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Rich, comforting, and surprisingly simple, these potatoes au gratin are an irresistible side dish that always gets rave reviews.
This classic potatoes au gratin recipe is one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, and it’s also fitting for Christmas, a dinner party, or any meal that calls for something a little extra. It involves layering thinly sliced potatoes with heavy cream and grated cheese in a casserole dish, and then baking until the cream thickens and blankets the potatoes in a rich, creamy sauce. And while it’s certainly worthy of a special occasion, honestly, a pan of these potatoes makes any dinner feel like one.
“I only gave this five stars because I couldn’t give it 10 stars. This may be my favorite side dish ever. It is amazing!”
Potatoes Au Gratin vs Scalloped Potatoes
Potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes are similar dishes, but there are a few key differences. Both are made with thinly sliced potatoes baked until tender, but au gratin potatoes typically include cheese and are known for their rich, golden-brown top. Scalloped potatoes traditionally don’t contain cheese and are often flavored with onions and baked in a milk or cream sauce thickened with a roux.
What You’ll Need To Make Potatoes Au Gratin
- Russet Potatoes: With their high starch content, russets soak up the cream beautifully and bake into soft, melt-in-your-mouth layers. They’re the best choice for this dish. Skip the Yukon Golds here—they won’t give you the same texture.
- Heavy Cream: The secret to the luscious, velvety sauce. You might be tempted to swap in milk or half-and-half, but don’t—this recipe really needs heavy cream to thicken properly.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: Adds a salty, nutty depth that melts right into the potatoes, creating incredible flavor and texture. Be sure to use true Parmigiano Reggiano. If you can’t find it, Pecorino Romano makes a great substitute.
- Salt, Pepper & Thyme: These simple seasonings bring everything to life—the thyme is optional but adds a subtle earthiness that pairs perfectly with the creamy potatoes and cheese.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Potatoes Au Gratin
Slice the potatoes: Slice the potatoes as thinly and uniformly as possible so they cook at the same rate. A mandoline works well, but a sharp knife is all you need. If a potato feels wobbly, cut a thin slice lengthwise and place it cut-side down on the cutting board to create a stable base.
Season the potatoes: Toss the slices thoroughly with salt and pepper so the seasoning is evenly distributed. Potatoes need a generous amount of salt to bring out their flavor, so don’t be tempted to skimp.
Assemble the gratin: Arrange the potatoes in overlapping layers in a buttered baking dish, distributing the cheese and cream evenly as you go. Don’t worry about making the layers perfectly neat, but try to keep them fairly even so the potatoes cook uniformly. Be sure to pour in all of the cream—it will thicken as the gratin bakes, creating the rich, velvety sauce.
Bake until golden: Bake the gratin until the top is deeply golden and a knife slides easily through the potatoes with almost no resistance. Don’t cover the dish with foil; baking it uncovered is what gives you that beautiful browned top. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving so the cream can settle and thicken around the potatoes.
Finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme and serve hot, while the top is crisp and golden and the potatoes underneath are creamy and tender.
Potatoes au gratin are best baked just before serving, but you can do some of the work ahead. See the recipe card below for my make-ahead, storage, and reheating instructions. If you love this recipe, try my cauliflower gratin or Brussels sprouts gratin next.
More Potato Side Dishes You May Like
Potatoes Au Gratin
Ingredients
- Butter to grease the baking dish
- 2½ lb Russet potatoes (3 to 4), peeled and very thinly sliced
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (4 oz) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2¼ cups heavy cream
- Fresh thyme, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease an 8-in (20-cm) or 2-qt/2L baking dish with butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with the salt and pepper until evenly coated.
- Arrange some of the potato slices, edges overlapping, in a single layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the potatoes, and then pour a quarter of the cream over the cheese. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cheese, and cream, forming 4 layers. Pour any leftover cream over top.
- Place in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife and golden brown on top. Let the dish settle on the counter for about ten minutes. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, if using, and then serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you’re following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Absolutely the best recipe ever! I’ve made scalloped potatoes for years and always had cooking time challenges. I follow your recipe exactly and they turn out perfectly every time and they are so SIMPLE to make. We’ve switched to Gruyère cheese and it’s a family hit.
A visiting British friend watched me make them recently and was astonished at how easy they were to make (and how amazing they tasted). It’s not a dish she’s ever made and she went home with the recipe.
About to make Baked Ziti for visiting grandkids. Only recently discovered you and your amazing recipes. They’ve all been hits. Thank you!
Would Yukon gold potatoes work the same as russet?
Unfortunately not – sorry!
I have used Yukon gold potatoes many times for this and it always turned out great.
I have as well
Absolutely scrumptious. The two oddballs (who doesn’t love potatoes?!) I live with actually would both put potatoes far below pasta, rice, or bread for a starchy side, but they love this one. So, so good!
Hi Jenn, I have made this au gratin, and loved both the potatoes, and the simplicity of the recipe. If i increase the recipe to 1.5, can I use a 2 quart casserole? Thanks.
Linda
Hi Linda, Glad you like it! I don’t think 1.5 times the recipe will fit in a 2-quart dish. If you want to double it, I’d suggest a 3-quart.
Made these tonight to accompany a steak dinner. WOW is all we can say – everyone loved them, including my fussy B-In-Law. And so simple! Yet another Jenn hit, thank you!
I make this every-time we have a big roast beef dinner. It never fails to impress. We prep it ahead of time and have it cooking in the little Breville oven so it is a wonderful aroma when guests arrive.
It is a no fail recipe.
I’m taking a dish to a friend following surgery and am wondering if I could add diced ham to the recipe to make it more of a meal.
Hi Peggy, a few readers have mentioned that they’ve added ham to this, and that the moisture from the ham added a little bit too much moisture to the dish. If you want to try it, I’d reduce the cream to 2 cups. Hope that helps and your friend enjoys!
Hi Jenn, I’ve made this recipe a few times, and it’s always a big hit!! I’m planning to make again in the same oven—and at the same temperature—as some vegetables I’ll be roasting in prime rib fat. That means the oven will be set for 425 degrees. Any thoughts on how to adapt the recipe so I can make the potatoes and veggies at the same time? Thanks, and Happy New Year!
Hi Alex, I’d cook at 400 but cover the potatoes for the first 30 minutes so they don’t get too brown. Hope that helps!
I love all of your recipes Jen. I learned to cook from your books. I had trouble with this one. Has anyone parboiled the potatoes first? For how long? Sliced or whole? The first time I made it we ended up not having potatoes with dinner because they didn’t cook. 2 hours in oven. Ii follow your directions exactly. I am starting to think it might be a gas vs. electric stove that causes my issues.
Hi Laurie, I’m so sorry you had trouble with this one! You’re not the first to mention this issue, but I haven’t been able to replicate the issue in my kitchen—and for most people, the timing seems to work. May I ask what type of baking dish you used (material and size)? Are you by chance at high altitude? Do you have a gas or electric oven?
Same issue here. Also cooked an additional hour after realizing the potatoes were not done. Still have hard uncooked potatoes. Not high altitude, electric oven, ceramic casserole dish. I’m putting it back in again, but covering with foil to see if they’ll cook through this time. The sauce is delicious though.
I’m sorry that the timing didn’t work for you! Did it come out okay (albeit taking much longer in the oven than the recipe indicates)?
I had the same timing issue. Prepared exactly as written with very thin sliced potatoes. Took much longer to cook and still wasn’t tender enough to serve with the meal. I made them twice with the same result. Have to pass on this recipe.
My go to Christmas side dish to accompany prime rib. It is perfection! After making it a few times, I realized that 2 cups of cream, or just a tiny smidge shy of that, is the perfect amount. I found with 2 1/4 cup, it’s a little soupy and takes longer to come together. If you do less than 2 cups, it will come together faster but you risk the dish not melding together as perfectly and can be just slightly dry. So trust the process and cook it for 90 minutes uncovered if that’s what it takes for it to absorb the cream. It’s truly the best!