These Vegan Scalloped Potatoes are the most delicious creamy potatoes cooked in a cheesy vegan sauce.
If there’s a vegan side dish I will make for my family this Christmas, it’s this vegan potato gratin. I love cooking with potatoes, like in my Air Fryer Potato Wedges.
This recipe is an excellent vegan side dish for Thanksgiving to line up with my vegan mashed sweet potatoes. The scalloped potatoes melt in your mouth with the most delicious cheesy flavors, and even the kids adore this dish.
I have been making baked potato dishes like this for many years because scalloped potatoes are so close to the classic Potatoes au Gratin (called Gratin Dauphinois in France). But this scalloped potato recipe is vegan, easier, and even tastier.
Potatoes are an excellent vegan iron source. They fuel your body with nutrients while enjoying a comforting dinner. Let’s see how you can make these vegan scalloped potatoes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need to make this potato dish are:
- Yukon Potatoes or any starchy potatoes like Russet potatoes.
- Soy Milk or any creamy plant-based milk like oat milk or coconut milk.
- Vegan Butter, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
- Onions – You can use fresh or frozen, pre-sliced onions.
- All-Purpose Flour – Feel free to use all-purpose gluten-free flour if you are making a vegan gluten-free gratin.
- Nutritional Yeast – This is the secret ingredient for adding a cheesy flavor to the sauce without using vegan cheese.
- Salt and Pepper – to taste.
- Fresh Thyme – I was inspired by my mum’s Gratin Dauphinois recipe that has thyme in the potatoes. This makes a huge flavor difference!
- Nutmeg – Nutmeg is a staple in the classic French recipe. It adds a huge amount of flavor.
- Vegetable Stock – You can use pre-mixed stock or drop a cube in boiling water.
- Garlic – fresh or powdered. I prefer fresh, crushed garlic.
How To Make Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
- First, peel the potatoes and use a mandolin to thinly slice them into a 1/8-inch thickness (0.3cm). You can cut them thinner, but the potatoes cook faster and get mushy.
- Place the slices in a bowl while making the vegan cheese sauce.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the vegan butter. Then, stir in the onion slices and minced garlic and cook until translucent and fragrant.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the flour using a wooden spoon. It will form a roux, a thick flour paste covering the onion slices.
- Now, return the saucepan to medium heat, gradually add the vegetable stock, and use a whisk to combine the liquid with the roux.
- When all the stock has been added, do the same with soy milk, whisk, and add gradually.
- Finally, whisk in the spices: nutmeg, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and fresh thyme.
- Whisk gently and cook until it simmers and the sauce starts to thicken. The sauce should be slightly thick but not as thick as Bechamel. It takes 4 to 5 minutes to simmer and thicken the vegan cheese sauce for potato au gratin. Remove from the heat.
- Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish using olive oil. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Place half of the sliced potatoes into the baking dish. Then, pour half the cheese sauce over the potatoes.
- Next, add the remaining potato slices and top up the dish with the remaining cheese sauce. Cover the dish with a piece of foil and bake for 30 minutes on the center rack of the oven.
- After that time, remove the piece of foil and keep baking for an extra 30 minutes. The sauce should be vigorously bubbling around the sides of the dish.
- As it bakes, the top of the dish dries out and turns golden brown. If you insert a pick in the center of the dish, the potatoes should be tender.
- Remove the dish from the oven, and be patient. Wait for at least 15 minutes before serving. As it cools down, the sauce thickens, and the potatoes get ultra-soft and tender.
Serving
Serve these scalloped potatoes with some fresh herbs, extra seasoning of salt and pepper, or some of the toppings below:
- Fresh Rosemary
- Fresh Thyme
- A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
- Chili Flakes
- Pinch of Sea Salt
- Pepper
You can serve it as a side dish to any of the following:
- TVP Meatballs or Tempeh Meatballs
- Spinach Tortillas or Quinoa Tortillas
- Vegan Cornbread or 2-Ingredient Bread
Storage Instructions
You can store baked potato leftovers in their baking dish. Cover the dish with a piece of foil or wrap it tightly to prevent air from coming into it. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze leftovers in a sealed box for up to 3 months and thaw it in the fridge the day before.
Making Scalloped Potatoes Ahead
Scalloped potatoes are one of these unique holiday side dishes that taste even better rewarmed.
So you can absolutely bake it the day before or even up to 48 hours before!
Simply rewarm the dish before serving it in a warm oven at 350°F (180°C) until warm in the center. You can also rewarm the dish in a air frier or microwave.
Allergy Swaps
Below are some ideas to swap the ingredients in this recipe.
- Onion – You can skip the onion for a low-Fodmap recipe. Or use shallots for a finer taste.
- Nutritional Yeast – This secret ingredient adds a cheesy flavor to the sauce. If you skip it, the sauce won’t taste cheesy at all. But you can stir in 1/2 cup of vegan cheddar cheese instead.
- Soy-Free – Pick dairy-free milk with low flavor and rich, creamy texture, like oat milk, cashew milk, or almond milk.
- Gluten-Free – Pick all-purpose gluten-free flour instead of wheat flour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the answers to your most frequent questions about these vegan scalloped potatoes.
This side dish is the best comfort food side dish to vegan meatloaf, chickpea curry, vegan sausages, grilled tofu, green bean almondine, or tempeh meatballs.
Scalloped and Au Grating potatoes are very similar. Both consist of a baked potato dish made of thinly sliced potatoes cooked in a creamy sauce.
However, potato au gratin is much richer as it contains layers of grated cheese between the potato slices.
On the other hand, scalloped potatoes are lighter and easier to make as all you need are thin pieces of potatoes cooked in a creamy sauce. No grated cheese is needed.
More Potato Recipes
Here are some more vegan potato recipes for you to try.
Did You Like This Recipe?
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Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes - sliced in 1/8 inches (0.3cm) slices
- 2 cups Soy Milk - or oat milk
- 3 tablespoons Dairy-Free Butter (Unsalted)
- 1 small White Onion
- 4 large Garlic Cloves - minced
- 6 tablespoons All-purpose Flour
- 1 cup Vegetable Stock
- 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons Fresh Thyme - chopped
- ½ cup Nutritional Yeast
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a non-stick saucepan, over medium heat, melt vegan butter and cook onion and garlic, stirring often, until translucent and fragrant – about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the flour. It will form a 'roux' which looks like a paste.
- Gradually add vegetable stock, whisking at the same time to incorporate, then gradually add soy milk, thyme, salt, nutmeg, pepper, and nutritional yeast. Keep whisking slowly to combine.
- Stop whisking, bring to a simmer (don't boil!) and keep cooking, occasionally whisking until the sauce slightly thickens – about 2-3 minutes. It should form small bubbles on the sides of the saucepan, not boil. The sauce shouldn't be thick as bechamel. It's creamy but more liquid than bechamel. Taste, add more nutritional yeast, up to 2-3 extra tablespoons for an intense cheese flavor.
- Place half of the sliced potatoes in the prepared baking dish, pour half the sauce, add the remaining potato slices, and top with the remaining cheese sauce.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes until sauce forms bubbles on the sides of the pan.
- Remove foil, add the cup of vegan shredded cheese all over the pan and keep baking uncovered for another 25-30 minutes until the potato slices are tender.
- Serve with fresh rosemary or fresh thyme.
Storage
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days in a sealed container or freeze them in a sealed box for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator the day before serving.
THanks for another great recipe. This was even tastier the next day there’s something about reheating that makes the potatoes caramelize a bit, lovely!
Great recipe!
This was absolutely lovely! Really enjoyed the taste and creaminess of the potatoes