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    The Yummy Bowl » Recipes » Vegetarian

    Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

    May 9, 2021 · Modified: Feb 15, 2024 by Julia | The Yummy Bowl · 18 Comments

    1479 shares
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    Jump to Recipe
    cheesy and creamy potato au gratin in a white rectangular baking dish

    Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes - a traditional French side dish recipe that will complement any main course like pork, beef, poultry, and also seafood.

    cheesy and creamy potato au gratin in a white rectangular baking dish

    This cheesy recipe, similar to my salmon casserole is easy to make, requires super simple ingredients, and is loaded with plenty of cheesy and creamy flavors!

    Jump To
    • Potato Gratin Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Tips
    • FAQs
    • Easy Potato Recipes
    • Easy Creamy Dinner Recipe
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Luxuriously creamy and cheesy potato slices are baked until perfectly soft and topped with plenty of cheese and a hint of thyme.

    Potato Gratin Recipe

    For the recipe, there are two ways of making these baked potato slices. The first method - making the sauce base with heavy cream, cheese, and butter, and the second is making a flour-based roux and adding milk and cheese. 

    But today we are going to make it with a gluten-free flour base and lots of cheese. The sauce is creamy, thick, and enough to cover the potatoes for a very luxurious creamy flavor.

    cheesy and creamy potato au gratin in a white rectangular baking dish

    Ingredients

    • Potatoes - use starchy potatoes like Yukon, Russet, Idaho which are great for baking, mashing and deep frying. 
    • The best cheese for potatoes au gratin - choose any good melting cheese like Mozzarella, Colby jack cheese or Cheddar types.

    See all the ingredients in the recipe card below this post.

    cheesy and creamy potato au gratin in a white rectangular baking dish

    Instructions

    Start by making the sauce (depending on how confident you are in the kitchen you can slice the potatoes before making the sauce). The key here is to preserve the precious starch in the potatoes, so for this recipe, you’ll need to wash and rinse the potatoes properly, then pat dry with a kitchen towel. After slicing them, I wouldn’t recommend adding them in a bowl of water like I usually do, but if you feel it’s taking longer to make the sauce, feel free to place the potato slices in a bowl of milk or cream.

    Slicing the potatoes - I found that the best method is to use a food processor, the slices come out not very thin and not too thick, just perfect (about ⅛ inch thick). 

    Alternatively, you can always use a mandolin or cut by hand (will take a while to cut to even-sized slices!).

    For meal prep -  make the potatoes au gratin ahead, by keeping potato slices submerged in the cream and milk mixture the night before to prevent browning, all you’ll need to do the next day is the sauce and bake.

    Preheat oven to 350 F.

    Melt butter in a skillet/pan over medium heat. Add garlic and gradually add flour, constantly whisking at the same time until a roux has formed.

    potato au gratin process step by step

    Stir in the milk slowly and whisk vigorously.

    Finally add in the cheddar and whisk until the cheese is fully melted and set aside.

    potato au gratin process step by step

    Layer the potato slices in an 8x12 or 9x13 inch dish (butter or spray with cooking spray prior), add the onion sliced in between. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried thyme.

    Pour the cheese sauce all over the potato slices, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

    Remove the foil and top with mozzarella cheese and return to the oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, slightly browned. You can use the broiler method but be careful as the cheese can burn very quickly.

    potato au gratin process step by step

    Tips

    • Salt - in this recipe I added 1 teaspoon however for every person it’s different!

    I am trying to decrease my salt consumption by adding less and less each time, and after tasting the final-cooked dish I can always add a little extra if needed so. And for that, I usually love adding (crushed) sea salt flakes instead of the regular salt!

    Feel free to bump the salt to 2 teaspoon if in doubt.

    • Thyme - sub to dried rosemary or add few fresh sprigs to the mix (just be careful and remove them when serving). Or if you not feeling the herbs, simply leave them out, but they add a little twist to the traditional potato au gratin recipe. 
    • Paprika - sprinkle smoked or regular paprika powder over the potatoes just before adding the sauce. 
    • Toppings - if you're in the mood, sprinkle with slightly cooked bacon pieces all over the potatoes in the last round of baking, just before topping with cheddar cheese. Alternatively, add uncooked small bacon slices between the potatoes along with the onion slices.
    • If you are like me and love a little heat in your meals, add 1 teaspoon of chili flakes to the cooked sauce, right before topping the au gratin potatoes.

    FAQs

    • Can you freeze potato gratin? Best to be stored refrigerated, tightly sealed in a glass food container for up to a week tops. When ready to use, reheat in the oven (about 375 F for 20-40 min or less) until soft and creamy again. This creamy potato au gratin doesn't freeze really well, however, if you do need to freeze this, you can do so by transferring them in an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to 2-3 weeks. 
    • How do you keep potatoes au gratin from becoming watery? As I mentioned above, it is important to choose more starchy potatoes for this recipe as they hold their shape, don’t become watery, and are perfect for baking. 
    • For the milk - use a full fat milk, nut milk or cooking cream for best results. 

    Easy Potato Recipes

    ALL SIDE DISH recipes.

    • potato salad on a green plate bowl
      Potato Salad Recipe (No Eggs)
    • dark mashed potato and cauliflower bowl with a spoon inside
      Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes
    • Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries with parsley and mayonnaise and ketchup
      Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

    Easy Creamy Dinner Recipe

    • Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
    • Baked Taquitos

    I would appreciate it so much if you left a comment about this recipe below! Subscribe to join the TYB newsletter and receive free recipes straight to your inbox! Let's connect via Facebook, IG & Pinterest!

    Recipe

    cheesy and creamy potato au gratin in a white rectangular baking dish

    Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

    Julia | The Yummy Bowl
    Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes – a traditional French side dish recipe that will complement any main course like pork, beef, poultry, and also seafood. This recipe is easy to make, requires super simple ingredients, and is loaded with plenty of cheesy and creamy flavors!
    4.95 from 17 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 7 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 32 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine French
    Servings 6 side portions

    INGREDIENTS
      

    For Potatoes

    • 2 lb starchy potatoes, cut into ⅛ inch thick slices
    • 1 medium brown or red onion, cut into thin circles

    For Cheesy Sauce

    • 3 tablespoon butter
    • 5 tablespoon gluten-free flour blend
    • 1 cup milk, plant-based nut milk like almond is perfect
    • ½ cup veggie or meat broth, or bio bouillon cube dissolved in hot water according to instructions
    • 1 ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
    • 2 large garlic cloves, minced or paste
    • ½ teaspoon thyme, dried (or dried rosemary)
    • 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or add to taste up to 2 tsp
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

    Top with:

    • ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
    • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
    • Thyme sprigs

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 F.
    • Melt butter in a skillet/pan over medium heat. Add garlic and gradually add flour, constantly whisking at the same time until a roux has formed.
    • Stir in the veggie broth, milk slowly and whisk vigorously.
    • Finally, add in the cheddar and whisk until the cheese is fully melted and set aside.
    • Layer the potato slices in an 8x12 or 9x13 inch dish (butter or spray with cooking spray prior), add the onion sliced in between. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
    • Pour the cheese sauce all over the potato slices, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
    • Remove the foil and top with mozzarella cheese and return to the oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, slightly browned. You can use the broiler method but be careful as the cheese can burn very quickly.

    VIDEO

    NOTES

    • Potatoes - use starchy potatoes like Yukon, Russet, Idaho which are great for baking, mashing, and deep-frying. 
    • Salt - in this recipe I added 1 teaspoon however for every person it’s different and some people like their food to have enough salt all the time. I am trying to decrease my salt consumption by adding less and less each time, and after tasting the final ready-cooked dish I can always add a little extra if needed so. Feel free to bump the salt to 2 teaspoon to be sure.
    • Thyme - sub to dried rosemary or add few fresh sprigs to the mix (just be careful and remove them when serving). Or if you not feeling the herbs, simply leave them out, but they add a little twist to the traditional potato au gratin recipe. 
    • Paprika - sprinkle the smoked or regular paprika powder over the potatoes just before adding the sauce. 
    • Toppings - if you in the mood, sprinkle with slightly cooked bacon pieces all over the potatoes in the last round of baking, just before topping with cheddar cheese. Alternatively, add uncooked small bacon or ham slices between the potatoes along with the onion slices.
    • If you're like me and love a little heat in your meals, add 1 teaspoon of chili flakes to the cooked sauce, right before topping the potatoes au gratin. 

    ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES

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    Tried this recipe?@theyummy_bowl and tag #theyummy_bowl! Thank you!

    Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.

    Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.

    « Chicken Zucchini Casserole
    Spiced Oatmeal With Pear (Vegan Oatmeal) »
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julia

      April 15, 2021 at 4:42 pm

      5 stars
      Enjoy this easy and super creamy mashed potato recipe!

      Reply
    2. HEATHER PERINE

      May 18, 2021 at 10:32 am

      5 stars
      I love au gratin potatoes but rarely make it! So glad I tried it...absolutely delicious. And thanks for the tips on what potatoes to use!

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 18, 2021 at 1:33 pm

        Thank you Heather, hope you’ll make this more often 😉

        Reply
    3. Sandhya

      May 18, 2021 at 10:40 am

      5 stars
      What a delicious dinner recipe. Perfect, when I want to make something totally hands off!

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 18, 2021 at 1:32 pm

        True that! So easy and flavorful, thank you Sandhya!

        Reply
    4. Danielle Wolter

      May 18, 2021 at 11:06 am

      5 stars
      This was an awesome recipe! I love how easy it was to make and it was so rich and delicious.

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 18, 2021 at 1:32 pm

        Thank you Danielle, so glad to hear this!

        Reply
    5. Gina

      May 18, 2021 at 11:08 am

      5 stars
      This is so decadent it could replace dessert! We love this recipe especially garnished with some fresh chives 🙂

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 18, 2021 at 1:31 pm

        Oh yes, you are so right 😉 thank you!

        Reply
    6. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry

      May 18, 2021 at 11:27 am

      5 stars
      These sound so creamy and delicious! Potatoes are one of my favourite side dishes so will definitely be giving these a try!

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 18, 2021 at 1:31 pm

        Thank you Bintu, i’m sure you’ll love this!

        Reply
    7. Dave

      June 01, 2021 at 9:56 pm

      4 stars
      I tried it, very basic bechamel cream sauce. Nothing new, been making it for 25 years
      Do something that is interesting. Dried Chiles,are a great addition. Parmesan is a staple to any cheese sauce, aged asiago shredded, or something.way too boring. You should be ashamed...

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 02, 2021 at 8:55 pm

        I am sharing easy and simple recipes with simple ingredients that everyone can afford, nothing to be ashamed of here. If you are looking for something ''not too boring'' then probably this recipe or the blog is not for you. Thanks for the feedback though.

        Reply
      • Diane

        January 12, 2022 at 12:36 am

        5 stars
        Shame on you Dave

        Reply
    8. Dina

      October 24, 2021 at 10:39 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for this. It was delicious ! I used to make the box and your way is easier. Looking forward to more easy recipes

      Reply
      • Julia | The Yummy Bowl

        October 25, 2021 at 2:42 am

        Thank you Dina, I'm very glad you liked this recipe!

        Reply
    9. Suzanne

      April 09, 2023 at 8:08 pm

      Do I need full fat milk, or can I use fat free lactaid (that's all I have in the house right now)?

      Reply
      • Julia | The Yummy Bowl

        May 30, 2023 at 7:00 pm

        Full fat is preferred, but totally fat free I wouldn't recommend as we need the fat in this recipe for the sauce to thicken.

        Reply

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    I'm Julia and welcome to The Yummy Bowl. I share easy and healthier recipes for the whole family. Hope you enjoy! Love, Julia

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    the yummy bowl julia author

    I'm Julia and welcome to The Yummy Bowl. I share easy and healthier recipes for the whole family. Hope you enjoy! Love, Julia

    More about me →

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