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Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, the ultimate holiday side dish. These potatoes are creamy, cheesy, and seasoned simply for a potato casserole that everyone really loves. The thinly sliced potatoes melt into a creamy, cheesy sauce. The top brown up in the oven adding a bit of crunch. Together these creamy crunchy potatoes are so delicious. They’re simple to make and always a crowd favorite. Enjoy my most comforting fall scalloped potato recipe!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Ingredients

  • Salted butter 
  • Yellow onion 
  • Kosher salt and black pepper 
  • Dry white wine 
  • Garlic 
  • Chopped fresh thyme 
  • Heavy cream 
  • Whole milk 
  • Cayenne 
  • Shredded Guyere cheese 
  • Shredded cheddar cheese 
  • Russet or Yukon gold potatoes 

What you will need in the kitchen for this recipe:

  • mandolin
  • whisk
  • large skillet
  • large glass measuring cup
  • foil
  • mandolin

Monday potatoes in prep for Thanksgiving next week! Is everyone getting excited for the big feast? I talked about this yesterday, but it feels as though we’ve skipped over Thanksgiving and moved right on into Christmas.

I mean, to a point! I’m still here sharing out as many Thanksgiving recipes as possible before the 25th rolls around. And these potatoes will add another delicious item to our Thanksgiving menu.

What’s funny about these potatoes is that as simple as these are, they really took me a while to perfect. I’ve struggled with scalloped potatoes for the longest time. I just could never get them to cook all the way through.

After a few rounds of these I figured out the secret. A lower oven temperature, plenty of liquid, and lots of time in the oven.

So while these do take a while to make, the prep is simple, and the rest is mostly hands off.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Here are the details

Before I slice the potatoes, I always caramelize the onions. A lot of potato casseroles call for onion powder. But I wanted to add a little more of a fresh onion flavor that wasn’t over powering, but just right.

I love to use caramelized onions for an onion flavor that’s more mellow.

I caramelize them down in a bit of butter and add wine to help them caramelize a little faster. Then just a little fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.

While the onions are cooking, I mix the cream, milk, and the two types of cheese together. Most scalloped or au gratin recipes will call for you to cook the milk and cheese together on the stove, creating more of a cheese sauce.

I’ve found that the cheese sauce didn’t help the potatoes cook. It left me with a drier potato, and not in a delicious way.

So I skip cooking the sauce.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Slice the potatoes using a super sharp knife or a mandoline. Using a mandoline is ideal as you’ll get even slices and it’s much quicker too.

Layer the potatoes in a baking dish with the cream/milk/cheese mix and onions. I layer this up similar to a lasagna to ensure every potato gets evenly seasoned.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Once assembled, you bake

The baking time for these potatoes is long. I cook mine a full two + hours to ensure that the potatoes are really cooked and turn tender. I then remove the foil, add a little more cheese, and bake until the cheese is bubbling and browning on top.

It might seem simple, but that browned, golden top really adds another layer of deliciousness to the potatoes that makes everyone want more.

Serve these up warm with a little added fresh thyme for color.

I’m excited to have this recipe to share with not only you guys, but family and friends as well. I actually served them earlier in the month to my oldest brother Creighton. He said they’re probably one of his favorite potato dishes.

When you win over the brothers, all is good!

The next question is, what will you be pairing these cheesy potatoes with? The obvious answer for Thanksgiving is turkey. But come December, over here it will be my roasted beef tenderloin.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other easy Thanksgiving sides?? Here are my favorites: 

Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks

Crispy Cheesy Potato Stacks

Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans

Lastly, if you make these Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 478 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Watch the How-To Reel

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
    2. Melt together the butter and onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. At this point, you'll want to add the wine and continue to cook another 5 minutes until the onions are deeply caramelized.
    3. Add the garlic and thyme, then season with salt and pepper. Cook another 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
    4. Butter a 9×13 inch casserole dish. In a large glass measuring cup, combine the cream, milk, a pinch of cayenne, salt, and pepper. Then add the Gruyere cheese. Pour 1/3 of the milk mix into the bottom of the baking dish. Layer in 1/3 of the potatoes, and 1/2 of the onions. Add another 1/3 milk mix, then 1/3 of the potatoes, and then the remaining onions. Add the remaining potatoes, then pour over the last of the remaining milk mix. Try to get the potatoes in an even layer.
    5. Cover and bake 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Remove the foil and top with cheddar cheese. Bake another 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden and melty. Serve the dish warm, topped with fresh thyme.

Notes

To make Ahead: prepare and bake through step 5, but stop cooking after 2 hours. Let chill, then cover, and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before baking, bring the dish to room temperature, add the cheddar cheese, and bake another 20-30 minutes.
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Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

This post was originally published on November 15, 2021
4.43 from 676 votes (583 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  2. Hi, Tieghan. This recipe sounds wonderful! Is there something I can use in place of wine?

    Thanks so much! I love all of your recipes!

    Reply

    1. Hey Peggy,
      You can use veggie or chicken broth in place of the wine. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

  4. It looks SO GOOD! What’s your prep ahead recommendation? Can I cook this whole thing ahead and essentially reheat + add the cheese/final cook time day of? Or would you only suggest to prep ingredients ahead, not bake? Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    1. Hey Kelly,
      You can go ahead and follow the make ahead instructions listed above. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Jeff,
      I have tested with both potatoes and they are equally as good so use whatever you prefer:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Traci,
      Yes, you could skip the onions. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Shay,
      You could use a dairy free milk that you enjoy. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. This sounds so good. I’ve never been happy with any au gratin potatoes I’ve made, so hoping this recipe is the one! Could you please go back to including a Pinterest link with your recipes? I have several boards with your recipes included in all of them — when I can’t pin them, I no longer think to make them when I’m browsing my boards. And I definitely want to add this one to my Thanksgiving board!

    Reply

    1. Hey Jules,
      You can simply click on any photo to save to Pinterest. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

  10. 4 stars
    This looks great and I will be trying it ahead of time this week. One note: It might be more helpful to state the potatoes in weight rather than number. I don’t know about where you shop, but the size of both golden and russet potatoes can be extremely different depending on how you purchase them – bagged or loose. usually the bagged ones are much smaller than loose.

    Looking forward to this and thank you!

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the feedback Linda, the great thing about this recipe is the potatoes don’t have to be totally exact, just a rough estimate! I would say to use about 5 pounds of potatoes. I hope you love this dish! xTieghan

      Reply

  11. These look awesome! Putting the finishing touches on my Thanksgiving dinner and these might be a late add. Question: I’m not a huge fan of cheddar. I can do it but not by itself usually. Any suggestions for a blend of cheeses for the top?

    Reply

    1. Hey Raven,
      You can really use a blend of any cheeses that you enjoy here, you really can’t go wrong! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Hannah,
      You could give it a try although I really think regular potatoes would be the best for this dish. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

  13. You’ve now put me in a conundrum! I was sure I would make Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks for Thanksgiving, but now….I’m considering these instead. Decisions, decisions!

    How would this recipe be with sweet potato? Would it work as well?

    Reply

    1. Hey Dee,
      Lol oops!! I really would stick with regular potatoes for this recipe:) I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

  14. Oh my gosh! These look like the bees knees. I love potatoes, and this just sounds perfect.

    What weight would the potatoes be please? We get different varieties in the UK – bit I definitely want to try these. Xx

    Reply

      1. Just saw your reply here – any possibility you could add that to the recipe? Serious difference! a 5 # bag of potatoes is a LOT of smaller potatoes!

        Reply

  15. This looks delicious and I have pinned it to make for this coming weekend. Just one question though. Did you use a tool or kitchen gadget to slice your potatoes or did you just slice them by hand?

    Reply

    1. Hey Colleen,
      Thanks so much! I used a mandolin to slice my potatoes, but a super sharp will work as well. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan

      Reply