Creamy, savory, and loaded with melted cheese, this cheesy potato casserole is the ultimate comfort food! Easy to make and guaranteed to please, it’s the perfect make-ahead side dish to bring to potlucks or holiday dinners.
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Why We Love This Cheesy Potato Casserole Recipe
The title of this recipe checks three of my favorite boxes – cheesy, potato, and casserole. What more could you ask for in a side dish? Whether you whip this up as a holiday side dish or serve it as a cheesy breakfast with a side of bacon and eggs, you’ll love digging into cheesy hash brown potatoes topped with crunchy cornflakes. Here’s why I make it all year round:
- So Easy: This recipe only has 15 minutes of prep time – the rest is hands off while it bakes in the oven. This is a great dish to make when you have other dishes to make for brunch, of if you just want to enjoy a nice cup of coffee by yourself.
- Great For Breakfast or Dinner: Cheesy potato casserole is great any time of day and pairs with just about anything. Who doesn’t love cheesy hashbrowns!? We usually make it for breakfast or brunch and enjoy leftovers as a side with dinner. It’s pretty awesome with a juicy steak or tender piece of chicken!
- Budget Friendly: Too often, recipes include really expensive or hard to find ingredients. That’s not the case here! In fact, you can probably shop from your pantry and freezer without needing to go to the store at all.
If you love casseroles as much as we do, be sure to check out our recipe for sweet potato casserole (you’ll love those marshmallows!) and creamy brussels sprouts bake. If you’re craving some meat with your potatoes, you’ll be a huge fan of our loaded potato and meatloaf casserole!
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this recipe for funeral potatoes. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Onion: I really like sweet yellow onion for this dish, but you can use a white onion or shallots as well.
- Sour Cream: You can use regular or low-fat. Just not that low-fat sour cream may not be as thick and creamy as you’d like.
- Cream of Chicken Soup: This mostly just helps with the creamy consistency of the dish.
- Frozen Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes: The star of the show! While you can always shred your own potatoes, I find that buying the frozen bag saves a ton of time and you can’t taste the difference.
- Cheese: Shredded sharp cheddar is awesome in this cheesy potato casserole! Try to freshly grate it off the block if possible for the very best flavor and texture.
- Toppings: This are optional, but they make a big difference in the overall taste and presentation. Grab some corn flakes or Ritz crackers and butter.
How to Make Cheesy Potato Casserole
Making this cheesy potato casserole recipe is no sweat at all. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a casserole dish.
- Sauté Onions: Melt some butter in a large skillet and cook your onion until it turns translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until it smells amazing. Remove from the heat.
- Mix: Mix together all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir until it’s nicely blended. Fold in the cooked onions and pour into the baking dish.
- Topping: Crunch up your Ritz crackers into a bowl with melted butter. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Bake: Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until bubbly and the top is browned. Serve hot!
Chef’s Tips & Variations
- How to Use Fresh Potatoes: If you use fresh potatoes, you’ll want to peel them, cut them into cubes, and parboil them before proceeding with the recipe. This definitely takes a lot more time than using frozen hash browns, but it can be fun if you have the time!
- Make It Ahead: If you hold off on adding the topping, you can refrigerate the uncooked casserole and then bake it with the topping when you’re ready to eat.
- Add Some Meat: This cheesy potato casserole can easily be served as a main course if you add in some ham, bacon, or chicken. Mix it in with the rest of the casserole ingredients and then make as directed.
- Add Some Veggies: Casseroles are a great way to sneak in some veggies for those picky eaters at home. Since it’s filled with so many cheesy potatoes, they probably won’t even notice them at all! Our favorites to add are small broccoli florets, spinach, and frozen peas.
- Crushed Chips vs. Crackers: If you’re not a fan of Ritz crackers (or just don’t have any), you can crumble up some crushed chips on top (like Lays) instead. Crushed corn flakes are also a great option.
What to Serve With Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Breakfast: I love pairing this with some breakfast enchiladas and a nice portion of oven baked bacon. Some baked goods would also be pretty great to have on hand to munch on! Some of our favorites are banana muffins, cinnamon sugar donuts, and french toast sticks!
- Casseroles: Whether you’re headed to a potluck, bbq, or holiday dinner, you might want some more casseroles to serve beside this one. Check out more of my favorites like million dollar mac and cheese casserole, the best green bean casserole, and creamy baked brussel sprouts.
- Mains: This cheesy hash brown casserole also plates perfectly next to weeknight entrees like garlic parmesan chicken, Cracker Barrel meatloaf, and air fryer salmon.
Storing, Reheating & Freezing
- Refrigerate: Let your leftovers totally cool to room temp before covering and refrigerating for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Pop your leftovers in the oven at 350°F until warmed through. You can microwave instead, but the cornflakes won’t stay crunchy.
- Freeze: Once it’s totally cooled off, you can wrap the casserole dish first in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Let it defrost in the fridge for a few hours prior to reheating.
Yield: 6 servings
Cheesy Potato Casserole
Easy to make and guaranteed to please, this cheesy potato casserole recipe is the perfect make-ahead side dish for potlucks, BBQs or holidays!
Ingredients
For the Casserole:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 16 oz sour cream
- 1 (10 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 (30 oz) bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, partially thawed
- 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
For the Topping:
- 3 cups cornflakes, or crushed ritz crackers
- ½ cup butter, melted
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish, set aside.
- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients: sour cream, cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup melted butter, black pepper, shredded hash brown potatoes and shredded cheddar cheese; stir until well blended. Fold in the cooked onion mixture and pour into prepared baking dish.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the cornflakes and melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until bubbly and the top is browned. Serve hot!
Notes
Store: Let the casserole cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Reheat: Simply microwave individual portions or cover and warm the whole dish in the oven at 350°F until heated through.
Freeze: Wrap the unbaked casserole tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed.
Make Ahead: If you’d like to make this casserole ahead of time, you can assemble it a day before, but do not add the cornflake topping. Instead, cover it tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. When ready to cook, set casserole at room temperature for 30 minutes. Top with the butter and cornflake topping and bake as directed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1, Calories: 368kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 589mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g
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