One Pan Vegan Potato Side Dish Creamy Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes are one of those dishes that sounds like it belongs exclusively to the dairy world — cream, cheese, butter, more cream. The idea of making them vegan and having them actually taste the way they're supposed to feels almost audacious. But this One Pan Vegan Potato Side Dish does it completely, using a blended almond milk and nutritional yeast sauce that comes out so genuinely creamy and cheesy that people who eat dairy regularly will look at you with genuine suspicion when you tell them what's actually in it.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 10

Servings: 4

Course: Cookout Side Dishes, Dairy free, Potato Side Dishes, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Calories: 238

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

For the Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce
2½ tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil - for sautéing the garlic; sub water for an oil-free version
4 cloves garlic - minced; about 2 tablespoons; the garlic flavor mellows significantly during the sauté and baking phases so don't worry about 4 cloves being too much
¼ teaspoon each sea salt and black pepper - plus more to taste throughout
2½ tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot - the thickening agent; cornstarch produces a slightly glossier sauce arrowroot produces a slightly clearer one; both work well
1½ cups unsweetened plain almond milk - room temperature for smoother incorporation; see plant milk alternatives below
½ cup vegetable broth - adds savory depth to the sauce base beyond what almond milk alone provides
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg - the quiet background note that makes the sauce taste classically gratin-style
4 –5 tablespoons nutritional yeast -start at 4 and add a 5th after tasting; this is the primary cheese flavor driver and the quantity matters
For the Potato Layers
2 –3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes - very thinly sliced; about ⅛ inch thick
¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese - divided in half between the two potato layers; Violife and Follow Your Heart both make excellent grated vegan parmesan
¼ teaspoon paprika optional - for color and a mild smoky-sweet finish
Fresh parsley optional - for garnish after baking
Understanding the Sauce Why Every Ingredient Earns Its Place

Equipment

The cast-iron skillet is the star of the equipment list, and everything else is standard:
10-inch cast-iron skillet (or oven-safe metal skillet) - this is the key piece of equipment that makes this a true one-pan recipe; it goes from stovetop sauce-building directly to the oven; a 10-inch size is ideal for 4 servings; if you don't own a cast-iron, any oven-safe rimmed metal pan works, or transfer the sauce to a generously greased ceramic baking dish
Blender - for the critical sauce-blending step that transforms a basic white sauce into a creamy, cheesy, deeply savory scalloped potato sauce; a high-speed blender produces the smoothest result; an immersion blender works if you're careful, though the texture is slightly less uniform
Whisk - essential during the stovetop sauce-building phase; a fork won't prevent lumps the way a whisk does when you're adding the almond milk gradually
Sharp mandoline or sharp chef's knife - for slicing the potatoes very thin; even, thin slices are critical for the potatoes to cook through properly during the bake time; inconsistent thicknesses mean some slices are perfectly tender while others remain undercooked
Aluminum foil - for the covered first phase of baking (20 minutes); the foil traps steam that begins the cooking process; removing it for the second phase allows the top to brown and the sauce to reduce
Measuring cups and spoons - accuracy matters significantly for the sauce; the ratio of cornstarch to liquid determines whether the sauce thickens correctly before blending

Method

Step 1- Build the Garlic Base
Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Heat your cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Sauté, stirring frequently, for 1–2 minutes until the garlic turns just lightly golden at the edges. Watch it carefully garlic goes from golden to burnt in about 20 seconds at medium heat, and burnt garlic cannot be rescued.
Step 2- Make the Roux
Add the cornstarch or arrowroot to the garlic and oil. Whisk immediately and continuously for 1 minute this cooks out the raw starch flavor and creates the thickening base for the sauce. The mixture will look pasty and dry, which is exactly correct.
Step 3- Build the Sauce Slowly
With the whisk in hand, add the almond milk a small splash at a time, whisking each addition fully into the roux before adding more. Take your time with this step. Add too much too fast and the roux can't absorb it evenly. Once all the almond milk is incorporated, add the vegetable broth and whisk to combine.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 4–5 minutes, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. It won't be as thick as a finished béchamel — more like a thick creamy soup at this stage.
Step 4- Blend the Sauce
Turn off the heat. Transfer the sauce from the skillet into your blender. Add the nutmeg, a pinch more salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast. Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy about 60 seconds. Open the blender, taste the sauce, and adjust aggressively: more nutritional yeast for more cheese flavor, more salt for more depth, more nutmeg for more warmth. The sauce should taste boldly cheesy and savory at this stage it will mellow significantly during baking.
Step 5- Prepare the Skillet and Layer the Potatoes
Rinse your skillet lightly and grease it generously with oil or vegan butter, coating all the way up the sides. Lay down half the thinly sliced potatoes in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and toss lightly to coat. Spread them into a relatively flat layer and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of vegan parmesan over the top.
Add the remaining potato slices, season again with salt and pepper, and loosely arrange them. Pour the blended sauce over the entire potato surface. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegan parmesan over the top. Push the potatoes down gently with your fingers to submerge them in the sauce the sauce should just cover the top layer. Remove any potatoes that stick well above the sauce surface; they'll burn during baking rather than cook through.
Step 6- Bake Covered, Then Uncovered
Cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and place on the middle oven rack. Bake for 20 minutes the foil traps steam that begins cooking the potato layers through and prevents the sauce from drying out too quickly. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for 40–45 minutes until the top is deeply golden and bubbly and a knife slides into the potatoes without any resistance whatsoever.
The uncovered phase is what creates the gorgeous golden top. Don't rush it a pale, barely-set top means the potatoes underneath haven't finished cooking.
Step 7- Rest and Serve
Remove the skillet from the oven and let the potatoes rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. The sauce continues to set and thicken during this rest and the individual portions hold together much better after cooling slightly. Garnish with fresh parsley and a dash of paprika for color if desired. Serve directly from the skillet it looks fantastic presented this way and keeps everything warm at the table.

Notes

Nutritional Breakdown Per Serving

Nutrient	Per Serving (1 of 4)
Calories	238 kcal
Carbohydrates	24.8g
Protein	8.5g
Fat	12.5g
Saturated Fat	1.6g
Fiber	3.8g
Sugar	1.1g
Sodium	342mg
Potassium	613mg
Cholesterol	0mg