We already had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and scalloped potatoes, but there was something special missing from our potato-themed holiday side dish collection! Say hello to the (vegan) potato gratin — a creamy and classic side that’s stunning enough for any celebration!
Whether you prefer Yukon gold potatoes, purple potatoes, or sweet potatoes, this dish has you covered. It’s full of garlicky, savory goodness thanks to a dreamy dairy-free sauce, and it requires just 8 ingredients! Let us show you how it’s done!
What is Au Gratin?
Gratin, also called au gratin, is a French cooking technique that involves creating a delicious browned crust over a dish (source). While the topping is usually made with breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg, and/or butter, the following is a vegan and gluten-free version of a potato gratin.
How to Make a Vegan Potato Gratin
This savory plant-based side starts with a flavorful cream sauce made with cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and nutmeg (for elegance)! The result is a creamy dairy-free sauce that will naturally thicken and caramelize in the oven. YUM.
After blending the sauce, chopped rosemary joins the party for an extra flavorful touch. Then it’s time to coat the thinly sliced potatoes in the sauce and add them to the baking dish. We like to use a variety of potatoes because we love pretty colors, but any potato works well!
The final touch before the oven is a sprinkle of vegan parmesan (duh) and an extra dash of rosemary (so classy)!
After a quick vacay in the oven, the gratin is ready: tender potatoes with crispy edges, coated in garlicky, “cheesy” goodness. And that presentation? Ten out of ten, if we do say so ourselves!
We hope you LOVE this vegan potato gratin! It’s:
Savory
Rich
Garlicky
Comforting
Saucy
& SO classic!
Enjoy it as part of a holiday spread or as a versatile side dish. It pairs well with our 1-Pan Garlicky Green Beans with Slivered Almonds, Thyme & White Bean Pot Pies, Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken, and more!
More Delicious Potato Recipes
- Easy Roasted Potato Salad with Garlic Dill Dressing
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic Pesto
- Creamy Vegan Potato Leek Soup
- 1-Pan Potato (Aloo) Sabzi
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Garlicky Vegan Potato Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 3 medium cloves garlic
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper (plus more to taste)
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped // plus more for topping)
- 3 large (~200 g each) potatoes of choice (very thinly sliced, ~1/16 inch. We used 1 Yukon gold, 1 sweet potato, and 1 purple potato)
- 2 Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and set out an 8 x 8-inch (or similar size) baking dish or oven-proof skillet (adjust the size of the dish if altering the default number of servings).
- To a high-speed blender, add the water, cashews, garlic cloves, nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg (optional). Blend on high until very smooth with no bits of cashews remaining, scraping down the sides as needed. This takes about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the finely chopped rosemary. Mix to evenly combine.
- Add the sliced potatoes to the bowl of sauce in small batches, tossing with clean hands to evenly coat each slice in sauce. Transfer the slices to your baking dish of choice and arrange them in spirals, or rows, where they are close together with no large gaps (see photos). Repeat until all the potatoes are coated in sauce and arranged in the dish. Pour any remaining sauce over the top of the potatoes and jiggle the dish side to side to get the sauce to settle between the potatoes.
- Sprinkle the top with the vegan parmesan cheese and a few small sprigs of rosemary, then cover with foil. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender when poked with a knife. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown the top.
- Enjoy warm! Leftovers keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Marie says
This was delicious!! We had it with a nice crisp salad and my hubby couldn’t stop eating. I added more liquids than in the recipee and added rows of finely sliced onions. I think I will double the delicious sauce next time. This has already become one of our favorites!
Amazing! We’re so glad it’s become a favorite in your house, Marie. Thank you for sharing! xo
Leptosiphon says
Decent and liked that it was very easy to make. But, found it a little bland. Pictures looked amazing so I really wanted it to be delicious. Not sure I’ll make it again.
So sorry you didn’t love this one!
ben w. says
I am allergic to cashews. would you have any recommendations on a substitute? thank you!
Hi Ben, If you don’t mind a mild coconut flavor, we’d suggest canned light coconut milk + cornstarch, arrowroot, or tapioca starch, similar to this recipe. Hope that helps!
Irene Hill says
This is fantastic, one of those rare dishes that is plant-pure but that the whole family loves! Made it the other day and will repeat today doubling the recipe. Great use of my excess CSA potatoes. I sprinkled some bread crumbs on top when I removed the foil.
Thank you MB, you’re one of my fave recipe providers (consistently delicious, healthy and vegan).
Aw, thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review, Irene! We’re honored to be one of your favorites! xoxo
Amos says
I made two casserole dishes of this this evening, and they were wonderful! The first one I cooked for 50 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered. Visually it was beautiful and the flavors were great (looked just like the picture!), but right when you cut into the potatoes, they turned to mush. They were super soft, more like mashed potato consistency when I was expecting more like scalloped potato consistency. Is this normal? I was imagining them holding their shape a bit more like the picture you have of the potatoes on a fork. The second casserole dish I tried to cook a bit less, hoping that the potatoes would hold their shape a bit more when cut and eaten. I cooked for 45 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered, but it was basically the exact same issue. Not sure if this is normal or if I should be cutting the potatoes thicker (I cut them the size you suggested with a mandolin) or cooking for less time. I love this recipe and will make it again, regardless!
Hi Amos, we’re so glad you enjoyed the flavor! Thank you for sharing your experience! They should be more like a scalloped potato consistency, though slightly softer. Try cutting them a little thicker!
Connelly Kathy says
Could I use cashew butter in place of the cashews – for this or any sauce? If so how much?
Hi, we haven’t tried that, but we think it could work if it’s raw cashew butter! Maybe 3-4 tablespoons?
Connie Bird says
This recipe was very easy to make. I added Tofurkey ham pieces to the middle of the casserole. Good flavor. Needs more salt. I would make again.
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Connie!
Alison Sanders says
We made this for Thanksgiving to have a dairy free but rich and satisfying potato dish. It was a hit! The rosemary, garlic, and parm / nutritional yeast paired so well with the sweet potatoes. And it was gorgeous. Thank you so much for what you do. Your recipes and this site are a go-to for me, and I’ve given your book out as gifts. Very grateful for these recipes!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Alison!
Eliza says
Can I use a high speed food processor if I do not have a blender?
Hi Eliza, in our experience, a food processor doesn’t get the cashews as creamy, unfortunately!
Mihana says
Doubled this recipe for a family of 5, enough for leftovers and it was a winner! I was concerned the sauce was too runny in the dutch oven but it turned out perfectly. Subbed conventional sharp cheddar for vegan parm. Will definitely add this to our potato recipe rotation.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Mihana! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Carol says
Can this be made without the oil?
Hi Carol, the olive oil adds richness, but it should still be good without it! You could add a few more cashews, if desired. Let us know if you try it!
Nicola Taylor says
Se easy and cheap to make. And so lush. Full of flavour
Sally Fan says
can the cashews be replaced with another nut or pine nuts?
Hi Sally, we haven’t tested with pine nuts, but think they would probably work texturally but might have too strong of a flavor. If you don’t mind a mild coconut flavor, we’d suggest canned light coconut milk + cornstarch, arrowroot, or tapioca starch, similar to this recipe. Hope that helps!
Judi says
I absolutely love your recipes! Is it possible to make this delicious dish without using oil? Many thanks for your willingness to share your passion for cooking!
Hi Judi, the oil makes the potatoes crispy, but it might work oil free. We haven’t tried this recipe without it, but let us know if you do!
Sophie says
Could you make this in advance and cook on the day?
Hi Sophie, are you referring to just prepping it in advance or cooking fully and reheating? If just prepping in advance, we think it would work if using orange or purple potatoes or sweet potatoes – just make sure to cover thoroughly to prevent it from drying out (and maybe add a little more liquid to the cashew sauce). If using white potatoes or sweet potatoes, they’ll be prone to browning which won’t look as appetizing. If you want to make it fully and then reheat on the day, we think that would be ideal!
L says
Do you soak the cashews before blending? Looking forward to giving this recipe a try!
We didn’t find it necessary in this recipe since there’s plenty of other flavors going on, but you certainly can! If you don’t have a powerful blender, it would help to soak them. Hope that helps!
Bernadette Morrissey says
Yum! This looks and sounds soooo good!!!
We can’t wait for you to try it! Let us know how it goes! xo
The Vegan Goddess says
I wish it wasn’t necessary to have so many advertisements on the page. :(
We hear you! We wish that was an option and we’re always trying to optimize for user experience, while also balancing the need to have ads to keep the content free and high quality.
Doreen Tucker says
Thank you!!!
The Vegan Goddess says
There are 10 ads in the body of the recipe and one ad on the sidebar.
Can it be reduced to half in the body that which is already a lot?
Lauen says
Ads are the reason we have access to hundreds of FREE high quality recipes from Minimalist Baker. What you are asking is for her to reduce her income by half. Imagine if someone said that to you. Ignore the ads and focus on the positive (free content)
Angela says
100% agree here! I too am annoyed by the ads, but they make it possible for her to be compensated for all the work she and her crew do while we get to access the recipes for free. For the MB crew to earn what they deserve for all these high-quality recipes, I can certainly stand to be a bit annoyed by the ads. A more than fair trade-off!
Thank you for your support, Angela! xoxo