Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes are an easy, impressive Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish that I make every year, and everyone looks forward to it. Thinly sliced layers of potatoes are tossed in a rich and flavorful cheese sauce and baked until bubbly and golden. Every bite is delicious!
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Helpful Reader Review
“4th time making this recipe since Thanksgiving and it never disappoints. Had to double it today to feed 13. We almost licked them both clean.” – Diana ★★★★★
Au Gratin Potatoes Video
I’ll show you, step by step, how to make this creamy, cheesy au gratin potato side dish that will be the star of your holiday table. These potatoes are so luxurious, yet so easy to make!
Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe
“Au Gratin” (also called Gratin Dauphinois) is a French cooking technique that involves baking potatoes in cream, with decadent layers of grated gruyere cheese.
This Au Gratin Potatoes recipe is a showstopping potato side dish that I like to make for the major holidays because it tastes and looks so special. Pair this with Baked Ham and Juicy Roast Turkey for a memorable holiday feast! This potato casserole is absolutely holiday-worthy, but simple to prepare, especially with our quick method for thinly slicing the potatoes (see below).
Potatoes Au Gratin Ingredients
The secret to making the perfect au gratin potatoes is in this recipe’s simple yet flavorful ingredients. Below is an overview of what you’ll need, with the full details available in the recipe card.
- Butter and Flour – You’ll whisk together melted butter and flour to form a roux, which is the base for the cream sauce.
- Milk and Cream – Adding a bit of heavy cream will prevent it from curdling or breaking. Milk keeps it light and moist.
- Seasoning – We season the cream sauce with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Gruyere Cheese – Gruyere is a hard Swiss Alpine cheese that’s smooth and great for melting. You can substitute grated sharp white cheddar or a blend of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Potatoes – We love using Yukon gold potatoes for this au gratin recipe, but other starchy potatoes, like russet potatoes, will also work. You can peel the potatoes or leave them unpeeled; it’s up to you.
Pro Tip:
I found that Costco had the best pricing for Gruyere cheese (photographed above), but it’s available in the cheese section of most grocery stores. I’ll buy Gruyere by the block and then shred it with the large holes of my box grater.
3 Ways to Thinly Slice Potatoes
The key to having the au gratin potatoes cook through evenly is to evenly and thinly slice the potatoes. to 1/8″ thick. Below are our tried-and-true methods to achieve perfect, thinly sliced potatoes for this recipe:
- Knife – We love our santoku for slicing potatoes. It has handy grooves that keep the food from sticking to the knife.
- Food Processor – The food processor is our favorite method for thinly sliced potatoes. It’s definitely the fastest and most efficient, and it feels safer since you aren’t getting close to the blade. We use a level 1 blade on our Cuisinart.
- Mandolin Slicer – I recommend using the food holder that comes with a mandolin, as well as a safety glove to protect your fingers, as those blades can be sharp! Slice off one end of the potato to create a flat surface for the holder to grab onto, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions when slicing.
How to Make Au Gratin Potatoes
- Make the Cheese Sauce – Start by making the roux – whisk butter and flour in a large pot or dutch oven until golden. To prevent lumps, wlowly whisk in the milk and cream, then season to taste and continue to stir until thickened. Once the pot is off the heat, stir half of the shredded Gruyère into your creamy sauce.
- Slice the Potatoes – Slice your peeled or unpeeled potatoes into rounds about ⅛” thick (see above).
- Combine – Toss the potato slices in the cream mixture until well coated, then transfer the potatoes to a buttered casserole dish. Cover everything in a generous layer of the remaining grated cheese.
- Bake – Cover the potatoes with foil and bake at 350ºF for 1 hour, then uncovered for 15-30 minutes until tender and the sauce is bubbling. For even more browning on top of your au gratin potatoes, broil for a couple of minutes at the end.
How to Serve Au Gratin Potatoes?
We love to serve these au gratin potatoes with a sprinkle of fresh chives or fresh chopped parsley, as a satisfying Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish, or with family meals throughout the colder months. Here are some ideas to build your menu:
- Turkey – Serve as a holiday side dish with Spatchcock Turkey and Turkey Gravy.
- Roasts – Roasted Beef Tenderloin, Prime Rib, or Spatchcock Chicken.
- Veggies – Pair with Oven-Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Carrots, and Roasted Cauliflower.
- Salad – As a tasty side next to a fresh Beet Salad or Cobb Salad.
Make-Ahead & Storage
This cheese-filled potato bake is perfect to make ahead, and easy to store for delicious leftovers.
- Make-Ahead: I recommend baking the casserole completely, then cooling to room temperature, covering, and refrigerating. When you’re ready to serve, reheat per the instructions below.
- To Refrigerate Leftovers: Once the baked casserole has cooled, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- Freezing: Baked and cooled gratin potatoes can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw the potatoes in the fridge before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat baked au gratin potatoes in the oven covered in foil, at 350ºF for about 25 minutes or until hot throughout. You can also reheat in the microwave.
Hearty homemade Au Gratin Potatoes are the best comfort food. We’re sure that you’re going to love making these this holiday season, and all winter long!
Au Gratin Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups milk, any kind
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 ¼ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese, from a 6 oz block or white cheddar cheese, divided
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed (peeled or unpeeled)
- Chives, to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ̊F. Use 1 Tbsp butter to grease a 3 quart (9×13) casserole dish.
- In a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, melt 4 Tbsp butter. Add flour whisk for 2 minutes to cook off the flour taste. Gradually pour in the milk then the cream while whisking. Add salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder then continue whisking until sauce has thickened. Add more seasonings to taste. Remove from heat and stir in half of the shredded cheese until melted.
- Peel potatoes if desired and thinly slice to 1/8” thick (a food processor makes this quick and easy). Add potatoes to the cheese sauce and stir to coat, then spread the potatoes evenly in the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining grated cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 60 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15-30 minutes or until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. You can broil for 1-2 minutes at the end if more browning is desired but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Rest for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with chives and freshly cracked black pepper if desired.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Potato Side Dishes
If you love this au gratin recipe, below are more must-have potato recipes.
- Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Loaded Potato Soup
- Mashed Potato Pancakes
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Perfect Roasted Potatoes
- Shepherd’s Pie
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Smashed Potato Salad
- Ranch Scalloped Potatoes
Saw Sharky the Shark at the end of slicing the potatoes in the food processor. I am on the Island of Guanaja, Isla de la Bahia, Honduras and I love your recipes. I have your cookbook and am enjoying it immensely. Keep ’em coming.
Hi Natasha. I’ve made these potatoes a few times already and we all love it. Last night though after I mixed the potatoes in the cheese sauce, I covered and let the potatoes cook in the sauce for about 15 minutes before I placed them in the baking dish. The potatoes were cooked through before the hour, but I continued baking them uncovered for another 10-15 minutes for that crust. Your recipes always come out perfect and always hit the spot.
Totally cravying these right now, and I’m so happy reading this review. Thank you for sharing this with me, Marina.
Hi Natasha I love all your recipes 😋
Any chance I can make this in my crockpot so I can keep it warm without having to use the oven ?
Hi Tracy! I haven’t tested that so I’m not sure how it would turn out. You can keep it warm in a slow cooker after baking.
I love this recipe . Had left over ham so diced it in too. No half and half so used extra milk and cheese. You and Wyse Guide are my favorite recipe people. You got it all covered. Thanks!
I only have russet potatoes on hand. Will they work just as well?
Potatoes – We love using Yukon gold potatoes for this au gratin recipe, but other starchy potatoes, like russet potatoes, will also work. You can peel the potatoes or leave them unpeeled; it’s up to you.
Could I use all half and half and also add sliced onions and fennel?
Hi Robert! That should be fine. I hope you love it!
This is the best Au Gratin potato dish I made in 46 years! I followed the recipe using the Gruyère cheese (8oz) and I added a handful of sharp cheddar cheese in. My family just loved it! This will be the go-to recipe from here on out! Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that, Lisa!
Is it ok to put together the night before before Baking?
Hi Sarina! For making ahead, I recommend baking the casserole completely, then cooling to room temperature, covering, and refrigerating. When you’re ready to serve, reheat per the instructions above.
Hi Natalie,
Everything for Christmas is from your website and i have the Au Grating in the oven and the aroma, amazing. Thank you for all the details to.Cooking it ahead made it simpler for Christmas day.Hope you have a great Christmas and thanks.
I’m smiling so big reading this comment, Phyllis! I’m so happy to hear you’re making so many of my recipes. Merry Christmas!
Can I double the recipe to feed 24? I really need to have it all in one dish because of oven space.
Hi Sharon, yes, doubling will work. Here’s what one of my readers wrote ” Excellent recipe, doubled the recipe in a large casserole pan. Followed the recipe as written, except I doubled the bake times ( 2 hours covered and 1 hour uncovered, I recovered with foil for the last 15 minutes,) came out perfect, family loved them. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!!!”
Awesome recipe! Do you think I could add some roasted garlic or just mixed garlic into the recipe? Have you ever tried? Or do you think it would be too much and take away from the creamy cheesy flavor?
Hi Gabby! I definitely think it can work, but you may want to start with a little so it’s not overpowering.
Could I use hair and half in place of heavy cream
Hi Sharon! It can work but it will be less creamy and it will have a lighter texture. For a richer finish, sprinkle with extra cheese and bake until golden and bubbling.
Can I use more heavy cream and less milk for a richer sauce?
Hi Carolyn! That would be fine. Let us know how it turns out.
I cannot wait to try these potatoes all of your recipes are good so I’m sure they will be great. Yes Sharkey was in the video right after you carried your food processor out of the camera.
I hope you love the recipe, Renee! Thanks for watching.