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.
Making this tomorrow for Sunday School Christmas luncheon. When you say “seasoned salt” do you mean like a Lowery’s? Not just regular Morton salt?
Yep!
Could I make the cheese sauce ahead of time. I’m thinking of making these on a camping trip and assembling the ingredients in the crockpot 2 days into the trip.
I’m not entirely sure without testing it personally, but I think that would work fine; you’ll likely need to thin the sauce a little bit!
Please offer email format for sharing recipes. I don’t do much on social media and don’t want to print out everything as I am trying to cut back on paper use. Thanks!
Thanks Karen, working on getting it fixed! 🙂
These potatoes are SO yummy! They are easy to put together and make an excellent side to a grilled steak or any other grilled meat. Since they are cooked in the slow cooker instead of the oven, that means you don’t have to heat up your kitchen during the summer. These cooked evenly, and perfectly in my slow cooker. LOVE THEM!
My guests RAVED about these potatoes!!! Truly wonderful, the best that I’ve ever made, Thank You SO much Carolyn
Awe yay!! That makes me so happy to hear that! Thank you Carolyn!
I’ve made this recipe several times, and we love it. I use gruyère instead of cheddar, but otherwise leave it as is. It’s great comfort food. The sour cream adds a great touch of deliciousness.
Just a note: instead of spraying my slow cooker, I use the plastic liners that Reynolds makes. They work really well, and there’s almost no cleanup necessary afterwards.
I’m so glad you love this recipe! Thanks so much for the tip! 🙂
When I put it together, which took me about 40 minutes, I thought “There’s not enough cheese sauce.” When it was done it was perfect and amazing! I’m so glad it worked out for our Christmas dinner to go with prime rib.
Ahh I’m so happy to hear! Thanks so much Andrea! 🙂
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner and my family raved about it. It was the first dish finished and they’ve been begging for more ever since.
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
It’s been nearly 2 years since I found this recipe and it’s a regular “special” in my home. I’m making it again tonight but in the oven, your sauce is the only one we use for cheese anymore.
Yay! That’s so fun to hear! Thank you for the comment and review 🙂
great recipe
Thanks Jose! 🙂
I made this yesterday. It is good, but I gave it a 4 instead of 5 because the sauce is too thick to go down into the potatoes fully. Most of the potatoes come out tasting buttery, but not cheesy. I had to chop it up and stir it to spread the cheese throughout. Once I did that, I would compare it to what you get from a box mix by saying that this recipe gives a lot more potato flavor, but not as much soft/liquid cheesy sauce all over. I used mild cheddar blocks (Kraft) and the cheese flavor was not as strong as I expected. If I make it again, I will use less flour, more milk, and sharp cheddar instead of mild. That said, it is good, and the recipe yields a lot of food. I’m glad I made it, and I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure it’s something I’ll start making regularly. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Two suggestions: Layer in about half the potatoes and pour in about half the sauce, then repeat. Or even break it into thirds. Also, shake the crockpot from side to side to encourage the sauce to filter down through the layers. Try my first suggestion before decreasing the amount of flour because I think the sauce may become too watery.
Thanks so much Betsy! 🙂