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
Outstanding, I like onions so I added more. I added more cheese too! Way better than the restaurant.
So happy to hear that Andrea! Thank you!
Love and appreciate your recipes. Thanks
Thank you Karen! We really appreciate your kind words.
Just love your posts! I added some crispy wild boar bacon, and sauteed onions in the fat, it was awesome!
Thank you Dale, so glad you loved it! Your addition sounds so good, I love cooking onion in bacon fat!!
I have made a very similar recipe called “funeral potatoes” in Utah because they always seem to show up at the post funeral buffet. Love them but i love the Cracker Barrel hashbrown recipe as well. Cant wait to try it. (I do recipes as printed to give a honest evaluation). Anything else is worthless as a criticism to the recipe.
Can’t wait to hear how you like it Robert!
Just finished making the “cracker barrel hashbrowns” for my son and I…and all I can say is…WOW!..they’re delicious! Thank you very much for posting this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the casserole David!
Looks so delicious.
Thanks Kathy!
Love recipes!!
Was so excited to try this! Took way longer than 5 minute prep. Probably a half hour or better. I recommend way less sour cream. I am a huge fan of sc, but definitely not for this recipe. Reminded me of cottage cheese texture. Not a fan of cottage. Sorry. Otherwise, was ok. Hey, to each his own, right?
How is it possible to take 30 minutes? To dice an onion??
Thanks you for sharing this recipe! Loved it and didn’t take long at all to prepare!
I have tried for years to duplicate Cracker Barrel’s hash brown casserole.
I am a vegetarian, so chicken soup just didn’t cut it for me. I tried it without the soup, tried it making my own roux…never the winner that your recipe is. I didn’t even know such a thing as cream of cheese soup existed.
Thanks so much…this is a real winner. And, you’re right. It IS better than the original.
Thanks Anna! We are glad you enjoyed it!
I tried it with Cream of Bacon soup INSTEAD of Cream of Chicken soup. MUCH better and closer with the Cream of Bacon and so much closer to Cracker Barrel’s!
Sounds delicious Deb!! I can’t wait to try it!
Never heard of cream of bacon?!?!
Can this be prepped the night before? Thanks!
Molly, you can prep this the night before. If you use a glass casserole dish, please be advised that taking a cold casserole dish to a hot oven can cause the glass to shatter. You can allow the dish to sit on the counter for about 20 minutes before placing in the oven. I hope this helps.
Yes! Thank you!
Trying ( better than)Cracker Barell recipe for carry in at work. Want to crock pot it any suggestions?
I have made this in a crock pot before following the cook times in my Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese. Enjoy Amanda!
OK, needed an impromptu supper casserole to feed 4 people. I was also trying to use up frozen hash browns, Jimmy Dean skillets, whipping cream left over from the holiday. I added fresh red pepper, onion, cauliflower and broccoli, and my fav seasonings. I was out of cheese, so I added a couple Kraft American singles, and topped with some Panko. Baked it for the prescribed time. Served with a green salad. My friends thought it was pretty good for a quick supper. This is a deviation from the original recipe, but am sharing in case other cooks encounter my similar issues
That sounds delicious JAnika! Thanks for sharing!
I made this for a potluck and everyone loved it! Easy and delicious.
I am so glad the recipe was a hit at the potluck Elizabeth!
Just made this for Easter dinner. Prepared a double batch the night before, used 1 bag of shredded hash browns and 1 bag of potatoes o-brien because that’s what I had. Left out the butter, added some garlic powder and did not add salt. Split it between 3-8″ round foil pans. It was delicious!!!!!
Took one of the pans (with a baggie of extra cheese for topping) to a family member as part of a heat-n-eat care package. Wrote the baking instructions on top. Followed the baking instructions when I baked mine off today. Soooo good. Thank you so much for sharing.
Will try sauteing the onion in bacon grease next time, and add ham and sliced red peppers.
So glad you loved this casserole. How wonderful to take one to someone else. What a great idea :)
I added shredded zucchini, cut the hash-browns a bit, added chopped smoked and cooked chicken sausage. Unfortunately I did not cut down the butter – too much butter. I thought it would be too much sour cream, but it was fine. Kids loved it. Next time I will make with less butter (about a third less), and probably add fresh spinach leaves.
Swapping out some of the hashbrowns for zucchini will change the consistency of the recipe which may be why the butter seemed too much. The hashbrowns absorb liquid/butter while the zucchini releases water.
These were so scrumptious. Easy to make and easy to eat.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Lynn!
Made this tonight following the recipe. This was good, needs some salt.
I am so glad you liked it Eric!
Ive been making the hash brown casserole for years. Its always a crowd pleaser. I’ve added cubed ham, pre-cooked bacon and most recently, cubed turkey to this recipe. It only makes it even better.
Great ideas Missy! So glad you love this hashbrown casserole!
Made the Cracker Barrel Hash brown Casserole for the first time for Christmas brunch. It was a big success.Thank you. It will definitely be made at other gatherings.
Thanks Nancy, glad you enjoyed!
Great job! My husband LOVES Cracker Barrel’s hashbrown casserole. You’re right about there being a lot of recipes out there but yours is the closest I’ve found to that awesome Cracker Barrel taste. :) TY very much (I chose to leave out the butter and it was still fantastic!)
I am so glad you guys loved it Jennifer!