This easy homemade potatoes au gratin is the definition of comfort food and made completely from scratch. Spice it up with red pepper flakes or indulge in it just like it is. This is the perfect side dish to pair with any family dinner you create.

Cooking from scratch is our favorite way to cook! If you’re looking for more easy, homemade sides, try Green Bean Casserole, it’s made with cream of chicken and is full of flavor! Or Creamy Mashed Potatoes, made with lots of butter and cream cheese.

A white dish of cooked potatoes with a wooden spoon and a striped towel.

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

This classic side dish is made with thinly sliced potatoes that get layered into a buttered baking dish. These tender potato rounds are bathed in the most delightful garlic cream sauce and more cheese than one person could possibly need.

The sauce is so perfectly flavored I could eat it with a spoon, it’s creamy, soooo cheesy, and garlicky. There is nothing not to love. It is pure decadence!!

It’s a potato casserole that is fancy enough to fit right in amongst all of your holiday favorites like corn casserole, turkey, and simple stuffing. But, it is also perfect for Sunday supper with a nice roast. So go grab your potatoes and a mandolin and get to slicing!

Above view, close up of a white dish of potatoes au gratin.

What Is Au Gratin?

“Au Gratin” is a French term used to describe any type of recipe that is topped with butter, bread crumbs, or cheese (or a mixture of them) and then baked or broiled. You’ll most often find au gratin potato recipes, and they are cheesy with a crispy topping.

Yes, you read that correctly – many au gratin recipes are topped with breadcrumbs. And you can certainly change this up to sprinkle some on top of the potatoes if you want. I loved how these turned out with the gruyere cheese – it browns perfectly and adds a perfect crust on top, without the bread.

Au Gratin Potatoes Ingredients

Potatoes: Between 6-7 large, Yukon gold potatoes
Butter: Use unsalted butter so you can adjust the saltiness to your liking.
Garlic: You’ll use four garlic cloves and mince them really well.
Flour: All-purpose flour will thicken the sauce.
Heavy Cream: Use only full-fat heavy whipping cream for the best flavor.
Milk: Full-fat, whole milk.
Cheese: You will need cheddar cheese and gruyere, shredded from the block. Most of the gruyere cheese goes in the potatoes, but the rest gets sprinkled on top about halfway through cooking.
Salt and Pepper: Add just enough to bring out all the other flavors.
Italian Parsley: Parsley is optional. If you want to add it, finely chop it and use it as a garnish on the cooked potatoes.

All of the ingredients needed for this potato recipe.

How to Make Potatoes Au Gratin

Here are the basic instructions to make the potatoes. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post with full ingredients and instructions.

Step one is all of the sliced potatoes lined up in a white baking dish. — **STEP 1:** Place the sliced potatoes in the bottom of a buttered baking pan, making sure not to pack them too tightly.

Step two is a pan of melted butter and minced garlic. — **STEP 2:** Melt the butter over medium heat, then sauté the garlic in it for about a minute.

Step three is the melted butter mixture with flour added in with a whisk. — **STEP 3:** Increase the heat and whisk in the flour until it’s all browned. Slowly pour in the cream and milk and keep whisking until the sauce is smooth.

Step four is the shredded cheese added into the sauce with a whisk. — **STEP 4:** Over low heat, add 1 cup of cheddar and 3/4 cup Gruyere. Stir the sauce until it’s smooth and the cheese is melted.

Step five is salt and pepper added to the sauce. — **STEP 5:** Add in the salt and pepper.

Step six is the sauce poured over the potatoes. Then they get put in the oven. — **STEP 6:** Pour the cheese sauce over the sliced potatoes. Bake it covered in foil and then uncover it, add more Gruyere cheese (or cheddar) over the top. Bake uncovered.

Cooking Tips and Tricks

Do not overcrowd the baking pan. Leave room between the sliced potatoes so that the sauce will be able to get in between them.
Use a mandolin slicer to slice the potatoes. This way, each slice will be the same size and the potatoes will cook evenly.
Add some chunks of yellow onion on top of the potatoes before adding on the sauce.

Recipe Variations

Make gluten-free potatoes au gratin. Instead of all-purpose flour, mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with cold water and mix that into your cheese sauce.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top during the last 30 minutes of cooking. It will brown beautifully and create a crunchy topping, just like bread crumbs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between scalloped potatoes and au gratin potatoes? They are a lot alike, so it’s easy to get them confused. Scalloped potatoes are usually baked with a milk and cream sauce and without cheese. Au Gratin potatoes, however, use cheese (and sometimes bread crumbs).

Do you boil potatoes before making au gratin? No, you don’t have to boil the potatoes before you bake them. Some people like to pre-boil them in salted water for a few minutes to soften them because it reduces the cooking time and more evenly salts the potatoes, so it’s completely up to you.

How to Store & Reheat

How to store it? Let the potatoes au gratin cool to room temperature and put lefto in an airtight container. They should last about 2-3 days in the fridge.

How do you reheat it? Re-heat your au gratin potatoes in the oven or in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until heated through.

How to freeze it? Let the potatoes cool completely before putting them into an air tight, freezer safe container. They can be frozen for 3-6 months, just be sure to label the container with the recipe and date. Thaw the frozen potatoes in the refrigerator overnight until defrosted.

A spoonful of potatoes above a pan of potatoes.

Try these other holiday recipes!

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