How to Make Dehydrated Scalloped Potatoes with a DIY Mix
Make your own instant dehydrated scalloped potatoes with a dry sauce mix and dehydrated potato slices. A quick and easy dinner at home, a nice foodie gift in a jar, or something to take along when travelling and you have access to a kitchen but not a lot of different pantry items. Most often, I have given these jars to my in-laws who don’t enjoy cooking anymore, my nephews away at college and when we have an extended stay at an Air BnB.
Also Read: How to Make Dehydrated Potatoes, How to Store Dehydrated Food, Top Tips for Dehydrating Food
This is a homemade version of the boxed scalloped potatoes you can buy. Assemble several batches and store on your shelf for months. When ready to eat, they’re super quick and easy to assemble.
Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Dehydrated Scalloped Potatoes
How do you dehydrate the potatoes?
Have a look here for detailed instructions and tips on dehydrating your own potatoes. There’s a video too! Basically, slice, blanch (yes, you have to) and place in dehydrator.
Can I use fresh potatoes with this dry mix?
Yes, you can! And you have options – you can boil fresh potato slices for 2 minutes to get a beautiful, soft, consistent texture or you can use them without pre-boiling. The uncooked potatoes will take longer and you’ll get a firmer texture, but still very delicious results. Make your slices a consitent thickness – if not pre-cooking, keep them about 1/8″ or 3 mm thick.
For the sauce, mix well first and pour in between layers of potatoes.
Can I use a fresh sauce instead of the dry mix to make scalloped potatoes using dehydrated potatoes?
Yes, you can do that too! You can use the dehydrated potato slices with a fresh white sauce or you can make a white sauce and include cheese – just follow the recipe in this Leek, Carrot and Potato Gratin recipe.
The dehydrated potatoes may soak up a little more liquid than fresh potatoes, so it’s best to rehydrate them a little before using with fresh sauce. Simply cover with hot water for 15 minutes, drain and use as indicated in your recipe.
How does this compare to scalloped potatoes made with fresh ingredients – fresh potatoes and milk?
You’ll find that dehydrated scalloped potatoes with a dry sauce mix taste delicious, but may be slightly firmer than those made with fresh ingredients. The sauce may also be less smooth than a precooked sauce.
Can I change the seasoning and herbs in the mix?
Of course! I love adding herbs whereever I can, but you don’t have to add any herbs or you can swap them for other flavors. For example instead of chives or green onions use parsley, oregano, thyme or sage.
PRO TIP: If you don’t have easy access to onion powder or onion flakes use some garlic powder instead or use powdered soup stock in place of the seasoning.
How long will the dried potatoes and mix last?
When figuring out how long a homemade dried item will last, look at the ingredient with the shortest shelf life. In this case, it’s the powdered milk and the higher the fat content of that powdered milk, the shorter it’s shelf life. Most manufacturers say it is best used within 18 months and the USDA says it’s safe for another 2-10 years past that date. So, you have some time!
That said, I personally recommend using it within 1 year for best flavor and to avoid any stale taste. If you use a vaccuum sealer to seal it well, it will last longer.
Homemade Dehydrated Scalloped Potatoes and DIY Sauce Mix
Scalloped Potatoes with Dehydrated Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 cups dried potato slices
- 1/2 cup milk powder*
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp onion powder or 2 tsp flakes
- 1/2 Tbsp dried chives or green onions
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 3/4 cup boiling water
- 2 Tbsp butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Pour potato slices in casserole dish.
- In small bowl, combine powdered milk, flour, cornstarch, onion, chives, salt, mustard powder and black pepper. Mix well.
- Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup boiling water into powdered mix. Stir well to ensure no lumps remain. Add remaining water and stir well.
- Pour over potato slices.
- Cut butter in small pieces and distribute over top of potatoes and liquid.
- Place in oven and cook for 40 to 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let rest and set for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Scalloped Potatoes In a Jar
Place powdered sauce mix in a little baggy in the jar then add potatoes around it. Tightly seal the jar. They’re perfect for your pantry, to take travelling, stashing at the cabin or for gift giving. While they will be safe to eat for years, I recommend using them within 12 months for best flavor.
Use 3 cups of dried potatoes and the dried powder mix in recipe (about 6-7 Tbsp) per package. One package will make 4 servings.
For gift giving, I keep it pretty simple by printing the instructions on a small piece of paper and glueing that to pretty card stock. I use the same card stock for the top of the canning lid. And then decorate the jar with some string.
Include a label with instructions and date packaged.
Scalloped Potatoes
Also needed:
2 Tbsp butter, softened
2 3/4 cups boiling water
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place potato slices in medium casserole dish. Dissolve sauce mix in bit of the water, stir well, then add remaining water. Pour over potatoes. Dot with butter. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Broil for 2 minutes for a browner, crispy top. Serves 4.
I’d love to hear if you make these scalloped potatoes and how you use them. Are you making them for home, for the trail or for a gift? Let me know and if you’re on social media, take a photo and tag #getgettys so I can see it and like it!
Fun Fact: I first wrote this article in December 2015 as I was packaging up some potatoes for gifts! Thanks to comments from readers and my own experiences over the years, I’ve made some modifications, corrected some typos and answered a few more questions in this revised version of March 2024.
Select, store and serve seasonal food for everyday cooking with Getty. Getty is a food educator and Professional Home Economist, who loves sharing tips and recipes following the seasons from her Canadian kitchen. Sign up to get seasonal tips and recipes delivered to your inbox. Learn more about Getty or check out her books and pdf guides.
If I don’t have cornstarch could I use all flour? And how much extra flour would I use to make up for the cornstarch?
Hi Leah,
Yes, you could use all flour, it may change the final texture/look a little bit and you may need to use a little bit more flour. You can adjust once you’re cookig it or make a test batch of the sauce at home and see what you think.
Have you ever tried using freeze dried butter powder? Would that be a possibility?
I have not, but I bet it would work well. Let me know what you think if you go for it.
How long are the dehydrated potatoes good for in a cool dry place in a mason jar? (Not vacuum sealed)
Hi Susie,
I recommend they be used within 6 months for best flavor and avoid any stale taste, especially if not vacuum sealed. That’s for optimum flavor, as long as they are properly stored in a consistent cool, dry, dark place and the potatoes are dried so they’re crispy not just leathery, they’ll be safe to eat for years. The recommended shelf life of skim milk powder is 3 years, so if you’re storing them with the sauce ingredients, I would not store for longer than 3 years. That said, I like to rotate through my dried goods every 6 to 12 months to keep best flavor and color.
Hope this helps.
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Thank you for the information about drying potatoes and how to use them. I love growing potatoes but they are hard to keep in our hot climate in South Australia. I’ve recently bought a dehydrator to store more of our home grown food. I do a lot of water bath canning (we call it bottling in Aus) but pressure canning is fairly unusual here because we grow vegies all year round. I’ve been looking for more ways to store vegies, particularly potatoes. I’ve now got lots of slices in the dehydrator! I will use full cream milk powder in my recipe because that is what I buy to make yogurt and what I always have on hand. Thanks again.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for sharing a little about your experience. I hope you enjoy your potatoes. Full milk powder will taste great! In our stores, skim milk powder is the most common, you have to go to specialty stores to get whole milk powder.
All the best,
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That’s interesting about not being able to get full cream milk powder easily. I can get that and skim milk powder at any supermarket at the same price. I guess for long term storage skim would be better but the packet of full cream powder I bought last week has almost 1 year until the Use By date. I’m going to try the Scalloped Potato recipe tomorrow and if we like it I’ll dehydrate more potatoes.
It’s interesting to hear about differences like that across the world. Hope you enjoy those potatoes, keep us posted.
Got a little cold overnight – temperature is -15°C/6°F with winds whipping around the snow. I’m guessing that’s a lot different than what you’re experiencing right now!
All the best,
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Hi Getty, We enjoyed out potatoes. I made half the recipe which worked well for 2 adults and 2 small children. I’ll definitely dry some more potato slices. I’m getting lots from the garden at the moment. Sarah.
Hi Sarah,
That’s fantastic, so glad the whole family enjoyed them. Happy digging!
Hi i was wondering how long can the powdered mix store for? Also i tried this recipe today after dehydrating potatoes and man i am so glad to have a homemade one! Way healthier and cheaper than the store bought for sure!
Hi Tiffany,
Glad you found the recipe and are enjoying it!
I wouldn’t keep the powdered mix for more than a year. It would likely be safe longer than that, but it will lose flavor and become stale.
Thank you! I doubt it’ll sit longer than a month or two so i just wanted to make sure it’d be safe that long.
You bet.
Do you recommend hot water or room temperature water?
Hi Terri,
I’ve only ever tried it with room temperature water – straight from the tap.
I don’t see where to use the flour in the recipe. Can I just use corn starch and leave the flour out?
Hi Nancy
Oops, I missed flour in the dry ingredients that you mix together – mix it in at the same time as the milk powder and corn starch. I have fixed the recipe thanks to your comment.
I have not tried using just corn starch. Just cornstarch will leave the sauce more clear and shiny. The flour creates a whiter, denser looking sauce. Usually for casseroles flour is recommended to keep the thickness of the sauce throughout the cooking time, cornstarch may break down after too much cooking. Before you give it as a gift or make several batches, try it out at home.
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Wow! My hubby loves the “boxed” scallop potatoes. Just made this with some potatoes I dehydrated last week. Hubby kept asking what “brand’ did I use. He loved them!! Said I needed to keep buying that brand. LOL! I think this is a keeper!
Fantastic! Love to hear that, thanks for coming back to share your results. He doesn’t need to know EVERYTHING!
I’m assembling recipes to use with my food I store. This is a great recipe! Thank you for posting it. I haven’t made my own dehydrated potatoes, but have some I bought and want to try using them.
Glad you found what you were looking for. Hope you enjoy them!
It would be nice if you would tell us how to dehydrate the potatoes – I have a dehydrator but how thick do you slice them, how long do you let them dehydrate?
Hi Robyn,
I reference my recipe for dehydrated potato slices in the blog post where you found the recipe, I’ve now also included a link in the recipe itself. Here it is just in case http://www.gettystewart.com/dehydrating-potatoes/. Good luck and enjoy!
Hi instructions should be in your dehydrators manual… There are several ways to do them… I like to bake them first slice them about 1/4 in thick and then dehydrate them.. But everyone or lots of people have their own preference.. If you are a pintrest person just search it and you will find many methods… Hope this helps !!!
Thanks for sharing your tips, Pat.
Whether you bake ’em like Pat or boil ’em like I do – you MUST process your potatoes in some way before dehydrating. They will turn black otherwise. Here’s the blanching method I use. http://www.gettystewart.com/dehydrating-potatoes/
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If you store the powder and potatoes together in the mason jar, how do you assemble the casserole when you want to cook it later? Do you carefully remove the potatoes, trying to keep the powder inside so you can add the water to mix it up without the lumps? Can you dump the contents of the jar into the casserole, add the water and kinda mix it up and still have it come out correctly?
Great question, Kristen. Because the cornstarch is mixed with the skim milk powder, clumping isn’t too much of an issue when you dump everything together. It is a bit tricky to stir, but it still turns out fine. Other options include packing the powder mix separately in a sealed baggy or removing the potato slices from the jar so you can mix the powder with liquid first. Good luck.
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Thank you for the great instructions and recipe on how to use my dehydrated potatoes. We had a bumper crop this year.
Hi Debbie,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Great to hear you had a bumper crop and that this article was helpful. Enjoy them spuds!