au gratin potatoes in crockpot
au gratin potatoes in crockpot

Easy Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes in the Crockpot

5/5
These cheesy crockpot potatoes are both convenient to make and comforting to eat. Au gratin potatoes are the perfect side dish to kielbasa, bratwurst, even turkey.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours
Share on facebook
Share on pinterest
Share on email

 This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Recipe Rundown

The hardest part about making au gratin potatoes in the crockpot is patiently waiting while you smell all that melting cheese and garlic.

cheesy au gratin potatoes

If you’ve ever baked scalloped potatoes the traditional way, you know that they take a long time. There’s always a risk of under-cooking the potatoes in the center, and that can be stressful when your mission is a simple, comforting side dish.

It’s so much easier in the crock pot! Everything stays moist and the potatoes get crispy around the edges.

potatoes au gratin in the crockpot

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to try it, especially when I grew up eating scalloped potatoes with polish sausage on a weekly basis.

new potatoes sliced thinly with cheesy white sauce in slow cooker

Au Gratin vs Scalloped

To cheese or not to cheese? Both au gratin and scalloped potatoes are thinly sliced and layered with a roux-thickened white sauce made from butter, flour, and milk. Scalloped potatoes often involve cream and have a little bit of a milder flavor profile with no cheese; whereas, au gratin potatoes contain cheese.

a blonde roux in pot with milk

Now that we got that out of the way…

Which Cheese Is Best?

When it comes to cheese and potatoes, you can hardly go wrong. I like to grate medium to tangy medium-firm cheeses, depending on how I’m serving the potatoes.

Gruyere is a classic choice and has a nutty, creamy, and rich profile. Sharp cheddar has a bit more of a stretchy or string quality and has a nice tanginess, which is bolder. I might choose cheddar if serving with bacon and green onion.

cheese added to blonde roux for white sauce

Which cheese you choose is more about what you hope to accomplish. I might choose gruyere for a traditional Thanksgiving side dish because it will work well with stuffing and turkey. Cheddar or cheddar jack might make for a bolder side dish with some crisped bacon and green onions.

How Thick To Slice the Potatoes

My mom used to make paper thin sliced scalloped potatoes, but I decided to cut mine thicker. Use a mandolin if you have one, aim for 1/4-inch thick slices.

1/4-inch sliced potatoes

Making Au Gratin Potatoes in the Crock Pot

  1. It’s important to season each layer of the potatoes with salt and pepper so that the depth of flavor is distributed throughout.
  2. Pour the cheese sauce over the top and just let the sauce work its way down.
  3. Set timer to 4 hours, high heat.

Technical Tip: In testing this recipe, I liked the texture after 3 1/2 hours, but I think 4 hours would make the consistency a bit more scoop-able.

More Slow Cooker Favorites

For this recipe, I use a 5-quart crock pot. If your slow cooker has a larger or smaller capacity, you may find that the potatoes cook faster or slower, respectively.

Au Gratin Potatoes Crockpot Recipe

These cheesy crockpot potatoes are both convenient to make and comforting to eat. Au gratin potatoes are the perfect side dish to kielbasa, bratwurst, even turkey.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: au gratin, crock pot, crockpot, gluten free, potatoes, scalloped, slow cooker, vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 387kcal
Author: Chef Sara Furcini

Equipment

  • 5-quart crock pot

Ingredients

  • olive oil for coating crock pot
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (5 large) peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 3/4 cups milk skim, 2%, or whole
  • 1/2 cup full fat sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese shredded
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley or chives for garnish, minced

Instructions

  • Rub the inside of a 5-quart crockpot with olive oil to coat. Mix the salt and pepper in a small ramekin. Set the potato slices inside the crockpot and sprinkle with a large pinch of the salt and pepper mix. Repeat with the rest of the potato slices, seasoning between each layer.
  • Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes until very bubbly. Add the garlic and onion powder. Stir and cook an additional 2 minutes until the roux turns golden in color. Add the milk and stir well. Add the sour cream and cheese and stir to form a thick sauce.
  • Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes (do not stir). Program for high heat for 4 hours.
  • After 3 1/2 hours, the sauce will be hot and bubbly and the potatoes will be tender all the way through, but I recommend an extra 30 minutes for a more scoop-able consistency. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh herbs. Taste and adjust salt as needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 1000mg | Potassium: 943mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 620IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 347mg | Iron: 2mg

Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you!

More Recipes

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x