Covered in a crunchy and buttery cornflake topping, this cheesy hashbrown casserole recipe is an easy breakfast bake that always hits the spot. It doubles as a wonderful side dish for the holidays!
This crunchy, cheesy hashbrown casserole is one of my very favorite things to make and eat. I’ve been alternating between this and my breakfast casserole for years, to serve alongside sheet pan pancakes and boiled eggs. With just 5 minutes of prep time, you can’t beat the ease and convenience of this hashbrown casserole recipe. Plus, I think it tastes even better than the classic Cracker Barrel version!
The combination of flavors is magical, from the cheddar cheese, tender potatoes, sour cream, and onion in the hashbrowns, to the buttery cornflakes on top. I’m a huge fan of a sweet-salty combo, so I like to use Frosted Flakes. There’s the option to use regular, unsweetened cornflakes if you’d prefer.
Why This Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole Is My Favorite
- Cheesy comfort in every bite. The hashbrowns are covered in sharp cheddar cheese and tangy sour cream, and topped with crunchy cornflakes. It’s classic comfort food.
- Layer and bake. Part of the reason I make this dish so often is because it is SO easy. All you have to do is mix and layer the ingredients, then bake.
- Hashbrowns any time. Serve this casserole for a comforting breakfast, as a cheesy side dish, as a snack, or even as a light lunch. Basically, you can eat it any time of the day that you like. It’s that versatile!
Key Ingredients
The ingredients in this hashbrown casserole recipe are readily available, which is a huge plus. Let’s go over what you’ll need. Note that you can find the exact quantities in the recipe card below.
- Frozen Hashbrowns – Make sure to thaw these before starting.
- Cheddar Cheese – You can buy pre-shredded cheese or shred it yourself. Shredding it yourself usually leads to a stronger, bolder flavor!
- Sour Cream – This creates the creamy consistency and adds tangy flavor.
- Onion – Chopped onion adds some crunch and subtle sweetness to the casserole.
- Cream of Chicken Soup – To add depth of flavor and to keep the casserole nice and creamy. You could also use cream of mushroom.
- Melted Butter – Both salted and unsalted butter will work – use whichever you prefer.
- Cornflakes – I highly recommend Frosted Flakes, but you can use regular cornflakes, too.
Helpful Tips When Making This Casserole
- Make it in advance. This casserole is great for making ahead of time. You simply assemble it, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, refrigerate it, and bake it up the next day.
- Use freshly shredded cheese. In order to achieve the freshest flavor, shred the cheese yourself instead of buying pre-shredded cheddar.
- Try different cheeses. If you don’t have any cheddar, try this casserole with mozzarella, provolone, or a combination of cheeses. Any meltable cheese does the trick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Unthawed hashbrowns can make the casserole come out soggy. It’s best to thaw them in the fridge overnight before baking the meal.
For sure! Sometimes I like to do this during the holidays to level up the homemade charm. All you have to do is grate your potatoes in a food processor (or use a box grater) and proceed with the recipe as written.
This could be because frozen hashbrowns were not completely thawed. I highly recommend thawing them overnight. To absorb excess moisture, pat the shredded potatoes dry before starting.
What to Serve With a Hashbrown Casserole
Whether you’re serving this casserole for breakfast, as a dinner side, or anything in between, there are so many different things you can pair it with.
- As a dinner side dish: Pair these cheesy hashbrowns with creamy lemon butter chicken or chicken pot pie.
- Breakfast favorites: I love cheesy hashbrowns alongside sweet brunch dishes like fluffy homemade pancakes or blueberry scones.
- Holidays: Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays to bust out this hashbrown casserole. I suggest whipping up my brown sugar roasted sweet potatoes for another sweet-savory side dish. Don’t forget a slice of pumpkin pie for dessert!
- Quick breads: This easy homemade apple bread makes a great addition to a breakfast plate alongside this cheesy casserole.
Proper Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerate. Keep any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay good for up to 4 days. The topping may lose some crunchiness, but it will still taste great.
- Reheat. If you reheat your casserole in the oven, the topping will crisp back up. Larger portions can be warmed up in the oven at 350°F until they’re warmed through. Individual servings should be reheated in the microwave for about 20 seconds at a time.
- Freeze. The topping of this casserole does not freeze well, but you can freeze the hashbrown layer before baking, if desired. Place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it out in the fridge before adding the topping and baking, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time to take the chill off.
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
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Ingredients
- 30 ounces frozen hash browns (thawed)
- 12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ onion (chopped)
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup butter (melted, divided)
- 2 cups cornflakes (crushed (or Frosted Flakes, as I use))
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine hash browns, cheese, sour cream, salt, onion, soup and ½ cup butter in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Spread mixture evenly into a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Combine cornflakes and ½ cup butter and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until heated through.
Video
Notes
- Makes 12-15 servings
- To Store: Keep any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay good for up to 4 days. The topping may lose some crunchiness, but it will still taste incredible!
- To Reheat: If you reheat your casserole in the oven, the topping will crisp back up. Larger portions can be warmed up in the oven while individual servings should be reheated in the microwave for about 20 seconds at a time. To reheat your casserole in the oven, simply bake it at 350°F until it’s warmed through.
- To Freeze: The topping of this casserole does not freeze well, but you can freeze the hashbrown part before baking, if desired. Place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it out in the fridge before adding the topping and cooking. You may need to add a couple of minutes to the bake time since the hashbrown mixture will be cold.
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Categories:
Breakfast, Christmas, Easter, Holidays, Recipes, Recipes with video, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving,
Hi, just wondering, in your video you do not add butter to the mixture, but in your recipe it says to add it? Is it supposed to be melted or only on the topping?
Yes, it’s all melted. Half goes into the casserole, half in the topping.
Hi Lindsay, I make a hash brown casserole similar to this. Mine has cream of mushroom soup, sm. can of mushrooms, a sm. jar of pimentos ( I drain some of the juice in the mushrooms and pimentos ). Top with more cheese and it is delicious. But I’m going to try this one too. Have a wonderful day. And Please keep the recipes coming. Want to try them ALL..
Could you substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt?
That’d be fine.
Can you make night before and refridgerate , name it next day?
Definitely!
Dear Lindsay,
I just wanted to tell you THANK YOU for this recipe! It is perfect and oh so delicious!! You are not only a beautiful young lady, but you are a very talented cook! I’m 62 and could never have cooked like you do. You are an amazing young lady! Keep up the good work!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Carol!
I do not thaw the hash browns, I found it was easier to mix with them frozen…I found thawed hash browns tended to get mushy. I love this recipe ,so good and sooo easy !!
I thaw the hash browns but I use the cubed style rather than the shredded just for that reason
I have made this before and it’s very good. I must say though all your ads that come up are annoying. I understand you make money but still annoying especially when I am reading your recipe and an ad for nasty bunions is in the middle of the recipe. Won’t be coming back ????????.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I think this is even better than the original Cracker Barrel recipe !
Curious what everyone’s favorite topping for the crunchy part would be though. Cornflakes, rice crispie cereal, potatoe chips , crackers?? I’m trying to figure out the best/most liked topping.
I also added fresh crumbled bits of bacon and I also added dry ranch mix in the recipe! It adds an extra kick to the meal!
I’ve made this several times, and different…depends on what’s in the cupboard.
Plain sour cream or French onion dip, can of onion rings on top instead of corn flakes and the cream soups are either chicken, celery or mushroom. So many different things to do with it. You can make it mexican by adding green chilies, taco seasoning ect. Love them all.❤️
So has anybody used sausage in this recipe?
just wanted to let you know this recipe is not gulten free…..the cream of chicken soup has wheat flour my sister has celiac and she can’t eat this. ????
You can get gluten free cream of chicken soup. I was able to pick some up at Wal-Mart in the gluten free section.
Probably my favorite thing you make. Preparing this now and freezing for this week’s festivities 🙂
Rock on, girlfriend. We will miss you guys this year!
Probably my favorite thing you make. Preparing this now and freezing for this week’s festivities 🙂
Rock on, girlfriend. We will miss you guys this year!
Oh…dear…goodness….This looks so delicious! I am literally about to leave my house and go pick up the ingredients! (Frosted flakes version because I love sweet & salty!) I’m a vegetarian but I could easily use cream of celery or mushroom instead of the chicken. I’ll let you know how it turns out!! 😀
Oh…dear…goodness….This looks so delicious! I am literally about to leave my house and go pick up the ingredients! (Frosted flakes version because I love sweet & salty!) I’m a vegetarian but I could easily use cream of celery or mushroom instead of the chicken. I’ll let you know how it turns out!! 😀
Hi Lindsay, I use this exact recipe except I use crushed Lays Ruffled Potato Chips on the top….I always have to make two for family gatherings because it goes so quickly. Even the leftovers seem to disappear as my kids walk out the door!! Like your site, we’ll be following to see what you’re up to next!
What a clever topping! I never would have thought to try that. I bet it’s good! Thanks for checking out the site – glad you like it! 🙂
Hi Lindsay, I use this exact recipe except I use crushed Lays Ruffled Potato Chips on the top….I always have to make two for family gatherings because it goes so quickly. Even the leftovers seem to disappear as my kids walk out the door!! Like your site, we’ll be following to see what you’re up to next!
What a clever topping! I never would have thought to try that. I bet it’s good! Thanks for checking out the site – glad you like it! 🙂