Three Cheese Scalloped Potatoes — These baked scalloped potatoes are EXTRA cheesy thanks to three cheeses used as well as super rich and CREAMY!! They’re a perfect HOLIDAY SIDE DISH as well as family friendly weeknight COMFORT FOOD!
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Best Ever Scalloped Cheesy Potatoes
If you’re looking for an easy and ultra-cheesy scalloped potato recipe, look no further than my recipes for the cheesiest scalloped potatoes!
Three different types of cheeses are used — namely Colby Jack, cheddar, and Parmesan. Plus, these potatoes are creamy and indulgent thanks to both heavy cream and sour cream. Diet food they are not but oh so worth it!
Cheesy scalloped potatoes would make an awesome addition to your Thanksgiving table, as a side dish for any holiday parties you’re throwing, for game day get-togethers, or as a hearty comfort food side dish the whole family will love on a chilly winter weeknight.
This is a naturally vegetarian side dish if you opt for vegetable broth rather than chicken broth.
Ingredients for Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
Scalloped cheese potatoes are made with common fridge and pantry ingredients which is the best kind of recipe for me.
To make these potatoes, you’ll need:
- Russet potatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Seasoning blend (such as Mrs. Dash, Trader Joe’s 21 Salute, or poultry seasoning)
- Black pepper
- Vegetable or chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Sour cream
- Colby jack cheese
- Cheddar cheese
- Parmesan cheese
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Buying Pre-Shredded vs a Block of Cheese
I highly recommend buying a block of cheese and grating the cheese by hand on a box grater. Pre-shredded bagged cheeses never tend to melt as easily and smoothly as when you do it yourself. Think of grating the cheese as a mini workout before you indulge in all this rich and gooey carby goodness!
How to Make Scalloped Potatoes with Cheese
Making homemade scalloped cheesy potatoes is easier than you might think! Here are the basic recipe steps:
- In a 9×13-inch casserole dish, arrange thinly sliced and peeled potatoes upright in the pan along one of the long edges. Repeat with the remaining potatoes until you have three columns of potato slices and set it aside.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter, and add onion and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add flour, and cook for another minute, stir nearly constantly, or until the flour is lightly golden browned. (This is what’s called a ‘roux’ and is important so that later on the mixture properly thickens.)
- Add the salt, seasoning blend, pepper, broth, cream, and stir until thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in partial quantities of the three cheeses.
- Spread the sour cream over the potatoes, pour the cheesy mixture evenly over potatoes, and then sprinkle the remaining cheeses over potatoes.
- Cover the scalloped potatoes with foil and bake for 1 hour.
- Check for doneness, remove the foil, and allow the potatoes to bake for an additional 30 minutes, or as desired to brown the cheeses.
Recipe FAQs
The balance of the Colby Jack, cheddar, and Parmesan is a really nice blend and I think you will really enjoy it.
If you’re feeling adventurous or have other kinds of cheese on hand, go for it!
Mozzarella and provolone are great ooey gooey melting cheeses and would give you that pizza-esque vibe with the scalloped potatoes.
I also think Gruyere would be amazing in the scalloped potatoes, however it’s a pricier cheese but possibly worth the splurge for you.
If you want a bit of a smokey flavor add smoked gouda. For a little fun bit of spice, add Pepper Jack. Pecorino would be a nice swap for Parmesan.
For these scalloped potatoes, I used Russet potatoes. However, you can also try Yukon Gold potatoes. I generally don’t associate red potatoes with scalloped potatoes and they could be a bit waxy but suit your preferences.
I sliced the potatoes very thinly, about 1/8-inch. If you have a mandoline, this is a great time to break it out and use it! It ensures that the potatoes are of a uniform thickness which ensures even cooking. However, if you don’t have a mandoline, don’t sweat it. Use your best using a very sharp knife and take your time!
If your potatoes are still hard and crunchy, that means you didn’t bake them for long enough — or you forgot to cover them with foil! These potatoes bake covered for awhile, about 90 minutes, because we’re talking about 4 pounds of them! I bake them for 1 hour covered, and then remove the foil and bake them for another 30 minutes uncovered.
Yes! Cover the pan with foil for the first 90 minutes to ensure the potatoes cook through fully and don’t crisp up on top. Then, once the potatoes are cooked you can uncover the pan and bake it for an additional 30 minutes to brown the cheese on top.
Most likely, yes. You’d want to peel and slice the Russet potatoes, then submerge them in water to prevent them from browning. Before assembling the cheese scalloped potatoes, you must THOROUGHLY drain and pat the potatoes dry — you do not want any excess moisture whatsoever in your scalloped potatoes!
Tips for the Best Scalloped Potatoes
I lined my potatoes up and arranged them in three long rows in the baking dish. You could arrange the potatoes in a scattered format in your baking dish, making sure that you scatter them well so that you don’t have a ‘log jam’ of potatoes stuck one underneath the next because unfortunately they won’t cook through in an even rate.
Be sure to watch your potatoes after you uncover them to make sure the cheese is browning at a rate you like. Depending on your oven, this could happen quickly – or not.
If you are confident cook and know how to use your broiler very well, you could broil them for a few moments at the very end. However, I don’t recommend this unless you know what you’re doing in the kitchen because after all that time, you don’t want the potatoes to burn and broilers are notorious for burning things.
Although, if you do know what your way around the kitchen and are comfortable turning on your broiler, broiled cheese has so much incredible almost nutty flavor that is just to-die-for!
What Goes With Scalloped Potatoes?
In short, pretty much any Thanksgiving, Easter, or Christmas entree or sides you like! Cheesy potatoes are a star side dish no matter what you serve them with!
Here are some ideas of what to serve with these easy, cheesy scalloped potatoes:
- Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
- Honey Baked Ham
- Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing
- Red Wine Cranberry Sauce
- Three Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
- Easy Foolproof Roasted Turkey
- Homemade Gravy
- The Best Classic Mashed Potatoes
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Three Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced to 1/8-inch thick
- 1 large white or yellow onion, diced small
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons seasoning blend such as Mrs. Dash, Trader Joe’s 21 Salute, or poultry seasoning*
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1.5 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese, divided
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and to a 9×13-inch casserole dish or baking pan, arrange the potatoes upright in the pan along one of the long edges. Repeat with the remaining potatoes until you have three columns of potato slices; set aside. Tip – If you have a mandoline, use it here!
- To a saucepan, add and melt the butter, add the onion and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes; stir frequently.
- Add flour, and cook for another minute, whisking nearly constantly, or until the flour is lightly golden browned. This is what’s called a ‘roux’ and is important so that later on the mixture properly thickens.
- Add the salt, seasoning blend, pepper, broth, cream, and stir until somewhat thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in 1 cup each of the Colby Jack and cheddar cheeses and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan; set aside momentarily.
- Spread the sour cream over potatoes and pour the cheesy mixture evenly over potatoes.
- Evenly sprinkle the remaining one-half cup of each of the three cheeses over potatoes.
- Cover potatoes with foil and bake for 1 hour, remove from the oven, and check for doneness. The potatoes should be fork tender and not at all hard. If they’re not cooked through yet, recover with the foil and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or as long as necessary so they cook through.
- After the potatoes have cooked through completely, remove and discard the foil, and allow the potatoes to bake uncovered for an additional 30 minutes, or as desired to brown the cheeses. In the final moments of baking the potatoes uncovered, keep a close eye on them so you know exactly how fast the cheese is browning**
- Allow potatoes to cool momentarily before serving, about 5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Cheesy Potato Side Dishes:
ALL OF MY THANKSGIVING RECIPES!
Cheesy Funeral Potatoes — This casserole is creamy, CHEESY, and topped with crunchy Corn Flakes! It’s an easy side dish that feeds a crowd, so it’s perfect for potlucks, holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and family gatherings.
Loaded Twice Baked Potato Casserole — Tender potatoes mixed with butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon, and green onions for the ultimate in LOADED baked potatoes!! AMAZING comfort food that’s irresistible!! Can be made with leftover mashed potatoes, too!
Cheesy Bacon Mashed Potatoes — If you like loaded baked potatoes, you’ll LOVE these mashed potatoes with bacon, cheddar cheese, butter, sour cream, and more! A family-favorite side dish that’s perfect for weeknight dinners or holiday celebrations. Irresistible, EASY comfort food!
Parmesan and Herb Roasted Potatoes — These herb roasted potatoes are sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and are made with seasonings you already have on hand. So easy to prep, and crazy delicious!
I made this recipe for the first time tonight for guests and it was wonderful! I followed the recipe just as it was written and only changed Parmesan to Romano because I didn’t have any Parmesan. I have made many au gratin potato recipes and I was a little skeptical about standing the potatoes up but I decided to try it. I made it in an oval baking dish and the potatoes standing in a circular fashion made it a beautiful dish. Even my guests commented on how pretty it looked and as far as taste, they just couldn’t get enough of it. By the way, to the person who had a problem with the sour cream, I just spread it over the tops of the potatoes with a pastry brush and it worked perfectly. I believe this will be my go to potato recipe from now on. Thank you Averie!
I made this recipe for the first time tonight for guests and it was wonderful! I followed the recipe just as it was written and only changed Parmesan to Romano because I didn’t have any Parmesan. I have made many au gratin potato recipes and I was a little skeptical about standing the potatoes up but I decided to try it. I made it in an oval baking dish and the potatoes standing in a circular fashion made it a beautiful dish. Even my guests commented on how pretty it looked and as far as taste, they just couldn’t get enough of it. By the way, to the person who had a problem with the sour cream, I just spread it over the tops of the potatoes with a pastry brush and it worked perfectly. I believe this will be my go to potato recipe from now on. Thank you Averie!
Thanks for the 5 star review and it’s wonderful this will be your go-to potato recipe from now on! Thanks for sharing your tip about using a pastry brush with the sour cream, great pointer for others. And I am glad that your guests were impressed with both the presentation + the taste!
It’s looks gorgeous this recipe. I have made scalloped potatoes with cheddar cheese before, but for sure it does look with that color. My question is what do you use and what name it is that you use to achieve this color? Can you be very specific? Thank you!
I use the shredded cheeses that I list in the recipe.
You need to make sure your oven is baking properly, and at temperature, to get that golden cheese look. Also I do edit the photos to deepen and enhance colors and contrasts.
great
Made this recipe for Christmas and everyone loved it! But I have a question: why spread the sour cream over the potatoes before pouring on the melted cheese mixture? Why can’t I just whisk the sour cream into the cheese mixture before pouring? I noticed little bits of sour cream in my finished potatoes as we were eating them and I wasn’t a fan of the way it looked.
Made this recipe for Christmas and everyone loved it! But I have a question: why spread the sour cream over the potatoes before pouring on the melted cheese mixture? Why can’t I just whisk the sour cream into the cheese mixture before pouring? I noticed little bits of sour cream in my finished potatoes as we were eating them and I wasn’t a fan of the way it looked.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad everyone loved these! You could whisk it in just as you said, that’s a great idea. I have always just made it the way I wrote it but your method sounds like a winner.
These look fabulous! As a vegetarian, I kind of struggle to find new things I’m genuinely excited to eat during Thanksgiving (have tried every kind of roasted vegetable and pasta imaginable). Will definitely try this.
I completely understand and am glad that this looks like it will work for you! There’s only so much pasta one can eat on Thanksgiving (been there in the past)!
Hi~
This recipe looks delicious! Can you prepare ahead of time and bake the following day? Thanks!
I have a feeling the potatoes could turn color once peeled if you don’t just prep it and then bake, but I haven’t tried. Perhaps buried under the cheese and cream mixture would protect them but I am not sure.
great