Crockpot Au Gratin Potatoes are pure comfort food! Thinly sliced potatoes in a cream sauce are slow-cooked to perfection. Save oven space during the holidays!
Or if you’ve got extra room in the oven, give this original Au Gratin Potatoes a try!
Crockpot Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe
Potatoes au gratin have always been a favorite in my home, but now they can be made in the slow cooker! Not only is this great news for summertime (tasty potatoes without heating up the kitchen with the oven), but it’s also a great option for the holidays.
When you’re preparing a few dishes for a big holiday meal, oven space is a precious commodity. Save that space for Roasted Vegetables, Sweet Potato Casserole, or Cornbread Dressing, and let the slow cooker work its magic on the potatoes!
Ingredients
- Gold Potatoes: Use a mandolin slicer for even slices. Russet potatoes work.
- Seasoned Salt and Pepper: Adjust these to taste as you build the sauce.
- Unsalted Butter: Use unsalted to control the overall saltiness of the dish.
- Garlic and Onion Powder: Have prepped before cooking so they’re ready to go.
- All-Purpose Flour: Thickens the sauce, giving it a creamy consistency.
- Milk: Whole milk works best, but if using a lower fat option, consider adding a touch more butter.
- Sour Cream: Use full-fat to prevent the sauce from breaking under heat.
- Cheddar Cheese: Look for sharp or extra sharp and shred your own cheese.
- Optional Fresh Parsley or Chives: Add just before serving to keep herbs fresh.
How To Make Au Gratin Potatoes In The Crockpot
- Prep potatoes. See “quick tip” box below.
- Make the cream sauce. Start by melting butter and mixing in flour, then slowly add milk.
- Continue the cream sauce. Once it’s thick, stir in sour cream and cheese. Mix the potatoes in until they are well coated.
- Slow cook. Spread the potatoes in the slow cooker and cook on high heat.
Quick Tip
The potatoes take some time to prepare, but by using this slicer at 1/8-inch thickness, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can slice the potatoes for this recipe.
The Secret To Crockpot Au Gratin Potatoes
Here’s my secret for making these potatoes soft inside and crispy on the edges:
Put a few layers of paper towels on top of the crockpot! The towels soak up steam, which helps the potatoes crisp up nicely.
If you can, swap out the towels halfway through cooking. If you forget, don’t worry!
After cooking, leave the lid off for a little while while keeping the heat on. This helps the tops get a bit crispier.
Serve Crockpot Au Gratin Potatoes With
Add to your Easter spread along with this Deviled Egg Recipe, Asparagus Salad, and these easy Drop Biscuits.
Enjoy with an everyday sort of dinner alongside Grilled Chicken or Grilled Steak with a big Garden Salad.
Add to your Thanksgiving or Christmas table along with Crockpot Turkey Breast, Winter Salad, and the best, no-knead Dinner Rolls.
Storage
Leftovers?
Fridge: Cool the potatoes, then move them to an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Heat up servings in the microwave or warm the whole batch in a 350°F oven until hot.
Freeze (optional): Freezing can affect the texture, but if needed, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
More Potato Recipes
Crockpot Au Gratin Potatoes
Equipment
- 6 quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- 5 cups gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (Note 1)
- Seasoned salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon each: garlic powder and onion powder
- ¼ cup white, all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups milk (we recommend whole–Note 2)
- ½ cup sour cream (we recommend full-fat–Note 3)
- 1½ cups Cheddar cheese sharp or extra-sharp (Note 4)
- Optional: Fresh parsley or chives, for topping
Instructions
- PREP SLOW COOKER: Use a crockpot liner or VERY generously spray your slow cooker with nonstick spray. I used a 6-quart slow cooker for the recipe. Smaller cookers may not be able to cook the potatoes evenly. If you use a smaller pan, you will have to halve this recipe.
- PREP POTATOES: Wash and peel the potatoes. Thinly slice potatoes about ⅛-inch thick. (I like to use a mandolin slicer for speed and accuracy.) Measure the potatoes — you should have 5 packed cups.
- CHEESE SAUCE: In a large nonstick pot, melt butter over low heat. Once melted, add garlic powder, onion powder plus salt and pepper to taste (I add 1¼ tsp salt + ¼ tsp pepper). Sauté 1 minute or until fragrant. Sprinkle in flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute until smooth (don't let it brown). Very gradually pour in 1 cup milk while whisking constantly. Once completely smooth, increase heat to medium-high and gradually add in the remaining ½ of milk. Stir occasionally until mixture comes to a boil.
- SAUCE, CONT.: Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes or until mixture is nicely thickened (See Note 5). Remove pot from heat and let cool for 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream until smooth. Stir in Cheddar cheese, mixing gently until melted and smooth. Add in the sliced potatoes and stir to coat.
- SLOW COOK: Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and press in an even layer with the back of a spoon. Place 3 paper towels on top of the crockpot (this will absorb lots of moisture and keep the potatoes crispier) and then place on the lid. Cook on high (low heat doesn't work for this recipe) for 2½ to 4½ hours, depending on the heat of your slow cooker. Slow cookers cook at different temperatures; mine takes just under 3 hours — check occasionally to avoid burning the edges or over-cooking the potatoes so they are mushy. (If you think of it, halfway through the cooking time, change out the paper towels for fresh ones. If not, don't stress it.)
- ENJOY: Once the potatoes are tender and cooked through, remove the lid and gently stir the potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley or chives and any additional salt/pepper as needed. Continue to cook without the lid for 15-20 minutes to get a bit crisper on top if desired. Enjoy promptly.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you think this would work w Swiss cheese?
Made this yesterday for Christmas and it was outstanding! I doubled the recipe, used full-fat sour cream and it cooked perfect in about 5 hours on high. Nobody could get enough…Definitely a keeper! Thank you for the recipe!
Made this for Christmas Brunch this morning. It was delicious and beautiful. Made a perfect crust on the edges. Will double next time as it went fast!! Thanks for this delicious and easy recipe.
I’ve never used a crackpot bag/liner thing. Thinking of using one. Do you think that would meet up this recipe? Like getting it crisp at the end?
Thanks
I think that would work just fine 🙂 Enjoy!
Th is recipe works beautifully with a plastic liner. I won’t use my crockpot without one anymore because it’s so much easier to clean up.
I’m sorry for the silly question but when you say put the paper towel under the lid does this mean the paper towel ends will be slightly hanging outside of the pot and draped across the pot not touching the potatoes? I’m trying to visualize this. How many pieces of paper towels are you using, a nice stack?
Yes! Hanging outside of the pot at the very top (not touching the potatoes). I use a pretty good stack — 5 or 6 🙂 Hope that helps!
Don’t feel dumb, I wondered the same thing!
Thanks for clairifying. I’d suggest putting this note in the body of the recipe. I just happened on it going through the comments after I had it cooking in the crockpot.
I just turned the crock pot on a few minutes ago. Can’t wait to try them with our barbecued pork chops tonight.
I have made chicken and dumplings in the crock pot and at the end when I put the biscuits on top I do put it in the oven. I am going to try putting the potatoes in the oven today to brown them a little.
I hope you loved these 🙂 Thanks for the comment!!
I’m making this today. It just started cooking.
To crisp and brown the top, I’m thinking of taking my crock pot out and placing the inside under the broiler for a few minutes.
Has anyone, you know, done this?
I think that sounds like a fantastic idea! I haven’t had any readers report doing it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work 🙂
I need it to be gluten free. Can I use Corn Starch instead of flour?
I haven’t tried the substitute so I can’t say for sure without more recipe testing.
I made these for Easter dinner and they were delicious! Perfect and so easy – I love that they were cooking away in the crockpot and I didn’t have to worry about them while I was working on the rest of the meal. I didn’t quite double the recipe – maybe 1 1/2ed it and it still turned out perfectly. Thanks for sharing!
That is so great to hear!! I’m so happy these were so well enjoyed for Easter 🙂 Thank you for the comment!
Made this last night (early) for our Easter meal. Definitely use lots of salt and pepper for seasoning. She’s right. I used a small, two-person crockpot, filled it to the brim with potatoes, and they taste great. Had to cook longer, but I kept checking with a fork for tenderness. When making the cheese sauce, I added extra garlic for flavoring. Definitely need to switch out the paper towels 1/2 way through. Will reheat this morning and then take the lid off for crisping. Was always hesitant to make scalloped potatoes, but can’t beat how they cook themselves! Thank you for the great recipe.
So happy to hear this recipe was enjoyed and worked out well for you! Thanks for the comment 🙂