Crock Pot Au Gratin Potatoes

Au Gratin Potatoes in the Crockpot is an easy to way to make your favorite side dish. Save space in your oven this holiday, and make Au Grain Potatoes in the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker potatoes Au Gratin is cheesy, creamy and the ultimate comfort food. The thinly slice potatoes are layered in the slow cooker and topped with a creamy cheese sauce. The potatoes get crispy on the top but still have a tender center.

This side dish and Green Beans and Potatoes Crock Pot Recipe is one of our favorites to make. It pairs well with all of holiday meats and always a crowd favorite.

Why We Love This Recipe

Potatoes are a side dish that we make often. We make mashed potatoes, bake potatoes, and roasted potatoes pretty much for every meal. Potatoes are budget friendly and always a crowd favorite.

These Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes make the best side dish. We love that the crock pot does all the work. Not only are these perfect to serve for holiday dinner but can also be served during the week.

Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.

Substitutions and Additions

• Change the Potatoes – We used Russet Potatoes in this recipe but you can also use Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes.
• Potatoes – We prepared the potatoes by peeling them, but you can easily leave the peel on. It is your preference on how they are prepared.
• Change the Cheese – Sharp Cheddar Cheese adds delicious flavor, but you can easily use other types of cheese. Mix in pepper jack cheese or Colby Monterey Jack Cheese is a great options.
• Seasoning – Feel free to change the seasoning. Italian seasoning is great variation or for extra spice by adding in red pepper flakes.
• Milk – For a creamier texture, feel free to substitute the milk for heavy cream.

How to Make Au Gratin Potatoes in the Crock Pot

• Step 1 – Prepare Slow Cooker – Spray a 6 quart crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.

Step 2 – Melt Butter – Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the flour and stir until combined. 

Step 3 – Add in Milk and Seasoning – Whisk in the milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes whisking continuously until the mixture thickens.

Step 4 – Melt Cheese – Then remove the saucepan from the heat and then immediately stir in the shredded cheddar cheese.

Step 5 – Layer Potatoes and Sauce – Layer a ⅓ of the potatoes slices in the bottom of the crock pot.  Pour approximately ⅓ of the sauce on top of the potatoes.  Continue with these layers 2 more times.

Step 6 – Top with Paper Towel – Place a few paper towels on top of the crock pot and then add the lid. This will soak up the extra moisture and make the top of the potatoes crispier.

Step 7 – Slow Cook – Then cook on high for 3-5 hours until the potatoes are tender and cooked through. Then top with the fresh chopped parsley and the potatoes are ready to serve and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• Slicing Potatoes – We recommend slicing potatoes about the same size. This allows the potatoes to cook evenly.
• Cheese – When preparing this dish, we recommend shredding cheese from hunk cheese. Pre shredded cheeses have added ingredients that are not necessary. Freshly shredded cheese melts and taste better in this recipe.
• Paper Towel – We like to add a paper towel to the top of the slow cooker before adding the lid. This allows for the paper towel soak up the moisture and gives the top a crispy texture.
• Prepare Crock Pot – Make sure to spray the slow cooker with cooking spray before layering the ingredients. This helps for easy clean up and to easily serve this dish.
• Thicken the Sauce – Allow the milk mixture to thicken before layering in the slow cooker.
• Cooking Au Gratin Potatoes – This side dish works best when cooking on high.
• Rest before Serving – We recommend allowing this side dish to rest for about 20 minutes with the lid off to thicken the sauce.

Serving Suggestions

This is the perfect side dish to serve for the holidays. It allows you to save oven space and you can start it in the morning and it will be ready for you Christmas lunch.

These are some of my favorite meats to serve with Au Gratin Potatoes:

• Christmas Turkey
• Honey Baked Ham Recipe
• Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
• Steak
• 51 Easy Christmas Chicken Recipes