If you’re looking for a tasty, filling, and (most importantly) easy side dish to round out a meal, it’s hard to beat boxed scalloped potatoes. Because, while they start out as a box of dried potato slices and powdery cheese sauce, if you simply add some boiling water, butter, and milk, you’ll get a deliciously cheesy dish that looks like you spent hours baking it. And, even better, it only takes 25 minutes and just one dish, making it only slightly more difficult than instant oatmeal.
Now, if you peeked at the list, you may be asking, “What’s with all this ‘au gratin’ stuff?” Well, scalloped potatoes is just the American name for the French dish “potatoes au gratin,” although we Americans tend to leave out the original dish’s breadcrumbs. You’ll find similar boxed dishes under both names on store shelves, so we’re judging them all together. Here are our picks for the best box scalloped potatoes (and the best boxed au gratin potatoes) you’ll find at your local stores—including the best gluten free boxed scalloped potatoes.
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- Idahoan Scalloped Homestyle Casserole
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You’d think a dish that’s basically just potatoes and cheese sauce would be naturally gluten free, but almost all of the mixes we tested had wheat in them. But the Idahoan scalloped potatoes box sports a gluten free label and I can happily report it doesn’t affect the flavor one bit. What makes these gluten free boxed scalloped potatoes more “casserole” than any of the other boxed scalloped potatoes? I’d say it’s the creamy sauce, which gave me hints of buttermilk and sour cream. And there’s still plenty of cheesy goodness, with a mix of cheddar and blue cheese. It’s not as “cheese heavy” as some of the others, but it’s still got plenty of dairy goodness.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Great Value Au Gratin Potatoes
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The source of the buttery taste of the cheese sauce in this box of scalloped potatoes is pretty obvious: the recipe calls for twice as much butter (2 tablespoons) than any of the other sauces. But that extra butter pat gives an extra richness to the sauce’s heavy cheddar flavor, making it taste less like a powdered mix and more like real, melted cheese. It can be a little weird to describe anything you find on Walmart shelves as “decadent,” but the store’s brand of boxed au gratin potatoes comes pretty close.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Kroger Au Gratin Potatoes
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It’s a small thing, but the instructions on this scalloped potatoes box suggest whipping the mix before adding in the potatoes, and I think that’s why it ended up being a little creamier than the other mixes. It’s got a really tasty sauce, which is also heavy on the cheddar, but with a bit of onion and garlic to give it all a bit of extra bite. Would definitely recommend as some of the best box scalloped potatoes, especially if you regularly shop at a Kroger-owned store.
Credit: Merc / Kroger
- Chef’s Cupboard Scalloped Potatoes
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This brand of scalloped potatoes in a box probably has the most interesting mix of flavors of any of the scalloped potatoes I tried. Like some of the others, it includes a mix of cheddar and blue cheese, but with some added onion, paprika, and celery. The closest I can come to describing it is: a combination of Ruffles Cheddar Chips and Ruffles Sour Cream and Onion chips. That is to say, it is really, really good.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes
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This scalloped potatoes box produces some classic scalloped potatoes—just like my grandma used to make… when she bought this same Betty Crocker boxed scalloped potatoes decades ago. It’s got a nice, thick sauce with a mellow, aged cheese flavor, again with cheddar and blue cheese. There’s also some good traditional savory seasonings in it, like onion and celery, and even some chicken broth to round it out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to devour some more, while I miss my grandma.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
Best Gluten Free
Best Buttery
Best Creamy
Best Cheese
Best of the Best
Other boxed scalloped potatoes we tried: Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes, Chef’s Cupboard Au Gratin Potatoes, Idahoan Au Gratin Sliced Potato Bake
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!