Cheesy Potatoes: Whether you’re looking for a simple side dish for weeknight dinner or a classic to serve alongside oven roasted turkey on Thanksgiving day, this Cheesy Potato Casserole fits the bill! Made with diced potatoes and a made from scratch cheese sauce, these rich and creamy potatoes are always a crowd pleaser.
I used to think of cheesy potatoes as a holiday-only side dish. Growing up, we always had some form of cheesy potato casserole (whether it was made with hash browns or covered in cornflakes) for special occasions, but we rarely ate them other times of year.
Typically, my mom was The Keeper of the Cheesy Potato Casserole, but now that I’ve learned how easy it is to make, I might be willing to let her pass the baton. Besides, cheesy potatoes are far too delicious to only be eaten 2 or 3 times a year! Move over Creamy Mashed Potatoes, these are going to become a dinner staple!
How do you make cheesy potatoes from scratch?
Cheesy Potato Casserole is made with 3 main components:
- Cooked diced potatoes– I prefer to use a thin skinned potato like Yukon gold, because they don’t need to be peeled. But feel free to use whatever you prefer!
- Want to save time? Sub the raw potatoes for a bag of frozen hashbrowns!
- Cheese sauce– A lot of cheesy potato casserole recipes use condensed soups, but I really appreciate the flavor of a homemade cheese sauce. Luckily, it’s easy to make cheese sauce from scratch (more on that below)!
- Shredded cheese– This casserole has cheese both in the sauce and on top (because WHY NOT??) The best part about making cheesy potatoes from scratch is you can mix up the cheeses based on your tastes!
- Use sharp cheddar for classic cheesy potatoes.
- Use 1/2 pepper jack cheese to give the casserole a kick.
- Go fancy and add shredded Gruyere!
How to Make Cheese Sauce from Scratch for Casseroles and More
This cheese sauce is similar to a roux, which is the foundation of many creamy sauces, including the ones in Creamy Mac and Cheese, Buffalo Mac and Cheese, Broccoli Cheese Casserole, Homemade Gravy, and Chicken Pot Pie.
- To make the cheese sauce, bring butter and chicken broth to a boil in a sauce pan.
- Meanwhile, whisk together milk, flour, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Slowly pour the milk mixture into the boiling broth, and continue to cook, whisking constantly until the sauce is thickened. Adjust seasonings to suit your tastes.
- At this point, you’ll have a rich, creamy, white sauce, but we’re making cheesy potatoes after all, so we’ll need to add some cheese! Remove the mixture from heat, sprinkle in the cheese and add a cup of sour cream for some lovely tang and richness. Stir until the cheese is melted, and your sauce is ready!
From there, all you need to do is stir the sauce together with the cooked potatoes and green onions, pour them in a dish, cover with cheese, and bake until golden brown and bubbly!
Can you make cheesy potato casserole ahead of time?
This recipe is GREAT for making ahead of time! The assembled casserole will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready, pop the dish in the oven and bake as usual!
- Tip: Put the refrigerated casserole dish in the oven while it preheats to prevent extreme temperature changes.
What to Pair With Cheesy Potatoes
This is one of our favorite side dishes, both for the holidays and for everyday dinners. For casual meals at home, pair cheesy potato casserole with Mini Meatloaf, Slow Cooker Shredded Beef, Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, Air Fryer Pork Chops or Skillet Pork Chops with Tomato Pan Sauce .
We like to serve the cheesy potatoes with a simple garden salad, Garlic Green Beans, or Balsamic Grilled Vegetables.
For the holidays, pair cheesy potato casserole with Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, Easy Prime Rib Roast, or Orange Glazed Ham.
Easy Cheesy Potatoes
Easy cheesy potatoes are a delicious side dish that's perfect for weeknight dinners or holiday feasts! This cheesy potato casserole is always a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 2/3 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup milk
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 3 green onions, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- Add the potatoes to a large pot of cold water. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 10-12 minutes or until fork tender., then drain and add to the baking dish
- Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth and butter to a boil in a medium sauce pan.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the milk, flour, garlic powder, and onion powder. Pour the milk mixture into the boiling broth and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Lower the heat and stir in sour cream and 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar until melted.
- Pour the sauce over the potatoes along with most of the green onions. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is browned and mixture is bubbly. Top with the remaining green onions before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Amount Per Serving: Calories: 452Total Fat: 26gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 401mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 16g
To make this gluten-free, could I swap the flour for equal part corn starch?
I tried it and this was excellent! I didn’t have garlic powder, so I used some minced garlic. I also didn’t have onion powder or sour cream, but I used plain yogurt and it turned out GREAT!
Can you substitute vegetable broth for chicken?
That should still work. The flavor might be a bit different, but still delicious!
Would this work if you substituted plain nonfat Greek yogurt for the sour cream?
I would not recommend using nonfat yogurt. Full fat yogurt might work, but I’m not positive. My concern would be that the non-fat yogurt would curdle and separate when cooked.
Amazingly delicious! I’ve made many cheesy potato recipes over the years, but this sauce was easier and tasted better, and the house smelled so incredibly good while it was baking, my husband came in from outside to ask what I was up to. This will now be my go-to. Thank you for sharing!!
I added a pound of cubed ham and it was a huge hit and super easy for my older kids to throw in the oven on days I have to work late!
I love easy cheesy potatoes! These are so good and so easy to make.
The greatest cheesy potato bake of all time! I add sauteed bell pepper and onion to the roux and I have to say it is just amazing!
Wow. Just wow! Have made these 3 times. Today, for Easter dinner. Perfect complement to ham and turkey holiday feast. So delicious. And easy to make. Made yesterday, put in fridge and heated up today. As good as the ham and turkey were, these potatoes were the hit!
So glad you enjoyed the cheesy potatoes! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Took this recipe to our family get together everyone loved it and wanted the recipe! Thank you for sharing this yummy goodness!
can you make this recipe in a crock pot?
I haven’t tried this in a crock pot, so can’t say for sure. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
This is definitely a keeper! Came out perfectly. I think this is the best potato cheese recipe yet. Thanks for posting. 🙂
Yum!
Thanks for the recipe. I halved it as there weren’t any other reviews, and I didn’t want to make a huge batch without testing it on my family. I’m glad to say, everyone loved it. Half a recipe was the perfect amount for the three of us, plus a little leftover for tomorrow’s lunch in the fridge. The full recipe would make a lot, but would be awesome for a special family meal, or for larger families. Definitely adding this one to my recipe binder 🙂 Might add some bacon next time, just to change it up.
I’m so glad to hear you all loved the Cheesy Potatoes! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, and coming back to let me know. The addition of bacon sounds fantastic!