Instant pot scalloped potatoes are a popular American side dish and an easy recipe. Sliced potatoes are cooked in butter, garlic and broth in the instant pot, topped with a cheesy sauce and finished in the oven for that lovely brown crust. Vegetarian and totally yum!
Craving something warm and comforting but don't want to go to a lot of trouble to make it? Try these scalloped potatoes or au gratin potatoes in your instant pot. If you love your spuds and don't mind indulging a bit, this recipe is going to make you very happy indeed!
What is special about this instant pot scalloped potatoes recipe?
In my opinion, if you add oodles of butter, cream, cheese, garlic, spices and seasonings to rocks too, they will end up being quite tasty! So, with all those goodies in it, scalloped potatoes are obviously good, no?
What makes this recipe extra-special is that it is not fussy and time-consuming like other traditional baked potato recipes. The potatoes take all of one minute to pressure cook in the instant pot (no, that's not a typo), another three minutes in the oven and they're done. Since I'm a sucker for easy recipes that are big on taste (and I suspect you are too), I adore these potatoes!
What goes into these easy scalloped potatoes?
Note: exact amounts of ingredients are mentioned in the recipe card further down.
- Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
- Butter - unsalted or salted, it doesn't matter. Adjust the salt accordingly though.
- Garlic, minced - fresh garlic works best though you can use ½ teaspoon garlic powder too.
- Vegetable broth - I really like the Pacific brand though you can use any other. If you are not a vegetarian, you can sub with chicken broth too.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese, grated - sharp cheddar is the one to go for. It really gives a nice kick to those potatoes.
- Spices and seasonings - paprika, salt, pepper, dried oregano. These save the scalloped potatoes from being bland and boring.
And that's about it!
How to make instant pot scalloped potatoes
Preparation
1. Peel and slice the potatoes to a thickness of ¼ of an inch.
2. Mince the garlic.
3. Grate the cheese if using a block. I make do with pre-grated cheese that comes in a bag to save time.
Cooking
1. Press the sauté setting on your instant pot and melt the butter. Add the garlic and brown it slightly, stirring all the time.
2. Add the potatoes, broth and salt. Pressure cook the potatoes for 1 minute, followed by 5 minutes NPR.
3. Remove the potatoes with the help of a slotted spoon, leaving the liquid behind. Put them in a baking dish.
4. Add the heavy cream, sour cream, cheese, paprika, black pepper and oregano to the liquid remaining in the instant pot and stir it. The residual heat from the pot will melt the cheese slightly and you will get a thick sauce. Pour this cheesy sauce on the potatoes in the baking dish and top with some more grated cheese if you like.
5. Pre-heat the oven on the broiler setting. Then place the baking dish on the top rack and broil for 3 minutes. After 1 minute, the cheese will start to bubble and you will see those beautiful brown spots on the top. Remove the dish from the oven after the 3 minutes are up. Your scalloped potatoes are ready to be served now.
Some important tips to remember while making scalloped potatoes in the instant pot
1. Make sure the potatoes are not thinner or thicker than approximately ¼ inch. If the slices are too thin, the potatoes might turn to mush and if they are too thick, they will not be fully cooked and will remain hard. What you want are soft potatoes that retain their shape but break easily in your mouth.
2. Do not broil the potatoes for more than 3 minutes or the tops will get charred and taste bitter. 2-3 minutes are perfect for getting a pleasing brown crust.
3. For the same reason as above (perfectly done potatoes) do not do a quick release when the timer beeps. Give the potatoes 5 minutes to soften further, then open the pot.
4. If you find that there is less liquid after opening the pot, add ¼ cup extra broth so that the two kinds of cream and cheese are able to form a sauce and it is a pourable consistency. It will thicken a lot after cooling slighlty so don't worry if it does not seem thick enough.
More instant pot vegetarian recipes
Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5-6 medium potatoes peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Switch on your instant pot and press sauté (normal). Wait for the display to show HOT, then add the butter to the inner steel insert.
- When the butter melts, add the garlic and sauté until it is slightly browned.
- Add the potatoes, broth and salt and mix well. Cancel sauté.
- Secure the lid, make sure the steam release handle is sealed and press the pressure cooking button ('manual' in some models). Set it on high for 1 minute. While the potatoes are cooking, switch on your oven and pre-heat it on the broiler setting.
- When the timer beeps, wait for 5 minutes and then release pressure. Remove the potatoes from the instant pot with a slotted spoon straight into a baking dish. Don't discard the remaining liquid in the pot.
- In the remaining liquid in the pot, add the heavy cream, grated cheddar cheese and sour cream. Also add paprika, black pepper and oregano. Mix everything well. The cheese will melt in the residual heat from the pot.
- Pour this sauce on top of the potatoes that you transferred earlier to the baking dish. Top with some more cheese and keep in the oven for 3 minutes.
- At about 3 minutes, you will see the cheese forming a brown crust on top. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure the potatoes are not thinner or thicker than approximately ¼ inch. If the slices are too thin, the potatoes will break and if they are too thick, they will be slightly hard.
- For the same reason as above, do not do a quick release when the timer beeps. Give the potatoes 5 minutes to soften further, then open the pot.
- Do not broil the potatoes for more than 3 minutes or the tops will get charred and taste bitter. 2-3 minutes are perfect for getting a pleasing brown crust.
Nutrition
Did you make these instant pot scalloped potatoes? Don't forget to give the recipe a star rating below!
Tiffany says
Absolutely delicious, I have picky eaters in my house and everyone loved it
Saima says
That's wonderful Tiffany! This one's for picky eaters for sure if they like potatoes and all things cheese-y:)
Sakina Husain says
Very delicious indeed!
Saima says
Thanks Sakina:)
Charity says
Very very good!! I actually cooked the potatoes (and ham) on normal pressure for 3 minutes. Just to make sure the potatoes were cooked through. Turned out perfect. The sauce was great! Thanks for the recipe!!
Saima says
Hey Charity, so glad the recipe worked for you!