Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

Tender potatoes and soft onion slices in a creamy, garlicky white sauce sprinkled with spring onion or chives. This Vegan Scalloped Potatoes recipe is a dairy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free comfort food at its best. 

Potatoes are the number 1 comfort food according to my opinion. They are easy to work with and they usually make a hearty, filling dish. They are perfect as mashed on the top of our Meatless Shepherd’s Pie, or as french fries next to our Vegan Beetroot Burger. Potatoes also make the best creamy Spinach Soup and Pumpkin Soup without any heavy cream.

Compared to potato chips, I think scalloped potatoes is quite an elegant recipe. It looks fancy despite it is so easy to make. They are lovely as a side dish, but I love them next to our Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms. Who said two sides cannot make a full meal?

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Why are they called Scalloped Potatoes?

Scalloped potatoes or Potatoes au Gratin? But what is the difference? I love this potato casserole dish, but I wasn’t sure what to call it. Apparently, scalloped potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes baked in a creamy sauce and topped with breadcrumbs, while potatoes au gratin has cheese grated on the top instead of breadcrumbs. So our recipe is definitely closer to Scalloped Potatoes.

Ingredients of our Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

In short, it is a dairy-free and gluten-free potato casserole dish baked in a sour cream-based sauce. The recipe has 3 main ingredients:

• potatoes
• red onion
• garlic
• optional toppings: breadcrumbs, spring onion, chives, grated cheese, etc.

And don’t forget about our creamy vegan white sauce, which is also nut-free:

• vegan sour cream (our homemade dairy-free sour cream recipe or alternatively you can use our cashew alfredo sauce recipe)
• dairy-free milk (our unsweetened homemade cashew milk recipe)
• nutritional yeast
• sweet paprika powder
• salt and pepper

No cashews were harmed while making this sauce. The sour cream is a perfect base and it reminds me of the potato casserole my mom used to make. Well, she also added boiled egg slices and sausages to it back then. I skip those obviously now.

Sour cream goes hand in hand with sweet paprika powder in our family. It is an awesome combination. You won’t regret trying it. You can also see it in our Vegan Cabbage Soup. 🙂

How to make easy scalloped potatoes?

The first step is to prepare the potatoes. Wash them, peel them and slice them for about ⅛ inch thick.

Peel and slice the onion, chop the garlic and on a bit of olive oil or coconut oil cook them until tender. You can add them raw later, but we think the pre-cooked slightly caramelized onion slices give an additional layer of flavor to this potato casserole dish.

Next is to mix quickly the creamy, white sauce. Start with adding the vegan sour cream to a bowl (photo #1). Then add the seasoning: sweet paprika powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper (photo #2). Pour the dairy-free milk in smaller batches and mix thoroughly until you get a smooth, watery sauce (photo #3).

Let’s assemble our potato casserole. I love to use glass oven-safe dishes, so I can check the progress of the baking easily. The first layer is the potato slices (photo #1), the second layer is the cooked onion and garlic (photo #2).

When you ran out of potato slices and the dish is full (probably 5 layers), pour the sour cream sauce and optionally sprinkle it with breadcrumbs, spring onion, chives, grated cheese – whatever you fancy (photo #3). Bake in a pre-heated oven on 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celcius) for an hour. If the potatoes are tender, your casserole is ready!

Top tips to make perfect vegan scalloped potatoes:

• If you use new potatoes, you don’t need to peel them as their skin is very thin, edible and nutritious.
• The thinner you slice the potatoes, the shorter will be the cooking time.
• You don’t need to pre-cook the onion slices or the chopped garlic. You can add them raw, they will for sure soften during baking.
• If you feel that the top layer of the potatoes are getting brown and are still not tender enough, cover the dish with a tin foil and decrease the heat slightly.

FAQ and Substitutions

What kind of potatoes works the best?

We recommend yukon gold for their creamy texture, but russet potatoes also work well. Huffington Post has a great article about all potato types.

Can you assemble scalloped potatoes ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare and assemble scalloped potatoes the night before and bake the next day. Make sure to cover them with a lid or cling foil so they don’t get dry. When ready, bake them and serve hot. They are best when they are right out of the oven.

How long will scalloped potatoes last in the fridge?

We usually eat them within 3 days. Personally, I don’t like to eat anything after 3-4 days.

What vegetable goes well with scalloped potatoes?

We ALWAYS make scalloped potatoes with onion and garlic. So that is a no brainer, but we sometimes add broccoli florets or carrot slices. Let us know in the comments what is your favorite combination.

What do you serve with scalloped potatoes?

The classic version is a side dish, but we love to mix different “side dishes” to make a whole meal. We like it next to our Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms or our Sauteed Mushrooms in Soy Sauce Glaze or our Sauteed Carrots in Maple Thyme Glaze. Sometimes we add a lovely, fresh salad or eat it after a hearty soup. Let us know in the comments what is your favorite combination.

This Scalloped Potatoes recipe is vegan, so meat-free, dairy-free and egg-free. It is also suitable for WFPB, vegetarian, nut-free and gluten-free diets.

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More comfort food recipes

You can browse through our vegan and gluten-free lunch and dinner recipe gallery or our Quick Vegan Meals collection or check out

• Best Vegan Lasagna
• Nut-free Vegan Mac and Cheese
• Meatless Shepherd’s Pie
• Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
• Best Vegan Chili with Beans and Millet

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