Hashbrown Casserole is easy, cheesy and totally delicious! This simple casserole is made easy with frozen hashbrowns!
Copy Cat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown casserole needs just 5 minutes of prep making it the a great side or potluck dish! The perfect breakfast casserole!
The Hashbrowns, That’s Why
I love Cracker Barrel but the truth is… I only show up for the hashbrown casserole. That’s it. Just the hashbrowns people.
My friend shared her version of that yummy, oh so creamy and cheesy easy Hashbrown Casserole with me and WOW! Tender shredded hash browns in a rich and creamy cheese sauce, topped with more cheese and baked until hot and bubbly!
This is a perfect breakfast casserole for any holiday morning or just when you’re getting the family together for a delicious breakfast or brunch. It also makes a perfect side dish for Crispy Oven Parmesan Chicken or even served alongside a Ranch 7 Layer Salad for lunch!
Better Than the Original
There are lots of recipes out there for this cheesy casserole but this is the one I’ve found to be the closest! This hashbrown casserole is made with condensed cream of chicken soup. I’ve also made it with cream of cheddar soup if you can find it. Both work perfectly in this recipe! While I’ve had a version of hashbrown casserole without sour cream, I definitely prefer it with, it adds a little bit of creaminess and tang to the recipe. Since this is a copy cat hashbrown casserole recipe, my list of ingredients is inevitably different than the original but the flavor is just like my favorite Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole (in fact, it’s even BETTER in my opinion)!
How to Make Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
One of the best things about hashbrown casserole is that it’s super quick to prepare (5 minutes). I literally cannot stop eating it; dinner, bedtime snack and then breakfast if there is any left!
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
- Spread into a 9×13 dish.
- Top with cheese and bake. Voila!
It’s that easy! If you’d like you can add leftover chicken, ham or ground beef to this easy recipe. Stir in your favorite veggies as well, Steamed Broccoli, peas or frozen veggies work well too!
Toppings
I like to top it with cheese to keep it close to the version I’ve had at Cracker Barrel but if you prefer a nice crunchy topping on your hashbrown casserole, this is also great with cornflakes. Gently crush 2 cups of cornflakes and toss with 1/4 cup of melted butter, sprinkle over the casserole before baking.
How to Freeze Hashbrown Casserole
This easy cheesy hashbrown casserole can easily be frozen. We usually prepare as directed and freeze any leftovers in individual servings making them the perfect lunch or quick dinner.
More Potato Dishes You’ll Love
- Scalloped Potatoes Recipe – Simple classic recipe.
- Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes
- The BEST Mashed Potatoes – Creamy perfection.
- Twice Baked Potatoes – Make ahead (these freeze well).
- Perfect Baked Potatoes
- Potatoes Au Gratin
- Colcannon Recipe (Cabbage and Potatoes) – So yummy!!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 32 ounces frozen shredded hash browns thawed
- ½ cup melted butter
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can, or cream of cheddar
- 16 ounces sour cream
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- 2 cups shredded Colby cheese divided, or cheddar cheese
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, combine thawed hashbrowns, melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, onion, 1 ½ cups of cheese, and pepper.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the reserved ½ cup of cheese.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Note: This recipe originally appeared on SpendWithPennies.com April, 2013.
More Must Try Cheesy Casseroles
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Casserole
Absolutely amazingly delicious Thank you for a wonderful recipe. The family devoured it all !!!
I made this for Thanksgiving and my family loved it. I crushed some corn flakes on top the second time I made it and it was amazing. Thanks for sharing this with us! (:
Soaked in butter. Way too greasy
My family loves this!!!! We think it’s actually better than Cracker Barrel and it costs so much less!!! We use mild cheddar cheese also instead of colby jack. When it’s made with either cheese it’s delicious either way. We did it for breakfast and as a side with dinner.
I have made this several times & we love it. Usually, I will add a little diced ham & make it a meal. Also, if you don’t have frozen hashbrowns, shred 32 ozs of potatoes & use them. They will cook by time it comes out of oven. YUM!
I am going to make this recipe for the first time for Thanksgiving – is it possible to make ahead with frozen hash browns and keep in the refrigerator overnight before cooking the next day?
Yes, that will work perfectly.
Would it be possible to use 32oz of fresh shredded potatoes ? Finding frozen Hash browns where we are is like winning the lottery !! Thanks
You could certainly use fresh potatoes in this recipe. They will take slightly longer to cook so I would suggest shredding and slightly steaming or pan frying them before adding them to this recipe.
Does this recipe double well? Any tips I need to know? Or is it better to make two pans of it for a bigger crowd?
I would suggest two pans to ensure that the center is heated through. If you do make one pan, cooking time would need to be increased and I would suggest stirring it part way through cooking.
Thank you!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! The only thing different that I did was add sharp cheddar to the colby jack. I figured that I’d do a test run on it because it looked quite delicious and seemed easy enough to make. Glad I did because it was quite a hit. We have company coming for Thanksgiving and this will now be on the menu. It will actually be on the menu for more than just the holidays. Thank you so much for the delicious recipe!
I’m a divorced 41 year old man and I could do this its so easy lol and delicious its so good my mom wanted the recipe so she could make it for church it made me feel like a chef lol 5 star recipe thanks!!!
yummy and easy!
I made this on Saturday for my son’s birthday. I doubled the recipe and there was none left over. it was fantastic! the only thing I did differently was added a little bit of garlic powder and some minced onion in addition to the chopped onion. I will be making this again for the holidays. Thank you!
I love your recipes and this is sooo good. I would like to share a tip for making this even more incredible. I put some French fried onion ring pieces from a frozen package on top and browned them nice and crisp. This adds so much more flavor and gives a nice crisp crunch to the potatoes.
Sounds great Norm, thanks for the tip!
Prep time 30 minutes not 5 on hash brown casserole
Thank you! That is exactly what I was thinking! I’m sure it’s delicious it’s currently in the oven now. Also I may need to hire a cleaning crew shredded Colby everywhere even managed Sour cream on cabinets. This may just be lack of sleep as it is Christmas.
Amazing!!! Best ever!! I made these for a group and everyone loved them.
This tastes absolutely nothing like the casserole at Cracker Barrel. No comparioson whatsoever. No way they use sour cream. Didnt taste that at all.
Hater! Didn’t your mom teach you if you say nothing nice. Say NOTHING at all?
I love to cook and your recipes are so easy. Thank you very much
I am so glad you have been enjoying the recipes Margaret!
Very good. Definitely making this again.
It’s awesome! I made one change. I used green onions. Just as awesome as the regular way .
Absolutely the BEST! Super easy..
Holly as always this recipe is fantastic as written.
I had to substitute and stumbled upon a terrific hack to bring this up a notch. Only having half a stick of butter, I put the butter along with olive oil into some chicken I was browning; after browned I drained off half cup and used this instead of the full stick butter. Scrumptious!!
Your version sounds delicious! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi! I’m excited to try your recipe this weekend. After defrosting the hash browns, should I squeeze out and drain the excess liquid from them before proceeding with the recipe? Thank you in advance!
No need to squeeze them out Melissa. I typically find after defrosting there is not a lot of excess moisture, but if there is liquid you can drain it off before adding. I hope this helps!