Dairy-free Scalloped Potatoes with layers of pillowy soft potatoes, enveloped in a dreamy homemade white sauce and baked in a skillet….super vegan potato side dish perfection! This Easy Recipe for Creamy Scalloped Potatoes are just the no fail decadent side dish that will wow your Thanksgiving guests, or transform a weeknight meal into something special.
Find more delicious and healthy Thanksgiving ideas in my Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup.
You’re going to adore these gluten-free dairy-free scalloped potatoes…they’re incredibly delish…oh, and they’re gluten-free too, so everyone can enjoy them. They’ve got a Classic Scalloped Potatoes vibe…but this easy recipe is lightened up with simple, wholesome ingredients and a great technique….because NO MUSHY, BLAND, BORING POTATOES for us…EVER…thank you very much!
Diary-free doesn’t mean the end of great taste, and this fabulous vegan potato side dish recipe is proof! Follow along for savory, satisfying and yes, dairy-free scalloped potatoes that are going to knock your socks off!
Like all good scalloped potato recipes, a great tasting white sauce is a must. I modified my dairy-free bechamel with a savory seasoning adjustment, added some veggie broth…and the results are stunningly delicious. Hubby gave this 11 stars out of 10….and even a thumbs up to add to the Thanksgiving Menu…so WOW!
The biggest difference between scalloped potatoes and an au gratin recipe is the cheese topping on the au gratin. So, if au gratin is what you’re craving, then do try my creamy vegan parsnip au gratin for some truly cheesy satisfaction without the dairy.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Potatoes: Choose something starchy like Yukon gold, King Edward or Russet for the creamiest scalloped potatoes. Red bliss potatoes will hold their shape well and give a nice layered look.
- Milk: any plant milk will work well in this recipe, so choose the variety that meets your dietary needs. Soy, oat, and cashew milk all have relatively neutral flavor.
- Miso paste: a fabulous umami savory flavor enhancer in this vegan recipe.
- Nutritional yeast: I love the subtle cheesy vibe, but if you’re not into nooch, then just skip it.
- Fresh herbs: I used fresh thyme (so easy to grow in your window year round). Good substitutions are fresh parsley, basil, or oregano. If you don’t have any fresh herbs, use dried Italian seasoning.
- Veggie broth: Use my easy homemade veggie broth recipe. Store in the freezer in one cup increments to always have on hand. OR….buy store bought but read the label carefully to know what you’re getting, and omit the salt since store bought broth will already be loaded up with sodium.
How to make it
Set aside a couple tablespoons of the almond milk and use a fork to mix in the miso paste to a consistent texture. You’ll add this at the end.
You’ll start by making a roux. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Sprinkle on the cassava flour and whisk until a thick paste is formed.
Add 2 tablespoons veggie broth and continue to whisk. Then add the garlic and stir constantly for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Continue to add either broth or milk, ¼ cup at at time, whisking well after each addition. Your white sauce will get thicker and thinner in the process. When all the liquid is gone, add in the miso paste mixture, paprika, salt and pepper.
Whisk until everything is well incorporated and the sauce is thick and creamy. It will still have a somewhat drippy consistency…perfect for cooking the potatoes. Pour the sauce into a separate bowl or large measuring cup. You will have about 2 ¾ cups of sauce.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Wash the potatoes and scrub well, you do not need to peel them. It’s easiest to use a mandolin or a food processor to cut the potatoes to ⅛″ thickness.
You could also cut them by hand. It will look like a lot of potatoes, but they will all fit nicely into the skillet.
Now you’re going to shingle the potato slices….yeah, like you would shingles on your roof! A little overlapping, cross hatch type of pattern works best for all the potatoes to grab a bit of sauce and bake up perfectly tender inside and just a bit crisp on top.
Use the same skillet you made the sauce in. Start the bottom layer by placing individual slices against the sides of the skillet a bit overlapping. After that first circle, start on the next layer, continuing to overlap in all directions.
When you get to the center, sprinkle a bit of the salt, pepper, paprika and fresh herbs onto the potatoes.
The final bit to the first layer is to pour about ¾ cup of the sauce onto the potatoes, then sprinkle with nutritional yeast. Ok….that’s layer one.
Now, start a new layer of the overlapping spiral pattern, placing potatoes on the outside edge first and adding circular layers towards the center. Continue to layer with potatoes, spices, sauce, nutritional yeast until all your supplies have run out.
Cover with foil….yes, this is a necessary step, unless your skillet/baking dish has a cover that fits snugly on top. Covering the potatoes for the first 45 minutes lets them steam and cook all the way through to tender perfection…and then removing the cover and turning up the oven temperature gives the most fabulous crispy scalloped potato top of all times!
The top layer will be the remaining sauce and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. Cover with foil and then bake in preheated 375 oven for 45 minutes. Then remove the cover. Potatoes will be tender and sauce will be bubbling vigorously.
Turn oven up to 450 degrees and place back into the oven, uncovered for a final 15 minutes. Top layer will become golden brown with some crisp spots. Pierce potatoes with a fork, to be sure they’re tender, and if not, put back into the oven for another 5 minutes.
Use a sharp knife to cut into slices or scoop a portion out with a large spoon.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- The sauce will take 5-10 minutes to make. Keep the heat on medium-low and have some patience as it thickens, adding more liquid slowly, alternating between broth and milk.
- It’s important to dilute the miso paste before adding to the sauce to it gets well incorporated into the sauce…this is the “secret” ingredient that allows this vegan sauce to have a super savory flavor….no ham needed!
- You can use a 9 x 13 baking dish, and layer in rows across, then back the other direction with the same delicious results.
- Serve as a dairy-free Thanksgiving side dish, or a fabulous addition to your brunch menu. These scalloped potatoes are great for meal prep…they’ll taste even better when reheated.
Serve, Store, Reheat
- Serve with BBQ tofu and veggies, vegan meatloaf, miso mushrooms, or tofu satay and a simple arugula salad.
- Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
- Reheat in 325 oven for 30 minutes, until heated through. If you’ve brought these to room temperature before reheating, they’ll be done in about 20 minutes.
- If you’re meal prepping these dairy-free scalloped potatoes and plan on freezing, then bake in a 9×13 or square baking pan (either 8 or 9 inch), cool completely, then cover with foil. It will last 3 months in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat as suggested above.
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📖 Recipe
Dairy-free Scalloped Potatoes (gluten-free)
Equipment
- 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. yellow potatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup cassava flour
- 3 cloves garlic finely grated
- 1 ½ cups almond milk
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon sea salt divided
- 1 teaspoon paprika divided
- ¼ tsp black pepper divided
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Instructions
Creamy Vegan White Sauce
- Set aside a couple tablespoons veggie broth and dissolve 1 tablespoon miso paste into the broth using a fork.
- Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until it turns into a thick paste.
- Pour in a couple tablespoons almond milk and keep whisking. Then add the grated garlic and stir until fragrant.
- Alternate between adding broth and milk about ¼ cup at a time, whisking after each addition until well incorporated and sauce has thickened. Each time you add more liquid, you'll begin anew to incorporate that into your sauce. When all the milk and broth is used up, pour in the miso mixture plus half the paprika, half the salt and half the pepper.
- Whisk well. Pour the finished white sauce into a separate bowl or measuring cup. You'll have just under 3 cups sauce.
Layer Potatoes
- Wash potatoes and scrub well to get off all debris. You do not need to peel them. Use a mandolin, food processor or cut the potatoes by hand into ⅛" thickness.
- Use the same skillet you made the sauce in, and lay a circle of overlapping potato slices against the outer edge of the skillet. Continue in an overlapping spiral pattern until you get to the center. Sprinkle with ⅓ of the remaining salt, pepper and paprika and a teaspoon of the nutritional yeast. Then pour about ¾ cup of the sauce onto the potatoes.
- Repeat the layer with potatoes, spices, sauce, nutritional yeast until all your supplies have been used up.
Bake
- Cover with foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Sauce will be bubbling and potatoes will be tender.
- Remove foil, turn temperature up to 450 and put potatoes back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes to crisp up the top.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
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