Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jan 15, 2026 
Garlic Butter Scalloped Sweet Potatoes – A luxurious sweet potato casserole recipe rich with cream, butter, Parmesan cheese, herbs, and garlic. Your family will love this fall twist on classic creamy Sweet Potato Au Gratin!
Why We Love These Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potato Lovers Unite!
Today I’m sharing the most luscious and velvety sweet potato casserole recipe you’ve ever tasted.
And you thought baked sweet potatoes with marshmallows were lavish…
Although I realize traditional marshmallow-topped Thanksgiving sweet potatoes are placed by many on a high pedestal, there are those of us who like to occasionally serve sweet potatoes without added sugar.
That’s not to say we (ok, I) don’t add a whole lot of naughtiness, other than sugar. But sometimes it’s nice to indulge in the more savory and cheesy side of sweet potato side dishes.
This Garlic Butter Scalloped Sweet Potato Casserole is LOADED with butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese, to combine the best of your two favorite seasonal side dishes – classic scalloped potatoes and baked sweet potatoes – into one perfectly delicious celebration of fall.
Ingredients You Need
Do not get me wrong: Classic sweet potato casserole is delicious. There’s no denying that.
However, if you are looking to make something a little off the beaten path this year, yet not so unfamiliar that your family will be disappointed, you’ve got to try our recipe for Garlic Butter Scalloped Sweet Potatoes.
Rich, silky, cheesy, and popping with garlic butter flavor and fresh herbs, these savory scalloped sweet potatoes are to die for!
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the most INCREDIBLE sweet potato casserole:
- Sweet potatoes
- Heavy cream
- Butter
- Garlic cloves
- Thyme
- Cornstarch
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
How To Make Sweet Potato au Gratin
- Mix the Cream Topping – In a small saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave-safe bowl, combine all the ingredients except the sweet potatoes and Parmesan cheese. Whisk well and often until the butter is just melted. This should be done first so you can quickly pour the mixture over each sweet potato as you slice and place into your baking dish, to ensure that the slices do not brown.
- Peel and Slice the Sweet Potatoes – Peel the sweet potatoes one by one. Take care to slice each potato into very thin rounds, to create a delicate texture after baking. Just like your classic scalloped potatoes recipe!
- Arrange and Coat – After thinly slicing each sweet potato, arrange the slices in a pretty pattern in the baking dish. The pattern you choose is entirely up to you. Pour a little of the melted garlic herb butter and cream mixture over each thin sweet potato slice, before slicing the next one, to slow oxidation.
- Bake Your Casserole – Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for a few more minutes, until the cheese is melted and your scalloped sweet potatoes are golden brown.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these special cheesy sweet potatoes as a decadent side dish to all your favorite meals! These would be perfect to serve during the holiday season with your holiday meals. Here are some of my own personal favorites to pair them with:
- Smoked Turkey
- Coca-Cola Ham
- Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Root Vegetable Salad
- Butternut Squash Casserole (Savory)
Get The Complete Garlic Butter Scalloped Sweet Potatoes Recipe Below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this scalloped potato recipe be made with other varieties of potatoes?
Absolutely. You can use white or purple sweet potatoes, russets, and new potatoes in this recipe. Cooking instructions for your scalloped potatoes will stay the same.
Is this Scalloped Sweet Potatoes recipe gluten-free?
Yes, it is! Thankfully, sweet potatoes are naturally gluten free.
Is this recipe low-carb or ketogenic?
No. Sweet potatoes are starchy, therefore they do contain ample carbs. However, if you remove the cornstarch and use arrowroot powder instead, this scalloped sweet potato recipe is grain-free.
Can I make a dairy-free variation?
Yes! For Vegan Garlic “Butter” Sweet Potato Au Gratin you can substitute thick coconut milk for the cream, and vegan butter for regular butter. Then omit the Parmesan cheese.
P.S. – If you happen to make this as a vegan scalloped sweet potato casserole, and use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch, then this becomes a paleo recipe!
Is there a low fat version of this Sweet Potato Au Gratin?
Hmmmm… You could omit the cream and butter. Then brush a little olive oil over the top of the sweet potatoes, and add the garlic and herbs. The scalloped potatoes will not have the same silky luxurious texture in the end. However, they will be soft and herbaceous.
Can I freeze this recipe?
Due to the cream and butter in the scalloped potatoes, I wouldn’t freeze it.
Can I make this recipe ahead?
Yes. You can prep and bake these scalloped sweet potatoes up to 3 days in advance. Then reheat uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 20+ minutes.
More Brilliant Sweet Potato Recipes
- Maple Glazed Prosciutto Wrapped Sweet Potatoes
- Southern Sweet Potato Pie
- Maple Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes with Oat Crumble
- Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Italian Ground Beef and Potatoes
- Best Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
- The Ultimate Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pull the leaves off the thyme stems. Discard the stems and roughly chop the leaves.
- Place the cream and cornstarch in a small bowl or pot. Whisk well. Add the butter, garlic, thyme, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat over the stovetop, or in the microwave, just until the butter melts. Then turn off the heat and whisk again.
- Peel and slice each sweet potato one by one. Slice the potatoes into very thin rounds, 1/8-inch thick. Arrange each potato in a 9×13-inch baking dish, fanning it out in a pretty pattern.
- Before peeling and slicing the next sweet potato, pour a little of the cream mixture over the potato slices in the pan, so it does not brown while you work on the other potatoes.
- Repeat until all the sweet potatoes are sliced and arranged prettily in the baking dish. Then pour the remaining cream mixture over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the sweet potatoes. Then bake another 10 minutes until the cheese is golden. Serve warm.
I’ve never had scalloped sweet potatoes always had them with brown sugar & such, but that wouldn’t have went well with beautiful T bone steaks. I read this recipe & turned my nose up to this initially, my son in law insisted on the sweet potatoes scalloped to just try it once. OH MY! These were DELICIOUS!!! Simple to make. I used a Madeleine to slice potatoes, 2 teaspoons of dried thyme instead of fresh, lightly buttered the 9×13 pan, & covered it for the first 30 minutes. They were cooked perfectly in the 40 minutes time. A definite do over & keeper!! Thank you for sharing!
Making this next week. They way you changed the directions in each row makes it look so pretty!
Hi Angie, Thanks so much!
I’m going to try making this recipe as written, then I will tweak it a bit. Changing to a scalloped dessert dish. To the cream I will use marshmallows or fluff and some cinnamon, nutmeg spices. Of course butter makes everything better so that would be included. A twist on sweet potato pie. I have seen recipes that have crushed pineapple included with sweet potatoes. I bet it will work out. Thanks for sharing. **
Made this tonight and it was wonderful. I had only dry thyme and added some fresh rosemary. The sauce is so much easier than cooking a white sauce, especially in a 2 cup glass measure in microwave. I did cut back butter a bit. The other thing I found was, probably best to cover it for the 30 minute initial bake time. Recipe didn’t specify, I did not and after 20 minutes the top of sweet potatoes kind of dried out a bit, and sauce didn’t bubble up to cover them, which was easily remedied. Added Panko crumbs with the parm. Decadent and delicious!!
I’ve made this recipe for myself, my fiancee, and for my dad and stepmom(three times total) and this dish is a real pleaser! Everyone loved it!
Hello can I make this recipe, but not bake it until I’m ready
Hi Harolyn,
Yes, you can. However, if any of the sweet potatoes are not fully covered in cream and butter, they will brown as they are resting in the fridge. Be extra careful to make sure they are well coated. Then sit the dish out at room temperature for at least an hour before baking.
After reading the reviews I was super excited to try this. Thank goodness I did a trial run of this recipe BEFORE thanksgiving, because the taste testers in my house didn’t care for it at all. We all took one bite and threw the rest out. The amount of butter of heaviness in this dish was too much.
This was really good. Added Parmesan cheese and Panko bread crumbs mixed together the last 10 minutes of baking. Will make again. Thanks!
Can you prepare this the night before or morning of (before putting it in the oven) and simply bake when you’re ready?
Hi Christy,
Yes, you can! Either set them out at room temperature before baking, or if baking cold, add an extra 10+ minutes to the baking time.
The SMELL!
I used canned coconut milk, and topped it off with a mixture of bread crumbs and cheese. I smell in the house is crazy good and everyone loved it. Will make next time my husband buys sweet potatoes instead of yams. Which is everytime I send him for Yams🤪
Ok it took three times as long to cook as you said! Why does all Pinterest recipes do this? I’ve cooked for over an hour and cut them 1/8 inch.
Hi Dawn,
If you are finding this happens with other recipes as well, there’s a good chance your oven temperature or thermostat is off. This is a very common occurrence if you use your oven regularly. Buy a cheap hanging oven thermometer to discover the true temperature. Then look up a youtube video on how to recalibrate the make/model of your oven.
Yum!!!!!!! It says it all!