This creamy French Onion Potato Bake is an easy, cheesy side dish made with just 5 ingredients. A comfort food classic perfect for dinner or entertaining.
Last updated: March 2026
If you’re after a no-fuss, ridiculously delicious side dish, this French Onion Potato Bake is the one. It’s made with just a handful of ingredients (including a cheeky soup packet shortcut), but tastes like something you’d happily eat on repeat all winter.
Thinly sliced potatoes, rich creamy sauce, and golden melted cheese on top? Yes please. This is the kind of dish that goes with everything – roasts, sausages, BBQs, or honestly just a fork and a comfy couch.
💛 Why you will love this potato bake
A guaranteed crowd-pleaser – who doesn’t love cheesy potatoes?
Only 4 ingredients – no long shopping list required
Big flavour, little effort – thanks to the French onion soup packet hack
Perfect for gatherings or weeknight dinners
Customisable – add garlic, herbs, bacon, or caramelised onions if you like
Freezer and make-ahead friendly – ideal for prepping ahead
How to make this easy potato bake
- Preheat your oven
Set your oven to 170ºC (fan-forced).
- Slice your potatoes
Using a mandolin (or a sharp knife), slice potatoes into thin rounds. A mandolin will give you even slices and save loads of time – worth the investment if you don’t have one!
Layer the potato slices neatly in a baking dish.
- Mix the creamy sauce
In a bowl, combine:
600ml thickened cream
1 packet of French Onion Soup mix
Stir until fully combined, then pour over the layered potatoes.
- Bake (part 1)
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1.5 hours, or until the potatoes are tender and cooked through.
- Add the cheese and finish baking
Remove the foil, sprinkle 1–1½ cups of grated cheese over the top, and return to the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
And eat! We love this at a BBQ, or even with a roast. It’s always a crowd pleaser, so when we’re having people over – this is the dish we always bring out.
The Best Potato Bake
Ingredients
2kg potatoes, peeled
600ml cream
1 x 40g packet of French Onion Soup Mix
250g tasty cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170ºC
- Using a mandolin (or a knife if you don’t own one, but seriously consider getting on – game changer!), slice the potatoes thinly, and layer them into a baking dish.
- In a bowl, combine the cream and French Onion Soup mix. Stir to combine.
- Pour over the potatoes, and cover with foil. Place into the oven and bake for 1.5 hours, or until the potatoes are tender and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven, take the foil off, and cover with the grated cheese. Place bake into the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and gently bubbling.
- Serve immediately.
Potato bake FAQs
For a creamy potato bake, floury potatoes work best because they soften beautifully and absorb the sauce. In Australia, brushed potatoes or Sebago potatoes are great options.
No. As long as the potatoes are sliced thinly and evenly, they’ll cook perfectly in the oven without pre-cooking. This is why slicing evenly (a mandolin helps here) makes such a difference.
No, but it does make slicing faster and more even. If you make potato bake often, it’s worth it.
Aim for slices around 2–3mm thick. Too thick and they’ll take longer to cook; too thin and they can turn mushy.
I use a medium ceramic baking dish. You want something deep enough for layers but not so big that it dries out, or doesn’t cook properly.
Yes. You can assemble it a few hours ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Let it come closer to room temperature before baking, or add an extra 5–10 minutes to the cooking time.
Potato bake is best fresh, but leftovers can be frozen. Just note that the texture may change slightly once reheated, becoming a little softer.
Want more deliciously easy recipes? Browse through hundreds of my tried and tested recipes, or take a look at my free recipe eBook filled with budget-friendly dinner ideas. You can also keep up-to-date by following along on Instagram or Facebook.
