The Little Tricks That Prevent Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes From Turning Into A Greasy Mess

Potatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients because, while they certainly do vary in taste, they can pretty much take on the flavor of whatever you decide to add to them. But, even in the most simple potato dishes, you'll need the right technique. There are some tips you need when cooking mashed potatoes, and you may even need some advice on how to make a baked potato. Other dishes, like scalloped potatoes, can get even trickier. There are some canned ingredients that will seriously upgrade scalloped potatoes, but when made improperly, cheesy scalloped potatoes can just turn into a mess. 

For a little help on the subject, we reached out for an exclusive chat with Michelle Doll Olson, senior culinary manager at HelloFresh, which recently released its 2025-2026 State of Home Cooking Report. Doll Olson told Chowhound it's all about the sauce. "Using a béchamel rather than just pouring in heavy cream will help the dish not to separate into a greasy mess and will help to more evenly distribute the cheese," she says. It will ensure that your ingredients blend uniformly into a cohesive dish, rather than stacked potatoes in a pool of hot cream. 

Beyond the sauce, choosing the main ingredient can have a big influence on your scalloped potatoes. "A starchy potato is the way to go," Doll Olson says. "It will help to thicken up everything. My favorite is a Yukon Gold, but russets work great too." Starchier potatoes have less moisture, so they pick up flavor more easily and release starch as they cook, helping to create a thicker sauce.

Béchamel is a classic French sauce made with butter, flour, and milk that have been cooked together into a thick and smooth consistency. To make the most basic béchamel, you simply need to melt your butter, whisk in flour until smooth, then whisk in milk and cook it down until it's the correct consistency. In terms of picking potatoes to pair with the sauce, Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes are fairly similar, but Yukon Golds have more of a sweet, buttery flavor and hold their shape better when cooking. "The key is to slice them all to the same thickness," Michelle Doll Olson says. "If you don't have a mandoline the long side of a box grater works wonderfully."

Once you have your béchamel, you'll want to mix in shredded cheese for an incredibly salty, savory, creamy experience, then simply pour your sauce over your sliced potatoes and bake. Cheddar works great and melts in beautifully; Gruyère will give your potatoes a nuttier sweetness with a slight funk; and Parmesan will add more salty, aged flavor (but also soak up some of the moisture, so you may want to use it sparingly).

And for even more crispy, toasted, ooey-gooey goodness, set aside some of the cheese. "You can save some cheese to top it and get bubbly," Doll Olson says, but adds that you definitely don't want to skip the béchamel. Follow these expert tips — get the right potatoes and skip the heavy cream in favor of a simple béchamel — and you'll end up with incredibly creamy, cheesy scalloped potatoes.