The Best Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

They are basically creamy, cheesy, garlicky potato pillows melting in your mouth, and I want to sing from the rooftops “This dish is amazing! Make it now!”. Unlike many standard scalloped potato recipes (e.g., bland), this one is packed with so much good flavor, from caramelized onions and an herb-infused béchamel sauce, to a little chili heat and loads of savoriness. Bonus: while these potatoes are certainly comfort food, you can eat a good amount of them without feeling weighed down. They’re dairy-free, vegan, nut-free, and easy to make gluten-free and soy-free.

Why this recipe works

Gourmet flavor

Most traditional scalloped potato recipes are heavy on the dairy but skimpy on the flavor. It’s just potatoes; a roux from butter, flour, and milk; salt and pepper; and (sometimes) cheese. Rest assured, these vegan scalloped potatoes have been supercharged with flavor using a few techniques.

Perfectly cooked potatoes

One of the most common complaints about scalloped potatoes is that they don’t cook evenly: some potatoes are super soft, others a bit crunchy and undercooked. Why this happens: The potatoes are sliced too thick (1/4″) and/or (2) the dish is cooked for just 1 hour. In our first three tests, we baked the dish for 1 hour, and all three had some undercooked potatoes, especially the version with 1/4-inch thick slices. Do this instead: (1) Slice the potatoes 1/8″ thick. This is SO easy and quick with a mandoline. We use this inexpensive handheld mandoline and it ensures even thickness on each slice. (2) Bake the dish longer: first, covered with foil for 1 hour (to prevent burning and enable steaming), then uncovered for 20 minutes (or up to 30 minutes).

Ingredient Notes

Yukon gold potatoes. These have great potato flavor and are starchy but not overly so, so you end up with flavor-forward, saucy scalloped potatoes. In contrast, Russet potatoes have little flavor and absorb a lot of liquid, so they eat up the sauce and it turns dry. Full-fat oat milk. We had the best results with a full-fat oat milk, like the one from Oatly or the creamy oat milk from Califia. Substitute: A creamy cashew milk would also work. But we think soy milk is too naturally sweet (even the unsweetened varieties) and almond milk is not creamy enough. Fresh herbs. A trio of sage, thyme, and rosemary infuse the milk with a deep herby flavor. Around the holidays, many grocery stores will sell these three herbs together in a package called “poultry herbs.”
Substitute: If you don’t have all three herbs (sage, thyme, and rosemary), just use one or two. Vegan butter. Scalloped potatoes are typically made with butter, and vegan butter works like a charm here, adding rich buttery flavor. Substitute: You can use extra virgin olive oil instead. Nutritional yeast. A half cup sounds like a lot, but remember we have 4 pounds of potatoes! The natural glutamate in nooch will really amp up the savoriness in this dish. We don’t recommend substituting this! Onion and garlic. These amp up the flavors in a traditional roux and make this dish 10x better (we tried a version without them and were underwhelmed). Dijon mustard. Adds an ever-so-slight tang that cuts through the rich creaminess of this dish.

Step-by-step instructions

Add the milk, bouquet garni (fresh herbs tied together with kitchen twine), nutmeg, cayenne, peppercorns, and salt to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and gently simmer on low for 7-8 minutes. Strain the milk, discarding the aromatics and herbs. Make the sauce. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion in a bit of vegan butter until fully golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the rest of the butter and cook the garlic and red pepper flakes for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the flour and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes until it’s a bit pasty. Gradually pour in the infused milk, whisking as you go. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes, until it has thickened, then whisk in in the nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, and miso. Layer half of the potatoes (peeled and sliced 1/8″ thick) in a greased 13×9″ (33×23 cm) baking pan in an overlapping fashion, about 3 layers. Season the potatoes pretty well with salt and pepper.
Add half of the sauce on top. Spread the sauce out to the edges using a silicone spatula. Add the remaining half of the potatoes in overlapping layers, and season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining half of the sauce on top of the second layer of potatoes and spread out. Top with vegan parmesan cheese, if using. Bake at 400ºF/205ºC for 1 hour, covered with foil. Uncover the foil and rotate the pan by 180º. Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is deeply golden brown and potatoes are fully softened. Top with a bit of flaky sea salt and chopped chives. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tips for making vegan scalloped potatoes

Use a creamy plant-based milk.

We need to replace the high-fat content of whole milk, and I found the best option was full-fat oat milk (we love the one from Oatly or the creamy oat milk from Califia).

Yukon Gold Potatoes are the best for flavor and texture.

As mentioned earlier, Yukon gold potatoes have more potato flavor than Russets and have just the right amount of starch. In our test, the version with 100% Yukon Gold potatoes was noticeably more flavorful and saucier than the version with 50% Russets & 50% Yukon Gold.

Slice potatoes with a mandoline.

The key to perfectly baked scalloped potatoes are thin slices, 1/8″ (.3 cm) thick. To speed up prep time and ensure uniform slices that bake evenly, a mandoline is your best best. We use this inexpensive handheld mandoline and it works like a charm (affiliate link). If you don’t have one, you can try the slicing disc of your food processor if it slices thinly enough (or slice by hand, but it is more time consuming).

Let it rest!

If you immediately slice into this dish, it’ll burn your mouth. So there’s that. Also, the flavors still need a bit of time to meld together. Plus, resting the dish thickens it and “sets” those casserole-like layers. This is especially important when using Yukon Golds, as they have a higher water content than Russets and need time to rest

Looking for more vegan holiday side dishes?

Mashed Potatoes: fluffy yet creamy mashed potatoes, made vegan Vegan Gravy: a boldly flavored, deeply savory mushroom gravy Crispy Baked Mac and Cheese: cheesy, creamy, and crispy (and more nourishing than you’d expect!) Wild Mushroom Stuffing: an umami-rich spin on the classic stuffing Pumpkin Stuffed Shells: cheesy, chewy, garlicky, and creamy! Vegan Cornbread: crispy-crusted and buttery and practically melts in your mouth!

If you love these Vegan Scalloped Potatoes, please be sure to rate and review them below! Your feedback is always so valuable :)