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Potatoes Au Gratin

Updated April 12, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

Rich and creamy potatoes au gratin are a baked-until-bronzed medley of potatoes, butter, heavy cream, and TWO kinds of cheese. This classic side dish does not quit.

A casserole dish filled with golden, creamy potatoes au gratin, topped with a crispy cheese layer garnished with parsley.
Photography by Gayle McLeod

Whether you’re looking to up your holiday side dish game, or simply for a cozy way to spruce up your next dinner party, creamy, cheesy homemade au gratin potatoes are such a win. Laden with nutty Gruyère and Parmesan cheese, and baked in a bath of silky cream, classic potatoes au gratin are everything a side dish is supposed to be! “Au gratin” is a French phrase that refers to a dish topped with grated cheese or breadcrumbs (the “gratin” refers to the crispy, brown crust on top of the dish), usually baked with cream, garlic and butter. Potatoes au gratin (sometimes called Dauphinoise Potatoes) are essentially the French version of American Scalloped Potatoes, and are sometimes called. 

For a lower-carb version of this heavenly potatoes au gratin recipe, check out our Cauliflower Au Gratin, Asparagus Gratin, or Squash Gratin, and for another fancy potato side, try our crispy Hasselback Potatoes.

ingredients laid out for potatoes au gratin: butter, cream, garlic, nutmeg, potatoes, salt, pepper, Gruyère, Parm & parsley

Key Ingredients

Scroll down for the full recipe with measurements below.

  • Potatoes. Starchy russet potatoes are the best potatoes for making a gratin because they’ll get really creamy as they bake in all that garlicky cream sauce, and creamy is (if you didn’t already pick up on it) is what we want this dish to be!
  • Cheese! Tell people you’re serving potatoes au gratin, and they’ll expect cheese. The combination of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and nutty Swiss Gruyère (the world’s best melting cheese) is classic and makes for the BEST potatoes au gratin. You’ll have creamy potatoes under a golden crust of melty, oozy cheese, what’s not to love?
  • Butter. This dish is just about as French as can be, obviously you’ll need butter!
  • Cream: The potatoes will bake in the cream, and that’s a very, very good thing. No substitutions! 
  • Garlic: You really need the savory bite of garlic here, to balance out the richness of, well, literally everything else.
  • Nutmeg: Nutmeg and cream are a classic pairing (see also: Alfredo Sauce), and you’ll be amazed how much this simple spice adds. 
rich sauce being made in a pot with heavy cream, garlic, nutmeg, and butter to use in a potatoes au gratin recipe.
Thinly sliced potatoes being soaked in cold water to use to make potatoes au gratin.
Thinly sliced potatoes being pat completely dry between paper towels.
Layering creamy potatoes au gratin in a casserole dish, with thin slices of potato and rich cheese sauce.

How to Make Potatoes Au Gratin

  1. Prep the potatoes: Use a mandoline slicer if you have one (or just a nice sharp chef’s knife) to slice the potatoes quite thinly. Put the slices in a big bowl full of cold water. Why? A quick soak in cold water removes some of the excess starch from the potatoes, and keeps them from becoming gummy as they bake in the cream sauce. Drain and dry them.
  2. Make the cream sauce by melting together the cream, garlic, nutmeg, and butter in a little pan over low heat.
  3. Time to layer! Butter your 9x13 pan, then layers go like this: Potatoes, cheese, salt and pepper. Repeat. Finish with a layer of Gruyére cheese.
  4. Pour the cream sauce over the potatoes.
  5. Top with Parmesan!
  6. Cover with foil. 
  7. Bake for 50 minutes.
  8. Remove the foil and bake for 25 more minutes so the top gets all bubbly and golden.
  9. Feast! 
Layering creamy potatoes au gratin in a casserole dish, with thin slices of potato and rich cheese sauce.
Layering creamy potatoes au gratin in a casserole dish, with thin slices of potato and rich cheese sauce.
A casserole dish filled with golden, creamy homemade potatoes au gratin, topped with a crispy cheese layer.
A casserole dish filled with golden, creamy potatoes au gratin, topped with a crispy cheese layer garnished with parsley.

How To Make It Ahead 

It’s pretty smart to prep this recipe ahead of time, especially if you’re making them for a big holiday meal. To make potatoes au gratin ahead of time, just stop after you top the dish with Parmesan cheese and cover it with foil. Instead of putting it in the oven, put it in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve it, (sometime in the next 2 or 3 days) pull it out and bake it. It may need an extra 10 minutes or so, just because you’ll be baking it from cold. 

A casserole dish filled with golden, creamy potatoes au gratin, topped with a crispy cheese layer garnished with parsley.

Grateful for Gratin 

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Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe

  • Serves:  9
  • Prep Time:  25 min
  • Cook Time:  1 hr 15 min
  • Calories:  266

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 ½ pounds russet potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups grated Gruyère
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley, optional

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center position. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter.

    ingredients laid out for potatoes au gratin: butter, cream, garlic, nutmeg, potatoes, salt, pepper, Gruyère, Parm & parsley
  2. Add the heavy cream, garlic, nutmeg, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter to a small sauce pan and set it over low heat. Cook, stirring, until warmed though. Remove from the heat. 

    rich sauce being made in a pot with heavy cream, garlic, nutmeg, and butter to use in a potatoes au gratin recipe.
  3. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with cold water. Peel the potatoes. Using a mandoline, cut the potatoes into ⅛-inch-thick slices and add to the cold water.

    Thinly sliced potatoes being soaked in cold water to use to make potatoes au gratin.
  4. Drain the potatoes and pat them completely dry with paper towels.

    Thinly sliced potatoes being pat completely dry between paper towels.
  5. Arrange ¼ of the potatoes on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, season with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ⅛ teaspoon of the pepper, then sprinkle with ⅓ cup Gruyère cheese. Repeat 3 more times, ending with the remaining ½ cup Gruyère on top. 

    Layering creamy potatoes au gratin in a casserole dish, with thin slices of potato and rich cheese sauce.
  6. Slowly pour the warm cream mixture over the potatoes, then gently press down with a spatula to make sure the liquid is evenly distributed. Sprinkle all over with the Parmesan cheese.

    Layering creamy potatoes au gratin in a casserole dish, with thin slices of potato and rich cheese sauce.
  7. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 50 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake until bubbling and lightly browned, about 25 more minutes. 

    A casserole dish filled with golden, creamy homemade potatoes au gratin, topped with a crispy cheese layer.
  8. Sprinkle with parsley, if using. Serve warm.

    A casserole dish filled with golden, creamy potatoes au gratin, topped with a crispy cheese layer garnished with parsley.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 266
  • Protein 9 g
  • Carbohydrates 25 g
  • Total Fat 15 g
  • Dietary Fiber 2 g
  • Cholesterol 43 mg
  • Sodium 467 mg
  • Total Sugars 1 g

Potatoes Au Gratin

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • ren

    If already baked and just in need of a rewarming, how long and at what temperature would you suggest?

    Bring them to room temp, preheat oven to 375F, cover potatoes with foil and heat 15-20 minutes until heated through. Hope you enjoy!

  • Mary

    Would another type of cheese work for this?

    Yes, just depends what flavor profiles you are hoping for.

  • Janet

    sub for heavy cream?

    Hi Janet, It's best to use the heavy cream but there are substitutes you could try like mixing butter and milk or milk and cornstarch. Depending on why you want to sub heavy cream you can look up options and see which is suited to your needs.

  • Valina

    Can I make night B4 without cooking, will pots grey?

    Yes you can bake it before, but I am not sure about your pot greying or not.

  • Yolanda

    Can you partially cook the potatoes the night before and then finish up the next day? If you make the night before, and then heat up in the oven, will they dry out?

    I don't think they will dry out.

  • Liz

    I have made this recipe many times. Sometimes halved for just the two of us and other times for a dinner party. Everybody loves it, especially my husband. We live in AZ with high temps a good part of the year.
    Today is only in the 70's, so we don't mind turning the oven on. Hubby is very happy! It delicious and really easy to make.

    Thanks Liz, so glad you loved it!

  • Wren

    Made this for Easter and everyone loved it! They all wanted seconds.

    YAY! Thanks Wren, so glad everyone enjoyed it!

  • isabella

    i want to shove this back in side me so my unborn baby can eat it, and the flavors are melting all over my tongue.

    haha! Thanks Isabella.

  • Jale

    This recipe is amazing! I was so excited when I first saw it (I have been missing a good Gratin since I left my home in Germany a few years ago) and this recipe is the one! It tasted exactly like I remembered it from my childhood - so worth it.

    What a lovely review! So glad you loved it.

  • Matt

    We made this for Thanksgiving last year and it was so so delicious

    Im glad it was a hit!!