Thinly sliced potatoes baked in a rich, creamy, garlicky, sour cream-based white sauce are what you will get if you try this vegan scalloped potatoes recipe. You don’t need any cashews or tofu to make the creamiest potato casserole.
Potatoes are the number one comfort food, in my opinion. They are easy to work with and usually make a hearty, filling dish. They are perfect as mashed on the top of our vegan shepherd’s pie or as French fries next to our vegan burger. Potatoes make the best creamy vegan soups like this spinach soup or this pumpkin soup.
This recipe is also part of the 35+ easy vegan Thanksgiving recipes and our 40+ vegan Christmas dinner recipes.
What to expect from this recipe?
Scalloped potatoes are also known as potatoes au gratin or as dauphinoise. What they all have in common is that they are a casserole side dish with thinly sliced potatoes.
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But what is the difference? Scalloped potatoes are usually thinly sliced potatoes baked in a creamy sauce and topped with breadcrumbs, while au gratin potatoes have cheese grated on the top instead of breadcrumbs. Pomme dauphinoise is a French version of scalloped potatoes with thick heavy cream but no cheese or eggs; baked until it has a golden brown top.
What will our vegan scalloped potato taste like?
- Thin and tender potatoes
- Rich and thick creamy sauce
- Mature cheese flavor (slightly nutty, strong, and pungent)
Ingredients
It is an uncomplicated recipe to make vegan scalloped potatoes. You only need a handful of ingredients apart from the potatoes. Since there are no cashews in the cheezy cream compared to other recipes, you don’t need a blender. So what do you need to make this potato recipe?
- Potatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Vegan sour cream – we use a soy-based brand (usually Dr. Oetker’s or Tofutti). Or you can try our nut-free homemade vegan sour cream recipe instead.
- Dairy-free milk – We recommend using almond milk or oat milk. Some people feel that even unsweetened products are too sweet. If you also think this, try making our unsweetened homemade cashew milk recipe.
- Vegetable broth
- Nutritional yeast
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Sweet paprika powder – Sour cream goes hand in hand with this spice in our family. You won’t regret trying it. We also add this combination to Hungarian vegan cabbage soup and creamy vegan mushroom pasta.
- Cornstarch – There are at least 20 ways to thicken any soup, stew, or sauce, but we chose the easiest one.
- Salt and black pepper
- Optional: top it with fresh herbs, chives, or scallion.
🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
Slicing potatoes with a mandolin
The first step is to prepare the potatoes. Wash them, peel them and slice them. The best way to do that is by using a mandolin slicer*. It will shorten the prep time significantly and ensure that all slices are the same. Why is that important? Because all potato slices will be tender and ready at the same time. Just look at the below picture. Don’t these sliced potatoes look restaurant-style?
Preparing the sauce
- We used our favorite cast-iron skillet from UnoCasa*, but you can also use other pans. Heat it over low-medium heat.
- Add olive oil and chopped onion. Stir and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic. Stir and cook for another minute.
- Take it off the stove and add smoked sweet paprika powder and cornstarch. Mix it well.
- In a separate bowl, mix vegan sour cream with dairy-free milk. Both need to be at room temperature.
- Add ½ cup from the milk-sour cream mix and whisk it well. It would be best to go in small batches to ensure you get a smooth sauce. Go until you run out of liquid to add. Whisk continuously.
- When the milk-sour cream mix is well incorporated, add the vegetable broth. Stir thoroughly.
- Finally, add garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and black pepper. Mix well.
- Bring it to a boil and wait until the sauce thickens.
Baking the vegans scalloped potatoes
I love to use glass oven-safe dishes*, so I can check the baking progress quickly.
- Pre-heat the oven to 395 Fahrenheit (ca. 202 °C)
- Spread vegan butter, coconut oil, or other oil at the bottom of your casserole dish.
- Add the first two layers of thin potato slices.
- Pour some vegan cheese sauce on top.
- Repeat until you run out of potatoes and sauce. Make sure you have enough sauce left to cover all potatoes on the top.
- Bake the potatoes covered with tin foil for 40 minutes.
- Take the foil off and bake it for another 20 minutes.
- After that, you can sprinkle it with breadcrumbs and grated cheese and bake it under the broiler for 10 minutes.
Top tips to make the perfect dish
- If you use new potatoes, you don’t need to peel them as their skin is thin, edible, and nutritious.
- The thinner you slice the potatoes, the shorter will be the baking time. We recommend getting a mandolin slicer* since the slices will have the same width and soften simultaneously.
- We recommend using tin foil to cover the scalloped potatoes for three reasons: 1) it keeps the heat in; 2) it ensures that the middle softens in time; and 3) it helps to avoid burning the top or getting it too dark too early.
Secrets to a smooth sauce
They are not secrets, but our top four tips to successfully and fuss-free make this creamy sauce.
- Cook it on low heat. → Never on high heat after you add the cornstarch. You can start on medium, but take it off the heat when adding cornstarch. Continue after that on low.
- Add liquid in batches. → It is the safest way if it is your first time making this sauce. I usually go with ½ cup at a time.
- Use a whisk. → It is a foolproof way to make any sauce lump-free. If you use a spatula or a wooden spoon, remove the pan (even off low heat) and stir thoroughly until you get the sauce smooth again.
- Add seasoning at the end. → You don’t know how much of the liquid evaporates during cooking. I only add seasoning after I am happy with the thickness of the sauce.
Troubleshooting tips
This sauce is quite similar to our vegan bechamel or vegan onion gravy regarding how to add the liquid and thicken it. The difference is while these sauces call for flour, this recipe calls for cornstarch. However, the rules are the same.
- Not thick enough? → Add more starch, but make sure you first dissolve it in a bit of milk. For example, mix 1 Tablespoon of flour or starch with at least 2 Tablespoons of milk. You need to bring it back to a boil to activate them. Note: The sauce will further thicken when it is cooling down.
- Too thick? → Add more milk, like 1-2 Tablespoons at a time.
- Help, I got lumps! → Take it off the heat and blend it with a regular or immersion blender to break up any lumps. If the sauce turns too thin or thick, go with the above suggestions.
FAQ and substitutions
Which ones are the best potatoes?
We recommend Yukon gold potatoes for their creamy texture, but Russet potatoes also work well. Huffington Post has a great article about all potato types.
Can you assemble it ahead of time?
You can prepare and assemble this vegan scalloped potato casserole the night before and bake it the next day. Cover it with a lid or saran wrap and store it in the refrigerator until then. Bake it right before serving. This side dish is best when it is hot and out of the oven.
How to store it?
You can store the baked casserole covered with saran wrap in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Can you freeze it? Yes, but the longer it is in the freezer, you will lose more texture. I wouldn’t say I like freezing potato dishes if I could help.
What to serve with it?
These vegan scalloped potatoes can be a perfect side dish for many vegan main course meals. Classic thinking usually dictates that people serve it with meat, but these vegan dishes below would be heavenly with this creamy vegan potato casserole.
Allergen info
This Vegan Scalloped Potatoes Casserole recipe is meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free.
- Vegan – You need vegan sour cream, but all other suggested ingredients are supposed to be vegan.
- Nut-free – Companies often use coconut or almond to make vegan sour cream. So choose soy-based products instead. You should also use soy milk or oat milk, instead of nut milk. All other ingredients are supposed to be nut-free, but check packaging info for cross-contamination.
- WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) – It is not a compliant recipe, as dairy-free sour cream brands frequently use oil.
- Gluten-free – All proposed ingredients are supposed to be gluten-free, but always check the packaging for cross-contamination info, especially for cornstarch and sour cream.
- Soy-free – Companies often use soy to make vegan sour cream and dairy-free milk. So select soy-free products. All other ingredients are supposed to be soy-free.
More vegan side dishes
You can find even more side dishes here.
More vegan casserole recipes
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Creamiest Vegan Scalloped Potatoes (No cashews)
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds Potatoes
- 1 Tbsp Coconut oil to grease the glass dish
Vegan cream sauce (in order of appearance)
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Onion (medium)
- 3 cloves Garlic
- ½ tsp Sweet paprika powder
- 3 Tbsp Corn starch
- 1+½ cup Dairy-free milk
- 5 oz Vegan sour cream
- ½ cup Vegetable broth
- 5 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Slicing the potatoes with a mandolin
- Wash them, peel them and slice them. The best way to do that is by using a mandolin slicer. It will shorten the prep time significantly and ensure that all slices are the same.
Preparing the sauce
- Heat your skillet over low-medium heat.
- Add olive oil and chopped onion. Stir and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic. Stir and cook for another minute.
- Take it off the stove and add smoked sweet paprika powder and cornstarch. Mix it well.
- In a separate bowl, mix vegan sour cream with dairy-free milk. Both need to be at room temperature.
- Add ½ cup from the milk-sour cream mix and whisk it well. It would be best to go in small batches to ensure you get a smooth sauce. Go until you run out of liquid to add. Whisk continuously.
- When the milk-sour cream mix is well incorporated, add the vegetable broth. Stir thoroughly.
- Finally, add garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and black pepper. Mix well.
- Bring it to a boil and wait until the sauce thickens.
Baking the scalloped potatoes
- Pre-heat the oven to 395 Fahrenheit (ca. 202 °C)
- Spread vegan butter, coconut oil, or other oil at the bottom.
- Add the first two layers of thin potato slices.
- Add a bit of the vegan cheese sauce.
- Repeat until you run out of potatoes and sauce. Make sure you have enough sauce left to cover all potatoes on the top.
- Bake the potatoes covered with tin foil for 40 minutes.
- Take the foil off and bake it for another 20 minutes.
- After that, you can sprinkle it with breadcrumbs and grated cheese and bake it under the broiler for 10 minutes.
Notes
- If you use new potatoes, you don’t need to peel them as their skin is thin, edible, and nutritious.
- The thinner you slice the potatoes, the shorter will be the baking time. We recommend getting a mandolin slicer* since the slices will have the same width and soften simultaneously.
- We recommend using tin foil to cover the scalloped potatoes for three reasons: 1) it keeps the heat in; 2) it ensures that the middle softens in time; and 3) it helps to avoid burning the top or getting it too dark too early.
- Not thick enough? → Add more starch, but make sure you first dissolve it in a bit of milk. For example, mix 1 Tablespoon of flour or starch with at least 2 Tablespoons of milk. You need to bring it back to a boil to activate them. Note: The sauce will further thicken when it is cooling down.
- Too thick? → Add more milk, like 1-2 Tablespoons at a time.
- Help, I got lumps! → Take it off the heat and use a blender (immersion blender) to break up any lumps. If the sauce turns too thin or thick, go with the above suggestions.
Nutrition
UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in Jun 2019. More info, tips, and details were added, and it was republished in Oct 2022.
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