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.
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Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Casserole
This was fantastic. My husband and I are hooked!!
SO glad you loved it!
This looks great and I want to try this! Would it work to half the ingredients and put in an 8X8?
Yes, that should work just fine!
What kind of butter should I use? Is it tub butter or unsalted stick butter?
Unsalted stick butter.
My granddaughter is a vegetarian. Can the cream of chicken soup be substituted for a different cream of soup?
Yes you can use cream of celery in place of cream of chicken.
Could this be made with the cubed frozen potatoes? I wanna make this and go for a cheese potatoe comfort food type of deal , I prefer whole over hash, do you think it would work ok with this ?
I think that sounds like a delicious variation Siera!
I really would like to thank u for ur easy recipes and inexpensive ideas really like the recipes
You’re welcome Charlene! I’m so glad you’ve found some recipes to enjoy!
Thank you! I’ve been reading many recipes for cheesy potato casserole, trying to find one that used the ingredients I have and didn’t have too many steps. I was worried about only having minced onions (dried but the tip in the comments about using French Onion dip instead of plain sour cream sounds like a solution to both that and potential blandness. (Now to remember to make onion dip in advance!)
I have a family holiday party this weekend and I’m not known for my cooking skills. An aunt on the other side of my family is famous for her “cheesy taters,” but … different side and different approach. Again, thanks!
Enjoy Sarah! This recipe is loved by everyone!
I would love to make this but it’s just my husband and I and we would be eating on this all week. Can it be frozen? That way I could make half and freeze the other half.
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe so I can’t say for sure. If you do try, please let us know how it works out for you!
I want to know this also. I’d rather make it in 2 pans able put an uncooked one in the freezer
oh my…had friends over for chili, crock-pot applesauce, and your potato casserole. They all LOVED the potatoes! Everyone had seconds! Thanks, Lori
I’m so glad everyone loved it Lori! It’s one of my favorites too!
Lori, that’s awesome to hear! I’m glad your family enjoyed the recipe so much. My family loves it too!
I”e been making this for years since a trip to the states, but I top mine with cornflakes and melted butter for a bit of crunch. Is sooooooooo tasty.
Spend with Pennies:
Girl, this is the recipe right here. I like in the instructions you say to thaw the hash browns. I think that is the trick so that they are crunchy. And, I sauteed my diced onions until they started to brown a little and added them to the mixture once they cooled.
My family devoured both pans! #aKeeper
YAY!! So glad your family loved this Michael!
Can you use freshly grated potatoes?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. If you do try it, you may need to increase the cooking time to ensure the potatoes are fully cooked (or pre cook them).
This recipe caught my eye on Pinterest because it is “gluten free”. NOT so unless you are certain to use gluten free soup. Many brands of canned soup contain gluten. Be sure to read can labels and purchase an appropriate gluten free product. We always read labels as we have a family member with Celiac Disease but other people may not be as particular. This sounds like a great recipe but should not be labeled as “gluten free” unless poster identifies gluten free soup brands or include a disclaimer stating the presence of gluten in some canned products. Thank you.
Since I don’t follow a gluten free lifestyle, I do not label any of my recipes as gluten free. If you are seeing that tag on Pinterest, it was auto-generated by Pinterest and unfortunately is out of my control.
I agree, if you follow a specific way of eating it is always important to read labels.
Can leftovers be frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe.
Do you think this could be prepped/fully mixed and assembled and placed in the fridge the night before? I am traveling a ways and would want to make it as fresh as possible without taking over someone’s kitchen. I feel like nothing would get “soggy”… maybe the frozen hashbrowns would be an issue? Has anyone tried?
It would be just fine prepped ahead of time. You might need to adjust the cooking time slightly longer if the dish is cold.
My family DEMANDS I make this for every holiday (New Years, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas) so I have made this up the night before and put it in the dish. The next day I set it out on the counter and let it come to room temp while I put everything else together and it comes out perfectly every time. And never lasts to the next day.
LOL! So glad your family loves it as much as mine!
Looks good
Cracker barrel does not use sour cream in theirs.
I worked at Cracker Barrel for 8 years and we used sour cream and Colby cheese. Sometimes if we ran out of Colby we were permitted to use sharp cheddar. But there was always sour cream in ours. But I’ve heard some restaurants cut it out to save money. If no one notices then it’s no big deal I guess!
So would you just omit the sour cream all together ? Or replace with something else? Personally I am trying to keep the fat and carbs on a low even though this recipe we probably should count carbs lol . I would rather keep sour cream out entirely :)
You can substitute plain greek yogurt for the sour cream, I never use sour cream anymore, Fage brand yogurt is thick like sour cream too. :)
But add a little lemon juice to Greek yogurt to simulate sour cream.
Hi, I make this in the crock pot for potluck at my work, They rave about it and I have to make it all polucks,
I layer my ingredients and cook on low for 4hrs
no sour cream in mine,\
onions
frozen hash browns (the cube shaped ones)
pour soup on top of hash browns and spread evenly
sprinkle cheese on top.
salt and pepper
sometimes I put sliced sausage, ham or even ground beef after the onions.
If I use a 8×8 casserole dish should I cook for a different amount of time?
This recipe might not fit in an 8×8 dish. When baking this recipe you’re looking for the cheese to be melted and the center of the casserole to be hot and bubbly so you can certainly use that as guide.
I’ve always made the hashbrown casserole with cornflake topping. With this recipe… Zero leftovers with 4 hungry people.
I have heard about this corn flake topping! Heard it is to die for!!!!
Do you think this would be good using my crockpot instead? I’d rather not heat up my oven during the summer.
I haven’t made this recipe in a slow cooker before but I do think it would work. I would suggest cooking it at the lowest temperature and keeping an eye on it as dairy can sometimes curdle or separate at higher temperatures.