Dairy Free Scalloped Potatoes

Our dairy free scalloped potatoes with red potatoes recipe is delicious! In the event that your favorite dish is our au gratin potatoes without cream, but need tips on how to make it lactose free we can help!

Scalloped potatoes can still be delicious for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner! Using plant based ingredients you can bake this in a casserole dish until you get tender red potatoes, creamy with melted cheddar cheese to serve with your ham or turkey.

We first made this Slow Cooker Cheesy Potatoes back in the day with shredded potatoes. Once my husband could no longer handle lactose I got to getting creative with our favorite dishes during the holidays. I knew I could come up with a version he could eat with a little experimenting and I did!

It took a while to find a great vegan plant based butter but Country Crock has one. Shredded dairy free cheese was the next one, Daiya has been the best one thus far for us. Over time it has become easier and easier to find alternatives. I use them to make this and our Hash Brown Casserole without Soup too.

Ingredient Notes

You are going to want to prep some thinly sliced potatoes peeled and sliced as this is your main ingredient. We prefer red since they have a bit firmer texture and flavor we love.

We used a vegan butter for this, Country crock has a great version that comes in sticks or tubs, either will work.

Use your favorite dairy free cheese. Daiya has a great shredded cheddar cheese variety that works well, or use half cheddar half another variety. Nutritional yeast is another choice you could use

You are going to want to add some all purpose flour to thicken the sauce into a rich creamy texture and consistency.

And I use some lactose free milk or plain almond milk, cashew or coconut for sweeter flavor as full of fat as possible

Basic seasonings would be salt and pepper, nutmeg and thyme are optional add-ins. You can add finely diced onion too if you like, yellow or white are best.

Now there are quite a few vegan cheese brands out there at the market nowadays. Goat cheese is sometimes more easily digested by those with aversions or allergies to cow’s milk cheese. Also look for cheeses labeled chèvre which is the French term for goat. Here are other alternatives you might be able to find.

Dairy free cheese options

Cheese made from nuts, such as cashews, almonds, or macadamia nuts, are commonly used as dairy free alternatives. Often available in various flavors, including cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack.

Soy cheese is available and offer a creamy texture and mild flavor. They are typically made from soy milk or tofu and can be found in various forms like slices, shreds, or blocks.

Rice cheese are made from rice milk and offer a mild and slightly sweet taste. They are often used as a dairy-free alternative in dishes like pizza and lasagna.

It’s important to note that the taste and texture of alternatives may vary from traditional dairy cheese. It’s recommended to try different brands and types to find the ones that best suit your preferences and dietary needs. I typically use Daiya cashew milk style for this and to make our 5 Ingredient Hash Brown Casserole.

This is great served with our Vegan Biscuits and Gravy if you love that duo but no animal products used.

Scalloped Potatoes with Red Potatoes

Yes you could use a variety of taters to make this. We make baked red potatoes vs. russet potatoes many times for dinner. If that is what I have on hand already I’ll use those like we did here.

Can you add meat?

Now you could add precooked meat into the mix too like we did with our Ground Beef Hash Brown Casserole. The most common thing I will do is to add some diced leftover ham bits into the mix, or bacon bits. I’ll do this when making it fresh or when reheating leftovers. Adds more flavor to your comfort food in a bowl, and makes it more like a meal than a side dish.

How do you doctor up scalloped potatoes?

I have not made this yet with bagged diced or frozen hashbrowns, though I think it could be done. You could use veggies too like we did with our Broccoli Au Gratin! With frozen taters you would want to spread them on paper towels to absorb the excess moisture before using though.

I’d use the same amount for dairy free au gratin potatoes, 1.5 cups of those and follow the rest of the directions as stated. Imagine it would come out similar to our Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes. Call it what you like, but totally delicious is what comes to mind for us. 😉 Jump to recipe and get started y’all, let us know what you think!

Slow cooker directions

Keep in mind that red are firmer than others so they are sliced thinner and take a bit longer to get tender. If using Yukon gold potatoes you could check a bit sooner as they are starchier. Below is baked in the oven, another alternative is Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes.