Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

Straight from my mom’s recipe box, this Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole recipe has been a regular dish at our family table. It’s easy to make, creamy and cheesy, with a crispy, buttery cornflakes cereal topping — a personal favorite for as long as I can remember. Like Tater Tot Hotdish and Spaghetti Casserole, I just never tire of these favorite recipes from the Midwest!

What You’ll Need

You’ll be amazed at just how wonderful these basic ingredients taste when baked together! Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the exact ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

• Frozen hashbrowns – Thaw before assembling the casserole. (Just move them from the freezer to the fridge the night before!)
• Cheese – Our family is partial to medium or sharp cheddar, but you can use any kind you want. Think Colby Jack, pepper jack, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Italian, or a Mexican blend.
• Sour cream – Adds creaminess and a touch of tang. If you prefer, use regular Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream.
• Cream of chicken soup – This canned soup provides the classic flavor this dish is known for, but you can use any “cream of” soup, like cream of broccoli, cream of cheddar (for extra cheesiness!), cream of celery, or even cream of mushroom, for a different flavor.
• Butter – I always use unsalted butter, but you can just add less salt to the recipe if you use salted butter.
• Minced dried onion – This adds some onion-y flavor without the texture (or prep work) of fresh onion.
• Salt & pepper – I like to use freshly ground black pepper for more pop.
• Garlic powder – For savory garlic flavor that’s super easy to incorporate, no prep work required.
• Cornflakes cereal – Lightly crushed and combined with melted butter for the crunchy, golden topping.

How to Make Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

With just 10 minutes of prep, these cheesy potatoes are on the table in only a little over an hour!

• Make the creamy, cheesy mixture. Combine the shredded cheese, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, melted butter, dried onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• Combine with hashbrowns. Combine the creamy, cheesy mixture with the hashbrowns, then transfer it to a 9″ x 13″ baking dish that’s been lightly sprayed with non-stick spray.

• Add the topping. In a small bowl, combine lightly crushed corn flakes with melted butter. Sprinkle this over the casserole.
• Bake. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more. For an extra crunchy topping, broil for a few minutes.

Recipe Variations

There are many ways to customize this cheesy potato casserole!

• Omit the topping. For a more authentic Cracker Barrel copycat recipe, simply omit the crunchy cereal topping. I personally think it adds a lot to the recipe and love the contrast in texture – and my family would not be happy if I didn’t include it! But it can easily be left off.
• Switch up the topping. You could swap the cornflakes for panko breadcrumbs, crushed Ritz crackers, crispy rice cereal, or crushed sour cream & onion potato chips. They’re all great alternatives!
• Use other hashbrowns. My mom often makes this casserole with diced potato hashbrowns, rather than the shredded variety. If you want to shred your own potatoes instead of using frozen hashbrowns, that’s totally fine too. (But frozen hashbrowns are just SO EASY!)
• Add a protein. To make this cheesy hashbrown casserole a heartier dish, you can fold in some cooked chopped bacon, crumbled ground sausage, or chunks of cooked ham.
• Add some veggies. Add some finely chopped sweet peppers and onion. Or a mix of sauteed peppers and onions. Or chopped jalapeños!

PreP and Party Tips

One of the reasons this cheesy hashbrowns dish is such a party staple is because there are so many options to streamline the process. Here are some of my favorite time-savers:

• Make ahead of time. You can make these cheesy potatoes up to a day in advance. Prepare and assemble the dish as directed but do not add the corn flakes topping. Cover the dish with foil and place in the fridge. Just before baking, add the cornflakes, and then proceed as usual. (You may need to cook the dish with the foil a bit longer since the ingredients will be cold instead of at room temperature.)
• Cook in a crockpot and double for a crowd. To double this recipe in a slow cooker, you will need a larger crockpot. I use a 7-quart size. Double all the ingredients and omit the cornflake topping (because it does not crisp in the slow cooker!). Add hashbrowns to the slow cooker. Then, in a medium bowl, stir together the creamy, cheesy mixture, and fold it into the hashbrowns. Turn slow cooker to high heat and cook for 4 to 5 hours, stirring halfway through.
• Freeze before baking. Follow the make-ahead instructions above. Do not add the cornflake topping. Cover with foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then add the cornflakes right before baking. You may need to add a few extra minutes of baking time.
• Freeze it after baking. Do not add the cornflake topping. Bake the casserole and allow to cool completely, cover tightly, then wrap the entire pan in 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, add the buttery cornflake topping if desired, then reheat in the oven. Or freeze individual servings in smaller freezer-safe containers for quick, easy dinners – and just reheat in the microwave.

How to Store & Reheat Leftovers

• Refrigerator: Store any leftover cheesy hashbrown casserole in the fridge, covered tightly, for up to 5 days.
• To reheat: Individual servings reheat well in the microwave but you can also reheat the entire pan in the oven. Just cover and bake until heated through. Leftovers also make for a great breakfast side — add a spoonful of the casserole to a large skillet before cooking a couple eggs in the same pan. It gets a beautiful crisp crust to it, and even more so if you melt a little butter in the pan first!