These healthier, cheesy scalloped potatoes from scratch are a delicious potato side dish filled with a lightened up, creamy herb sauce and a bubbly, cheesy top, all baked to perfection. They're just the side dish to go with your holiday meals! (vegetarian, nut-free, gluten-free option)

white round baking dish with cheesy scalloped potatoes topped with thyme, surrounded by thyme sprigs, a gold spoon and a white napkin.

This post was originally published November 2017 and has been updated.

Y'all. These scalloped potatoes. are. life. You need to make them. Like, now.

My memory of scalloped potatoes from my young life was a boxed mix of dried potato slices and a packet of seasonings that you mixed with milk and then heated the whole thing up. Not the worst, but not life-changing either. I could take or leave them.

But these scalloped potatoes. Oh. My. Goodness. Perfectly cooked slices of potatoes in a rich, cheesy sauce with just a hint of herby, garlicky goodness. All without using a ton of butter or cream, so they're lightened up a bit.

The Ingredients

It's amazing what good quality ingredients do for your cooking. I will always tell you so. You don't need a boatload of butter, salt, and heavy cream if you just start with good ingredients.

Yukon gold potatoes- I think they yield the best creamy, fluffy texture.
Fresh garlic, shallot, and herbs go a long way in adding big flavor to the creamy sauce. This dish uses fresh thyme and rosemary.
Good parmesan and gruyere - The most important part is the cheese. Don't ever skimp on the cheese. Get some high-quality parmesan and gruyere and grate it fresh into the sauce and on top. It makes all the difference, and a little goes a long way.
Chicken (or vegetable broth) and milk - the mixture makes a creamy, savory sauce without the need for heavy cream. I usually use homemade chicken broth and 2% milk.
A touch of flour to thicken up the sauce. I use white whole wheat, but all-purpose or your favorite gluten-free 1-to-1 flour will work too.

How to Make Healthier Scalloped Potatoes

Start by preparing all of your ingredients. It's nice to have them ready to go before you start cooking.
Layer thinly sliced potatoes in a baking dish, adding half of the herbs halfway through, then layering the rest of the potatoes.
Make the sauce by sautéing the garlic and shallot in a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to thicken, then add the broth and milk and keep stirring to form a thick, creamy sauce.
Sprinkle in the remaining herbs and grated cheese and season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce get thick and bubbly.
Pour the sauce over the potatoes and sprinkle on more cheese.
Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes covered in foil, then an additional 20-30 minutes uncovered.

Tips for Making Perfect Healthier Scalloped Potatoes

Use a mandoline (like this one) to slice the potatoes into even, very thin slices about ⅛" thick.
Chop the garlic, shallot, and herbs and grate the cheese before you get started cooking. It will make things easier as you go through the recipe.
The amount of salt you need will depend on the broth you are using. I use unsalted broth, so I add a teaspoon of kosher salt to the recipe. If you're using regular store-bought broth, you will probably need less salt. Taste the sauce before adding the salt in and adjust to taste.
A baking sheet underneath the baking dish in the oven is helpful to catch any spills that may bubble over during cooking.

More Holiday Side Dishes You'll Love

a spoon lifting a scalloped potatoes from a white baking dish.

If you've never tried making scalloped potatoes from scratch, it's time to dive in! You won't regret it with this creamy, cheesy, heavenly potato dish!

If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating in the comments!

Healthier Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Print Recipe

These healthier, cheesy scalloped potatoes from scratch are a delicious potato side dish filled with a lightened up, creamy herb sauce and a bubbly, cheesy top, all baked to perfection. They're just the side dish go with your holiday meals!(vegetarian, nut-free, gluten-free option)

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 min
Total Time: 1 hour 25 min
Yield: about 8 servings 1x
Category: side dish
Method: baked
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

2 lbs baby Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into ⅛" rounds
1 small shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup good parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup gruyere cheese, grated and divided
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, divided
1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped and divided
1 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tbsp flour (use your favorite gluten-free cup for cup flour for gluten-free)
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup milk (I use 2%)
Kosher salt to taste (see notes)
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Peel and slice potatoes (I used a mandolin for even thickness). Mince shallot and garlic, grate cheese and prepare herbs.
Heat oven to 400° F.
Layer potatoes into the bottom of a lightly greased 9" baking dish or cast-iron skillet, stopping halfway and sprinkling half of the thyme and rosemary over the potatoes, then layering the remaining potatoes.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over low heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir. Slowly add in stock and milk, stirring continuously to prevent milk from curdling. Continue cooking over low heat until bubbly and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Stir in remaining thyme and rosemary, parmesan cheese and half of the gruyere cheese. Add pepper and salt to taste.
Pour the sauce over the potatoes. Gently shake pan from side to side to push mixture into the bottom layers. Top with remaining gruyere.
Bake 30 minutes covered with foil, then remove foil and bake an additional 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Remove from oven and let stand for a few minutes to thicken.

Notes

Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
The amount of salt you need will depend on the broth you are using. I use unsalted broth, so I add a teaspoon of kosher salt to the recipe. If you're using regular store-bought broth, you will probably need less salt. Taste the sauce before adding the salt in and adjust to taste.
Use a mandoline (like this one) to slice the potatoes into even, very thin slices about ⅛" thick.
Chop the garlic, shallot, and herbs and grate the cheese before you get started cooking. It will make things easier as you go through the recipe.
A baking sheet underneath the baking dish in the oven is helpful to catch any spills that may bubble over during cooking.

Keywords: healthy scalloped potatoes, the best scalloped potatoes, scalloped potatoes from scratch