Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes (2024)

Cheesy, creamy, tenderInstant Pot Scalloped Potatoes made in a fraction of the time. Your dinner will never again have to wait for the crunchy oven potatoes to finish cooking!

Wow, this recipe seriously made me work. My family ate undercooked scalloped potatoes four nights in a row as I tried to figure this one out.

My mom has been asking me since last Christmas to come up with a quick and easy version for scalloped potatoes for two reasons:

1. My mom happens to be a meat and potato type and likes the more classic meals
2. She has too many bad flashbacks of undercooked potatoes in the oven, while every other dish is sitting on the counter getting cold. Anyone else experience this scenario?

I decided now was the time to throw together a cheese sauce, slice some potatoes, throw it in the Instant Pot and call it a home run.

In my mind, the way to go was to combine sliced raw potatoes and cheese sauce in a casserole dish and cook it up in the pressure cooker. I theorized that it would cook in a fraction of the time and free up the oven at the same time. Wrong – O.

I tried 30 minutes, 40, 50, 60, and still, the middle potatoes were undercooked. I was very aware I wasn't saving anybody any time on this one, but also knew that no one wanted a mixed casserole dish of overdone and underdone potatoes.

Little sis to the rescue . . . apparently, she's been making them forever and knew just the trick: Cook the potatoes in a steamer basket, not a heat absorbing casserole dish. Duh, why didn't I think of that?

Well, fifth time was the charm and I'm so psyched that my favoriteInstant Pot Ham dish now has a creamy, cheesy best friend to sit next to, on my plate.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THESE QUICK AND EASY CHEESY SCALLOPED POTATOES IN THE INSTANT POT

• The potatoes go from raw to tender in less than 10 minutes. It takes over an hour in an oven!!!
• Easy homemade cheese sauce comes together in minutes to envelop your perfectly cooked potatoes in ooey, gooey love
• Thinlysliced onions in the cheese sauce make it reminiscent of a french onion soup cheese sauce. It would be amazing with just a big slice of Crusty Bread!
• This version just so happens to be lightened up so you can have your potatoes and still have room for your Ham, Cornbread, and Apple Pie too!

HOW TO MAKE A HEALTHIER CREAMY SCALLOPED POTATOES

A quick google search for scalloped potatoes will reveal that they aren't winning any prizes for being the healthiest dish on the block. I do love a good challenge though!

To keep my mama happy, these potatoes still needed to be creamy, flavorful, and decadent. Not to brag, but my mama said I nailed it. Here's how:

• Instead of the classic sauce of heavy cream and a few seasonings, I whipped up a quick roux flavored to the max with butter, onions, garlic, thyme, a good pinch of salt, and pepper
• For my liquids, I used a mix of chicken broth for extra flavor and skim milk to keep it lighter (any milk will work though)
• Then to get more bang for my buck, I stirred a handful of EXTRA sharp cheddar and let it melt into a dreamy, thick sauce. “EXTRA SHARP” is key here!
• For the topping, I skipped the 2 cups of cheese and went for a crunchy, buttery parm and panko mix.

Bam, healthy-er scalloped potatoes with all the flavor and creaminess you could ever ask for.

BEST WAY TO SLICE POTATOES THIN

I adore my food processor for this, but a mandoline also does a fine job. If you don't have either of those, no worries, a sharp knife and a steady hand can also do the trick.

You want the potatoes cut about 1/8th of an inch thick. I also use my food processor to cut the onions super thin, so they cook up quickly

BEST POTATO FOR SCALLOPED POTATOES

You want a starchy potato to add to the creamy, lusciousness of this dish. Russet and Yukon are the way to go here. I prefer Yukon for the added flavor and I like the soft, yet sturdy bite they lend.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST INSTANT POT SCALLOPED POTATOES

Once your potatoes and onions are thinly sliced, you are ready to start cooking.

Note: You'll notice in half of these pictures the sauce was made with white cheddar and the other half with orange cheddar. I did two different photo sessions and didn't realize I did this until I sat down to edit pictures, so sorry 🙂

1. Make a roux: melt butter in the pot and saute onions until soft, add garlic for another minute
2. Sprinkle in flour and stir for one minute
3. Whisk in chicken broth and milk, simmer until thickened
4. Add sharp cheddar cheese (orange or white will work)
5. Simmer until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened enough to coat a spoon. Pour sauce into a bowl and cover to keep it warm.
6. Add your water and steamer basket to the pressure cooker pot and arrange the sliced potatoes inside. Cook for 4 minutes then quickly release the pressure.
7. Arrange half of the potatoes in a casserole dish
8. Top with half the cheese sauce
9. Top with the rest of the potatoes and cover them with the remaining cheese sauce
10. Top with a mix of butter, panko, and parmesan
11. Broil the cheese/panko mixture until browned and crunchy
12. Serve nice and hot!

MAKE AHEAD SCALLOPED POTATOES

These potatoes can be made up to 2 days in advance. Layer them as directed in the recipe, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Cook at 350° F for 20 minutes or so, until heated through. Top with the panko parm mixture, then broil until browned.

I'd like to take a moment to somewhat sarcastically thank my husband and kids for getting through a challenging potato loaded week and for a mom and sis that never stopped believing that I could one day present them with a to-die-for scalloped potato dish.

We'll be taking a little break from this dish, but for all of you . . . dazzle your wonderful families with a creamy, cheesy bowl of absolute delight. Comfort food should make you feel good even after you eat it. These ‘taters do just that.

Enjoy!

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POTATOES AU GRATIN AND SCALLOPED POTATOES

Has this question ever boggled your mind? Here in Utah we throw another name into the bag and call them Funeral Potatoes as well. Well, I was curious, so I researched it and here's what I found.

• Classic scalloped potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes cooked in a cream sauce, typically without cheese, and topped with a breadcrumb topping
• Au Gratin Potatoes are also thinly sliced potatoesclassically cooked in a cheese sauce (plus or minus cream) and only sometimes contain a breadcrumb topping
• Funeral Potatoes (according to the life experience of yours truly) are potatoes in any form, (sliced, cubed, shredded, frozen hashbrowns) that are baked in a swimming pool of shredded cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and canned cream of something rather sauce. Also quite delicious 🙂

VARIATIONS OF SCALLOPED POTATOES

• Sprinkle each layer of potatoes with diced or shredded ham – this is an amazing use for any leftover Instant Pot Ham
• Top with a handful of crumbled bacon or prosciutto
• Add a sweet potato to the mix. I've never tried this, but I saw this Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes recipe and I'm intrigued
• Eat the leftovers for breakfast with a poached egg and sliced sausage on the side

MORE RECIPES PERFECT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

• Instant Pot Smoked Ham
• Instant Pot Dijon Maple Glazed Ham
• Instant Pot Turkey Breast
• Instant Pot Peppermint Cheesecake
• Instant Pot Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
• Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole

TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT SCALLOPED POTATOES

• Instant Pot
• Food Processor
• Mandoline
• Favorite Cheese Grater

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