Easy Scalloped Potatoes with Dehydrated Potatoes

ByRebecca Livermore Updated on
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Scalloped potatoes made from dehydrated potatoes.

If you’ve ever wished for a comforting, homemade side dish that’s both shelf-stable and easy to prepare, these scalloped potatoes made with dehydrated potato slices are perfect.

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The recipe is adapted from Angi Schneider’s The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables (Amazon)—a book I highly recommend—but I’ve made a couple of tweaks to simplify it into a true “just add water” mix.

I got the recipe for the scalloped potatoes made from dehydrated potatoes from Angi Schneider's book. Pictured here is the book, a bowl with flour, powdered milk, and cornstarch, a plate with seasonings, and a jar with dehydrated potato slices.
I got this recipe from Angi Schneider’s book, pictured above.

The result? Creamy, cheesy scalloped potatoes that my entire family loved. In fact, I’m dehydrating more potatoes as I type this so I can stock my pantry with several jars of this mix.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Pantry-friendly: Everything is shelf-stable, making this a great prepper pantry recipe.
  • Easy to make: Just add water, bake, and serve.
  • Family-sized: One quart jar (3 cups dehydrated potato slices) served my family of 3 twice!
  • Delicious: Creamy sauce, tender potatoes, and cheesy goodness.

Another huge benefit of having this type of side dish in your pantry is that it is inexpensive and helps to stretch your grocery dollars. This is something I’ve been focusing on a lot lately – serving more inexpensive side dishes so that more expensive items such as meat go further.

Ingredients and Why They Work

This picture has a close up of the ingredients used in dehydrated scalloped potatoes, including a bowl with powdered milk, flour and cornstarch, a plate with seasonings, and a jar filled with dehydrated sliced potatoes.
The ingredients for scalloped potatoes using dehydrated potatoes are things you likely have on hand already. In the bowl on the left is powdered milk, flour, and cornstarch. On the plate in the middle are all of the spices listed below. And in the jar are 3 cups of dehydrated sliced potatoes.

Here’s what goes into the jar mix and why:

This photo is a close up of a bowl with powdered milk, cornstarch and flour, and a jar with dehydrated sliced potatoes.
The “boring” but necessary ingredients for making scalloped potatoes from dehydrated potatoes are of course dehydrated sliced potatoes, powdered milk, corn starch, and flour. The cornstarch, powdered milk, and flour are the basis of the sauce. While nice and creamy, it would be very boring and tasteless without the seasonings!
  • Dehydrated potato slices – The star of the dish! Thinly sliced, dehydrated potatoes rehydrate beautifully and bake into a tender, hearty casserole.
  • Powdered milk – Provides richness and creaminess to the sauce without needing fresh dairy.
  • Flour & cornstarch – Work together as thickeners, creating the smooth, velvety texture scalloped potatoes are known for.

Seasonings

The above items form the basis of the scalloped potatoes, but the seasonings are what truly give it good flavor.

The seasonings for making scalloped potatoes from dehydrated potatoes on a plate.
Here are the seasonings for making scalloped potatoes from dehydrated potatoes. The only seasoning I needed to buy for this recipe were the freeze dried chives. If you don’t have those on hand, you can substitute dehydrated minced onion flakes for a stronger onion flavor. If I did that, I would probably add a teaspoon of dehydrated parsley flakes for color.
  • Onion powder & garlic powder – Add savory depth of flavor without extra chopping.
  • Dried chives – Give a mild onion-like brightness that balances the creaminess. Plus, I like that these add a bit of color to the potatoes.
  • Thyme – A classic pairing with potatoes, adding subtle earthy notes.
  • Ground mustard – Sharpens the flavor and helps cut through the richness.
  • Salt & black pepper – Essential for seasoning and balance.
  • Chicken bouillon (my variation) – I added this so the dish could be completely “just add water.” It gives the sauce a delicious savory boost without needing broth. Note that the original recipe calls for using chicken broth when preparing the potatoes for serving. Using chicken bouillon instead is what makes this a “just add water” recipe.
  • Cheddar cheese – Optional, but highly recommended. I prefer adding the shredded cheese halfway through baking so it melts perfectly without over-browning. Note that if you have dehydrated cheese or freeze dried cheese (Amazon) on hand, you can use those, or you can use fresh cheese. If you don’t have any cheese available, you can leave it out since it’s optional.

How to Assemble the Mix

Now that you know what goes into making scalloped potatoes from dehydrated sliced potatoes, here’s how to put it all together.

First, put dehydrated slice potatoes into a jar. Note that for this recipe, I used a quart jar, and put 3 cups of potatoes into the jar.

Next, mix the seasonings: Combine powdered milk, flour, cornstarch, and seasonings.

All of the dry ingredients for dehydrated scalloped potatoes including the flour, powdered milk, corn starch and spices in a bowl.
All of the dry ingredients for making scalloped potatoes from dehydrated potatoes in a bowl.
All of the dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk in the bowl. I used a whisk to combine all of the dry ingredients.
I used a whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
The dry ingredients in a bowl after they were whisked together.
Here is what the dry ingredients look like after they were combined.

Finally, package it up: Pour the dry mix into a small bag and tuck it into a quart jar with dehydrated potato slices.

The dry sauce ingredients in small, snack sized zippered bag.

Rather than just dumping all of the ingredients into a mason jar, you’ll want to put the sauce ingredients into a separate bag. I used a snack-size zippered bag. This matters because you’ll combine the sauce ingredients with water and pour them over the dehydrated potatoes. This would be hard to do if everything was simply dumped into the jar!

A mason jar filled with dehydrated sliced potatoes with a zippered bag with the scalloped potatoes sauce ingredients on top.

Put the sliced dehydrated potatoes into a mason jar and put the baggie with the sauce ingredients on top. Seal the jar with an airtight lid. I think two-piece canning jar lids work best for this. You could vacuum seal these jars using a mason jar vacuum sealer (Amazon). However the potatoes are pretty fragile, so I’d test it first with one jar to see if vacuum sealing causes the potatoes to break up.

These jars store well for up to a year, though for best flavor, I like to use them within 6 months.

💡 Dehydrating Tip: Want to keep your dehydrated foods fresher for longer? Vacuum sealing your jars helps protect against moisture, air, and pests — all things that can shorten shelf life and ruin your hard work.

This small, easy-to-store vacuum sealer is made for mason jars. It’s cordless, simple to use, and a great tool for long-term food storage.

👉 Check it out here.

Cooking Instructions

When you’re ready to serve:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

Since it takes so little time to put these together, start off by preheating your oven so it has time to warm up before you get everything ready to go into the oven.

Step 2: Put the potatoes into a casserole dish.

On the left dehydrated sliced potatoes in a casserole dish, and on the right is a bowl with water.
On the left are the dehydrated sliced potatoes in a casserole dish, and on the right is a bowl with the water.

I’m not sure how obvious it is, but you’ll want to choose a casserole dish that is half full or less after adding in the dehydrated potato slices.

Step 3: Mix the sauce: Whisk the seasoning bag with water until smooth.

The mixing bowl with water with the scalloped potatoes sauce mixture dumped on top.

(My variation: instead of broth + water, I use only water since bouillon is already in the mix.)

A casserole dish with dehydrated sliced potatoes on the left and the scalloped potatoes sauce mixture on a bowl on the right.

Thankfully, it was pretty easy to whisk the dry ingredients into the water. If the flour does clump up a bit, you’ll want to be sure to whisk it until the clumps dissolve, but I didn’t have any problem with that.

Baking the Scalloped Potatoes

Step 4: Combine & bake:

Pour the water and dry ingredient mixture over the dehydrated potatoes and put it into the preheated oven.

The casserole dish that has the potatoes with the sauce poured over the top. You cannot see the potatoes in the photo.
You can see the potatoes, but they are there, under the sauce. This is a good thing, because it means the potatoes are completely covered with the liquid, so they can rehydrate and cook.

According to the original recipe, you’ll need to bake these at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) for 45-50 minutes.

Step 5: Add cheese halfway: At about the 20–25 minute mark, sprinkle shredded cheddar over the top.

It’s completely up to you whether or not you add any cheese at all. If you do add the cheese, according to the instructions in the original recipe, you add the cheese before you put the potatoes into the oven. I just wanted to avoid the cheese overbrowning, so I decided to put the cheese on halfway through.

Partially cooked scalloped potatoes. They are slightly browned.
What the scalloped potatoes looked like after 20 minutes in the oven. You can see there is already a small amount of browning, which is why I didn’t want to put the cheese on when I first put the potatoes into the oven.
Shredded cheddar cheese on top of the scalloped potatoes.
Here’s what the potatoes looked like after I sprinkled the cheese on, before putting the potatoes back into the oven.

Step 6: Bake an additional 20 minutes or so, until the potatoes are cooked all the way through and soft, and the sauce is your preferred consistency.

Note that the total baking time is 45-50 minutes, until a knife can easily go into the center. Basically, you want to make sure the potatoes are cooked all the way through and soft. I checked mine at 45 minutes, and they were mostly done, but I decided to put them in for an additional 5 minutes.

Scalloped Potatoes Made from Dehydrated Potatoes Results

Step 7: Rest & serve: Allow to sit for a few minutes after baking so the sauce thickens up before serving.

A casserole dish with fully cooked, half eaten scalloped potatoes

Unfortunately, since I was busy getting the meal on the table for my family, I forgot to take a picture of the finished scalloped potatoes. The good news is that we only ate half of the scalloped potatoes, so I was able to take pictures of the half eaten potatoes. :) Fortunately, with my mistake, you can see what these scalloped potatoes made from dehydrated potatoes looked like on the inside. (I’m always looking for the bright side of things!)

A close up of the finished scalloped potatoes that were made from dehydrated potatoes.

Family Taste Test

These scalloped potatoes turned out great! My whole family enjoyed them, and one jar made enough for us to have two full meals. Other than the relatively long baking time, they’re super easy to make.

This recipe is definitely going to be a staple in my prepper pantry.

Turning Dehydrated Scalloped Potatoes Into a Main Dish

While I plan to use this as a side dish at least most of the time, it is easy to turn this into a main dish using pantry items. For example, you can add some canned ham or Spam to this. Serve it with a vegetable or salad, and you have an easy, inexpensive meal.

Final Thoughts

Scalloped potatoes made with dehydrated potatoes are the perfect example of how pantry staples can be turned into something comforting and homemade. With everything prepped in a jar, all you need to do is add water, bake, and enjoy.

If you’re looking for a way to stock your shelves with easy, family-friendly side dishes, this recipe is a winner!

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Scalloped Potatoes with Dehydrated Potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes with Dehydrated Potatoes
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Creamy, cheesy scalloped potatoes made from dehydrated potato slices and pantry staples. This version is adapted from Angi Schneider’s The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables but simplified into a true “just add water” recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup (30 g) dried milk
  • 2 Tbsp (15 g) cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp (17 g) flour
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp (0.5 g) dried chives (or substitute 1 tsp dehydrated onion flakes + 1 tsp parsley flakes)
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp ground mustard
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp chicken bouillon granules (my variation)
  • 3 cups (130 g) dehydrated potato slices

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
  2. Place potatoes in a casserole dish.
  3. Mix sauce: In a bowl, whisk the seasoning mix with 2¾ cups water until smooth.
  4. Combine: Pour sauce evenly over potatoes, ensuring they’re fully covered.
  5. Bake: Place dish in oven and bake for 20–25 minutes.
  6. Add cheese halfway: Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top at the 20–25 minute mark. (This step is optional.)
  7. Finish baking: Continue baking another 20–25 minutes, until potatoes are tender and a knife slides easily into the center.
  8. Rest & serve: Let casserole sit for 5 minutes before serving to allow sauce to thicken.

Notes

  • Original recipe calls for 1 cup broth + 1¾ cups water. My version uses chicken bouillon granules in the dry mix and only water for preparation, making this a true “just add water” recipe.
  • One quart jar (3 cups dehydrated potato slices + dry mix) serves a family of 3 about twice.
  • Stores well for up to 1 year; best if used within 6 months.
  • To make it a main dish, stir in canned ham, Spam, or another protein before baking. Add a bit extra water if needed to cover the potatoes.

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    © Rebecca Livermore
    Category: Dehydrating

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    Rebecca Livermore is the creator of Stocking My Pantry, an author, and YouTuber. From her small home, she shares her journey mastering indoor gardening, small batch canning, and dehydrating in limited space. She believes everyone can be a prepper, regardless of their living situation. Join her as she turns "if only" into "I can", increasing food security and self-reliance without stress.