The best Potatoes Au Gratin recipe has layers of thin potatoes covered in a creamy, homemade cheese sauce. It's a simple classic and impresses any guest.
Want more side dishes? Make Fresh Fruit Salad, Poutine, Quinoa Salad, and Roasted Vegetables!
The best Potatoes Au Gratin
The best Potatoes Au GratinIf I could only pick one potatoes side dish for the holidays, it would be au gratin potatoes every time. It reminds me of delicious homemade mac and cheese, with it's creamy and cheesy sauce–with potatoes instead of pasta–but it can pass for an elegant side dish. It's a classic French recipe that requires basic ingredients everyone has, and it's always a crowd pleaser.
Au Gratin Potatoes vs Scalloped Potatoes:
These two potato dishes are often confused since they are so similar. The biggest difference is that scalloped potatoes are cooked in cream, and au gratin potatoes are baked with cheese. In this recipe, we use a cheese sauce and shredded cheese on top, then bake in the oven until bubbly.
How to make Potatoes Au Gratin:
Make Sauce: For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan then stir in flour, cooking for a minute or two. Stir in milk, garlic, salt, dried onions, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Whisk until smooth, and once it is slightly thickened, stir in 2 cups of shredded cheese.
Slice Potatoes: Use a mandolin or a sharp knife to slice russet potatoes very thin. You can peel the potatoes or leave it on.
Assemble and Bake: Arrange half of the sliced potatoes in the bottom of a 9×13 dish and pour half the sauce over them. Add another layer of potatoes, then the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked and the cheese is bubbly.
Serve with ham, rack of lamb, or baked salmon. Make sure to add some homemade rolls and salad too!
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions:
To Store: Stores leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warm.
To Make Ahead: Follow the recipe until the baking step. Cover pan with aluminum foil then refrigerate overnight. Remove from fridge 1 hour before baking as instructed.
Recipe Variations:
- Crock Pot Au Gratin Potatoes: Coat the bottom of a slow cooker with cooking spray and layer potatoes and cheese sauce. Place lid on top and cook on high for 3 hours, until the potatoes are cooked.
- Ham and Potatoes Au Gratin: Layer 1 ½ cups chopped ham on top of the potatoes then cover with cheese sauce.
What to Serve with Au Gratin Potatoes:
Serve With:
- Beef Tenderloin Roast
- Prime Rib
- Baked Ham
- Rack of Lamb
- Cedar Plank Salmon
- Marinated Flank Steak
- Meatloaf
- Easy Roast Chicken
- Thanksgiving Turkey
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Spatchcock Chicken
- Garlic Chicken
- Honey Mustard Chicken
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Recipe
Potatoes Au Gratin
Equipment
- Mandolin optional
Ingredients
- 6 medium Russet potatoes
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 3 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese ,or Gruyere, (or half of each)
Instructions
- Cheese sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in flour until smooth. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in the milk, cream, minced garlic, dried onions, and season with salt and pepper. Whisk sauce on low until smooth and slightly thickened. Reduce heat and stir in 2 cups of shredded cheese until melted and smooth. Taste sauce and add additional salt, pepper, garlic or onion flakes, if desired.
- Prep Potatoes: Peel the potatoes if you'd like. Slice the potatoes into very thin 1/8'' slices.
- Layer: Place half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased 9×13 inch casserole dish. Pour half of the cheese sauce over potatoes. Layer the remaining potatoes on top. Spoon the remaining cheese sauce over the potatoes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
- Bake: Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked, cheese is browned, and sauce is bubbly.
Notes
Nutrition
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*I originally shared this recipe December 2013. Updated December 2018, November 2021, September 2022 and November 2024.
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Loved the recipe. It is a family favorite!!
The sauce is perfection. Mixing the Gruyere and an extra sharp cheddar just makes it sing. I like using cream in dishes such as this one. Great recipe.
So am I supposed to boil the potatoes before I bake them? Bc I followed the recipe exactly and they took an extra 45 min to cook. And now the cheese is burnt. I don’t understand.
No, you don’t boil them beforehand, but they do need to be sliced very thinly so that they can cook through in time.
I cooked mine in the microwave for 10 minutes before adding he sauce and baking because my sous chef (age 12) did not slice them thin.
Awsome Recipe! One of the best I have seen. TIP: Salt and pepper to the potatoes before you add them to the pan in a large bowl and let them sit 1/2 to 1 hr, what the salt does is draw the moisture out of the potatoes to allow it to soak up the sauce and the pepper ads alot of good flavor. You will see a lot of potato water on the bottom of the bowl just drain it out. Also added parmesan cheese to the top and sauce.
im planning to make this for a party tomorrow..i was wondering if i baked it today for 30 min and cool cover in fridge and tomorrow i will uncover and bake the remaining 30 minutes..would that work..i think so but
That would be fine, but allow it to come to room temperature out of the fridge before baking again (or increase the second bake time).
Great basic preparation of the recipe, as any good chef would do I tweaked it to my liking. Great post
I made this ahead to bake the next day, but when I served this after it was baked the potatoes were discolored to gray. Tasted good but not at all appetizing looking. I threw out the leftovers.
Hey Laura,
I’m so sorry for your frustration!
When potatoes are cut, the starch begins to oxidize and can, over time, result in the potatoes turning grey. This happens occasionally with vairous types of potatoes (and is sometimes exacerbated by aluminum). Here’s a great resource that may help prevent it next time!
Made these last night and was SHOCKED at how amazing they were! I added a little ham, but besides that I followed this recipe EXACTLY as written. It is not too heavy or rich (which is the main reason I loved it). It has just the right amount of creaminess and flavor! My husband couldn’t get enough of it! Will certainly make again. This recipe is A KEEPER!
Awesome! Thanks for the great feedback! The addition of ham sounds perfect 🙂
I fixed this today (Easter 2019). I never have any cream on hand other than sour cream so mixed it with 2% milk and it worked well as a sub for the whipping cream. I added more seasonings — garlic, powder, paprika, and parsley flakes. Looked beautiful and tasted great!! All the family asked for the recipe. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Excellent recipe! I substituted some of the cheese: 1/3 Gruyere; 1/3 Cheddar, 1/3 American. In my file now for keeps!