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This Cheesy Potato Casserole has tender hash brown potatoes, sharp cheddar, and a creamy sauce under a buttery cornflake topping. You might know it as Funeral Potatoes, but it’s an easy side dish for holiday dinners, potlucks, or Sunday dinner with the family. You can assemble it a day ahead, then add the topping just before baking so it gets golden and crisp.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I made this recipe and the family loved it. It was so delicious. I will make it again” – Crystal
“I love this recipe because everyone in my family loves it. It’s a dish they will eat without complaining. I have 2 granddaughters, my grandson, and my great-grandson; they are all the pickiest eaters on the planet. I thank you for a recipe that they all like.” – Katherine
“This is so easy to make and I always get great praise from my guests. I make this at special occasions and everyone wants the recipe.” – Donna
A Family-Favorite Potato Side Dish
We make this Cheesy Potato Casserole every year for Easter dinner with Honey Baked Ham and all the trimmings. It’s one of our family’s favorite potato side dishes, and it’s a good side for Christmas and Thanksgiving, too.
You don’t have to save it for a holiday, though. Serve it with chicken or a Sunday roast when you want something besides mashed potatoes. Starting with frozen hash browns means there’s no peeling or chopping potatoes, so it’s easy to work into the rest of dinner.
🩷 Emily
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Hash brown potatoes: Use frozen diced hash brown potatoes, or substitute frozen shredded hash browns. Thaw either type before mixing it into the casserole.
- Cheddar cheese: Sharp cheddar gives the casserole a stronger cheese flavor. Shred it yourself from a block for the best texture.
- Sour cream, cream of chicken soup, milk, and butter: These make up the creamy sauce. Use condensed cream of chicken soup straight from the can without diluting it.
- Salt and black pepper: Use the salt amount listed in the recipe card and add black pepper to taste.
- Cornflake Topping: Crush the cornflakes and drizzle them with a little melted butter before baking. The butter for the topping is separate from the butter used in the sauce. Crushed Ritz crackers, potato chips, or panko also work as topping alternatives.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Onion options: Stir in finely diced onion or grate it for flavor without the crunch. Green onions or chives on top are great too.
- Meat additions: Stir in cubed ham, crisp bacon, or diced cooked chicken before baking for a heartier casserole.
- Veggies: Broccoli florets, diced bell peppers, or peas add color and texture.
- Soup swap: Cream of mushroom or cream of celery for a different flavor profile.
- Topping substitutes: Use crushed potato chips, Ritz crackers, panko, or another plain cereal if you don’t have cornflakes.
- Potato swap: Use 6 to 8 medium fresh potatoes, peeled and diced or shredded. Par-cook until just tender, then proceed with the recipe.
How to Make Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the thawed hash brown potatoes, shredded cheddar, salt, and pepper.
- Warm the sauce in a saucepan by melting butter with cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and milk until smooth.
- Stir the warm sauce into the potato mixture until evenly coated.
- Transfer to the baking dish, smooth the top.
- Lightly crush the cornflakes, leaving some larger pieces for crunch. Sprinkle them over the potatoes, then drizzle with the extra melted butter for the topping.
- Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, until the topping is golden and the casserole is bubbling. Check that the potatoes in the center are tender, too. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving so the sauce has a chance to set up.
Recipe Tips
- Thaw the hash browns before mixing them into the casserole. This helps the potatoes cook evenly, whether you’re using diced potatoes or shredded hash browns.
- Don’t skip warming the sauce. Heat it until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth, then stir it into the potatoes so everything gets evenly coated.
- Crush the cornflakes lightly rather than turning them into fine crumbs. Leave some larger flakes for crunch, and wait until just before baking to add the topping and melted butter.
- Give the casserole 10 minutes to rest after it comes out of the oven. The sauce needs a little time to set up so it doesn’t run everywhere when you scoop out a serving.
- Making potatoes for a crowd? Prepare additional batches in separate 9×13-inch baking dishes rather than piling extra filling into one pan. Keep the amount in each dish the same as the original recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cheesy potato casserole uses shredded cheese and hash browns or diced potatoes. Scalloped potatoes are sliced and use a cheese sauce made with heavy cream and a flour and butter roux.
Try plain Greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.
Yes, just use a gluten-free cream of chicken soup. Campbell’s makes a really good GF version. Then use gluten-free crackers, potato chips, or a gf corn flake cereal (without malt) for the topping.
Bake at 325°F convection for 45 to 55 minutes. Check early and pull when the top is golden and the center is hot.
Yes! Cook on low 4 to 5 hours or on high 2 to 3 hours until hot. Add the crunchy topping just before serving.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: Assemble the casserole without the cornflake topping or its melted butter. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake, remove the cover, add the topping and melted butter, and bake as directed. Save the topping until just before baking so it doesn’t get soggy.
Refrigerate: Divide leftovers into shallow, covered containers and refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours of cooking—or 1 hour if the surrounding temperature is above 90°F. You don’t need to let the potatoes cool completely on the counter first. Store in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
Reheat: Cover the casserole with foil and reheat in a 325°F oven. Uncover for the last 5–10 minutes to help crisp up the topping. Before serving, check that the center has reached 165°F with a food thermometer.
Freeze: Assemble the casserole without the topping, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator, then add the cornflakes and melted butter just before baking. You can also freeze baked leftovers in individual portions. Thaw those in the refrigerator and follow the reheating instructions above.
More Perfect Potato Recipes
Hailing from Idaho, we know a thing or two about good potato recipes, besides these easy Cheesy Potatoes. Try a few of our very favorites!
Cheesy Potato Casserole Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen diced hash brown potatoes, thawed
- 3 teaspoons salt
- pepper, to taste
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup butter, (1 stick)
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups corn flakes, crushed
- melted butter, (to taste for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix hash browns, cheese, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Heat butter, soup, sour cream, and milk in a saucepan until butter is melted.
- Stir heated sauce into hash browns.
- Pour mixture into a 9×13 baking dish.
- Top with corn flakes and a little melted butter.
- Bake for 1 hour until golden and bubbly.
Equipment
- Conventional Oven
- 9 X 13 inch Pan
Notes
- Frozen shredded hash browns can be used instead of diced hash browns. Thaw before using.
- Thaw potatoes so the casserole bakes evenly.
- Warm the sauce before mixing for the creamiest texture.
- Sharp cheddar gives the best flavor.
- Top just before baking to keep cornflakes crisp.
- Rest 10 minutes after baking so it sets and serves neatly.
- Make ahead Assemble without topping and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add topping and bake.
- Topping swaps Potato chips, Ritz, panko, or other plain cereal work well.
- Mix-ins: Onion, ham, bacon, chicken, or broccoli are all delicious.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My aunt used to bring this casserole to every single holiday. I’ve been missing it ever since we moved and the holiday dish lineup changed drastically. I can’t wait to try these!!! Such a nostalgic dish for me 🙂
Great recipe! Perfect comfort food for the winter months, can’t wait to try it out!
Hi,
Might be a stupid question, but if you make this ahead, would you just assemble and put in the fridge without cooking? Or would you assemble and cook, and then put in the fridge to reheat the following day? If the latter, how long to reheat and at what temp?
Thanks!
You could actually probably do either. It might taste the freshest after cooking and less dry if you don’t cook it first. Either way I would assemble without the crumbs on the top so they don’t get soggy. They will be easy to add right before cooking.
Yes you can do ahead do not cook just mix it….I don’t use the cornflakes on top just extra cheese if you use corn flakes put them on just before you bake.
Can you do this in a crockpot?
I haven’t tried it in a crock pot, so I’m not sure! Let us know how it goes if you do try it!
@Sue
Just curious if you made this in a crockpot and if so, how long did you cook it and did you have to change anything about the recipe to make it work well?
This sounds good,
Do I defrost the hash browns first. Or use frozen. Thanks
You can do it either way. I like them thawed first because I feel like they cook better but you can do them frozen too!
Can you make this a day ahead and store in the fridge?
Yes, that should be just fine
Love this recipe!
P.s. If you don’t want the crunch of onions but still want yummy onions in the dish, I recommend sautéing the onions in oil or butter with minced garlic first until they are soft and delicious.
That is a great idea – I often do this to hide the onions from my kids. Thanks for sharing!
Just use your grater and grate the onion. Then they are so small that you don’t even notice them.
Onion? What onion? There is no onion in the recipe? Are we looking at the same recipe?
I use cheddar cheese instead of cream of chicken soup.
Could you think of a good substitue for the can of cream of chicken? I personally strongly dislike it, because I feel as though the chicken just taste fake. It honestly makes me sick. Thanks for any suggestions in advance!
I always use my friend, Melanie’s cream of chicken recipe.. it can be found HERE
Thank you for asking! This is a homemade cream of chicken soup recipe from a good friend of hours – Melanie at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. See recipe here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/homemade-condensed-cream-of-chicken-soup-and-how-to-sub-in-recipes/
I am making this for a birthday party, how many will this serve ?
This recipe makes 12 servings. Good luck with your party!
I love your site because some of my favorite recipes are ones you rave about, it makes it easy to trust the deliciousness of the rest of them! Thank you for sharing your passion with the rest of us. I tried this recipe and I love the country style potatoes, better than shredded. I also love the topping, I never bothered before but my kids loved that part the best!
I loved the country style hash browns and will use this recipe again but with less salt. 🙂
Do the hash browns need to be defrosted and how much butter goes with the cornflakes?
Being from Australia, I find it hard to understand some of the ingredients used in the recipes I find online. Could you please tell me what hash brown cubes are? Are they just cubed potatoes or is there more involved? Thank you
Yes, they are just the cubed potatoes that are small.. the ones in the frozen section of the grocery store.
They are a potato grated.
Crushed Ritz crackers are also yummy!
I wonder how it would taste with Panko bread crumbs. Any other variations you recommend instead of corn flakes?
Yes, panko, corn flakes, or I have even heard of people using potato chips! 🙂
I use crushed up Fritos! Everyone loves it this way that has tried it!
I’ll have to try Fritos next time I make this – thank you for the idea!
I use crushed Ritz bacon flavor crackers….just adds that little something extra!
Oh yum! Great idea!!!
Love this recipe, a favorite in our family for sure! My mom requested I make this for her birthday dinner this year. The only thing I do differently is used shredded hash browns.
Is a cube of butter a stick of butter or a couple of teaspoons of butter?
A cube is one stick.
i make this also, the only different thing i do, is i put ham in mine, and instead of crushed up corn flakes, i use crushed up cheddar and sour cream potato chips. this is a very good recipe, a good way to use some of that leftover Easter ham.
What is a CUBE of butter?
cube=stick
same question.Cube?? I use tater chips on top.
Instead of pint, it is easier to say 16 oz. Maybe we use simple language in MI.
I also add extra stick of butter & top with potato chips.
I use the shredded potatoes instead of cubed. Add garlic powder. Always make sure they are frozen. When you mix . If your ha da are not numb your not doing it right. For a completely different taste you can add a pancake of bacon peices not bits, I mean the packages kind in the bags by the dry ranch dip mixes., and add that to the mixture or justvti the topping for a bacon crunch too. Yes you can cook your own…but why? Lays potato chips crunched up and mixed with additional shredded cheese on top is also a great topping. Keebler butter crackers or cheese it’s work too!!!