I love this vegan scalloped potatoes recipe! My favorite thing about it is . . . well, the taste. But my second favorite thing about it is that it’s a base recipe.
The base recipe is delicious, don’t get me wrong. But every time you make it, you can try something new. You make a basic roux for the sauce. I know in the future, I’ll be adding onions or garlic, nutritional yeast or vegan cheese, and whatever else to that roux. The thyme that is sprinkled on the top of it is a “no skip.” You’ll love the flavor it adds to the potatoes. The recipe does serve eight, but if you have hearty eaters in your family, you might want to make two dishes of this for a holiday. People will want seconds.
When slicing my potatoes, I tried to stick with a 1/4-inch thickness. However you slice yours, just try for consistent thickness, so the potatoes will bake evenly. As you slice the potatoes, drop them into a large bowl of water, to keep them white and stop them from turning brown while you slice the rest. Just pat them dry a little before layering them into the casserole dish.
Be sure to use plant-based milk (I used almond milk) that contains no vanilla. Just because it says “unsweetened,” don’t be fooled. I used two different brands of almond milk and checked the ingredients list on both for vanilla. Neither listed it, but my scalloped potatoes smelled like a cake while baking! I was dreading tasting them, but in the end there was no vanilla flavor. So, please, be careful about the vanilla content in your milks.
I think this is another recipe I will make every holiday now. It’s a good solid, basic potato recipe that is also very tasty and everyone will love it, even non-vegans. And it’s a classic comfort food.
You can easily make these the day before serving. Just pop them into the fridge. Reheat them at 350 F before serving. A few minutes before taking them out, pop the broiler on to get them bubbly hot.
All credit for this recipe goes to Vegan in the Freezer. I lowered the amounts of salt and pepper in the sauce, though. Lately, I like my guests to season their dishes with salt at the table. That way, I can keep the salt reduced on my own plate!
If you’re looking for holiday recipes, you might enjoy having a look at my Vegan Mushroom Pot Pie or Wild Rice Mushroom Soup.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 90 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 4 tablespoons vegan butter I use Earth Balance
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 cups plant-based milk I used unsweetened almond milk - make sure it's vanilla free
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 7 cups potatoes peeled and uniformly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Melt the vegan butter in a large saucepan.
- Over low heat, stir in the flour one tablespoon at a time, to form a paste. Stir until well blended.
- Increase the heat to medium and add the three cups of plant-based milk, stirring thoroughly with each addition. Bring to a low boil, stirring nearly the entire time. Once you feel the boil begin, stir consistently for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Stir in the salt and pepper, then remove from heat.
- If you want to add any finely chopped onions or minced garlic to this recipe, now is the time to add it to the sauce. Nutritional yeast or grated vegan cheese can also be added at this point, or, in the case of grated cheese, sprinkled over the first layer of potatoes when assembling.
- Layer the potatoes in the casserole dish, overlapping them so the sauce can seep under and around them.
- After one solid layer, pour half the sauce over the potatoes. (Add any grated vegan cheese at this point.) Finish layering the remaining potatoes, then pour the remainder of the sauce evenly over the entire top of the potatoes.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes, covered. Then uncover the dish and bake for an additional 60 minutes. If your potato tops haven't browned, turn on your oven's broiler. Do not leave the potatoes unattended. As soon as they have achieved the desired brownness, remove from the oven.
- Sprinkle the top with fresh thyme leaves. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving, allowing the sauce to thicken even more. Serve with additional thyme sprigs.
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