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Potatoes Au Gratin is the ultimate cheesy, creamy potato side dish made with tender layers of thinly sliced potatoes baked in a rich homemade cheese sauce until golden and bubbly. This recipe uses simple ingredients and delivers an impressive side dish perfect for Christmas, Easter, dinner parties, or any special occasion!
The best Potatoes Au Gratin
If 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.
If you're planning your Easter dinner, don't forget Rack of Lamb, Homemade Rolls, Deviled Eggs, Frog Eye Salad, and Easy Carrot Cake!
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 homemade cheese sauce and shredded cheese on top, then bake in the oven until bubbly.
How to make Potatoes Au Gratin:
Make 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 then bring to a simmer. Whisk until smooth. 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!
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
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.6 Tablespoons butter, 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 cups milk, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 ½ teaspoons dried onion flakes, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 3 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Prep Potatoes: Peel the potatoes if you'd like. Slice the potatoes into very thin 1/8'' slices.6 medium Russet potatoes
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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*I originally shared this recipe December 2013. Updated December 2018, November 2021, September 2022 and November 2024.
If I double the recipe, can I still use 9×13 pan
No, a 9×13 pan won’t be big enough for a double batch. The recipe uses a 9×13 pan for the regular amount. If you double it, you’ll need two 9×13 pans or one much larger pan
I would like to make these tomorrow with dinner but I only have yellow potatoes. Will it still work with yellow potatoes?
Yellow potatoes should work great! Enjoy!
Great recipe, two minor suggestions; rather than saying 6 potatoes give a weight (small medium and large are too subjective); and give at least a *rough* idea of how long to stir the rue before adding the cheese (even if it’s a fairly wide range). Thanks!
Love these so much, they’ve become a Christmas tradition, the dish I’m always asked to bring to dinner. That day is so hectic, so I save time by slicing the potatoes the day before and keeping in a pot of cold water overnight in the fridge, but wondering if I can also make the sauce the day before so all I have to do on Christmas Day is assemble and bake. Will the cheese sauce stay pourable, do you think?
Wondering if I can use whipping cream in place of heavy cream. Should I add extra butter?
Yes, that would be fine.
Merci Lauren. I used your recipe again last night after searching through a myriad of recipes. It went well with my pork roast and everyone enjoyed it. Happy holidays and keep posting!
Multiple times Ive reached for this totally awesome recipe. It is absolutely delicious! Since its getting chilly here in Ohio it seemed to be the perfect day to make it.
Delicious and a favorite. Today I added my own outdoor twist. Replaced flour with 4 tbls of corn starch, used a foil pan, cut fresh applewood and smoked on the grill for about 4 hours with the honey bbq ribs. Thanks for a great recipe. God bless.
I made this tonight and as usual your recipe didn’t disappoint. Will probably skip buying boxed au gratin potatoes from here on out. The only thing I did differently was right at the end I turned on the broiler for a couple of minutes and browned the cheese edges of dish
Very good!! Thank you for the recipe!