scalloped potato recipe that we make during the holiday season, and occasionally even for dinner on a weekend (when the cheesy potato cravings hit).
Here are a few reasons why this cheesy garlic scalloped potatoes is so delicious:
- Flavored with garlic – I love my garlic and fresh garlic is used in this cheesy garlic scalloped potatoes to make the cheese sauce incredibly flavorful.
- Chicken broth – you cannot go wrong with potatoes and creamy cheese that is infused with chicken broth. Just like my awesome 15-Minute Queso (Cheese Dip) recipe, which seem like a complete different food item, but in many ways it is not, chicken broth brings another dimension of flavor to the creamy sauce and elevates it.
- Creamy but not crazy heavy – this is a creamy and thick potato dish, but not so much that the cream overpower the potatoes. I like to think that the creaminess and cheese enhances the scalloped potatoes, and not overtake it completely.
Ingredients
Here is the full ingredient list to make cheesy garlic scalloped potatoes:
- potatoes – My favorite potatoes to use for cheesy scalloped potatoes are Yukon gold potatoes, russets or Idaho. Basically middle to high starch potatoes are perfect for this.
- garlic – use fresh garlic because garlic powder is just not as flavorful if you really want the garlic flavors to come through.
- cheese – using three cheeses in this cheesy scalloped potatoes: mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan. You can opt for other cheeses as well.
- butter
- onion – sweet, yellow or white onions
- flour – used to thicken the sauce
- milk – i typically use 2% milk.
- chicken broth – important ingredient for another layer of flavor
- thyme – dried or fresh thyme works fine. Fresh will be more flavorful but it’s not necessary
How to make Garlic Scalloped Potatoes
Next, I’m going to show you how easy it is to make these cheesy scalloped potatoes!
Prepare Potatoes
First, we are going to prepare the potatoes by slicing them into thin slices. Make sure they are nice and thin (~ 1/8 inch in thickness) so that they cook easily and soften quickly.
Here are two reasons why it’s so easy to make garlic scalloped potatoes:
- no boiling potatoes beforehand
- no peeling potatoes
Just make sure you slice those potatoes super thinly and that’s all there is to it when it comes to preparing your potatoes.
Prepare Cheese Sauce
Next we make that delicious garlic cheese sauce, another essential part of our cheesy garlic scalloped potatoes. Gosh I love it so much.
Heat a medium pot to medium heat and add butter.
Once butter is melted, add diced onions and minced garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until they are soft and fragrant.
Add flour and stir to combine. Once combined, add milk, chicken broth, thyme and salt. Whisk mixture continuously as it comes to a boil. It’s important to whisk it so that the flour clumps will dissolve.
Continue stirring and cook for a few minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly.
Turn off heat and add shredded cheddar, shredded mozzarella and parmesan. Stir to combine.
Remove from heat promptly and set aside.
Next we will be layering the potatoes and cheese sauce to form a casserole dish full of cheesy scalloped potatoes.
Layer Casserole
Here’s how we layer the cheesy garlic scalloped potatoes:
- place 1/3 of the potatoes in a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish
- add 1/3 of the cheese sauce
- repeat 1) and 2) until everything is gone.
Tip: As you layer the potatoes, make sure to spread them out and cover each of them well with sauce to ensure all your cheesy scalloped potatoes are fully cooked. Potatoes not covered with sauce are more difficult to cook through and will not be as soft.
Bake casserole
Once you have three layers of potatoes and cheese sauce, send your cheesy scalloped potatoes to the oven to bake!
When cheesy scalloped potatoes are done, they should be bubbly with a slightly golden brown top. Potatoes should be soft and coated in that rich and creamy cheese sauce.
Cheese. Potatoes. Cheese. Potatoes.
With garlic flavored goodness all around it.
My heart is full. My stomach is full.
The cheese on the top will be slightly brown and crusty. Dig a spoon into it, and the creamy, velvety cheese will ooze out, along with the now tender and soft slices of potatoes.
Okay YUUUUMMMM.
This lovely cheesy garlic scalloped potatoes makes the best side to any main dishes. If you truly must, it can also be consumed by itself.
Storage and Reheat
Cheesy garlic scalloped potatoes are the perfect dish to make ahead. Storage it covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat, simply cover and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 350℉.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Colby jack, Monterey jack, or any of your favorite blends work great! Make sure out of the cheeses you use, some of them melts easily (soft cheeses).
Yes! When ready to reheat, bring it to the refrigerator the night before so that it defrost completely. Then follow the reheating instructions to reheat.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
Calling all potato lovers!
We heart potatoes. But then who doesn’t? Check out these other awesome potato dishes!
- Garlic Parmesan Hasselback Potatoes
- Cheesy Bacon Potato Casserole
- Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Garlic Parmesan Potatoes
- Easy 6-Ingredient Cheesy Potato Wedges
- Stuffed Jacket Potato Skins (by my blogger friend Searching for Spice!)
Cheesy Garlic Scalloped Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 lbs yukon potatoes
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 8-10 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup cheddar shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
- 3/4 cup parmesan grated
Instructions
- Scrub and clean potatoes, then thinly slice potatoes into 1/8 inch thin slices. No need to peel potatoes. Set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium pot, turn heat to medium and add butter. Once butter is melted, add diced onions and minced garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minute or until they are soft. Avoid over-browning them.
- Add flour and stir to combine. Once combined, add milk, chicken broth, thyme and salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Continue stirring and cook for a few minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly.
- Turn off heat and add shredded cheddar, shredded mozzarella and parmesan. Stir to combine. It’s okay if cheese does not melt completely.
- Grease a 9″ x 13″ casserole. Add 1/3 of the potatoes to casserole, then spread 1/3 of the cheese sauce onto potatoes, then add the next 1/3 of potatoes and cheese sauce, until all the potatoes and cheese are layered. There should be three alternate layers of potatoes and cheese sauce.
- Cover casserole with aluminum foil, bake for 30 minutes. Uncover casserole and bake for another 35-45 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
These potatoes sound like an amazing side dish! I can’t resist garlicy potatoes – they’re real comfort food.
Yay! It really is so yummy! Thank you Corina! 🙂
Can you make this potaoes the night before and cook the next day?
Yes! You can! You may need to cook it longer in the oven if the potatoes have been sitting in the refrigerator before you bake it!
Hello,
These scalloped potatoes look amazing! Thinking I’ll make them for our family Christmas potluck.
Does this recipe require fresh thyme or dried thyme?
I wrote it for dried thyme but fresh thyme would work great as well!
Do you think you could freeze it then unthaw and bake?
Yes! That works!
There is always something soooo delicious about cheese and potatoes together and this recipe totally knocks it outta the park!
Thanks Christie! So glad you like it! 🙂
One of the best potato side dishes I’ve ever made for a festive holiday dinner. I made these for Christmas Dinner for 15 people and not one potato crumb was left. They loved them that much. Came home and used the left over potatoes I had stored in fresh water in refrig and made another batch for home with my little family! Dang they were good!
Yay! So happy to hear that you all enjoyed this for Christmas! 🙂
I have made these several times now, everyone loves them thank you for the recipe
Great to hear that, Melissa! Glad you all enjoyed it!
i made these potatoes for my family and there was nothing left! can they be made
in the crock pot?
I have not tried it but I think it should be fine!
You replied to one of the question that it’s ok to prepare night before and cook next day, Will the uncook potatoes discolour?
In my experience, since it is covered in sauce, I cannot tell whether it is discolored or not.
These garlicky potatoes are always a huge hit at our family gatherings — so delicious!!
I’m so glad to hear that!!!
Cheese and potatoes just go together and these did not disappoint! Making again for Christmas this year, another winning recipe from the Joyous Apron!
Thank you so much! The best compliment 🙂
These turned out soooo good! Will be making again.
I’m so glad to hear that!!
These are my FAVORITE potatoes! So perfectly creamy and cheesy, a must for the holidays.
Glad to hear it’s your fave!! Mine as well 🙂
Made these for a family potluck yesterday and they were INSANELY good!! I was scrapping the dish to get to try them! Thanks for another winner of a recipe!
Wonderful! Great to hear that!
Do you think russet potatoes would work? I have those in abundance.
That should work just fine!
If I cook for 30 minutes, can I then freeze? If so should I thaw and cook covered for 30-40 min uncovered?
Yes you can freeze it. To reheat, you can thaw it and cook it covered for 30-40 min (see my reheating instructions).
Perfect – the whole family enjoyed it! I especially liked that it didn’t contain any cream. I had to halve the recipe as I didn’t have enough potatoes on hand which was a shame!
I’m so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed this, Linda!
Absolutely, delicious meal. I made this for my family and they loved it. I could only have some amount due to of health issues.
Aw I’m sorry to hear about your situation , but thank you so much for sharing how much your family loved it.
AMAZING!!!!! So creamy and delicious!!!! The sauce has amazing flavor you can taste the chicken broth also!!! Topped with fresh green onion 🧅 for a bonus !!!! Be sure to a lot extra bake time too!!!!It takes over a hour ❤️
Thanks for the kind review and sharing your modifications, Jennifer! 🙂
Theses are the best potatoes!! Has become my go to for family get together.
That’s great Jenny! Love that this has become a staple for you!