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
You did it again, Holly! This looks scrumptious AND all kinds of things can be added to this (not necessary all at once :-) ). Thank you!
You’re welcome Fran! You made my day!
Can I make these in a crock pot? We have a shortage of oven space!
I have made this in a crock pot before following the cook times in my Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese. Enjoy Rhonda!
I didn’t have shredded hash browns, so I used the diced. Put a little extra onion in and about 3/4 of the amount of butter and sour cream. It was perfection. So much better than Cracker Barrel. Now….to diet for three weeks.
I think I’ll try this recipe again without the sour cream. I really wanted to like it and was excited, but all I could taste was sour cream and honestly I couldn’t eat more then a few bites. My wife loved it though, so I think next time I’ll try making it with the sour cream on the side. It also took more like 25 minutes to prep as I made the mistake of trying to mix it all together with the potatos vs. mixing the other ingredients first, so I think that made uneven amounts of cream/cheese in certain parts of the casserole. I’ll try again and hope next time I can enjoy it though.
Made this for Easter 2021 dinner and it was a big hit! I did substitute the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt because my husband doesn’t care for sour cream. Everyone thought it was delicious. Definitely will make again.
Thank you for sharing Dee! Glad to hear everyone loved the hashbrown casserole!
I didn’t read the instructions throughly. I only wrote down the ingredients, cook temp, and time. Shame on me for not thawing out the frozen hash browns! It took a while to cook but was delicious. Next time I will make sure the hash browns are completely thawed!
I really wanted to love this recipe as much as I love Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole.
Unfortunately it didn’t taste anything like the CB version. I agree that it was way too much sour cream as others have commented. I couldn’t taste much cheese at all, just cream. For some reason, my hash browns also turned basically to mush. The CB version isn’t like that, you can still feel the individual pieces of grated potato. It was also undersalted. The onion flavor was nice though.
Sorry that you didn’t enjoy it Heather, it’s quite a hit at our house. Thank you for trying the recipe.
Made Today for Easter 2021. 1/2 cup butter seems a bit much. 4 of us enjoyed with eggs and ham. Discovered I made a mistake. For some reason I read the Cheese as 2 lbs of shredded, not 2 cups. Looking forward to making again with the RIGHT amount of Cheese!
That’s a lot of cheese Thomas!
First I browned the potatoes on my griddle pan and put salt and pepper.. followed the rest of the instructions and at the end sprinkled a little salt on top.. delicious and by far the star of our Easter breakfast! I think bacon would be so yummy in it!
I also mixed all the ingredients together in a bowl and then mixed in potatoes :)
I have made this before and it is delicious, but I have a question for youCan I brown my has browns first?.
We’ve only made the recipe as written Amy. Sounds like an interesting twist! Let us know if you try browning the hashbrowns first!
So to freeze, you cook it… Then freeze it?
What are reheating recommendations?
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe as a whole, just the leftovers, so I can’t say for sure how it’d turn out. We usually reheat leftovers in the microwave until they are warm. If you do try, please let us know how it works out for you!
This is very VERY close to the recipe that I have been using since the 80’s, and it is SO good.
I will add, that I always double the amount that I need, and then portion off the extra into 5×7 pans that I then freeze BEFORE baking. I also do not put the cheese on top of the ones going into the freezer, I only put cheese on the top when they’re almost done cooking later. It does take a little longer to cook, but still turns out wonderful.
The biggest tip I can give for cooking the frozen casserole, is to put it into a COLD oven (pan covered with foil, not sure why but momma always said to do it). Then you let the cold pan come to temp as your oven heats up.
If you top it with corn flakes, do you put the cheese on top then corn flakes?
Yes, end off with the cornflakes to get the crunch. I LOVE it that way! Enjoy Terri!
Far too much Sour Cream, half would be about right and the butter is not necessary. Suggestion though: turn this into a Cottage Pie version by browning 2 pounds lean ground beef and onion, add 1 can of a cream of soup to the beef and put it on the bottom, this potato stuff on top. Bake as instructed. You could add green beans, peas, carrots, or corn.. or a combination of your favs into the beef for a full meat potato veggie meal if desired. Top with buttered panko and brown the last 10 to 20 mins.
Sorry that you didn’t enjoy this recipe as much as we do Vee. Thanks for the idea.
I have to say, I’ve made this recipe for years except I use the Simply Potatoes fresh, not frozen, hash browns! I think it’s scrumptious when made with the butter, which I use to lightly sauté the onions in before stirring into mix. And the amount of sour cream seems perfect although I’ve never tried it with less.
Haven’t tried the casseroles yet but as soon as I do I’ll get back. They both look delicious.
I really enjoy your recipes ☺
I just love your recipes. So easy to fix and just delicious!!
Thank you Ellen!
Do you cover this dish before baking?
This is cooked uncovered. Enjoy!
Amazing and my husband couldn’t stop eating them!
Can I use fresh shredded potatoes
You could certainly use fresh potatoes in this recipe Dot. They will take slightly longer to cook so I would suggest shredding and slightly steaming them before adding them to this recipe.
Yes you can. You can use fresh or bagged potatoes in the freezer section. I think many people opt in for the frozen hash browns cause it’s just easier.
I was really excited to make this and wanted to love it. In the end I found it extremely bland. The amount of sour cream really cancelled out any flavor you could taste from the onion or cream of chicken. Good basic base, but I’d have to add a TON more seasoning if I did it his way again. My 2 cents!
Can I add eggs into it? Or maybe put biscuits on top?
I’ve only tried this as written so I can’t say for sure. Let us know how it works out for you!
I added a can of green chilies and it was awesome. But I love green chilis! Kids lived it too!
Yum!!