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!!
Copy Cat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole Recipe
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
Solid dish. Thank you.
Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it?
Yes, this recipe can be prepared and frozen. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as directed, adding about 15 to 20 minutes to the cooking time. If the top begins to brown too much, lightly cover with foil.
Love your recipes. Keep sending them.
This turned out alright, but it tasted too much like onions to me. If I make this recipe again, I will be using a lot less onion.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Sarah! I am glad you were able to still enjoy it.
I live in Canada, we don’t have frozen shredded hash browns. Could I peel, shred and blanch 2 lbs of potatoes and follow the recipe afterwards?
Depending where you’re located, you can get Western Family brand shredded hash browns at SaveOn Foods/BuyLow and McCain shredded hash browns at Superstore (which means Loblaws may have them too).
You can peel and quarter 3.5 to 4lb of russet potatoes. Boil for 9 to 10 minutes or until almost cooked but still slightly firm. Cool and shred the potatoes on the large side of a box grater. Add an additional 1⁄2 teaspoon seasoned salt to the mixture. I hope that helps!
I made this wonderful dish 4 times for my brunch parties and each time it was phenomenal. Almost everyone loved it.
Thank you Holly for sharing this recipe :)
A simple but amazing recipe. Very handy when you want a quick meal.
Great recipe! It was delicious
I’ve made this so many times my family absolutely loves it, they’ll eat leftovers for the whole week if it lasts that long. one thing I do different is I top it with panko bread crumbs and then broil it at the end to make it nice and toasty on top
love your recipes
This recipe is absolutely amazing!!! My husband can’t stop raving about it. Also added chopped farmers sausage for added flavour.
I used healthy choice cream of chicken soup and light sour cream. nor sure if that made a difference, but I felt it needed more salt and cheese.
Healthy choice cream of chicken soup has less than half the salt compared to regular (330mg vs. 840mg/serving) so you’d likely want to add more salt if replacing for lighter versions. The light sour cream and lighter soup would also have less fat so more cheese could certainly offset the difference.
The recipe was a hit I had 2 ladies ask me for the recipe. After following the directions the 1st time I made it I decided I like a bit more of a bold flavor so I added an additional 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 more pepper. Very delicious! I like mixing everything up the night before and putting in the fridge for a quick breakfast item to take to special groups. This will be my 3rd time making it.
Excellent- a must try for the family- it will be a hit!!!
Sounds really good but it is way too much for my husband and I. Trying to figure out how to cut it in half so working on that.
Hi Beth, you can adjust the number of servings on the PRINT page once you click print. Please note that adjusting the servings will adjust only the amounts on the ingredients list (and not the written directions).
Made the casserole exactly like the recipe and it’s exceptional !! We love it and make it often. Thank you.
Half the sour cream, double the cheese and onion , add garlic powder salt & pepper.
delicious! I added peas, extra onions and used sour cream with chives in it. I also used sharp cheddar. creamy, rich and very satisfying, I look forward to making different versions of this for a long time
Did anyone try making this without the butter? How did it turn out?
For me the butter just turned into a pool of melted butter underneath the casserole when trying to serve it.
Other than that, it’s great. I’ll remake it in a while without the butter and re-judge it.
Sorry to hear that, JD. When mixed into the hash browns it is usually absorbed into them.
My aunt had a friend who made this so we’ve always referred to it as Doris’s hash browns. Her version had 1 cup of onion and no butter, plus all the cheese was mixed in. It was, and still is, amazing. I’ve always used light sour cream and healthy canned soup, too. It’s still delicious.
Do you use salted butter or unsalted ?
Either will work but I usually use unsalted as the rest of the ingredients have enough salt for my liking.
I make this every gathering…never any left overs thank you for the recipe