Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole is a classic holiday and potluck side that is cheesy, creamy, and easy to make! This casserole is filled with cheese, sour cream, hash brown potatoes and a tasty cornflake topping!
Hashbrown Casserole:
Hashbrown casserole is a side dish that has become a true favorite for any holiday or potluck gathering. It is a dish that is super popular in the midwest and something that most of us here grew up eating!
This casserole is great because it makes a huge 9x13 inch pan of cheesy potatoes. Big enough for anywhere from 10-20 people, depending on serving size. If your gathering will be more than 20 people, I'd recommend doubling the recipe.
We typically have this cheesy hashbrown casserole every single year for Easter. It goes great with ham, or whatever type of protein you decide to serve!
While we usually reserve this dish for special gatherings, it can also be a great main dish as well! You can simply add in cubed ham, cooked ground beef, chicken, or turkey, to make it a complete meal.
How to Make Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole:
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole is incredibly easy to make! It only takes about 5-10 minutes of simple prep time to mix together your ingredients.
One thing that I think is important for this recipe is the type of soups that you use. I always use one can of cream of chicken soup, plus one can of condensed cheddar cheese soup. That combination along with the sour cream makes a great creamy base for this potato casserole!
Seasonings are also important to me. I like to use a combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. A little salt goes a long way in this dish because of all of the cheese.
Don't skip the melted butter! It adds extra flavor and richness to this potato dish.
Once you have your ingredients together it is easiest to mix up your soups, sour cream, butter, milk, and seasonings first. Next, stir in the cheese, then the frozen hashbrowns. Doing things in this order will make sure that your sauce is evenly distributed while baking.
Right before this goes in the oven, you can crush up about 2 cups of corn flakes and use a fork to mix them with them with your remaining melted butter. I simply use my hands or a fork to slightly break up the corn flakes. If you want finer pieces, you can run them through your food processor first.
Freezing Hashbrown Casserole:
If you would like to make this casserole ahead of time, here are a few tips!
This casserole can be mixed up entirely without the cornflake topping, covered, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before serving.
If you would like to make this and freeze it there are a few things to keep in mind. Because hashbrown casserole contains sour cream, it will have the best texture if you bake as directed, then freeze. If you use this method, simply bake the casserole and allow it to cool completely. Then, wrap the dish in a good layer or two of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.
If you do not want to bake the casserole before freezing, that is fine too. Keep in mind that the sour cream can separate when freezing, so the texture may be a little bit different. You can simply assemble the casserole as directed in the recipe. Cover in foil, and freeze for up to two months. When you are ready to bake, allow the casserole to thaw in the refrigerator completely. Then, bake as directed.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 2 Pound Package Frozen Shredded Hashbrowns
- 1 Can Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
- 1 Can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
- ¼ Cup Milk
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Stick Butter, Melted
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Teaspon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 3 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Cups Crushed Cornflakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the soup, milk, sour cream, HALF of the melted butter, and seasonings with a whisk until well combined.
- Add the hash browns and cheese, stir until ingredients are mixed well.
- Pour hash brown mixture into prepared pan.
- In a small bowl use a fork to mix together the crushed cornflakes and the other half of the melted butter. Sprinkle mixture on top of the casserole.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
My son begs me to make these all the time if it were up to him we would live on these! Great recipe
Any suggestions for a substitute for the cheddar cheese soup? All my grocery stores are out!
I use a 32 oz. bag of diced hash browns and a small onion, chopped. I don't use any garlic or cheese soup. I only use the cream of chicken. I've made it for years. It is so good even reheated. 375°for an hour
I love this recipe...make it every Thanksgiving brunch. I want to do a brunch board and want to individualize them. Do you think I could do them in a muffin form? Maybe with paper cups?
I’m famous for these at every family get together! Thanks for letting me steal <3
Made 30 batches of these for a Chicken Dinner for church. Left out the onions to make them quicker, (and I can't cut onions without crying and my eyes swelling), and left the corn flakes off. I simply topped them with extra cheese. We had so many compliments!! Thank you for posting a wonderful recipe!!
Best recipe . Instead of corn flakes I use the French fried onions for topping
Best recipe. I used the French fried onions for topping instead of corn flakes. My family don't eat cornflakes
LOVE ALL YOUR RECIPES
Awesome recipe, I was in a hurry one day and needed to take a dish to a party, stopped at my local Dollar General and they were sold out of hash browns. Not wanting to drive to another store, I bought Tator Tots instead. Game Changer! I now use tater tots all the time instead of hash browns with this recipe, about half way through baking, stir and the tator tots fall apart but till maintain some of their crispness, then complete baking process and add the corn flakes in the last 10-15 mins! Give it a try!
Can I use fresh potatoes instead of frozen?
Delicious thank you! I sauteed some onions and added to the mixture and it's 5 thumbs up from my boys so we'll be making this again soon. 😉
If I wanted to make this vegetarian could I replace the cream of chicken with something else?
I'm sure something like a cream of celery or cream of onion would work great!
I always use cream of potato or celery instead and it’s great ?
Use cream of Potato. It turns out great!
Can this be made in a crock pot?
Yes you can! Mix everything together very well (except for the topping) and just dump it into a 6 quart or larger crock pot. I find that 4-5 hours on low is best.
Love this recipe 🙂 I always cook my corn flakes in melted butter until they are brown. And then I add them to the casserole before putting it in the oven. It taste sooooo good.
Great recipe , try using a cup of onion chip dip instead of the sour cream . It really enhances the taste of the casserole.
Yes, I noticed people are omitting the Corn flakes and that really literally taps off this casserole. Sooo good!
In my neck of the woods, we call these “funeral potatoes.” Many people make different versions of this recipe because they feed a crowd and they are good even when they have cooled completely. This is a great recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Hi!
Can you use cubed potatoes instead of shredded? If you use cubed will it need to bake longer?
Yes, cubed is fine and the cooking time will stay the same 🙂
Could I make this without the corn flakes? We don’t usually buy them but I usually have Ritz crackers and bread crumbs.
Yes, you can use ritz or bread crumbs 🙂
I used crushed Wavy potato chips. Nice crunch topping.
My husband makes this. Its always called for at family gatherings. He uses rice krispies instead of corn flakes, just as awesome either way
I’ve made several versions of this over the years but this was the first time adding cream of cheddar soup. It didn’t disappoint. It was delicious!! I also threw in some sausage as requested by the hubs. Yum-o!
I saw in the comments you can do this is in crockpot on low 4-5 hours without the topping? Do you add the topping somehow after or leave it out entirely?