Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin
Instant Pot Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin made easy in your pressure cooker! These cheesy scalloped potatoes are thinly sliced, coated in a rich, creamy, cheese sauce, and crowned with a crispy panko breadcrumb topping. These Instant Pot Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin are the perfect side dish for a holiday dinner—or to make any weeknight meal special!
I love to serve these Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes with ham for an Easter or Christmas holiday dinner. However, these potatoes are so quick and easy, they’re in regular rotation on my weeknight menu as well.
The potatoes cook in only 5 minutes in the pressure cooker, and you make the cheese sauce right in the pressure cooking pot.
Click to pin Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes for later
How to Make Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes in an Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker
This Instant Pot Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Mealthy MultiPot.
I love cooking potatoes in the pressure cooker! They cook quickly, evenly, and when you use a steamer basket, they don’t break down around the edges.
Do I Have to Cook the Potatoes in a Steamer Basket?
I strongly recommend making the potatoes in a steamer basket. Getting them up out of the liquid makes a difference in texture of the potatoes.
You can use any steamer you like. I’ve made these with a metal OXO Steamer as well as a plastic Oxo steamer or a mesh steamer basket.
If you don’t have a steamer basket, you can use the trivet that came with your pressure cooker. In a pinch, just add the potatoes directly to the liquid in the bottom of the pot.
How to Brown the Au Gratin Topping
If you have a Mealthy CrispLid, Ninja Foodi, or Instant Pot Duo Crisp, you can add the topping and brown these easy scalloped potatoes right in your pot! This is perfect for pot luck meals where you serve directly from the pressure cooker!
If you’re using a traditional broiler, pour the potato-cheese mixture into an oven-safe baking dish and broil at 350ºF until golden brown. Remember, once it starts to brown, it will change quickly, so keep a close watch on it!
What to Serve with Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes?
- How to Heat Ham Slices in the Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Beef Brisket
- Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot BBQ Bacon Meatloaf
- Easy Grilled Lemon Pepper Pork Chops, Barbara Bakes
- Lion House Homemade Rolls, Barbara Bakes
Can I Half or Double the Recipe?
To make a half batch: To avoid the burn notice, you will need to use at least 1 cup of liquid so your pot will come to pressure. After cooking, remove half of the liquid and proceed with the cheese sauce.
To make a double batch: You can easily double this recipe with no change to the cook time. Just be sure not to fill your cooking pot above the max fill line.
If you’re making this in an 8-quart or larger pressure cooker, you may need additional liquid for your pot to come to pressure. Doubling the recipe is an easy way to achieve this!
What’s the Difference Between Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin?
Many people use these terms interchangeably. Technically, scalloped potatoes are just cooked in a rich cream sauce with no cheese. And au gratin means “covered with breadcrumbs and/or cheese and browned.”
However, you can use this recipe to make either cheesy scalloped potatoes or au gratin potatoes. Just omit the breadcrumbs for scalloped potatoes and add them for potatoes au gratin.
What Potatoes to Use for Homemade Scalloped Potatoes?
I recommend making pressure cooker au gratin potatoes with fresh, sliced potatoes. If you have a mandoline, they slice up quick and easy!
💡 Pro Tip: Save time on these cheesy au gratin potatoes by using a package of refrigerated, fresh sliced potatoes! (If your brand is sliced thinner than ⅛ inch, you’ll need to cut down on the cook time by a minute or two.)
Russet potatoes (aka Idaho potatoes) are an excellent choice! However, if there’s a great sale on Yukon Golds, those will give you a slightly different texture but should work just fine.
I don’t recommend substituting red potatoes. (Try my Instant Pot Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes instead!)
And no matter what potato you choose, be sure to scrub them well before slicing.
Try These Next
- Instant Pot Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes
- Creamy Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Quick Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Garlic Parmesan French Fries (Ninja Foodi/Duo Crisp air fryer recipe)
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Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin
Instant Pot Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin are thinly sliced scalloped potatoes, coated in a rich, creamy, cheese sauce, and crowned with a crispy panko breadcrumb topping. The perfect side dish for a holiday dinner—or to make any weeknight meal special!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and sliced to about 1/8-inch thick
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Select Saute and add the butter to the pressure cooking pot. When the butter is melted, add the onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, salt, and pepper to the onions.
- Place the steamer basket in the bottom of the cooking pot. Distribute the sliced potatoes evenly. Lock lid in place, select High Pressure and set the cook time for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the panko with 3 tablespoons melted butter. Set topping aside.
- When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and do a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Remove the potatoes and steamer basket from the pressure cooking pot.
Browning - Traditional Oven Directions
- Preheat the broiler and spray a 9x13 oven-safe dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the potatoes to the prepared pan.
- Stir the sour cream and cheese into the cooking liquid remaining in the pressure cooker. Pour over the potatoes. Use two forks to gently mix sauce with the potatoes. Top with panko topping and broil for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown.
Browning - CrispLid / Duo Crisp / Ninja Foodi Directions
- Set the potatoes aside.
- Stir the sour cream and cheese into the cooking liquid remaining in the pressure cooker. Gently fold in the potatoes in small batches, carefully coating the potatoes with the cheese sauce.
- Top with panko topping. Place the crisping lid on top. Select Air Fry or Air Crisp, set temperature to 350ºF, and set the time to 5 minutes. Select Start to begin, and cook until golden brown, checking after 3 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 327Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 506mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 9g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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These were delicious although the potatoes were overcooked. I will cut back to 1-2 minutes next time .
Thanks Susan – glad they were a hit! The thickness of the potatoes will determine cook time, so definitely reduce the cook time or cut them just a little bit thicker next time.
Turned out great. Substituted yoghurt for sour cream. Loved not needing to turn oven on during this hot summer.
Would love to cook chicken along with this as I do not always have ham on hand…any suggestions??
Denise
Hi Denise – chicken would be a fun addition. I would put two medium-size boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the broth underneath the steamer basket of potatoes. Then after pressure cooking, remove the chicken to a cutting board and dice into bite-size pieces, add the diced chicken to the broth in the inner pot and continue with the recipe.
Make a double-batch, use the leftovers for lunches, or have them for breakfast. Just poach a couple of eggs, and that’s one helluva breakfast. I have one if those microwave egg poachers and about 45 seconds works for soft poached eggs.
Such a great way to serve them. Thanks for sharing Steven!
Instead of using the broiler I will try using the Crispy lid
That should work well. Enjoy!
I will be trying this recipe for Christmas dinner. My dad loves potatoes in general, but absolutely loves Au Gratan potatoes. I bought him a pressure cooker past Christmas so there’s already one at his house. So excited to see what he thinks of this recipe. Thank you. He turns 80 the day after Christmas 🎄
Hi Julie – my grandson’s birthday is December 26 too. I hope you all love the potatoes and have a very Merry Christmas!
Ok, these are the best potatoes au gratin I’ve had in my entire 60 years! And the last couple of years avoiding Instant Pot potatoes because I never could get the texture right or too watery, have been totally wasted. This recipe is just phenomenal, Barbara. What’s always amazing is that your cook times are spot on, even though I cook in the 3 qt., ingredients half or quarter perfectly, no other adjustments needed! Now I’m trying all your potato recipes I’ve been missing out on. Now you’re going to make me fat – thanks for that 😉
lol – so fun to hear how much you love them Jan. Thanks!!
I made these tonight for my husband and I and they were delish!! I will be making these regularly!
Thanks Kit!
Looked easy so I made it and was disappointed. I steamed the potatoes as requested 5min. I’m at a 7000ft elevation so I cooked for 7min. Did QR and transferred potatoes to foil pan (I don’t have an oven so I skipped the broiling part). Made the sauce and tasted great. I was about to pour sauce over potatoes and noticed some of them still “white” in the middle. Tasted them and yep, under cooked. I ended up adding the potatoes to the sauce and cooking in small amounts of time since some of the potatoes were soft. First time = 2min, still crunchy. Second time = 3min, nope, still crunchy. THIRD time = 6min, STILL CRUNCHY. I did notice that it didn’t come to pressure but the sauce was bubbling when I opened it all three times And I love all your recipes!! What on earth happened, what did I do wrong? .FRUSTRATED!
Thanks Cindy – so nice to hear you love my recipes. Sorry you had trouble with the recipe. Sounds like maybe some of your potatoes were sliced thicker than other potatoes? Or, perhaps they were stacked together so they cooked like a thicker potato?
This came out tasting delicious but the sauce didnt thicken and Im wondering wha I did wrong. Used cheddar cheese but everything else was the same. Even as a sauce its good but would like it to thicken.
Hi Linda – did you use more than 1 cup of chicken broth? You do want it a little bit liquidy so the potatoes absorb some of the sauce.
Afterit sat an hour it was perfect!!!!! YUM. just made it again for my elderly neighbor. She will love it! Thanks
Thanks for the update!
Sounds yummy. I would love to know how to adapt this recipe using dried potato slices
Thanks Mary – there’s a short cut version that uses dried potato slices in the shortcut chapter of my cookbook. The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook https://www.amazon.com/shop/pressurecookingtoday
These were the best AuGratin potatoes I have ever cooked – I have been attempting to cook them for 37 years give or take a month:)
Now that’s a rave review – thanks Jane!!
Thanks so much for this recipe–I’m definitely putting it on my must-make list, especially since so many commenters who made it are singing its praises. One question, though. Do you have a measurement for the potatoes, other than “6 medium”? What I mean is, how many pounds? or how many cups of sliced potatoes? I’m kind of OCD, especially about my pressure cooker, and I’m afraid my idea of “medium” might be different from yours, with quite different results. Thanks!
Hi Anne – about 3 pounds of russet potatoes.
Barbara, which type of potato do you prefer to use for this recipe?
– Thank you.
I generally use russets.
I have a 8 at. Would I be able to double or even triple this recipe as I have a very large group to feed.
Hi Adele – yes, but it will take longer to come to pressure, so you may need to reduce your cook time. Enjoy!
I made the Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin for Easter, so easy and our family loved it. The hardest part was finding a pan I could put under broiler,
Thanks Jeanne!
What do you do with the sauteed onions? Did I miss something? Thank you.
Hi Pat – you just leave them in the pot to flavor the broth and become part of the sauce. Enjoy!
Don’t have a steamer. Do you think I can just use a slotted spatula to get potatoes out?
Hi Amy – yes you can.
Can this be made ahead of time and baked later? If so, how long ahead do you think it would be ok to make?
Thanks
Hi Lisa – I haven’t tried doing it ahead of time and baking it later, but I assume it would work. However, I’d probably reduce the pressure cooking time to just a couple of minutes so the potatoes aren’t overcooked after warming in the oven.
This recipe is fantastic, and so fast! I used full-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream with great results. I’ll be making these often!
Thanks for sharing Bonnie! I’ll have to try them with Greek yogurt.
It would be nice to have the printed copy on one page. Save a tree: paper and ink are expensive.
I’m just grumpy today!
Hi Lew – sorry the recipe didn’t fit on one page. If your printer has duplex printing that helps save paper. Some days are just like that. 🙂
I save my favs to PDF then send them to the cloud. Or share them to a document save app (One Note by Microsoft is what I use). It saves the link and a jpg of the actual recipe. No more paper or ink.
I use copymethat.com to save all my recipes in one place!
Can I use my homemade yogurt instead of sourcream in this recipe?
I don’t have a steamer basket for my instant pot. Do you think the wire rack that came with it would be fine?
Hi Madison – yes, others have used the rack successfully. Enjoy!
I used goat cheese to make this. My husband can’t eat other cheeses or sour cream. It worked fine. Except the butter got a little too brown and the potatoes were just a little over done… probably because they were sliced a little thin from my food processor. I’m going to tweak the recipe a bit for us, but this is a great side dish. I’m making it for Easter pot luck with family.
Thanks for sharing Barbara! Glad you made it your own. Happy Easter!
Hello, How many servings is this recipe for? Thank you!
Hi Monika – 6 to 8 servings. Enjoy!
Hi — I just made au gratin potatoes — first time ever! Yay me! I love the cheese flavor! But, I’m wondering if cheddar can be used in place of Monterey Jack for those who like cheddar.
Hi DeeAnn – glad you loved them. Yes, use any cheese that melts well that you prefer.
This was WONDERFUL! My husband, who isn’t a picky eater, but tends to have pretty refined tastes, just gobbled it up! I didn’t know what kind of potato to use, so I used 6 medium russets, which was about 4lbs. I may use just a bit less next time, but it was wonderful as is. I also love that there’s no heavy cream, which always upsets my tummy a bit. Thank you for this winner of a recipe, Barbara! I think it’s going to be a regular at our house!
Made these tonight. There were delicious and so easy.
Thanks LIz! So glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I did a trial run 2 days ago & will be making another batch for Easter at a family dinner. It was a hit with both hubby & myself – & the leftovers seemed even better so it would make a great do-ahead dish.. I accidently weighed out 8 oz of shredded cheese rather than a cup of shredded – I will probably keep that mistake as it was really good. Also I used some gluten free bread crumbs for the trial due to a few family members who are sensitive to it. Just wished I had an 8 quart pressure cooker now!
Thanks Lisa! That’s so nice of you to do a test run with gluten free bread crumbs. You can’t go wrong with extra cheese. Happy Easter!
Hi,
Love your website, been so helpful. I was wondering if you’ve ever done boxed Au Gratin potatoes in a electric pressure cooker. Thanks!
Hi Robert – so glad you’re enjoying my website. I haven’t tried boxed au gratin potatoes. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes.
Just wondering if you ended up trying the boxed potatoes! I can’t find anything helpful online for how to cook them.
I made this potato recipe last night and my husband and I really liked it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any Monterey Jack cheese. I used Velveeta instead and it was still very good. I definitely will get some Monterey Jack and try this recipe again.
Thanks Sharon – sounds like a good substitute in a pinch.
This just seems so easy. Every recipe I’ve seen calls for flour. There’s no flour here so what thickens it? Also what would I do if I don’t have a basket?
Thnx
Hi Lanita – it is so easy. The sour cream helps thicken up the sauce and then the potatoes absorb some liquid as the topping is broiled since the potatoes are boiled, I think they absorb more liquid. You really do need a basket to make this recipe.
This was the 3rd thing I made in my new Instant Pot, it’s a real keeper, thanks for sharing so many great recipes! I think I’ll make almost everyone. ?
Thanks Mechelle! So glad you liked it.
Today is my sons 14th birthday and he wanted me to make my pork steak with scalloped potatoes… AMAZING!!!! What I do is i put the pork steaks in a pan put the dried potatoes over it and mix the milk butter and cheese like it says on the box and pour it over the potato’s and steaks put salt pepper and hiddenvalley ranch over it and put it in the oven at 350° for like 3 hours 🙁 but today I just got off work and just put it all together in the oven at 425°… Its 4pm and it will not be falling apart like I like it to be until 7…
I got my power cooker for Christmas so this is very new to me and only my second time using it… The first time didn’t go so well lol
Soooo my questions are…. how long would I put it in for? Do I put the potato’s and steaks in separate? Can I cook it in the oven until 5 and then put it in? Can I even do this???? Lol thanks in advance!!
Hi Trish – you could take the steak out and pressure cook the steak and then finish the recipe the way you ordinarily do it, but I don’t have any ideas for doing dried potatoes in the pressure cooker. My suggestion would be just to wait until 7 though. Happy Birthday to you son.
I made it tonight and it’s soo delicious! Thanks a lot for sharing! I also subbed Cheddar for Monterrey. The only thing is that potatoes were kind of over cooked after 5 min, so next time I will try less time under the pressure. thanks again!
I made this last night and it was phenomenal. I subbed Cheddar for Monterey because that’s what I had on hand. The sauce is sooo good. I look forward to trying more of your recipes. I bookmarked about 20 of them.
Thanks Crystal! I’m so glad you were crazy for them. I’ll look forward to receiving more of your sweet comments 🙂
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This was the second thing I made with my pressure cooker. I quit trying to make these potatoes years ago because I was never successful getting the potatoes cooked evenly. Using the pressure cooker, the potatoes were cooked and held up to the mix with the super easy and flavorful sauce. I did use sharp shredded cheese, a personal preference. Thanks,
Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know how much you enjoyed the recipe. Glad you’re having fun with your new pressure cooker.
What a quick way to make Au Gratin Potatoes…..I love the idea of using the steamer basket too. I can’t wait to try this Barbara-I have an all metal steamer basket I think will do the trick in my stove top pressure cooker.
Thanks so much,
Carol
Thanks Carol – let me know how you like them.
OOPS! Forgot to recommend using non-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. While there is still fat in the cheese, this would significantly reduce the calories for those that want 2 or 3 helpings!
The recipe is already pretty light compared to most au gratin potato recipes. The majority of the sauce is made with chicken broth instead of the heavy cream used in many recipes. You could easily sub light sour cream. I’m not sure about non-fat Greek yogurt in this recipe – if you try it, let me know. Thanks for the suggestions.
I made it and it was PERFECT!!! 🙂
I ended up making the sauce with the non-fat greek yogurt. Instead of melting the cheese into the sauce, I layered the potatoes in the baking pan and then sauced and sprinkled the grated cheese over each layer. Topped with sauce and panko. This recipe is great.
Thanks for the update! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. I may just try them your way one day too.
Hello. I’m excited to try this out. I love the fact that you post multi step dishes – not just “one pot” pressure cooker recipes. Even without making these potatoes yet I’d suggest putting down a layer of potatoes in the baking dish and then a layer of the cheese sauce and repeating. This will help protect the cooked potato slices. I may even add some sauteed mushrooms to the sauce.
SIDE NOTE – I use the Breville Fast Slow Cooker and love it. My unit comes with a stainless steel steaming basket that sits on top of a provided rack. No need for additional baskets. 🙂
Hi Drew – the Breville basket sounds perfect for this recipe. You could take the time to layer the potatoes, but since you’re covering the potatoes with a topping I don’t think it’s a necessary step.
Oh yum! These look delicious, Barbara. And I love your new steamer basket – no more fear of scratching the delicate inner-coating of your Cuisinart!
Ciao,
L
I would like some of these for lunch, please.
Well! This is just the thing for me! I have some ham sitting in my fridge at this very moment just waiting for a side dish, and this looks like the perfect answer! A steamer basket in the pressure cooker? Who knew? But, now I do! Thank you!