These rich and creamy classic vegan scalloped potatoes are a classic for any holiday dinner, gathering of friends or just a family dinner. Baked to perfection! It’s completely dairy free and can be made Top 8 Allergen Friendly.
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Sometimes you need a side dish that is going to feed a crowd. Maybe you are having another family over for dinner or you are going to a holiday get together and need a warm side dish to take. Whatever the reason, these delicious vegan scalloped potatoes are a big crowd pleaser.
Layers of thinly sliced potatoes, mixed with a rich and creamy sauce and topped with an optional breadcrumb topping, it will be a huge hit.
These dairy free scalloped potatoes can be made completely Top 8 Allergen Free, including being gluten free scalloped potatoes.
What ingredients do you need to make vegan scalloped potatoes?
We always try to do really simple ingredients and a limited number of ingredients when we can. That being said, these vegan scalloped potatoes do need at least 11 ingredients because the optional topping.
We think that you need each one to make this perfectly incredible dairy free side dish recipe and that you will love it!
The ingredients that you need for these vegan scalloped potatoes are:
- potatoes
- unsalted vegan butter
- sweet onion
- garlic
- arrowroot powder
- dairy free milk
- vegetable stock
- dried thyme
- nutmeg
- paprika
- salt and pepper
- fresh chives
There is an option breadcrumb topping that you will also need:
- panko breadcrumbs
- vegan parmesan cheese
- unsalted vegan butter
How do you make vegan scalloped potatoes?
The first step in making these dairy free scalloped potatoes is to chop your onions and garlic.
Then, slice the potatoes very thin. You want them to all be the same size to ensure even cooking time. No one wants to bite into an uncooked potatoes in the middle of their meals so this is the most important step.
Once you have all your vegetables cut, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add in the garlic. Afterwards, add the arrowroot powder and stir together. Pour in your milk and stock and stir well. Reduce heat to medium low. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Let cook for a few minutes until thickened. Remove from heat.
In a 9×13 casserole dish, layer half the potatoes. Then, add half the sauce. Layer with more potatoes and the remaining sauce. *If you are adding dairy free cheese, you will layer in ¾ to 1 full cup of cheese per layer. See notes below about cheese in scalloped potatoes.
Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Then, remove foil and cook for another 40-45 minutes or until golden brown edges start to form.
If you are adding the optional breadcrumb topping, then you will want to make it and then at the end of the cooking time, add it to the dish and broil for 3-5 minutes. Otherwise don’t add and still broil.
Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Top with fresh chives. Serve warmed.
*Note: Traditional scalloped potatoes have a breadcrumb topping. We didn’t add to the photos so you could see the potato layer from top shots, but we do add to ours.
What are the best potatoes to use for vegan scalloped potatoes?
Russets or Yukon Gold potatoes are the best potatoes for making this dairy free scalloped potatoes dish. They fall apart and get super soft while baking which makes for a rich and deliciously tasting dairy free side dish that everyone will love.
What is the difference between vegan scalloped potatoes and vegan potatoes au gratin?
Woooo chil’ …..people can get really upset about this topic. There are lots of differing opinions about what makes what and what is the correct term for which dish. Many times that are often interchanged for each other.
From our research, both include a creamy sauce and thinly sliced potatoes. Scalloped potatoes traditionally does not include cheese, where potatoes au gratin always have cheese, usually melted into the sauce. A very classic scalloped potato dish will always have breadcrumbs, but au gratin potatoes never do.
But can I still add dairy free cheese to this dish?
We would never say no to that question. Cheesy anything is always better, especially when it’s safe for those of us with varying food allergies and preferences. We do include instructions for adding cheese if you wish.
Due to the taste of some dairy free cheese, we suggest only using one that you really love already as others could really change the taste of the dish.
Can this be Top 8 Allergy Free Scalloped Potatoes?
If you are here free because you have a dairy allergy, often times other allergies go hand in hand. The recipe, as written, is already Top 8 Allergy Free. Most vegan scalloped potato recipe will use flour, but we subbed with arrowroot powder to start to make these gluten free scalloped potatoes.
The other thing that would be an allergy concern usually in vegan scalloped potatoes is the type of milk used. Many call for unsweetened almond milk, but we opted to use already Top 8 Free Oat milk. The creaminess in oat milk, adds to the richness of these scalloped potatoes. Any unsweetened dairy free milk will work though, so use what is safe for your family.
Another concern would be soy in the dairy free butter used. We always use Earth Balance soy free in the red tub. We find this one tastes better anyways!
And finally, the panko breadcrumbs used in the optional topping can easily be switched with a gluten free panko breadcrumb.
What other vegan potato recipes should I try?
If you love these dairy free scalloped potatoes you will definitely love any of these delicious dairy free potato recipes:
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Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 sweet onion
- 8 cloves garlic
- 4 lbs potatoes (about 8 medium potatoes)
- ½ cup unsalted dairy free butter (we use Earth Balance Soy Free)
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder (can sub with flour or cornstarch)
- 2 cups unsweetened dairy free milk (We like the creaminess Oat milk gives, but use your favorite)
- ½ cup low sodium vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- fresh chives, for top (could use parsley also)
- *Dairy Free Cheese, Optional (*See notes in post about adding cheese)
Breadcrumb Topping, Optional
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (use Gluten Free version if needed
- 2 tablespoon dairy free butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Dice onion very finely and mince the garlic.
- Slice the potatoes very thin and all the same size. (*See post about size importance).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add onions and cook until translucent – about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Turn heat down to medium low.
- Add the arrowroot powder and stir together quickly.
- Pour in milk and vegetable stock and stir well.
- Add salt, pepper, thyme, paprika, and nutmeg.
- Let cook until thickened. Remove from heat.
- In a 9×13 casserole dish, layer half the potatoes, then half the sauce. Rest of the potatoes, then rest of sauce. *If adding dairy free cheese, layer in desired about here – ½-3/4 cup per layer.
- Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove foil and cook for another 40-45 minutes or until golden brown edges start to form.
- If adding the optional breadcrumb topping, stir ingredients together in a bowl. Remove dish from oven and add over the top. Place back in oven on broil for 3-5 minutes. Don’t burn. If not adding the breadcrumb topping, don’t add and still broil.
- Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Top with fresh chives.
- Serve warmed.
Notes
Nutrition
These are the best vegan scalloped potatoes ever! I’ve tried multiple recipes over the years and nothing ever came out right or tasted good. This recipe is a game changer and I am so happy I tried it!
Wow, love that for you! Thanks for sharing
Made a 1/2 batch of this today to bake on top of leftovers from last night. I added a pinch of crushed red pepper for some heat. I also added the breadcrumb topping as soon as the foil came off and then did not put it under the broiler at the end. I didn’t cook it as long as suggested for the first part and then didn’t let it sit after taking it out of the oven (as it smelled amazing and it was almost 8:00 and I was really hungry) and so the potatoes were only 99.9% cooked. Even slightly under cooked it was wonderful!