These Muffin Tin Potato Stacks are the ultimate potato side dish. They are like individual potato gratins that are golden, buttery, and packed with lots of flavor. And they are really easy to make!
Baking them in a muffin pan creates those crispy, golden edges everyone fights over! Thinly sliced potatoes are layered with gruyere cheese, butter, and fresh herbs, then baked until golden.
These cheesy muffin tin potato stacks look like something you’d order at a fancy restaurant, but they come together quickly with just a few simple ingredients at home. They are really fun to make and serve!
Each bite has great contrast: crisp golden brown edges, a soft center, and gooey melted cheese holding everything together. I love these baked muffin tin potato stacks just as much as my Loaded Baked Potato Skins.
These muffin tin potato stacks pair well with a variety of mains, especially my Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, and fit right in alongside sides like my Cauliflower Gratin!
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Why I Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients. For these muffin tin potato stacks, you need just a few ingredients and minimal prep.
- Texture and flavor are on point! Crispy edges, plus a tender and cheesy center.
- Versatile. Swap the cheese, or serve with any main dish you like. These potato stacks go well with almost everything!
Ingredient Notes
Here are a few ingredient notes from recipe testing that I hope you find helpful!
- Russet potatoes: I use Russet potatoes since they get tender quicker and tend to be softer. I recommend buying medium size potatoes, so they fit into the muffin tin, otherwise you’ll need to trim the edges. Yukon Gold and Idaho potatoes are also great options, but may need to increase the bake time.
- Gruyere cheese: Freshly shredded so it melts better. It is savory, so tasty, and melts really well. You can also use other similar cheeses like white cheddar, mozzarella, fontina, gouda, or your favorite kind.
- Unsalted butter: The melted butter adds richness and helps the potatoes crisp up perfectly.
- Fresh rosemary: Fresh herb that pairs well with butter and Gruyere cheese. Thyme or sage are other great options.
- Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, feel free to add other spices, such as paprika.
As always, the full list and quantities for these muffin tin potato stacks are listed in the recipe card below!
How to Make Muffin Tin Potato Stacks
Step 1: Thinly sliced potatoes. Preheat oven to 375ºF and lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with melted butter. Peel the potatoes and trim the rounded sides so they fit nicely in the muffin tin. Then, slice them thinly using a mandoline.
Step 2: Season potatoes. Toss sliced potatoes with the melted butter, garlic powder, chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper. Carefully separate the slices so every single one gets coated in that garlicky butter.
Step 3: Assemble. Layer the potato slices in the muffin pan until halfway full, then sprinkle with shredded cheese on top.
Step 4: Stack them high. Top with the remaining slices until they are stacked about ½ inch above the rim. They will shrink when baked. Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes, until almost tender when pierced with a knife.
Step 5: Top with cheese. Uncover, top with more cheese on each, and return to the oven for another 13-15 minutes until the cheese is melted, the edges are golden brown, and the center is tender.
Step 6: Release from the pan. Let cool slightly, then run a knife around the edges to release the potato stacks from the muffin pan. Serve while they are still warm and cheesy!
Tips for Success
- Grease the muffin pan. Lightly greasing the tin will ensure the potatoes don’t stick when baking in the oven.
- Slice the potatoes thinly with a mandolin slicer so they cool evenly and faster, about ⅛ inch thin. A mandolin will make things faster, but if you don’t have one, a sharp knife works too.
- Use medium size potatoes, all the same size so they fit into the muffin pan well.
- Freshly grate the cheese. Freshly grated always always melts better!
- Stack potatoes above the rim. You want to stack about ½ inch or so above the rim since they will shrink a little in the oven.
- Bake covered then uncovered. The potato stacks need to be covered with foil so cook all the way through in the center, then again uncovered until they get nicely golden and crispy.
Make Ahead Tips
Slice potatoes in advance: Peel, trim, and slice the potatoes up to 1 day in advance. In a container, submerge them in cold water and cover until ready to use the next day. Once ready, pat try very thoroughly and assemble as directed.
Assemble ahead, bake later: Assemble the potato stacks up to 1 day in advance, the coating of oil should prevent them from oxidizing, although they may brown a little when stored. When ready, bake as directed. You might need to add an additional 10 minutes to the covered baking time.
Bake ahead: Bake as directed, then reheat in the oven at 350ºF, covered until warmed through again.
Recipe FAQs
For this recipe, a metal muffin pan is needed so the edges get crispy and they are shaped properly.
About ⅛ inch thin. This is thin enough to layer but thick enough to hold shape well. Make sure they are sliced to about the same size for even cooking.
This can happen if the slices are too thick or if they weren’t stacked tightly enough.
After baking uncovered, a knife should pierce through the center easily.
More Potato Side Dishes
Pairing and Serving Ideas
These crispy and cheesy muffin tin potato stacks pair really well with anything! These are my favorites:
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Muffin Tin Potato Stacks
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin pan
Ingredients
- 3 medium russet potatoes
- 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary - or any fresh herbs
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- 1 ½ cups freshly shredded Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with melted butter, and set aside.
- Prep potatoes: Peel the potatoes and trim the sides as needed so they fit in the muffin pan. Then, slice thinly using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife, about ⅛ inch thin.
- Toss: Transfer the sliced potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, chopped rosemary, salt and pepper. Using your hands, toss to coat the sliced potatoes evenly without breaking them.
- Assemble: Layer the potato slices until halfway full, then sprinkle with cheese on top. Top with the remaining potato slices until they are a bit taller than the muffin pan, about half inch above the rim (they will shrink in the oven).
- Bake: Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30-35 minutes until almost tender. Uncover, sprinkle more shredded cheese on each, and return to the oven for another 13-15 minutes until melted and edges are golden brown, and the center is tender.
- Release and serve. Let cool slightly, then run a knife around the edges to release them from the pan. Enjoy!
Notes
- Potatoes: Medium russet potatoes fit best in a standard muffin tin. If too large, trim the rounded edges so the slices sit flat and stack evenly.
- Slice evenly and thin: Use a mandoline slicer to cut even thin slices quickly (⅛ thin). If you don’t have one, a sharp knife works too.
Separate slices before stacking: After tossing with butter and seasoning, gently separate the slices so each each gets coated in the seasoning. - It’s important to bake covered first, then uncovered so the center cooks all the way through.
- Stack above the rim: Build each stack about ½ inch taller than the muffin tin. The potatoes will shrink as they bake, settling perfectly into the cup.
- Let them rest briefly before releasing: Cooling for 5 minutes before removing helps the stacks firm up so they release cleanly from the pan. Run a small knife around the edges of each stack before lifting them out to keep the layers intact.
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold or Idaho potatoes
- Cheese: Parmesan, Sharp cheddar, Fontina, Gouda, Mozzarella
- Seasonings: Thyme, parsley, paprika, dill
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