Learn how to make the best easy Vegan Scalloped Potatoes are so unbelievably cheesy, a crowd-pleaser and total comfort food! So creamy thanks to cashews and all whole food plant-based ingredients.
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VEGAN SCALLOPED POTATOES
When a recipe turns out that gorgeous golden baked-to-perfection cheesy vegan crust, you know it’s gonna be good. I mean, it’s like a big block of cheddar cheese just walked right up in my kitchen and melted itself all over my potatoes, hahaha. Here’s my recipe for these amazing cheesy Vegan Scalloped Potatoes.
The difference in my vegan version versus traditional? Well, the ones I used to have were more like milky/creamy versus cheesy, so I wanted my vegan version to have more of a cheesy taste, so I went that route.
To come up with this recipe, knowing I wanted it cheesy, I started thinking about my most popular cheese sauce on my blog, this Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake.
Hint: I used salsa in that recipe and wondered if it would work in scalloped potatoes without it being too strong.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN SCALLOPED POTATOES
Cashews are magical for making creamy, dairy-free sauces. You need these easy ingredients for the perfect cheesy scalloped potatoes:
- gold potatoes, the waxy kind (more flavor and russet are bland and tend to fall apart)
- raw cashews
- mild salsa
- tomato paste
- paprika
- dry mustard, a little extra punch of cheesy sharpness
- onion
- garlic
I had my doubts when I put it in the oven since it was really runny. But don’t you worry my friends, alllll that saucy goodness turns into magic when it bakes for an hour! It all turns super creamy and thickens up like a champ. No flour needed.
HOW DO YOU MAKE VEGAN SCALLOPED POTATOES?
First, you’ll cook the onion and garlic until tender.
Add the cashews, salsa, tomato paste, paprika, dry mustard, cooked onion and garlic mixture and salt to a blender. I use my Vitamix. Blend until completely smooth.
When slicing your potatoes, it’s very important to slice them 1/8 inch thick and all of them the same size, so that they cook evenly.
Add a layer of the cheese sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 dish, add a layer of potatoes and repeat until all of the potatoes and cheese sauce are used.
Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes until super cheesy and firm on top.
HOW DO YOU REHEAT SCALLOPED POTATOES?
Do these reheat well? Yes, they do! Ideally, covering leftovers with foil and reheating them on low heat like 250-300°F is ideal, until warm. However, the microwave works too. They are still creamy and delicious. I do, however, think that the microwave does change the taste of potatoes for some reason when reheated, but it does work.
MORE VEGAN POTATO RECIPES
MORE VEGAN DINNER RECIPES
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs waxy gold potatoes, peeled into 1/8 inch slices (keep skins on)
- 1/2 cup (80g) diced white onion
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups (480g) water
- 1 1/2 cups (225g) raw cashews, soaked overnight if you don't have a Vitamix
- 1 1/2 cups (360g) MILD smooth/pourable salsa, I used the Arriba brand Fire Roasted Red Salsa and it was PERFECT (see NOTE)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) salt (extra for seasoning potatoes)
NOTE
- Using a mild salsa serves 2 purposes, makes it a very mild heat, so that kids can happily eat it. I tried a version with medium heat and my daughter complained the whole time it was too spicy. Mild salsa also leaves a cheesy taste withOUT it screaming salsa. It works AMAZING for a cheesy taste here in the finished dish.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- If you don't have a Vitamix, you will need to soak your cashews overnight in a bowl of warm water, drain and rinse. Otherwise, your cheese sauce will be gritty.
- When slicing your potatoes, it's very important to slice them 1/8 inch thick and all of them the same size, so that they cook evenly. You don't want some mushy and some crunchy potatoes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray a 9x13 dish with nonstick spray. If you don't spray it, the potatoes will stick pretty bad.
- To a small pan, add the onion and garlic and 3 tablespoons (45g) water over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-8 minutes until tender, stirring often and all the water should be gone.
- To the blender, add the 2 cups water, cashews, cooked onion mixture, salsa, tomato paste, paprika, dry mustard and salt. Blend for several minutes until 100% creamy and smooth, it should not be gritty at all. It will be really runny. But don't you worry my friends, all that saucy goodness turns into magic when it bakes for an hour! It turns super creamy and thickens up like a champ. Don't judge the finished dish by the sauce at this stage.
- To the casserole dish, pour a thin layer just enough to cover the bottom of the dish with the cheese sauce. Watch the video to see visual. It's important to pour just enough to cover the bottom and not too much, so that you will have enough to pour in between each potato layer AND cover the top. Refer to my video above for a visual, as this will help you.
- Place the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle salt over the potatoes. This is important to lightly salt EACH LAYER of potatoes so they are flavored in the end dish. The sauce has salt, yes, but the amount of potatoes in this need seasoning too, so they additionally have enough flavor. Pour another thin layer of the cheese sauce of the potatoes and use a brush to spread out. Repeat with another layer of potatoes, cheese sauce and then with the last amount of potatoes, scatter around the top and pour the remaining cheese sauce on top, brushing to cover each potato and nook and cranny well.
- Cover with foil and bake on the center rack for 45 minutes. Remove the foil carefully, as the steam is super hot, and bake uncovered for 20 more minutes. Mine were perfectly done and tender after the 20 minutes, but check a few potatoes to make sure they are fork tender, taste for best results. If needed, bake another few minutes. This may vary per oven, but all 3 batches I did worked this timing.
- Serve and garnish with dried parsley flakes if desired. I prefer the taste of dry parsley. But green onions would also be delicious. These reheat very well too.
I eat potatoes almost every single day. I’m always keeping an eye out on different ways to prepare and eat them! This dish right here is not only one of my favorite recipes Brandi has created, but, it’s one of my favorite Potato dishes as well!!! I can’t even tell y’all how many times I have already made this dish!! Thank you Brandi as always for creating such clean, gluten free, yummy recipes I thoroughly enjoy!
This was not even remotely successful.
Very disappointed, took all evening and is a huge waste of food.
This looked really great and I was excited to make it.. it was a lot of prep too. I was happy to fi d the exact Arriba salsa. I used my food processor to slice them evenly and very thin.
The sauce turned out great and I put everything in a ceramic casserole and baked 45 minutes.. then uncovered and baked 20 more..
The potatoes were not cooked! Back in the oven, covered with foil for 30 more minutes. Still not cooked!!
Scooped the entire casserole into a bowl and added 1.5 cups almond milk. Stirred together to blend the almond milk with the existing sauce, and poured it back in the casserole, covering with foil, baked 30 more minutes.
Still not cooked all the way through…
Needless to say, I am very disappointed and I don’t think I can salvage any of it.
I read that acidic ingredients will keep the potatoes from cooking, so I have to think it was the tomato salsa.
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble Kay! But as you can see above, this recipe has received all 5 star rave reviews from other readers and it absolutely does work, so I’m not sure what happened on your end. I never post a recipe that isn’t successful, I test my recipes thoroughly before posting them. My only guess is if your potatoes didn’t cook is that they simply were not sliced thin enough or there was a mismeasurement of liquids, because it works everytime I make it. Really sorry you had trouble.
I was hoping for some ideas to make it work. For me, scalloped potatoes are either great or they don’t cook. I know you can’t see what happened, but I did explain my steps. My food processor uses a 4mm slicing blade which is .03 inch thicker than 1/8, so I really don’t think that was it. Pointing to me as incompetent in measuring or slicing is not really helpful.
My comment wasn’t pointing to that at all, Kay. That is why I said sorry twice in my comment that you had trouble with the recipe. I’m genuinely sorry that the recipe did not work for you. All I can do is guess to why it didn’t work. I mention those 2 possible reasons because that is the only thing I can think as to why they didn’t cook. I simply can’t state why it didn’t work on your end, that is the point I’m making. I apologize if my comment came across any other way. Maybe a bad batch of potatoes?
I appreciate it. I did love the sauce; I will probably use that on pasta. Thank you.
Very tasty and comforting dish. Thank you.
So glad you loved it Ana!
I made this dish for Christmas dinner and loved it. So delicious!
Yay!!
Forgot to rate it in my comment above, this is a family favorite! Thanks for the BEST recipes. I make at least 3 of your recipes a week!
Brandi, do you think It would be okay if I prepared this the day before up to the point of baking and just baked it the next day? I’ve made this before and my family loves it but I’d like to make it the day before Christmas and then bake it on Christmas Day to save time but not if it doesn’t turn out as yummy 😉 Thanks!
Hi Naomi, just wondering if you ended up making this dish ahead of time and if so, how did it work out for you? I am thinking of doing this for Christmas. Thanks
This was really delicious!
I will definitely do this more times.
Thank you Brandy!
You are always doing good recipes.
So awesome to hear, thank you Christian!
Sorry about that, I removed it because it was slowing down the page. But, basically the sauce will be really runny, but it bakes and thickens up beautifully. As long as you follow the recipe and correct weight measurements, it will work out perfectly!
OMG Yeah! Vegan8 Scalloped Potatoes are decadent and creamy, with a cheese-like deliciousness. This is the definition of comfort food and really tastes like the real thing, I was a little worried about the salsa but it disappeared into the sauce & potatoes leaving a savory/mild peppery note. I couldn’t find the jar that Brandi recommended, so ended up using TJ’s red Authentica salsa. This recipe is going to be filed into the “Holiday Foods” category, it’s perfect for Christmas festivities. Thanks Brandi, another winner!!
When I started to make the cheese sauce for this recipe I was in a pretty bad mood because someone parked so close to my car I couldn’t get in it. But then I tasted the sauce and my mood instantly changed! This cheese sauce is so divine. It is actually the first one I’ve made that I actually like. It is so good that I was sticking my fingers as far as I could into my blender to get any excess that was left. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe. This cheese sauce opens the door to so many different possibilities!
Aww so sorry you were having a bad day Angela, but so happy this recipe made it better! Thrilled you loved this! I’d recommend this recipe then, because it’s even BETTER!! https://thevegan8.com/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/