Easy Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes

Nothing says comfort food better than a big old helping of homemade Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes (Dauphinoise Potatoes). This simple dish can be made ahead of time and is actually very easy to whip up.

Peeps, this easy recipe is the best Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes recipe you will ever find. After all, who doesn’t love thin slices of potatoes, baked in layers of a spiced cream and cheese sauce? #aintnothingbetter

And the Instant Pot makes it so easy to get perfect scalloped potatoes every time. Just as perfectly cooked as this Instant Pot Buttered Cabbage, easy Instant Pot Carrots, and the most delicious Scalloped Corn. Not to mention the best ever Smothered Potatoes.

These quick, easy cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are the sort of comfort food that grandmas all across the world would have whipped up in a jiffy as a side dish for various meals like regular Sunday dinners, family gatherings, and potlucks, plus holiday meals like Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and more.

And if you love potatoes as much as I do, then you’ve got to try these perfect Instant Pot Baked Potatoes!

Why Make This Recipe

• Delicious Side Dish – this will be the most creamy, cheesy, and decadent side dish you have ever had.
• Leftovers – it actually tastes even better the next day. Seriously!
• Budget-friendly – made from affordable, everyday pantry and fridge ingredients.
• Meal Prep – This homemade scalloped potatoes recipe is a great make-ahead and freezer-friendly dish.

Why Make Scalloped Potatoes in the Instant Pot?

Making these family-loved cheesy potatoes in the Instant Pot takes about half the time of the traditional method (oven version) and it frees up your oven space. This makes it a great recipe for holiday meals and other special occasions.

I share two variations of the cooking recipe. The first uses the exact same white sauce as the oven version I use all the time. The other is a super simple ‘mix all the sauce ingredients together and add to the potatoes,’ version, which doesn’t require cooking the béchamel sauce first. So it cuts down even further on the prep and cooking time. Perfect for weeknight suppers, right?

Ingredient Notes

• Potatoes – this recipe calls for white potatoes, but you can use red potatoes too.
• Cheese – use a combination of sharp cheddar cheese and Parmesan Cheese.
• Melted butter – if using salted butter, then keep an eye on salt levels.
• Cornstarch – or use plain flour if you prefer and are not gluten free.
• Milk – use warm milk so it cooks quicker. You can swap in some unsweetened almond milk too.
• Spices – a combination of ground nutmeg, paprika, ground white or black pepper add great flavor
• Salt – to your taste.

Are you ready to whip up this Scalloped Potatoes in Instant Pot recipe?? Then go grab all the lovely ingredients from your pantry and fridge and come back so I can show you…

How To Make Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes

1.  If making the quicker version, mix together the melted butter, cornstarch, milk, heavy cream, spices, seasoning, and most of the cheeses and set aside. Then continue to step 5…or, start with step 2:
2.  In a saucepan, cook the butter and cornstarch for a minute until they form a paste.
3. Add the warm milk and whisk until smooth and then keep cooking for a further 2-3 minutes, until thick.
4.  Quickly add in spices, seasoning, and most of the shredded cheese, mix and switch off the heat.
5.  Layer half the potato slices in the Instant Pot-ready dish and pour on half the cheese sauce.
6. Then add the remaining potatoes and top with the remaining cheese sauce and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese. Cover the dish with foil.
7. Add 1 ½ cups of water to the Instant Pot, place a trivet inside the insert, then set the potato dish on the trivet.
8. Place the lid on the Instant pot, turn the valve to sealing, and set to manual pressure/high pressure for 25 minutes (you will need up to 35 minutes if you use thicker potato slices).
9. When done, perform a quick pressure release, then remove from the Instant Pot, discard the foil and place the scalloped potatoes under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until the top is golden and crispy.

Look at those layers of delicious potato, cream sauce, and cheese…..

Make Scalloped Potatoes In the Oven

1. Cook the butter and cornstarch for a minute until they form a paste.
2. Add the warm milk and whisk until smooth and then keep cooking for a further 2-3 minutes until thick.
3. Quickly add in spices, seasoning, and most of the cheeses, mix, and switch off the heat.
4. Layer half the potato slices in an oven dish and pour on half the sauce.
5. Add the remaining potato and top with the remaining shredded cheese sauce, and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
6. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven rack for 1 hour.
7. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes until cooked through and golden bubbly brown.
8. Serve your creamy potatoes warm.

Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes

You can make this in the slow cooker if you prefer. Just layer them in the crockpot, top them with the creamy sauce, and cook for 4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.

My Instant Pot Accessories Top Pick

Expert Tips 

How about a few tips for making these Instant Pot scalloped potatoes because we all love tips that make cooking much easier, right?

• This recipe called for peeled sliced potatoes, but my preference is to use unpeeled potatoes because of the contrast between the lovely potato skin to the soft, creamy, tender potatoes. Try both ways and see what you prefer.
• To cut down the sauce cook time, simply microwave the milk for about 1-2 minutes before cooking with it.
• You should not get any lumps in your cheese sauce, but if you do, then simply finish cooking the milk part of the sauce, strain it through a sieve, and put it back in the Instant pot before adding in the spices, and the shredded cheese.
• Be sure to cut your potato slices to a similar thickness (but not too thinly) so that they cook at similar rates. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife to cut the potato slices will help.
• Pour sauce evenly so that all of the potato slices are coated.
• If preferred, you can replace some of the milk with vegetable broth or chicken broth.
• Allow your scalloped potatoes to cool for a little bit before serving so that the cheesy sauce thickens a bit more.

Delicious Recipe Variations

• Make Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes with Ham – wondering how to make Scalloped Potatoes with Ham in the Instant Pot? All you need to do is add about two-thirds of a cup of cubed ham to the cheese mixture. Delish!
• Add bacon – simply add about two-thirds of a cup of cooked bacon along with the cheese sauce.
• Use sweet potatoes – feel free to substitute a little of the potato with some sweet potatoes.
• Add onions – caramelized onions add a ton of flavor.
• Stir in pesto – a spoonful or two of pesto gives scalloped potatoes a whole new flavor profile.
• Add more spices – season with minced garlic or garlic powder, dried thyme, or Italian seasoning.
• Even more cheese – add extra cheese. I always add extra white cheddar to this.
• Add some crunch – topping with toasted breadcrumbs, Panko breadcrumbs, or crushed nuts adds great texture and flavor.

Prep Ahead and Storage

• Prep-ahead – Assemble them with the cheese mixture in the dish, and keep in the fridge until needed.
• Storage – Refrigerate uncooked scalloped potatoes for 2-3 days. Or cook your Instant Pot scalloped potatoes, allow them to cool, then transfer them into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• Freeze – All you need to do is take the potatoes out of the oven a little bit before they are done. This helps protect their texture so they don’t become mushy. You can then cook directly from frozen, or thaw it in the fridge before transferring it to your Instant Pot.

FAQs

More Recipes You May Like

• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
• Instant Pot French Fries.
• Crockpot Mashed Potatoes.
• Instant Pot Potato Soup.
• Easy Smothered Potatoes.
• Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes.
• Instant Pot Baked Potatoes.

Serving Suggestions 

These go well with so many different foods. Some suggestions:

• Instant Pot Chicken Breast
• Instant Pot Pork Chops
• Parmesan Crusted Chicken
• Pomegranate Grilled Lamb Steaks
• Smothered Pork Chops.
• Smothered Chicken.

Weight Watchers Points

There are 10 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.

Previously published May 2018. Updated Nov 2022.

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