These funeral potatoes are the best cheesy potatoes side dish! Creamy with a crispy and buttery topping, hash brown casserole is a family-favorite for weeknight meals or holiday dinners.
There is just something about a cheesy potato casserole that everyone loves including these crockpot cheesy potatoes, au gratin potatoes and cheesy scalloped potatoes!
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A Holiday Favorite
These funeral potatoes are by far one of the best Thanksgiving side dishes you’ll find on any Thanksgiving menu. I’ve always said that side dishes make a meal, and along with easy cheesy potatoes this funeral potato recipe is exactly the reason why!
It’s foolproof to make with frozen hash browns and cream of chicken soup and make more than you think because it’s always a crowd-pleaser. Mashed potatoes will always have a place on the table, but there’s just something special about a cheesy potato casserole!
Why You’ll Love Funeral Potatoes
- Creamy and cheesy: Funeral potatoes are the ultimate comfort food!
- Easy to make: Budget-friendly, too! All you need are hash browns, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, butter and cheese.
- Prep ahead of time: A funeral potatoes recipe is perfect for serving a crowds at large family gatherings like Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Hash brown potatoes: This dish is simple comfort food, so no need to spend time grating potatoes. Unless you want to! I use a frozen bag of diced hash browns from the freezer section. Thaw them before using in the casserole.
- Cream of chicken soup: Using a can of cream of chicken soup adds a ton of flavor and helps to thicken up the casserole without the use of too many individual seasonings.
- Shredded cheese: I always recommend freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese from a block. I know it might be easier to use pre-shredded, but it just isn’t the same!
- Cornflakes: Crushed cornflakes are what give these funeral potatoes their crispy crunchy topping. Nice and light and when mixed with melted butter, they’re amazing!
Substitutions and Variations
- Cornflake topping: Go the classic route and use bread crumbs. Panko breadcrumbs are lighter and flakier and have more of a crispness to them. You can also use crushed potato chips or Ritz crackers!
- Creamy soup: Try cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup for the same creaminess but slightly different taste.
- Meat: Sometimes I’ll make two separate batches and add diced baked ham to make ham and potato casserole. Everything is always better with bacon, too!
- Shredded hash browns: usually save those to use in this Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole but they can be used here, too.
- Fresh potatoes: Make your own hash browns by grating fresh potatoes. You can also swap the hash browns for a dozen boiled and diced baby potatoes.
How to Make Funeral Potatoes
- Make the cream mixture. In a large bowl, stir together the sour cream, cream of chicken, half the melted butter, green onions, salt, and pepper.
- Add the potatoes. In the bowl, toss in the potatoes and shredded cheese and stir everything until combined. Spread it evenly into a prepared 9×13″ baking dish.
- Make the crunchy topping. Put the cornflakes into a zip-top bag and seal it shut. Then, take a rolling pin and crush the cereal by rolling it back and forth and gently tapping until coarse crumbs are formed.
- Bake the casserole. Melt remaining butter and mix with crushed cornflakes. Sprinkle on top of potatoes and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and bubbling hot. Give them about 5 minutes to rest before serving.
Expert Tips
- Squeeze the hash browns. Having too much liquid in your casserole will change the consistency and interfere with the creamy sour cream and cream of chicken, making it runny and unappealing!
- From scratch. If you’ve got a bit of extra time or you’ve already got what you need on hand, you can make more of this dish from scratch. Freshly grated potatoes and homemade cream of chicken soup would be great!
- Extra seasoning. If you’re looking to ramp up the seasoning even more you can use a bit of onion powder or garlic powder if you’d like! Some people might like a bit of a kick to theirs, so a sprinkling of cayenne in the creamy mixture would do the trick.
- How to serve funeral potatoes: Some favorite main dishes include oven roasted turkey, baked chicken breast or herb-roasted pork tenderloin. A winter salad and side of balsamic roasted carrots round out the mal.
Recipe FAQs
Funeral potatoes are made of potatoes as the main ingredient, cheese is sprinkled throughout, a cream-based soup gives it that creamy flavor, melted butter, and a crunchy cereal on top. Usually, the topping is cornflakes or potato chips. Layered together it is a savory side dish!
I admit, it’s a funny name agreed! As the name indicates, this cheesy potato comfort food was often included at funeral luncheons. It’s also simple to make, transport, and keep warm. So whether it’s served at a potluck or in a time of need, this dish is a delicious favorite.
You can! For a large crowd, you can even triple it or sometimes I make this along with my scalloped potatoes and ham recipe, you can never have too many cheesy potatoes! This is partly why this is a staple on my Christmas menu and pretty much all my holiday dinners.
You can! Just don’t add the crunchy topping yet. Make it up until you’ve spread the mixture in the dish, then cover it and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. When you’re ready to bake it, add the topping just before.
Storage
- Store: Keep any leftover funeral potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: I recommend freezing without the crunchy topping. You can freeze it with the topping, but it won’t be as crunchy and the texture will be different. Either use a disposable foil pan or transfer it to a freezer-friendly container. Keep it frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat: Zap a single serving or two in the microwave or place the entire casserole dish in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes to heat through.
Need more holiday side dish recipes? Check out my cornbread stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, and crockpot green bean casserole.
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Funeral Potatoes
Video
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 1 (32-ounce) bag frozen diced hash brown potatoes , thawed
- 1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of chicken
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , melted, divided
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions , optional or swap with 1 Tablespoon minced onions
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese , plus more if desired
- 2 cups cornflakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a 9×13" baking dish. Set aside. Make sure your potatoes are mostly thawed and drain any excess water.
- In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, cream of chicken, 1/2 cup melted butter, green onions, salt, and pepper. Stir in the potatoes and shredded cheese until combined. Spread into the baking dish. Top with extra cheese, if desired.
- Crush corn flakes in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin. Add remaining 1/4 cup melted butter and mix until combined.
- Sprinkle crushed cornflakes on top. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling hot.
- Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy while warm!
Notes
- Swap the hash browns for shredded potatoes
- Try it with celery or cream of mushroom instead of chicken
- Swap the hash browns for a dozen boiled and diced baby potatoes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Easter, Nut-Free, Potatoes, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
On of our favorite potato dishes! I’ve also topped it with crushed potato chips, and that’s tasty too!
So glad you enjoyed the funeral potatoes!
I made this last Thanksgiving instead of my mashed potatoes and they were a major hit! I used a combination of 3 cheeses though: cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan.
This was the perfect meal for my family, we all had to go back and get seconds.