This Hashbrown Casserole Recipe is the perfect complement to many dinner dishes, and is a MUST HAVE for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!

Hashbrown Casserole

When my family eats dinner at Cracker Barrel, a favorite side dish to order is Hashbrown Casserole, sometimes referred to as Funeral Potatoes Casserole.

I have seen a few variations around, but none that everyone in my family loved as much as the restaurant version.

Finally, after a few rounds of trial and error, this is the result that works best for us, and is what we refer to as Copycat Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole at our house.

Best of all, everyone says this Hashbrown Casserole Recipe tastes BETTER the 2nd day as leftovers.

One 9×13 size dish is the perfect size for 2 meals for our family (until the boys get a little older!), so I always plan back to back meals that this will work well with.

I’ve also divided this hash browns casserole into 2 8×8 square pans, one to bake & eat right away, another to use as a freezer meal side dish. 

This recipe for hash brown casserole also an excellent choice for potluck dinners, and disposable pans work very well so you don’t have to worry with clean up or keeping track of a dish!

How to Make Hash Brown Casserole:

Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Sauté your onions in a saucepan with a dab of butter, until they are clear.

Next, prepare your hash browns.

You can make Hash Brown Casserole with Fresh Potatoes or you can make Hash Brown Casserole with Frozen Potatoes.

I have found that 1/2 bag of frozen hash browns, un-thawed in the refrigerator the day you are cooking, works best for us.

Some may prefer fresh potatoes.

Should I thaw frozen hash browns before baking?

Technically, yes. Thawed hashbrowns cook better than frozen hashbrowns and allows you to remove excess moisture. That being said, I live in the real world where I forget to thaw things some times. When that happens, I will thaw in the microwave instead of refrigerator. I’ve also had times when I was overwhelmed with all of the holiday cooking and needed to just get the casserole baking so I could move on to the next dish, and used them frozen. You DO have to cook it longer to get them done, but it won’t ruin this recipe. Sometimes if I’m splitting the dish in to two containers and freezing one for later, I’ll unthaw half the hash browns and leave the frozen ones to mix up and put with the ingredients I’m freezing.

When you’re using frozen hashbrowns, you may need to allow a few extra minutes baking time in the oven.

Mix your soup, sour cream, melted butter, salt & pepper, cheese, and sautéed onions in a bowl, add in the hash browns to mix well, then pour into the baking dish.

Feel free to add extra cheese if you want a really cheesy hashbrown casserole!

My husband feels like there can never be too much cheese, especially with this dish.

He prefers to refer to it as Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes, to remind me to add EXTRA CHEESE for him.

Place in the oven and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, crush your Corn Flakes into tiny bits.

I use my clean hands, and it works best in my measuring cup.

Melt your butter on the stove and then pour over the corn flakes, mixing well.

When the hour is up, remove the dish from the oven, pour the cornflake mix on top, spreading the entire pan, and return to the oven for 15 minutes.

Substitutions and variations with Hashbrown Casserole:

• Last Thanksgiving, I completely forgot to buy Cornflakes and didn’t realize it until it was time to add them as the topping. In a pinch, I used a container of French Fried Onions. The family grumbled at first because they DO NOT want me messing with this recipe, but they ate it anyway and in the end they LOVED it with the French Fried Onions and deemed them an acceptable substitution.
• Add a can of Cream of Cheddar Soup for extra cheesy flavor. You could also use Velveeta.
• Want to make this a main dish? Add diced or shredded chicken, Bacon, ham or  browned ground beef to this easy recipe. Stir in your favorite veggies as well, such as Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Peas, Green Beans, Jalapenos, etc.
• When it comes to shredded cheese, the kind you buy pre-shredded absolutely works, BUT, buying a block of cheese and shredding it at home right before you add it tastes the best.

Serve to your family, with your meal of choice.

What to serve with Hashbrown Casserole:

Since this is a side dish, I’ll share some main dish suggestions:

• Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
• Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken
• Oven Baked Ranch Pork Chops
• Easy Oven Baked Tilapia
• Oven Baked Salmon

Can you Freeze Hashbrown Casserole?

Yes! As I mentioned above, I love to use this as a freezer side dish.

You can freeze the hashbrown casserole, either before baking it or after it has been baked and cooled. I prefer to freezer it before, but either way works. Be sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. LABEL CLEARLY with the contents and date. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking or reheating in the oven.

For us, this is a MUST HAVE for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and all other major holidays or family gatherings.

They would mutiny if I ever failed to make it 🙂

This pairs perfectly with Sprite Rolls!

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Yield: 12

Hashbrown Casserole

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Hashbrowns Shredded Potatoes
• 1 Stick Butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 can Cream of Chicken
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups crushed corn flakes - add an additional 3 tbsp butter

Instructions

Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Saute your onions in a pan with a dab of butter, until they are clear.

Prepare your hashbrowns. I have found that 1/2 bag of frozen hashbrowns, un-thawed in the refrigerator the day you are cooking, works best for us. Some may prefer fresh potatoes.

Mix your soup, sour cream, melted butter, salt & pepper, cheese, and sauteed onions in a bowl, add in the hash browns to mix well, then pour into the baking dish.

Place in the oven and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Crush your Corn Flakes into tiny bits.

Melt your butter on the stove and then pour over the corn flakes, mixing well.

When the hour is up, remove the dish from the oven, pour the cornflake mix on top, spreading the entire pan, and return to the oven for 15 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 428Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 1009mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below & if you recreate this recipe, be sure to share a photo on Instagram. Tag me @when.is.dinner and hashtag #whenisdinner!

Can you make Hashbrown Casserole in the Crock Pot or Slow Cooker? 

Yes!

• Assemble as instructed above in the recipe, up to the point of baking
• Place in a lightly greased Crock Pot OR use a crockpot liner
• Heat on low for 4-5 hours or high for 3+1/2. 
• Top with buttered cornflakes and let it cook 1 additional hour, then serve.

These are a few of the items I find useful in my own kitchen when preparing this Hashbrown Casserole Recipe:

Pyrex Basics 3 Quart Glass Oblong Baking Dish with Red Plastic Lid -13.2 INCH x 8.9inch x 2 inchOXO Good Grips Box GraterPyrex 4-Piece Glass Measuring Cup SetHash Browns: An Easy Hash Brown Cookbook with Delicious to Enjoy Hash Browns (2nd Edition)Fun Fall FoodsHash Brown Potato Casserole Recipes (Family Casserole Recipes Book 37)

Don’t miss these additional delicious Side Dish Recipes here at When Is Dinner:

• Roasted Green Beans
• Fried Okra
• Loaded Cream Cheese Corn
• Instant Pot Baked Beans
• Deviled Eggs