Herby Coconut Milk Potatoes Au Gratin with a dairy-free option! Enjoy this classic side dish at any of your feasts or gatherings!
If there’s one dish that has the capability of sling shotting me back to my childhood, it’s potatoes au gratin.
A former picky eater, the only dinner items I would reliably eat were lasagna, potatoes, rice pilaf (from the box), and barbecue chicken. Aside from those hot topics, all bets were off when it came to what I’d agree to consume.
You could 200% rule out anything green, fresh, and un-slathered in cheese.
One of my favorite dishes my parents made when I was growing up was scalloped potatoes. Or potatoes au gratin…or au gratin potatoes.
No matter the title you give it, everyone in the family enjoyed the hearty side dish to the extent that we never had leftovers. Cheese + potatoes = food of dreams.
Ingredients for Coconut Milk Potatoes Au Gratin:
While I still love all things cheesy potato, I try to keep my dairy intake at a bare minimum. Rather than loading up on the heavy cream, I opted for coconut milk in this recipe. Does it sound crazy? Trust me on this one, it works!
I used Andre Prost coconut milk to prepare this dish and loved the way it turned out.
The coconut milk is so thick and creamy, making the dish all sorts of comforting and flavorful. In the world of coconut milk, not all cans are created equally! Some are creamier than others and some can be grainy or watery.
In addition to coconut milk, I use aged gruyere cheese and fresh rosemary and thyme in this casserole dish o’ bliss.
Flash fact: did you know aged cheeses have a much lower lactose content than un-aged cheeses? For those of you who are sensitive to dairy, this is an important little detail for your digestive happiness!
I adapted this recipe from Andre Prost’s Coconut Milk Au Gratin Potatoes. Because I’m all about garlic and herb flavors, I added more, but left much of the recipe unchanged. Instead of gruyere, you can also use parmesan or gouda.
To make this recipe vegan, replace the butter with vegan spread and use vegan cheese. I will say, this recipe requires quite a bit of prep, but you can expedite the process by using a mandolin slicer to slice the potatoes. Regardless, it is worth the time investment.
Bringing back my childhood favorite to share with the family, I made this dish for Thanksgiving. my whole family raved about it PLUS it made so much, we ended up with leftovers.
This dish can serve upwards of 12 people. The herby, cheesy creamy flavors slow-baked into the potatoes makes for a filling flavor-packed addition to your holiday feast, or comfort food any time of year!
How to Make Dairy-Free Potatoes Au Gratin:
Are you looking for a completely dairy-free version of potatoes au gratin? Easy! Simply replace the butter with avocado oil, or your favorite vegan “butter” spread, and replace the cheese with your favorite non-dairy vegan cheese.
More Healthy Side Dish Recipes:
- Scalloped Sweet Potatoes (Dairy-Free, Paleo)
- Sauteed Brussel Sprouts Recipe with Butter and Garlic
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Shaved Brussel Sprouts Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
- Kabocha Squash Casserole (Gluten-Free)
Because: carbs
Herbed Coconut Milk Potatoes Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 2 14-oz cans full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon sea salt or 2 teaspoons regular table salt
- 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 5 lbs gold or russet potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons butter or vegan butter spread
- 2 1/2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour or regular AP flour
- 3 cups grated Gruyere cheese or non-dairy cheese of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly grease a 9 x13 inch baking dish.
- In a medium saucepan bring Coconut Milk, salt, garlic, rosemary, thyme and pepper to taste, to a boil. Turn off heat and set aside. Note: mixture will taste salty alone but not when combined with potatoes.
- Wash potatoes well, slice thinly and cover with cold water. Set aside.
- Melt butter or (or vegan spread) in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture turns a golden brown color.
- Slowly whisk in the herbed coconut milk, a bit at a time. Stirring, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
- Drain potatoes and layer 1/3 on bottom of baking dish, overlapping each slice about half way. Pour 1/3 coconut sauce over potatoes and sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times, only reserving last cup of cheese for later.
- Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 15-20 additional minutes. If potatoes are soft and a darker color is desired, broil potatoes until cheese is nicely browned.
Nutrition
This is a great recipe and the idea of using coconut cream with potatoes I think is really good. In my case it absolutely didn’t need any extra butter at all, I had to pour a bunch of that off. Just way too greasy. My cheese had a lot of grease in it I guess. Phew. Without butter it would have been fine.
That’s great to know! Do you recall what type of cheese you used? This may help other folks when deciding on cheese selection 😉
I cook a lot for pleasure. Always searching for the most tasty and delicious recipes. This was IT!! I went full vegan for this recipe (as I am a vegan). I did not add any cheese (although I subbed nutritional yeast in) and I used coconut cream and coconut oil. Absolutely amazing and delicious!! This deserves to be at my next dinner party!! Thank you!
To make this dish gluten free what flour do you recommend?
I’m going to make this for the first time and use coconut flour. Seems like it should be right.
@Ingrid Fraser, I would use rice flour or tapioca to get the same smooth texture as wheat flour. I bake with only heritage wheat these days which has a completely different gluten structure and all of us can eat is without any symptoms of gluten intolerance. So Einkorn All purpose would give you a very digestible alternative to modern genetically altered wheat.
This was delicious! Made it and my hubby and I loved it. I actually used a combination of sweet potatoes and regular potatoes as I had plenty of see potatoes that needed using. I didn’t have fresh herbs on hand so used dry ones and I also chopped some Spring onions (shallots in Aus) and sprinkled them on top. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe Julia
I made this today looking for a more healthier alternative to the usual scalloped potatoes. It was absolutely beautiful. The only thing i added was a mixed spice to the coconut cream as i add these spices to all my cooking. But honestly a wonderful recipe thank you!!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Yvette! I absolutely love these potatoes – they’re now a staple at all my family gatherings and holidays! I appreciate you taking the time to leave your kind note!
very excited about this
Vegan…amazing!!! It looks so comforting!
Ju, I would have never thought to use coconut milk with potatoes! What a clever idea! This dish much be delicious 😉
I seriously could eat this entire pan of potatoes. Thanks for the tip on the coconut milk, I’ll keep my eyes open for it!
Yum- love the coconut milk, it’s so creamy!
We are on the same wave length today! I would have never thought to use coconut milk though! I bet it adds such a wonderful creamy touch!
THIS! I wish I would have had this recipe for Thanksgiving because OH MY GOODNESS it’s amazing! Will have to make this for Christmas. 🙂 Pinning!
Making this for xmas day, you think i can bake the day before and heat it xmas day?
Hi Lisa!
Yes, making it in advance and reheating works great! I think the potatoes are even better after they sit for a while, so they should be even tastier 😀 xoxo