6 Popular Boxed Scalloped Potatoes, Ranked

When it comes to boxed potato products, there's one that always gets the spotlight: instant mashed potatoes. Sure, there's something super attractive about mixing the boxed flakes with some butter and a little water, then flushing away any remaining flavor with a homemade gravy. But while mashed potatoes are in the limelight, an even more deserving spud is waiting in the wings: scalloped potatoes. 

Anyone who has made homemade scalloped potatoes before knows that it's a labor of love. This potato dish is made by cooking very thinly sliced potatoes in a cream sauce (sans cheese) until they're creamy and soft. One of the big time-sucks of this recipe is having to prepare the potatoes with a mandoline, which can take a long time and requires you to own the niche cooking gadget in the first place. Boxed scalloped potatoes are much simpler to make: simply mix the dried, thinly sliced potato pieces with a bit of milk, water, butter, and the provided seasoning, then either cook them in the oven or on the stovetop.

But not all of these store-bought boxed spuds are created equal, nor are they deserving of a spot in your cart. In an effort to see which brands were worth buying, I prepared and tested as many boxed scalloped potatoes as I could find, ranking them from worst to best based on flavor, texture, and whether I could pass them off as homemade. It's important to note that since au gratin and scalloped potatoes are different, I stuck to covering only the potato brands labeled as "scalloped potatoes" for this review.

Great Value was the first brand that I sampled for this ranking. When I opened the box, I was instantly impressed by the size of the potato slices. They were all uniform rounds, which led me to believe that if you needed to convince your in-laws that you did indeed make these scalloped potatoes yourself, this is the brand that you'd want to choose. The recipe was pretty similar to others on this list — 2 cups of water, ⅔ cup milk, a packet of seasoning, and 2 tablespoons of butter — for each box. 

The potatoes soaked up the sauce decently well as they cooked away on the stovetop, and I appreciated that the rounds kept their shape even after cooking. However, the texture of the potatoes left something to be desired. The smaller rounds were soft and squishy, while the larger ones were still a little dried out, even though they had ample time to sit in the sauce after simmering. The sauce, as a whole, was salty and buttery enough to be passable, though it lacked any memorable spice notes. 

This is a very middle-of-the-road box of scalloped potatoes, and I don't think I would go out of my way to buy it again. While it looks nice, it lacks substance, which is not what I want from a dish meant to be indulgent and a special occasion in itself.

You would think that a brand that really makes its association with the potato state known right out of the gate would make better potato products. Not only did I really not like its instant mashed potatoes, but its scalloped potatoes were also a flop. Interestingly enough, these potatoes call for the same ratio of liquid as my top-ranked potato brand: 1½ cups water and ⅔ cup milk. This means that there is less water for the potatoes to soak up, and a more concentrated seasoning mixture. 

These Idahoan scalloped sliced potatoes were not as sad and flavorless as Great Value's box, which was a plus. And while there was the very occasional toothsome slice of potato, overall, this recipe was pretty smooth and creamy. The potatoes were all about the same size, which makes for a really beautiful dish. However, the taste isn't interesting enough to warrant adding it to your shopping cart. While it was salty enough, I wished it had stronger herb notes and flavors all around. There was nothing to mask the flavor of the potatoes, and at this point, I think Idahoan wanted to show that it could make potatoes that taste like, well, potatoes. 

Scalloped potato purists and enthusiasts would not be impressed by this product, and neither was I — even though I consider myself a novice. But even I know that many more affordable, store-bought scalloped potatoes pack both beauty and substance into every bite. 

I had to save my wild card to try last. I honestly didn't expect to find this box of scalloped potatoes, but a stroll through Aldi's Aisle of Shame led me to it, alongside the other seasonal finds. Specially Selected, Aldi's premium in-store brand, was the only flavored scalloped potato product on the list. And, based on my past experience, lemon-flavored products tend not to go over well. In short, I didn't want to eat creamy potatoes flavored with lemon Pledge.

In hindsight, after I took a closer look at the instructions, I kind of wish I hadn't bought this brand. It did not have any instructions for stovetop preparation and noted that the potatoes had to be boiled in water first before being covered in milk (1½ cups), 1 cup of Parmesan, and 2 tablespoons of butter and baked for half an hour. So much for a simple and easy side dish!

Luckily, I had Parmesan in my fridge and enough patience left to finish this recipe. The parboiling definitely helped, and as frustrating as it is to do, I think it made a difference in the final product. The potatoes were soft and easy to bite through, and arguably had the best texture of any brand on this list. While the seasoning packet smelled meaty — almost like steak sauce — when I was pouring it in, the final result was lemony and umami, thanks to the Parmesan. It had some chicken broth undertones, and the lemon flavor was complementary — not off-putting in the slightest. It's not an everyday scalloped potato meal by any means, but I could see why you would buy it for a special occasion. 

Chef's Cupboard, one of Aldi's in-house brands, has all the makings of a good boxed scalloped potato dish. While other brands stuck to the most basic of flavors,  Aldi decided to think outside of the box and include cheddar and blue cheese in its recipe. Does that make it an au gratin? Possibly, but it was not marketed as such, making it fair game for this review.

The first thing I noticed about these dried potatoes was that they looked very broken, almost like the box had been jostled in transit. As such, they're not winning any beauty contests here. But are they winning the award for "most flavorful?" Possibly. Though the sauce was quite thin, the blue cheese added a decadent flavor to these potatoes that the other brands in this tight race couldn't offer. The cheeses were not super flavorful or bold, which distracted from the richness of the potatoes. Instead, they added stronger, more flavorful umami undertones to the dish as a whole. However, scalloped potato purists may turn their nose up at this offering. 

I also think the fact that the potatoes were crumbled a little bit did them a favor. In the bowl, the spuds clumped together well, making for an extra-creamy bite rather than one filled with toothsome pieces of potato. That said, it was by no means mushy. Its flavor was much more neutral than that of the lower-ranked lemon-and-herb Specially Selected product, earning Chef's Cupboard a spot in the middle of this spud-filled ranking. 

Stop & Shop is a wild-card brand in its own right. Some of its products are really good, while others are arguably not meant for human consumption, such as its store-bought pie crusts. Only time would tell if its scalloped potatoes were worth a spot on my favorites list.

I will say that Stop & Shop set a good first impression. It came with a ton of seasoning — probably more than was needed. As a whole, the brands on this list were pretty stingy with their packets, but with Stop & Shop, I kept asking myself, "Am I meant to put this entire packet in?" However, this made more sense when I realized how watery these scalloped potatoes came out. It used Great Value's ratio (2 cups of water, ⅔ cup of milk, and 2 tablespoons of butter), which meant there was a lot of moisture that didn't cook off as I prepared the batch on my stovetop. It thickened with time, sure, but I assumed that the moisture would dilute the flavor.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by these spuds. The larger rounds were perfectly cooked, maintaining the right amount of mushiness and toothsome texture, and despite all that liquid, the seasoning's flavor really stood out in every bite. The spuds were speckled with ample herbs, which I noticed the moment I poured in the seasoning packet. There was plenty of salt in the packet, too, which helped balance the flavor. Despite all of the positives of this brand, I had to rank it second because the sauce lacked body and creaminess — something my top-ranked selection executed much better.

Betty Crocker was the top brand in my trial of store-bought instant mashed potatoes, but how would its scalloped potatoes fare? It turns out that Betty is definitely not a one-trick pony, as these were some of the best scalloped potatoes I've ever had. 

The first place where the brand went right was in the amount of water and milk it called for. While other brands called for 2 cups of water and ⅔ cup of milk, Betty Crocker used 1½ cups of water and ⅔ cup of milk. This made for a thicker, more concentrated sauce, allowing that delicious seasoning mix to shine. The potatoes soaked up all that moisture without any issues, and I actually had to cook them for less time than I did with the other brands (which made sense, since it was prepared with less water). Plus, it was creamier than Stop & Shop's scalloped potatoes, which ranked right below it.

Now, I will make a very clear observation that may make you not want to buy them: They were very, very salty. Prepared, a ⅔-cup serving contains 500 milligrams of sodium (which may have been even higher, since I used salted butter and the recipe didn't specify whether to use salted or unsalted). However, I think this extra salt did it some good. It was bold, flavorful, and hearty in ways that Great Value was not, and it was more like a traditional scalloped potato dish, which is where Chef's Cupboard fell short.

I only purchased scalloped potatoes for this review, but noted instances where the products came with — or, in the case of Specially Selected, called for cheese, which could push them into au gratin territory. Many of these boxes came with instructions for both stovetop and oven preparations. For the sake of time, and to make sure each dish had the same chance at success, I cooked them on the stovetop (with the exception of Specially Selected, which had to be soaked and baked) using the ingredients called for.

The primary factors in this ranking were, obviously, taste and texture. The potatoes should walk a fine line between not being too hard (al dente, if you will) and not being mushy like mashed potatoes. I also looked for a flavor that was well-salted, bold, and rich — meaning I could taste the dairy products that the recipes called for. While I ranked the most versatile scalloped potatoes higher than the uniquely flavored varieties, I also didn't penalize brands for using extra, unconventional ingredients for added umami, saltiness, or heartiness. 

Above all, my top-ranked scalloped potatoes could probably beat any recipe that I could make at home. The next time you're throwing a fancy dinner party or special occasion (or your post-work Wednesday supper is looking a little drab), pick up a box of my top-ranked scalloped potato brand for a creamy, hearty, and dare I say, homemade-level bite.