Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes: Hearty and From Scratch

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This Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes recipe is simple and takes very few ingredients! It’s an easy way to make REAL scalloped potatoes with REAL ingredients that your family will love!

Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes made with real ingredients.

Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes

There is something about potatoes and the creaminess and comfort they provide at a meal! I love them baked, roasted, or any other way you fix them up! One of my favorite meals is old-fashioned scalloped potatoes and ham.

There is no need to use canned soups with ingredients that you can’t even pronounce or buy the boxed versions. These scalloped potatoes are made with real, fresh ingredients! You will end up with a pan full of creamy, comforting goodness when you are finished with these. They don’t take much time, but it is well worth the effort.

Tip: Looking for a Homemade Cream of Soup Mix? Here are 9 Ways to Make a Condensed Soup Replacement.

I love scalloped potatoes. My mom-in-law made these with a similar recipe. She added minced onion sometimes and that is good.

Sharon, Little House Living reader

Potatoes

Ingredients for Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes

  • Egg Yolk. Save your egg whites and use them to make Angel Food Cake!
  • Arrowroot. You could use another starch like cornstarch if you don’t have any arrowroot on hand. Most recipes for scalloped potatoes use flour but since you are only using this to thicken the sauce, a starch will work just as well and will be a great gluten free substitute.
  • Cream. This would be heavy cream or whipping cream that you’d find at the store. If you need this to be dairy free, use coconut cream.
  • Potatoes. Any kind of potatoes will work in this recipe. Russet potatoes tend to be the least expensive and yukon gold potatoes are our personal favorite, but use what you have!
  • Milk. You could use a milk alternative to make this dairy-free.
  • Cheese. The cheese is optional but so tasty!
  • If you wanted to, you could also add some diced onion or cloves garlic into this recipe, but those are optional as well. THey can help boost the flavor but aren’t nessecary if you want to stick with the basics.

    Tip: Use your extra egg whites to whip up these easy, gluten-free Chewy Coconut Macaroons!


    FAQs About Scalloped Potatoes

    What’s the difference between scalloped potatoes and au gratin potatoes?

    Au Gratin potatoes contain cheese and scalloped potatoes do not. I do have cheese on this recipe as an optional ingredient.

    Why do my scalloped potatoes turn grey?

    When peeled potatoes are left in the air too long, they oxidize and turn grey or purple. Be sure and use your peeled, sliced potatoes right away or put them in a cold water bath until you are able to get them in the dish and bake them.

    How do you keep milk from curdling in scalloped potatoes?

    Make sure you are using a full-fat cream and milk in this recipe. You also need to make sure you add the correct amount of starch and blend it well, not sprinkle it in.


    What to Serve with Scalloped Potatoes


    Why Make Scalloped Potatoes at Home

    Homemade Scalloped Potatoes are the perfect comfort food. Making them at home gives you the opportunity to control all of the added ingredients!

    This particular recipe for scalloped potatoes uses only 6 different whole food ingredients. The Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes in a box contains over 27 ingredients, most of which are not whole food ingredients and also contains coloring and preservatives.

    Both “recipes” take one hour to bake, the homemade version takes a few minutes more of prep time, so you aren’t really saving any time buying the boxed mix. Stick with homemade!


    Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes

    How to Make Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes

    Instructions:

    • For an 8 x 8 pan: Wash and peel approximately 6 medium to large potatoes.
    • Dice them in small pieces or in slices and let them rest in cold water, while you put together the sauce. You can also use a mandolin to slice up the potatoes into thin pieces for a more traditional scalloped potato casserole dish.
    • In a medium-sized saucepan, start heating up 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of milk. Do not let this boil, keep it over a low or medium heat and stir constantly.
    • In a small bowl, mix together the 1/4 cup cream, 2 Tablespoons Arrowroot Powder, and 1 egg yolk.
    • Once your milk/cream mixture is warm, but not boiling, slowly whisk in the above mixture and continue heating and whisking until thickened. (If you are wanting to add cheddar cheese to your potato mix, you can also add in 1- 2 cups of shredded cheese at this time.) Add in salt and pepper to taste. Once your sauce is slightly thicker, you will want to remove it from the heat.
    • Spray or grease your baking dish with cooking spray or your favorite vegetable oil.
    • Add in a layer of the diced/sliced potatoes and then a layer of sauce. Repeat this procedure twice.
    • Once all potatoes and sauce are in your baking dish, bake the mixture for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until the top is golden and the sides are bubbly. One house should be enough to get your dish to the correct tenderness but be sure and double check it before you turn off the oven.
    • To give your dish a little extra flair, you could top it with a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary. A little spinkle of black pepper or salt wouldn’t hurt either.

    Tip: Learn How to Save and Use Potato Water (And Why You Should)

    You can double this complete recipe and make a 9 x 13 pan full of potatoes. You can also make Scalloped Potatoes in the Slow Cooker.

    I cube up Spam or Ham and add to mine. With a veggie,it’s a complete meal’

    Hipockets, Little House Living reader
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    Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Keyword Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 376 kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1 egg yolk
    • 2 Tablespoons of Arrowroot or could use cornstarch
    • 1/4 cup cream
    • 6 potatoes
    • 1 cup cream
    • 1 cup milk
    • Cheese optional

    Instructions

    1. For an 8 x 8 pan: Wash and peel approximately 6 medium to large potatoes.
    2. Dice them in small pieces or slices and let them rest in water, while you put together the sauce.

    3. In a medium-size saucepan, start heating up 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of milk. Do not let this boil.
    4. In a small bowl, mix together the 1/4 cup cream, 2 Tablespoons Arrowroot Powder, and 1 egg yolk.
    5. Once your milk/cream mixture is warm, but not boiling, slowing whisk in the above mixture and continuing heating and whisking until thickened. (If you are wanting to add cheese to your potato mix, you can also add in 1- 2 cups of shredded cheese at this time.) Add in salt and pepper to taste. Once your sauce is slightly thicker, you will want to remove it from the heat.
    6. Spray or grease your baking dish.
    7. Add in a layer of the diced/sliced potatoes and then a layer of sauce. Repeat this procedure twice.
    8. Once all potatoes and sauce are in your baking dish, bake the mixture for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until the top is golden and the sides are bubbly.
    Nutrition Facts
    Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 376 Calories from Fat 180
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 20g31%
    Saturated Fat 13g81%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 5g
    Cholesterol 93mg31%
    Sodium 43mg2%
    Potassium 1008mg29%
    Carbohydrates 43g14%
    Fiber 5g21%
    Sugar 5g6%
    Protein 8g16%
    Vitamin A 842IU17%
    Vitamin C 42mg51%
    Calcium 113mg11%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    I just made your scalloped potatoes last night and they were delicious!! I used to make these potatoes from scratch but got into the habit of using the quicker soup type recipes. It really doesn’t take much longer to make your recipe and it’s well worth it. It used Fontina cheese and it came out so creamy and wonderful. I also left the skins on the potatoes for the extra vitamin kick. My son is a chef and he hates it when I don’t peel potatoes but I also think it adds to the flavor. 

    Barbara, Little House Living reader
    scalloped potatoes

    These potatoes make a wonderful side dish and are yummy for leftover breakfast potatoes, too.


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    Does your family enjoy Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes? What are some variations you make to your dish?

    Mom's Bio

    This Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes Recipe was originally published on Little House Living in January 2014. It has been updated as of December 2023.

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    28 Comments

    1. Looks like a simple comfort food recipe that I will try. With the cooler weather sneaking in, this will be a nice side dish for dinner.

    2. I love scalloped potatoes. My mom-in-law made these with a similar recipe. She added minced onion sometimes and that is good.

    3. The ultimate comfort food! I filled up many a teenagers’ tummy with scalloped potatoes when our 5 were growing up! Leftovers are great ‘fried’ in a skillet.

    4. I have not had scalloped potatoes in a very long time! Thank you for reminding me of how wonderful they are. I will have to put them on my menu soon.

    5. I LOVE scalloped potatoes! We used to eat potatoes almost every day when I was growing up, and I don’t think I ever got tired of the.

      This recipe looks so rich and delicious!

    6. Looks good, but I’ve read that arrowroot can cause dairy sauces to be slimey. I think I’d make a roux for this.

    7. I’ve been craving scalloped potatoes lately (probably because of the frigid cold). Now I might just have to make them!

    8. Yum! These look sound so good. I cook with potatoes once or twice a week, and I get tired of baked or mashed, so this is a great way to mix it up! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    9. Quit blogging and start a restaurant so I can stop by and eat. Your food always looks so delicious. I’ve got half and half takers on scalloped potatoes.

    10. Thank you for this delicious recipe without canned ingredients. So difficult to find the orignal recipes without the crutch of canned soups, etc. I hope to try these soon I may add some herbs, but will probably try the original recipe first.

    11. I found a way to amplify the yumminess and decadence of scalloped and au gratin potatoes: add a little rosemary and even possibly some thyme. It doesn’t take much, but what an impact! It makes for very happy taste buds. 🙂

      1. I think I would add different cheeses for different tastes. Both mozzarella and cheddar would be good but you could always try a pepper jack to mix it up!

    12. I love Scalloped Potatoes and these seem like something I can do! Thanks for linking up at Tell Me About It Tuesday. I hope you will hop over and join us next week.

    13. This looks amazing and I love baked scalloped potatoes. Found you at Chef in Training. I am one of the hostesses of Tasty Tuesdays and would love you to stop by and link up this recipe if you have not yet already. Here is the link http://bit.ly/1al67oL
      Lori

    14. I just made your scalloped potatoes last night and they were delicious!! I used to make these potatoes from scratch but got into the habit of using the quicker soup type recipes. It really doesn’t take much longer to make your recipe and it’s well worth it. It used Fontina cheese and it came out so creamy and wonderful. I also left the skins on the potatoes for the extra vitamin kick. My son is a chef and he hates it when I don’t peel potatoes but I also think it adds to the flavor. This is my 1st time visiting your site and I can’t wait to come again.
      Thank you so much!

    15. Scalloped Potatoes are a great side dish and dress up any meal. Your Scalloped Potatoes look fabulous, creamy and rich. Thanks for helping us celebrate Three Years at Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!
      Miz Helen

    16. Thank you for original recipes, without the canned soups added (yuck). I love it just the way it is without the cheese because Grandmother made it that way and I love it. She would add some diced onion, and flour in the roux. BUT, I am always ready to tweak recipes. We are having this for dinner with pork chops, veggies and a salad. Just wondering your take on arrowroot/cornstarch versus flour. Thanks for all you do.

      1. Both will thicken your foods. Cornstarch is better when you have to use it in a larger quantity because arrowroot tends to make things rather slimy if you use too much. 🙂

    17. Just what I was looking for, a recipe without cream of the unknown and no cheese. This will be perfect with pork chops. Thank you.