Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
You’ll love vegan comfort food served in casserole form thanks to these vegan scalloped potatoes! With just a handful of ingredients and simple steps, this recipe delivers creamy, cheesy goodness that’s sure to impress.
Serve this vegan side dish with some Vegan Chicken or this Vegan Meatloaf for a completely plant-based, easy, homestyle meal.
I grew up in a house where scalloped potatoes were made on the regular, especially for big family dinners.
That’s probably why potatoes are my ultimate comfort food! These cheesy potatoes are incredibly cheesy and delicious.
Besides, it’s easy to make scalloped potatoes vegan and I love that it’s also an affordable dish. Scalloped potatoes feature layers of thinly-sliced potatoes baked in a creamy, cheesy sauce. It’s no surprise everyone loves it so much!
Ingredients & Substitutions
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:
- Vegan butter — I used Earth Balance, but any non-dairy margarine or vegan butter would work here.
- Flour — I used whole wheat pastry flour (different than whole wheat flour), or you can substitute all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour.
- Salt + Pepper — A staple in most potato dishes, adding the right amount of salt and pepper makes this dish the best!
- Plant-based milk — Any plain, unsweetened (not vanilla flavored) plant-based milk works. My preference is soy milk because of its high protein content that most resembles dairy milk. You can also use cashew milk.
- Vegan cheddar shreds — We most often use either Follow Your Heart or Daiya cheddar shreds.
- Potatoes — You’ll need around 2 pounds of potatoes, either Red, Russet, or Yukon Gold. I prefer red potatoes because the potatoes are tender when baked but still firm. The Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes have a higher starch content and will be more tender (which can be nice).
- Onion — I use a yellow onion because they become sweeter as they cook.
Buying Guide: Check the produce section of your grocery store for fresh red potatoes and yellow onions. Look for plant-based milk and vegan cheese in the dairy or specialty foods aisle.
Reader Reviews
★★★★★
Angie
This is my favorite potato recipe. Thanks!
This recipe got great reviews from our family! Will make again. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe.
Passade
Melting Vegan Cheese
To achieve that irresistible gooeyness, cover the top of your casserole dish with foil at the beginning of the bake.
This creates the perfect environment for the vegan cheese to melt into creamy deliciousness.
Then, for that golden crust everyone loves, simply use tongs to remove the foil towards the end of baking. Voila! A mouthwatering masterpiece awaits. Here’s more on melting vegan cheese.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze, transfer cooled scalloped potatoes to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- Hearty Comfort Food: Savor the heartwarming flavors of creamy potatoes and savory vegan cheese.
- Quick and Easy: Whip up this crowd-pleasing dish in no time with just a few simple ingredients.
- Irresistibly Cheesy: Experience the magic of gooey vegan cheese melting over tender slices of potatoes.
Marly’s Tips
Use these tips and tricks to make these vegan scalloped potatoes perfect every time:
- For thinly-sliced potatoes, cut them into 1/8″ thick slices. To make slicing potatoes easier, use a mandoline slicer.
- This recipe calls for using 1/3 of a medium-sized onion. You can use an entire onion, thinly sliced, but I find 1/3 gives plenty of onion flavor without overwhelming the picky ones (you know who I’m talking about!)
- You can use canned coconut milk in place of plant-based milk. Coconut milk scalloped potatoes are very creamy!
- There is salt in the vegan butter, the cheese, and we’re adding 1/2 teaspoon to the sauce. Let eaters add more to their individual servings if they so choose.
- For a crispy topping, broil the dish for a few minutes after baking.
Frequently-Asked Questions
Why are They Called Scalloped Potatoes?
We call them scalloped potatoes because of the look of the dish and the scalloped effect of the potatoes’ layers next to each other. This definition of the difference between scalloped and au gratin potatoes indicates that the lines between scalloped and au gratin potatoes have been blurred.
Do You Have to Peel Potatoes for Scalloped Potatoes?
Peeling potatoes for scalloped potatoes is traditional, but you don’t have to. In fact, potato skins contain fiber and nutrients, and they don’t distract from the flavor. Wash the potatoes and slice them, and you’re ready to go!
Vegan Potato Recipes
Truth be told, these vegan scalloped potatoes are not much different than this Cauliflower Gratin. It’s the same concept, just different ingredients. The same could be said for Vegan Green Bean Casserole, as well.
If you love these vegan scalloped potatoes, here are even more vegan potato recipes to try:
Subscribe and get a free Easy Vegan Recipes eBook
Plus our latest vegan recipes, delivered right to your inbox!
Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 6 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups plant-based milk (plain, unsweetened, not vanilla flavored)
- ¾ cup vegan cheddar shreds separated
- 2 pounds red potatoes thinly sliced
- ⅓ medium yellow onion peeled and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray a 9×9 inch baking pan with vegetable cooking spray or a thin coating of olive oil.
- Heat the vegan butter over medium heat in a small saucepan until melted, about 30 seconds. Add the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring in between. The goal is to create a thick sauce. Add salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the plant-based milk, a little at a time, stirring in between. This should create a gravy-like sauce. If your sauce has lumps, simply transfer to a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.
- Remove from heat and add ½ cup vegan cheddar shreds. Stir until melted.
- Cut potatoes into thin slices.
- Place ⅓ of the potato slices in the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with ⅓ of the sliced onions. Pour ⅓ of the cream sauce evenly over the top of the potatoes and onions. Repeat until all the potatoes, onions, and sauce is used. Top with remaining cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake in a heated oven for 50 minutes. Use tongs to remove foil and bake for 10 minutes, until the edges turn a golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
- To store, allow scalloped potatoes to come to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. These will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recommended Equipment
(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)
Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
That’s it for these vegan scalloped potatoes. Enjoy!
This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new text in 2020.
This is my favorite potato recipe. Thanks!
What is the best kind of vegan cheese or one you would recommend for this dish?
Hi Arti! When it comes to vegan cheddar, we oftentimes will use Daiya cheddar shreds or Follow Your Heart cheddar shreds. Daiya also sells a cheddar block that you have to great, but I find it melts better as a result. I believe they add an ingredient to the shreds products (for non vegan cheeses too) that makes the shreds not stick together. I think this is why it doesn’t always melt as nicely. But it still has great flavor and given enough temperature it will melt. If you want something besides cheddar, I find the Field Roast Chao to be absolutely delicious (although a bit pricey). I hope this helps!
Can i not use foil and just put in the oven???
Hi there Durga. Yes, you can put it straight in the oven without foil. I find foil helps the potatoes cook through a little more evenly and it also helps the cheese melt. However, you don’t have to use foil.
Just use the casserole lid.
Can you use baking potatoes instead of red?
Hi Linda! Yes, you can use russet potatoes. They work great in this recipe because they have a good amount of starch will helps to create the creamy sauce. I’ll add this to the notes section. Thanks!
Superb recipe. Good job!
Thank you! Any suggestions on how to make this gluten free?
Sure. I haven’t tried this yet, but you could use an all-purpose gluten-free flour. I would use the ones for baking because I believe they have thickening agents in them. Hope this helps!
This recipe got great reviews from our family! Will make again. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe. 🙂
So glad you liked this vegan scalloped potatoes recipe!