holiday side dish

There are side dishes that fill a role. And then there are side dishes like this Vegan Potato Bake — the kind that comes out of the oven bubbling at the edges, golden and crisp on top, with layers of thinly sliced potato so tender they offer no resistance to a spoon, all bound together in a creamy, garlicky cashew sauce that is so rich, so deeply savory, and so perfectly seasoned that it is genuinely difficult to stop eating it even after the plate has been cleared. This is that dish. The one that steals the show at every dinner table it appears on. The one that non-vegans request again before the meal is over. The one that proves, definitively, that the absence of dairy is no barrier whatsoever to a potato bake that is every bit as indulgent, as satisfying, and as impossibly creamy as any version made with heavy cream and gruyère.

This vegan potato bake is built on a foundation of thinly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes layered in a baking dish and bathed in a cashew cream sauce seasoned with garlic, nutritional yeast, white miso, Dijon mustard, and smoked paprika — a combination that delivers the rich, savory, slightly sharp flavor profile of a classic cream and cheese gratin without a single drop of dairy. Fresh thyme, rosemary, and a scatter of shredded vegan cheese on top complete the picture: when the dish comes out of the oven, that cheese is melted and golden, the sauce is bubbling, and the top layer of potato is crisp at the edges with a golden, deeply satisfying crust.

What makes this recipe so outstanding is the cashew cream — soaked, blended with vegetable broth and seasonings into a sauce that is as rich and coating as heavy cream but with an additional, subtle nuttiness that pairs beautifully with potato and gives the dish a depth that straight cream alone cannot always match.

This recipe is 100% vegan, naturally dairy-free and egg-free, ready in 70 minutes including baking time, and the kind of dish that belongs at every Sunday dinner, holiday table, and weeknight that deserves something genuinely special.

Recipe Information

Ingredients

For the Potatoes

• 1.2kg (about 2.6 lbs) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced (2–3mm)
• 1 medium yellow onion, very thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• Fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs

For the Cashew Cream Sauce

• 150g (1 cup) raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and drained
• 480ml (2 cups) vegetable broth
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp turmeric (for golden color)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

For the Top

• 100g (1 cup) vegan mozzarella or cheddar, shredded
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Extra smoked paprika
• Fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9×13 inch (23x33cm) baking dish generously with vegan butter or olive oil.
2. Make the cashew cream sauce. Drain the soaked cashews and add to a high-speed blender with the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, miso paste, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Blend for 60–90 seconds until completely smooth and silky. Taste and adjust seasoning — the sauce should be well-seasoned and deeply savory, as the potato layers are unseasoned.
3. Layer the potatoes. Arrange one-third of the sliced potatoes in overlapping layers across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Scatter over half the sliced onion and garlic. Pour over one-third of the cashew cream sauce. Repeat with another third of the potatoes, the remaining onion and garlic, and another third of the sauce. Finish with the final layer of potatoes, arranged as neatly as possible, and pour the remaining sauce over the top — it should just reach the top layer of potato.
4. Add herbs and cover. Lay fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs across the top. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
5. Bake covered. Bake covered at 375°F (190°C) for 35 minutes until the potatoes are beginning to soften — a knife inserted should meet some resistance but go through the top half easily.
6. Add cheese and finish uncovered. Remove the foil. Scatter the shredded vegan cheese evenly over the top. Drizzle with olive oil and dust with extra smoked paprika. Return to the oven uncovered for 15–18 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden, the sauce is bubbling at the edges, and the top layer of potato is golden and slightly crisp.
7. Rest before serving. Allow the potato bake to rest for 10 minutes before serving — this allows the sauce to thicken slightly and the layers to hold together when spooned out.

Pro Tips

• Slice the potatoes very thin and evenly. A mandoline slicer set to 2–3mm is ideal — evenly thin slices cook through uniformly, while unevenly thick slices result in some layers that are overdone and others that are underdone.
• Season the sauce generously. The potato layers themselves are not seasoned — all the salt and flavor comes from the sauce, so it needs to be well-seasoned. Taste before layering and adjust.
• Cover for most of the baking time. Covering the dish creates a steam environment that cooks the potato layers through gently and evenly before the final uncovered phase develops the golden, cheesy top.
• Rest before serving. The sauce thickens as the dish cools slightly — serving immediately produces a runny result. Ten minutes of resting makes each serving hold its shape and the sauce coat the potatoes properly.
• Use Yukon Gold potatoes. Their naturally buttery, slightly creamy texture and moderate starch content make them ideal for a gratin-style bake — they hold their shape through cooking while becoming completely tender inside.

The Art of a Perfect Potato Gratin

The potato bake — known in France as gratin dauphinois — is one of the great dishes of European comfort cooking, and its principles translate beautifully to plant-based cooking. The essential elements are three: potatoes sliced thin enough to cook through in a reasonable oven time, a sauce rich enough in fat and flavor to coat every surface and infuse the layers as they bake, and enough time in the oven covered before the final uncovered phase so the interior is completely tender before the top begins to brown. The cashew cream used here behaves remarkably like heavy cream in this context — it coats the potato slices, absorbs their starch as it bakes, and gradually thickens through the combined effect of evaporation and starch release into something that is simultaneously a sauce and a binder, holding the layers together into a cohesive, sliceable dish. The nutritional yeast and miso provide the savory, cheese-like depth that dairy cream and gruyère would in the original, while the mustard and smoked paprika give the sauce the slight sharpness and complexity that prevents it from being simply rich without being interesting.

Flavor Variations

• Vegan Potato Bake with Leek: Replace the sliced onion with thinly sliced leek for a sweeter, more delicate allium flavor that pairs beautifully with the cashew cream.
• Herb-Crusted Potato Bake: Combine panko breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, dried herbs, and olive oil and scatter over the cheese in the final uncovered phase for an extra-crispy, golden crust.
• Sweet Potato and Regular Potato Bake: Alternate layers of sweet potato and Yukon Gold for a sweeter, more nutritionally complex version with beautiful color contrast.

Nutritional Highlights (Per Serving)

Storage

• Refrigerator: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The dish firms up as it cools and can be sliced cleanly when cold — reheat individual portions in the microwave or the whole dish covered in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes.
• Freezer: Freeze individual portions wrapped tightly for up to 2 months. The texture changes slightly on thawing — the potatoes become softer — but the flavor is unaffected. Reheat from frozen in the oven covered with foil.
• Make ahead: Assemble the entire dish the night before and refrigerate unbaked. Add 10–15 minutes to the covered baking time when cooking from cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different type of potato?

Yukon Gold is strongly recommended for its buttery texture. Russet potatoes can be used but absorb more liquid and can become slightly dry in the center layers. Waxy potatoes such as red-skinned varieties hold their shape very well but can take longer to become fully tender.

My sauce is not thick enough. What went wrong?

Blend the cashews for longer — a full 90 seconds in a high-speed blender is required for a truly smooth, thick sauce. Also ensure you are using raw cashews, not roasted, and that they were soaked for the full 30 minutes.

Can I make this without a high-speed blender?

Yes — soak the cashews for 2 hours in hot water for maximum softness, then blend in a regular blender for 2–3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides. The sauce may be slightly less silky but will still be very good.

Can I add more vegetables?

Yes — thinly sliced mushrooms, blanched and squeezed spinach, or finely diced bell pepper can all be scattered between layers for extra nutrition and flavor.

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below and let us know how it turned out! Tag us on Instagram and Facebook — we love seeing your plant-powered creations. Looking for more comforting vegan side dish and dinner recipes? Browse all recipes on Easy Vegan Recipes — new recipes posted every single week!