Low Sodium Scalloped Potatoes - Tasty, Healthy Heart Recipes (2024)

Low Sodium Scalloped Potatoes is an easy classic recipe, perfect for any holiday dinner and weeknight leftovers. In this low sodium side dish, thinly sliced potatoes with a creamy onion and garlic sauce are layered and then baked until tender, bubbly with a crisp golden top. An old comforting potato classic to go along with nearly any main entree!

I used to make scalloped potatoes all the time until several years before my stroke. Unfortunately, most of the time it was the high sodium store box version instead of the superior tasting scratch version. I’m not really sure why they faded away because they went with any entree from a hamburger, meatloaf, steak, pork chop, or fish.

But now I can confidently put low sodium scallop potatoes back in my dinner rotation as a low sodium side dish to complement almost any main entree.

Sodium in Low Sodium Scalloped Potatoes compared

When comparing store-bought mixes for a potato side dish, the sodium levels are quite high. Famous name brand and other scalloped potato mixes contain 470mg of sodium per ½ cup serving. That’s a lot of sodium for a pretty small serving, Ouch!

Many other from scratch recipes are at least equal to or way above the store-bought sodium levels too.

This recipe only has approximately 23mg per 1/2 cup serving or 207mg of sodium for the entire 8 x 8 baking dish! If you were so inclined, you could eat the entire 8 x 8 baking dish of this low sodium scalloped potatoes and not equal even half the sodium level in just one ½ cup serving of a store boxed mix!

The Main Ingredients

Potatoes – I like using russet potatoes because they yield a bigger slice of potato. I usually give them a light peeling, removing about 75% of the skin. You could also use Yukon gold potatoes that have a thin skin and don’t require peeling.

Onions and Garlic – Sautéed onions and garlic add a lot of flavor to this recipe and are always a classic ingredient. Onions can be sliced very thinly or diced. I use pre-minced garlic since it will be sautéed.

Cream Sauce – A roux makes a quick cream sauce and is made with flour, no salt added butter, milk* and no salt added chicken broth.

The Basic Seasonings – Seasonings in this recipe include pepper, onion and garlic. My personal favorite additional seasonings include smoked paprika, Mrs. Dash Original Blend no salt and ground mustard. You could also mix and match with some parsley and rosemary or your own favorite.

** I’ve made this recipe using 2% milk, soy milk and coconut milk versions. I liked using the regular 2% milk the best. It has a bit higher sodium content but it is only about 5mg of sodium higher on a per serving basis.The soy and coconut milk just had kind of an odd taste to me. But it can be done.

If you wish to use some cheese, melt 1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese by stirring it into the hot sauce. Shredded Swiss that can be found in the grocery store has an average of 85mg per ¼ cup. Adding 1 cup to the sauce would add 37mg sodium per serving for a total of 63mg per serving.

How to Make Scalloped Potatoes

Making low sodium scalloped potatoes from scratch can take time if you’re slicing potatoes by hand. Otherwise, it is really quick and easy but for the baking time.

Thinly slice the potatoes, about 1/8” thick. The easiest way is to use a food processor or mandolin. Then chop and dice the onions. Measure out the remaining ingredients.

Make homemade sauce starting by sautéing no salt butter, onions and garlic. This will become the base for making your roux. Sprinkling in flour with the vegetable sauté will thicken into a creamy sauce when milk and no salt added chicken broth is stirred in. (See full recipe below)

Layer potatoes and lightly ladle in the onion and garlic sauce between layers of potatoes. Cover lightly with foil and bake in a 350°F oven for 45 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for 45 minutes more. This will create the delicious golden brown top on the scalloped potatoes.

If you would like a browner top you may place it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Also, you could add some salt free breadcrumbs or a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese.

Let cool 15 minutes on a baking rack before serving, allowing the sauce to thicken.

My tips for perfect scalloped potatoes

This recipe will make an 8 x 8 dish of potatoes. I highly recommend making this size for one or two people. You will still have plenty of leftovers. If you need to make for more people, double the recipe and use a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Use a food processor to make slicing potatoes extra quick, evenly and safely. I think I cut all of mine in under a minute and a half.

Uniformly sliced potatoes ensure the scalloped potatoes will cook evenly.

Lay a cover of foil over the dish during the first half of the baking time. This allows it to steam, helping the potatoes to cook a bit faster and the top will not burn by the end.

Lightly season the potatoes between layers with your favorite Mrs. Dash seasoning blend and pepper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please let me know how these Low Sodium Scalloped Potatoes turn out for you in the comments and a rating! I’m always eager for your feedback and hope my recipes turn out amazing for you. You can follow me on Facebook and Pinterest also, to hear about new recipes.