Skip to Content

Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes

Easy, cheesy, and flavorful, this Instant Pot scalloped potatoes recipe comes together much quicker than using the oven. Add bacon and ham for a hearty main dish or serve as the perfect side dish for a delicious holiday meal. Even easy enough for a weeknight!

Instant Pot scalloped potatoes on a wood table with three forks and a small dish of coarse salt

Scalloped potatoes used to be a dish I only made on a holiday, usually Easter and Christmas. But Instant Pot scalloped potatoes changed all that.

Now I make them at least once a month. They’re so amazingly simple (the “hardest” part is peeling and slicing the potatoes, but even that goes quickly), plus cheese and cream and tender potatoes are one of the best combinations on earth.

Truth be told, making Instant Pot scalloped potatoes isn’t really that much easier than just using the oven. The main difference is how much quicker you can get them on the table: just 6 minutes in the Instant Pot then a quick run under the broiler to brown the top!

Instant Pot scalloped potatoes on a wood table with three forks

What’s the difference between a gratin and scalloped potatoes?

In our house, we use these terms interchangeably, although there technically is a difference. Gratins use cheese and scalloped potatoes use cream. Most recipes here in the US use both, just like this recipe, which is why I don’t worry too much about using the correct name.

How do you avoid curdled scalloped potatoes?

This is another benefit to making Instant Pot scalloped potatoes instead of using the oven! The high heat of the oven can curdle dairy-based dishes if you’re not careful. Using this method, you quickly cook the potatoes in the Instant Pot with a little chicken (or vegetable) broth. After you remove the potatoes, you make the sauce using the leftover broth and a few other ingredients. No more curdling!

A closeup of Instant Pot scalloped potatoes

How do you thicken scalloped potatoes?

There’s nothing worse than pulling your scalloped potatoes from the oven and realizing you’ve got a runny sauce on your hands (yes, I’m speaking from experience). When you make Instant Pot scalloped potatoes, you’ll already know how thick the sauce will be when you pour it over the potatoes. So no more guesswork. If it does turn out that the sauce isn’t the consistency you prefer, just add a little cream to thin it out or a little more cheese to thicken it.

Instant Pot scalloped potatoes on a wood table

What’s the best cheese to use for Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes?

What’s great about this recipe is that you can use almost any cheese you like, from shredded cheddar to pepper jack to blue. The blue cheese version gets made most often in our house (luckily my daughters are huge blue cheese lovers) but I’ve also made it with the other two I mentioned. If it’s a cheese that will melt well (basically any cheese that you could use for mac ‘n cheese) then it should work just fine.

Instant Pot scalloped potatoes go wonderfully with a spiral-sliced ham, prime rib or even Instant Pot pulled pork.

How To Make Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes

Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes

Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes

These creamy potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods.
Before my Instant Pot, they were reserved for the holidays, but now I make them at least once a month! They’re even delicious cold out of the fridge the next day.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 3 lb russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup crumbled blue cheese (or shredded cheddar, pepper jack, etc.)
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

    1. Pour the chicken broth into the Instant Pot. Add the potatoes directly into the pot(no trivet), taking care to layer them evenly.
    2. Close and lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Press “Manual” and
      immediately adjust the timer to 6 minutes. Check that the cooking pressure is on “high” and that the release valve is set to “Sealing”.
    3. When the time is up, open the IP using “Quick Pressure Release”. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place them in a greased 13x9 baking dish, leaving the broth in the pot. Press “Sauté”, then add the cream, blue cheese, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir until steaming hot and just starting to bubble and the cheese is completely melted.
    4. Pour the sauce over the potatoes, then top the sauce with the parmesan cheese.
    5. Broil the potatoes for 5-7 minutes until Parmesan is golden brown and the sauce is bubbly hot.



Notes

Total time to prepare doesn't include the time it takes to bring the Instant Pot to pressure (usually about 10 minutes).

If you prefer a thicker/thinner sauce, add more cheese to thicken or more cream to thin it out.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 329Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 742mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 11g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix. Amounts are based on 8 servings.

Kristy Bernardo
Latest posts by Kristy Bernardo (see all)

Skip to Recipe