Scalloped potatoes are often part of the menu at holidays like Christmas and Easter. The dish is a delicious combination of thin potato slices, a creamy milk-based sauce, and garlicky onions. It makes a comforting side dish for ham, prime rib, and other favorite main dishes. Don't wait for the holidays to make homemade scalloped potatoes, they're delicious any time of year. You can count on this easy recipe to result in the creamy and rich scalloped potatoes everyone craves.

You may have seen scalloped potatoes and au gratin potatoes on menus. They are not the same dish. The biggest difference is that au gratin potatoes are made with cheese and scalloped potatoes are not.

What Are Scalloped Potatoes?

Scalloped potatoes start with layers of thinly sliced potatoes that are baked in milk or cream. The dish is often flavored with garlic, onion, or herbs. The sauce is often thickened with flour and seasoned with salt and pepper. As the dish bakes, the vegetables soften and become tender and creamy.

Scalloped Potato Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make our Test Kitchen's tried-and-true scalloped potato recipe.

• Onion: Choose your favorite type of onion for this scalloped potato recipe. Our Test Kitchen recommends yellow or sweet onions. Red onions can change the color of the finished potato casserole.
• Garlic: You'll need 2 cloves of minced garlic to flavor the sauce. Don't let the garlic burn when sauteing as it can become bitter.
• Butter: For added richness, cook the veggies and flour in butter to form the base of the sauce.
• Flour: All-purpose flour thickens the milk to create the creamy sauce. Stir the sauce constantly when adding the milk the help prevent lumps.
• Seasonings: To allow the flavor of the garlic and onions to shine, we're simply seasoning the dish with salt and pepper.
• Milk: Our recipe uses milk instead of cream to cook the potatoes. We recommend using whole milk but you can use whatever you have on hand. For the best texture, it's important to assembled the scalloped potatoes while the milk sauce is warm.
• Potatoes: You can use your choice of thinly sliced potatoes in this recipe. Some of our Test Kitchen recipe testers swear by the buttery texture of gold potatoes. Russet potatoes are traditional and their starchiness can help thicken the finished dish. You can also used red or white potatoes.

How to Make Scalloped Potatoes

This recipe for scalloped potatoes comes together in just a few simple steps. The full instructions are below but here's a quick look at how to make it.

1. Make the Sauce: Start by cooking the onion and garlic until tender. Add the flour and seasonings. Add the milk and stir until thickened.
2. Assemble: Layer in the potatoes and the sauce until the baking dish is full.
3. Bake: Cover and bake until almost cooked through. Uncover for the last few minutes of baking.