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 Air Fryer Baked Potato, 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
- 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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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!