Last Updated on December 1, 2023

This Vegan Parmesan Pommes Anna Skillet Potatoes is a crispy on the outside, soft on the inside potato side dish of beautifully layered sliced potatoes seasoned with vegan butter and my homemade vegan parmesan cheese. Despite how fancy this French potato dish is, it’s rather easy to make and even more fun to eat!

Pommes Anna, a classic French side dish, is made with just potatoes, butter, and salt. In this version we’re adding vegan parmesan cheese. This classy side dish layers potato slices in overlapping spirals, creating beautiful, floral-esque layers. The outside gets golden-brown and crispy and is great served alongside any meal 👌🏻.

The Ingredients

The foundation of this recipe only requires 3 ingredients- potatoes, butter, and salt. If you prefer to make it without the vegan parmesan cheese, go for it! But I find my vegan parmesan cheese adds some delicious seasoning to this classic dish, and it doesn’t complicate the recipe.

Skillet Potatoes

Potatoes 🥔. For this recipe you will need 4 large russet potatoes. You may also use gold potatoes, I have made this recipe using both and they were both delicious. If you’re using gold potatoes you will need a lot more because they aren’t as big as russet potatoes.

Butter 🧈. You will need ½ cup melted vegan butter. I like to use Miyoko’s European Style Salted butter block.

Vegan parmesan cheese. You can buy vegan parmesan cheese at the store or you can use my homemade recipe:

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Keep in mind that using the vegan parmesan cheese as a seasoning and not to get melty cheesy potatoes.

How To Make Pommes Anna Potatoes

If making the vegan parmesan cheese at home, do that first. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until fine. Set ¼ cup aside for the recipe.

Peel and slice the potatoes. Slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch thick rounds with a mandoline or with a sharp knife. Divide the slices into 4 equal piles.

Melt the butter in the microwave, for about 30 seconds. Brush the bottom and sides of your oven-safe nonstick 10” fry pan with the butter.

Starting in the center and overlapping the slices by about half, arrange one pile of the slices in a spiral pattern, starting with the smaller slices in the center and larger slices around the edges, making sure the bottom of the pan is completely and evenly covered. Brush generously with melted butter and sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese.

Build the second layer, this time starting on the outside into the center again using the larger slices around the edge. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with more parmesan.

Repeat the layering two more times, buttering and seasoning in between each layer. You should end the final layer of potatoes working from the outside in and ending with the last slice in the middle. Slowly and evenly pour all the remaining butter over the top layer and season with the remaining vegan parmesan cheese.

Place foil down onto the potatoes, then weigh down the potatoes by topping it with another oven skillet or pie plate. Fill the fry pan or pie plate with pie weights and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the weights and foil then bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes, or until the potatoes on top start to turn golden brown. 

Allow the skillet to cool slightly, for about 5 minutes, then place a cutting board or a large plate over the fry pan. Using oven mitts, grasp both the board/plate and the pan, flip over and remove the pan. The potatoes should just fall right out of the pan, but if they don’t easily come out, run a knife around the edges to loosen it.

Garnish with fresh thyme if desired and cut the potato cake into wedges and serve immediately.

Tips

Although this recipe is generally foolproof, there are a few reasons why it might not turn out. Here are my tips for making this Vegan Parmesan Pommes Anna Skillet Potatoes a success!

Slice the potatoes in all the same size and not too thick! In order for the potatoes to layer correctly and sick to each other into a cake shape, the slices need to be uniform and thin- 1/8 inches. That is why I recommend using a mandolin (and it’s quicker, but be careful not to slice your fingers! 😣)

If the slices are falling apart as you’re slicing, you probably didn’t slice the potatoes thin enough so then they didn’t “stick to each other” while cooking. No worries, it’s still delicious! Compressing the potatoes should help them stick together.

Add extra salt. Adding a little extra salt in between each layer of potatoes helps to draw out the water, which can help keep this Pommes Anna together.

Be sure to use a nonstick skillet! Although we are brushing the bottom and sides with butter, it’s best to use a nonstick skillet. If you don’t have one, brush the bottoms and sides with EXTRA butter. If the potatoes aren’t coming out of the skillet when you invert the pan, try running a knife around the edges to loosen it and then try again.

If slicing fails, just scoop and serve with a spoon as you would scalloped or au gratin potatoes! They are still scrumptious!

Pommes Anna potatoes is best served right away to enjoy that golden, crispy deliciousness, so plan on making this side dish right before serving. They do reheat well, but won’t be crispy unless baked to warm them up.

Let me know what you think about this classy potato side dish recipe down below in the comments section, as well as giving it a five rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover this Vegan Parmesan Pommes Anna Skillet Potatoes. Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you make it!