Easy Hashbrown Casserole
Hashbrown casserole is easy, cheesy, takes only minutes to throw together, and is a favorite side dish for holiday dinners from Easter to Christmas, casual weeknight dinners, and potlucks alike. It’s total comfort food!
Ahhhh, hashbrown casserole.
My aunt makes a version slightly different from this, but it always shows up at Easter and Christmas. Not surprisingly, cheesy potatoes go exceptionally well with ham dishes!
Tuck it away for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any other casual gathering when you want to make a big hit, because I guarantee that this will be the first thing to disappear every single time!
What Is Hashbrown Casserole?
Hashbrown casserole is one of the most irresistible side dishes you will ever eat! It's an easy casserole that takes less than 10 minutes to mix together - simply stir together thawed hash browns, melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chopped onion, shredded cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper, pour it into a casserole dish and pop it in the oven!
Some consider this a copycat of the Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole, so if you're a fan of that, you'll love this recipe!
It's also a cousin to the cheesy potato casserole that I made a couple of years ago; many people refer to that particular recipe as "funeral potatoes".
Ingredient Notes
The ingredient list for this family favorite is not very long; here are a few quick notes to make sure you have what you need!
- Frozen Shredded Hashbrowns – The hash browns should be thawed before using so that the dish bakes evenly. You can also use the diced hashbrowns if you’d like. I do not recommend using fresh potatoes, as there would be too much excess moisture.
- Cream of Chicken Soup – You can also substitute cream of mushroom soup.
- Sour Cream – You can substitute full-fat, plain Greek yogurt.
- Cheddar Cheese – The classic pick for this type of casserole and you can use sharp cheddar cheese or mild, but you can also use other cheese varieties, too. Other good options are mozzarella, gouda, Montery Jack, and Colby cheese.
How to Make It
I love how quickly and easily this casserole comes together. The most important (and timely) step is making sure you thaw the frozen hashbrowns ahead of time so they’re ready to go. Once they’re ready, this is all you need to do:
- Stir together all of the ingredients in a large bowl, ensuring everything is evenly combined.
- Spread in a 9×13-inch baking dish and bake at 375 degrees F until it is browned and bubbly. You can sprinkle with some chopped fresh parsley or chives if desired.
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That’s IT! Two steps! Such a wonderfully simple side dish option.
Hash Brown Casserole Variations
This casserole would lend itself to tons of modifications based on personal preferences - add bell peppers, ham, sausage, bacon, ground beef, broccoli… so many options! A couple of different spins you can put on this:
- Turn it into Funeral Potatoes – Simply add a topping of crushed cornflakes or Ritz crackers for extra taste and texture.
- Spice it up – Stir in a 4-ounce can of green chiles to give this casserole a kick and southwest flavor.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing Instructions
- You can assemble this casserole in the baking dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking.
- Once the casserole is baked and cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- You can freeze the hashbrown casserole, either before baking it or after it has been baked and cooled. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking or reheating in the oven.
More Deliciously Cheesy Side Dishes:
- Cheesy Creamed Corn Casserole
- The Creamiest Scalloped Potatoes
- Cheesy Potato Casserole with Corn Flakes Topping
- Sweet Potato Gratin with Gruyere
- And if you are looking for a crockpot hashbrown casserole? I have one! The Slow Cooker Sausage, Hash Brown & Cheddar Breakfast Casserole is a huge favorite, especially for holiday mornings!
Watch How to Make Hashbrown Casserole:
If you make this hashbrown casserole recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating - it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
Hashbrown Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 32 ounces frozen hashbrowns, thawed
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 10.25 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 16 ounces sour cream, full fat
- ½ cup (71 g) finely chopped yellow onion, about 1 small onion
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, stir together all of the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and bake until golden brown and bubbling, 30 to 45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or chives, if desired.
Notes
- Frozen Shredded Hashbrowns - The hash browns should be thawed before using so that the dish bakes evenly. You can also use the diced hashbrowns if you'd like. I do not recommend using fresh potatoes, as there would be too much excess moisture.
- Cream of Chicken Soup - You can also substitute cream of mushroom soup.
- Sour Cream - You can substitute full-fat, plain Greek yogurt.
- Cheddar Cheese - The classic pick for this type of casserole and you can use sharp cheddar cheese or mild, but you can also use other cheese varieties, too. Other good options are mozzarella, gouda, Montery Jack, and Colby cheese.
- Turn it into Funeral Potatoes - Simply add a topping of crushed cornflakes or Ritz crackers for extra taste and texture.
- Spice it up - Stir in a 4-ounce can of green chiles to give this casserole a kick and southwest flavor.
- Make-Ahead – You can assemble this casserole in the baking dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking.
- Storage – Once the casserole is baked and cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- You can freeze the hashbrown casserole, either before baking it or after it has been baked and cooled. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking or reheating in the oven.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Recipe was originally published in March 2018.
Photography by Dee Frances of One Sarcastic Baker.
Thanks for this delicious recipe
I make this every year for Christmas breakfast and there’s never any leftovers. Also, I use cream of celery soup instead of the cream of chicken. So yummy!
At what temp and how long should I reheat this at in the oven?
Awful. No one would eat it not even me. I like all the ingredients. ⁉️To much sour cream. Not enough potatoes.
This recipe was so easy and delicious. I added ham to the recipe to make it a main dish. It was a hit, and I have saved it for future use. I even doubled the recipe and put a dish in the freezer for later.
These were so good! I made it with mozzarella cheese because that’s what I had and I made with cream of mushroom soup because I love shrooms!
I made this recipe last night for a side with meatloaf. It was excellent!!
Creamy, tasty!
I only had a 20 ounce bag of hash browns; followed the recipe exactly with scaled back amounts of all ingredients for 20 ounces versus 32.
I will definitely make it again soon!!
I have made this many many times over the years. Love this so much.
I have used reconstituted dehydrated hash browns as well instead of frozen and I have found that I prefer them over the frozen. We get our dehydrated hash brown potatoes from Sam’s club typically but you can also find them in your grocery store.
Thank you for this tip!!
Made it at thanksgiving and it was a hit . All loved it
Yes, loved the recipe. Best part is that we can froze it save it for months.
Family favourite but instead of onion & sour cream I substituted Helava dip not sure if it available in the US but in Ontario its a fav
My family loves this but first time i made it i was short on sour cream and substituted Heluva Dip ( Canadian dip)and omitted the onions. It was amazing I usually have to double the recipe
Does it have to be frozen hash brown browns or can i use real potatoes
My hash brown potatoes never browned even after cooking 45 min. The taste was delicious but didn’t look like your picture at all.
I love these potatoes. Preferably with corn flakes on top. We call these cheesy potatoes. No idea why anyone would want to eat anything with the name funeral in them. Never have leftovers. Yummy.
Thanks Michelle, will make this dish.
I made these for Thanksgiving and they were delicious!
Can I use mini aluminum loaf pans and freeze before baking?
I have had different versions with tater tots and corn flakes and meats added in. This recipe hit me when I was looking for something easy and able to feed a small army that could be easily doubled with all the family in town for my mom’s funeral. It was delicious. I admit nothing has tasted good since her passing, but this did. My dad ate a HUGE portion and my 15 year old even ate it and liked it. The other guests loved it too. It went well with the chicken finger wraps I made. I did hide a small portion for lunch today. :)
I will be making this version again as it has become my favorite. Thank you.
It looks delicious! You have the best recipes. Thank you so much.
This is so good it’s absurd. I often sub with cream of mushroom to make it vegetarian and it’s just as good.
One shortcut I usually do is to use French onion dip (usually whatever store brand or Bison brand sold at Wegmans) as the sour cream, and then I don’t include chopped onions. I HATE chopping onions and love the flavor of onion dip, so it works really well.
Brilliant adding the dip!
I like to use cream of celery as well. ! ♡love♡ the dip idea as well. I also love a crunchy topping .
So I use 1 sleeve of a Buttery Cracker like
(Townhouse or Ritz) rolled out to be crumbled
Mix with 2 Melted Tbls. of butter
Yum! When do you add the crackers to the top? Bake the whole time?
OMG that looks delicious!!!
I made this for a small get together and it was GONE (I was hoping for leftovers), but everyone liked it a lot! It was very easy to make and very yummy! I highly recommend this recipe for any occasion. I plan on making it again real soon!
Could you put cooked shredded chicken in it , maybe some broccoli . My daughter made it with tator tots but cooked them first then can green chilies and jalapenos .And let me tell you it was so good and no leftovers .
Sounds amazing!!! I think either of those would work!
What can you substitute for chicken broth, if u don’t eat chicken, I would love to make the hashbrown casserole dish
Cream of mushroom
This recipe was awesome!! So easy and yummy! I had accidentally bought a 16oz bag of hash browns so threw in some frozen (thawed!) chopped broccoli in, too. I will always put that in now!
Thank you so much for sharing ! Blessings from Iowa
Recipes are funny things. We make foods based on what we grew up eating, what our family can/can’t/will/won’t eat. We ADAPT. People harshly criticizing those who offer comments based on their recipe tweeks, why? It doesn’t affect you unless you’re forced to read or eat it & you’re not.
Recipes are an amalgamation of ingredients. Same w ppls opinions. Unless you’re attacked, you needn’t attack anyone. Be nice! Enjoy cooking & the food you make. And thank you all for sharing…
Amen, sista! ;) I second that!
I use 1 1/2 TBSP of minced onion. Then make a topping that consist of 1/2 stick of butter and 2 cups crushed corn flakes.
I have made this recipe numerous times and I love it! I do change it up just a bit by adding ham , sausage or even cooked chicken occasionally and it’s a great meal!
Why do you have to give the story of your life for a simple recipe,
Probably because that’s how blogs work? There are plenty of other straight to the point sites out there. They are calling your name.
Thank you for the polite, witty comeback. Exactly what I was thinking!
That’s why there is a ‘Jump to recipe’ button at the top. You could have pressed that a lot faster than it took to type out your grumpy complaint.