Dairy Free Scalloped Potatoes prove that this traditional dish doesn't need to be swimming in cheese to be luscious and rich!
Using almond milk in place of milk or cream and cassava flour as a thickener, this scalloped potatoes recipe is gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and paleo.
I grew up in a mashed potato household, so it wasn't until adulthood that I had scalloped potatoes for the first time. Of course, I was kinda missing out, because scalloped potatoes are a rich, layered wonderland of starchy potatoes and creamy sauce.
But, of course, I don't do a whole lot of dairy anymore.
And, unsurprisingly, most scalloped potato recipes are swimming in cheese. I wasn't sure if omitting cheese would create a worthwhile recipe or end in disaster.
Turns out that traditionally, scalloped potatoes weren't even made with cheese. And I'd maybe controversially claim that most people just pile on the cheese because they don't quite know how to make a good creamy sauce...
And really, a lot of people just like cheese, so it's a decent way to hide faults in a recipe. Can't really blame you if you fall into that group. After all, it's not that I don't like cheese! Who doesn't? Eating it too often just contributes to autoimmune flare-ups for me.
Living the dairy free life changes all that, though. Turns out that almond milk or coconut milk makes a great substitute for milk when making béchamel sauce.
I won't claim that you won't miss the cheese at all. But maybe you'll appreciate these scalloped potatoes all the more for their creamy, homey layers without globs of cheese piled on.
At the end of the day, the point is... If you're looking for a rich side dish and you avoid dairy, these dairy free scalloped potatoes are a great pick! And it's gluten free, paleo, and Whole30.
More Side Dish Recipes
- Mushroom, Bacon, and Cauliflower Casserole
- Dairy Free Whipped Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Garlic Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Honey Chipotle Carrots
📖 Recipe
Dairy Free Scalloped Potatoes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 - 10 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Luscious and hearty, these dairy free scalloped potatoes make an awesome paleo and Whole30 side dish with just a little prep!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons ghee, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup cassava flour
- 1 cup bone broth or stock
- 2 cups almond milk or coconut milk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into ⅛-inch rounds
- chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish or large cast iron with 1 tablespoon ghee.
- Melt remaining 3 tablespoons ghee in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion, sauteing for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the cassava flour until the onion and garlic are coated, cooking for at least 1 minute. Slowly pour in the bone broth or stock, whisking constantly. Add the almond milk, salt, pepper, thyme, and nutritional yeast, whisking until combined. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until the sauce begins to simmer (but doesn’t boil) around the edges of the pan and thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Arrange half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the casserole dish. Top evenly with half of the cream sauce. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and cream sauce.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and slightly browned on top.
Keywords: Dairy Free Scalloped Potatoes
Michelle says
Can this be made a ahead and kept in fridge for baking the next day?
Chelsea says
I haven't tried that before, but I've made this in the past for a gathering and I partially baked it the day before, refrigerated it overnight, then finished cooking the next day for about 15 minutes. Hope that helps!
Morgan says
Really yummy! I am making this for the second time for my non-Paleo family for Easter. Haha that's how much I liked it 🙂 I used half coconut and half almond milk, which tasted just right to me. I also reduced the nutritional yeast to about half because we never used cheese on our scalloped potatoes in our family growing up so I personally prefer a more mild non-cheesy taste. I found that a 3 lb bag of potatoes is just right for the amount of sauce this makes. Great recipe!
Chelsea says
Glad you liked it, Morgan! This is definitely one of my faves. 🙂
Samantha says
Two questions about substituting ingredients: do you think oat milk would work just as well? And would a 1 to 1 GF flour work for thickening?
Thanks!
Chelsea says
I do think oat milk would work just fine! I can't speak to using GF flour, though...I imagine it would work, but since I don't have much experience with 1 to 1 gluten free flour, I don't know for sure.