Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole, yum!! This copycat recipe that tastes JUST LIKE cracker barrels infamous breakfast side dish casserole and is perfect to feed the whole crowd.
Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
Wow, this hashbrown casserole is SO SO good!! Makes left overs, can be made ahead, and is super cheesy and delicious.
You only need a few things to whip up this breakfast and most you probably have in your pantry already.
Thawed out hashbrowns are the basis of this meal so go ahead and get those out of the freezer.
Additionally you can change cream of cheddar soup to cream of chicken soup if you need to with just as delicious results. I know personally I hate to run out for such a minor thing as a soup change, but no worries no matter which one you have at home.
I also have added just a half a cup of diced onions in this recipe, but I LOVE onions and if you do too, you can really safely add a cup if you want an onion in every bite.
Sorry, this recipe is def not dairy free with all the added cheese, butter and cream cheese, so if dairy is not your thing, this might be one you move on from (I am sorry!).
Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
Alright let’s get cooking on this casserole! Remember that you can assemble this one ahead the night before if needed to make the morning quick and dirty dish free.
The entire measurements for this recipe are in the recipe card below at the bottom of the post, in an easy to print card that helps you make this recipe from your kitchen.
You need to gather:
- Thawed Hash browns (I use the red ORE-IDA Bag in frozen foods)
- Cream of Cheddar
- diced white onions
- cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- butter
Casserole Dishes
*affiliate links below*
You can use a 9×11 or 9×13 casserole dish, just make sure you grease it first so the potatoes don’t stick.
There is nothing worse than spending time on a great meal to have it stuck to the pan!
If you are deciding ahead of time and don’t have a great casserole dish yet, here is a 9×13 casserole dish that I like that comes with a lid so you can store left overs.
Why you will love this Easy Hashbrown Casserole!
We can’t all run out to restaurants in the morning but you can bring the restaurant right to your own kitchen with this easy to prepare and delicious breakfast casserole.
Hearty, creamy, and so filling you could probably eat it by itself, its the best dish to serve a hungry crowd and tastes just like Cracker Barrels delicious side.
- Delicious
- Inexpensive to make
- CHEESE!
- Fan favorite
- Reader approved recipe
And as a bonus its one of the best copycat cracker barrel hashbrown casseroles out there!
Make Ahead Copycat Cracker Barrel Casserole
This casserole is PERFECT to make ahead.
Just like my french toast cinnamon roll casserole, it can be assembled the night before, popped in the fridge and covered till morning. And everyone likes a great make ahead casserole!
I used to not quite understand why you would make ahead casseroles like this when its so easy to assemble, but keeping the kitchen clean in the morning and being able to get up and put straight in, is heaven.This is why this casserole recipe is amazing for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
You can get started on your morning without heading in the kitchen! Just preheat the oven and let it bake.
Doesn’t get much simpler to make breakfast than that!
How to make Copycat Hashbrown Casserole
To get started, always preheat your oven. I used to go through life not doing that, but I swear it makes your recipes go a lot more smoothly. So go preheat your oven to 350 and let it get all the way there before you put anything in it.
Spray your casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray- because potatoes will stick if you don’t.
Combine all your casserole ingredients (place 1/2 – 1 cup of cheese aside for topping) in a bowl and mix well. That includes your hashbrowns, soup, cheeses, seasonings, onions- all of it! Season one more time and mix well again.
Put your mixed hash browns in casserole dish and try to even out. You do not need to push it down too much, just make sure its even to ensure cooking perfectly
Layer the rest of the cheddar cheese on top! You can add a half a cup or a full cup, I always prefer MORE CHEESE.
Bake hash brown casserole for 40-45 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
You can let rest if you want it to slice more like a casserole or serve with a spoon immediately.
Serve with hot sauce if you like
Breakfast Recipes
Looking to have a big breakfast OR a breakfast as dinner?
You can whip up any of these amazing breakfast recipes, all tested and delicious.
My favorite unique breakfast items to enjoy are the fried apples and amazing oven roasted potatoes, but you really cannot go wrong with any breakfast foods!
As a bonus, these also go great if you are making breakfast for dinner, which my kids adore.
- Southern Fried Apples – These cinnamon apples from the skillet are so good and done faster than you realize. Top with pecans for dessert or a side dish.
- Fried Breakfast Potatoes – I love breakfast potatoes, roasted, fried, you name it. These are simple ones and go with about every breakfast meal
- Blueberry Breakfast Cake
- Blueberry Cake Donuts
- Orange Bread with Orange Glaze
- Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole– Very sweet and rich, this is a filling cinnamon roll casserole that is hands down a favorite. Bring it to morning meetings in the office or a church brunch, everyone will thank you!
- Pie Crust Breakfast Pastries – Think pop-tarts without the toaster~ these pie crust pastries don’t need a whole lot, just 2 ingredients to an awesome pastry that is so fresh and lip smacking yum
- Roasted Breakfast Potatoes (in oven) – so easy to season or add a little heat to these and they go great with eggs
Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
Ingredients
- 30 oz bag of thawed Hash browns you can buy froze and thaw
- 1 stick of butter - melted
- 1 can of Cream of Cheddar condensed soup
- 1/2 cup of diced onion more if you like more onion
- 2-2.5 cups of cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper
- 16 oz full fat Sour Cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven: 350
- Spray your casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray
- Set aside 1/2- 1 cup of shredded cheese for final cheese layer topping.
- Combine all ingredients - hash browns, melted butter, cream of cheddar, onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream and seasonings- in a bowl and mix well.
- Put hash brown mix in casserole dish and smooth to keep as even as possible (do not mash down, just even top)
- Layer the top with shredded cheese.
- Bake hashbrown casserole for 45 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly!
Video
Notes
Hashbrown Casserole Alterations
THAW POTATOES: Your hashbrowns need to be thawed out. If there is too much water in them, you can drain but mine didn't have too much so I was able to thaw and dump. I just put mine in the fridge so they can thaw out a few hours before I assemble this casserole. CHANGE POTATOES: Hashbrowns are just potatoes, so you can substitute the shredded ones for the diced ones if you like. And while I always grab the frozen ones and leave on the counter or fridge to thaw, you can actually buy pre-thawed ones right in the fridge section, typically by the eggs. PROTEIN: I do have a sausage hashbown breakfast casserole if you prefer eggs and sausage that is very different from this one, but you can also add cooked sausage into this hashbrown casserole pretty easily. TOPPING: Prefer your casseroles with a crunch? Try topping with a cereal base (like corn flakes), panko crumbs or even crushed butter crackers. Just mix with some melted butter and add to the top *Recipe also notes how to make ahead this casserole*Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.
Comments & Reviews
Flora says
Just a note your ingredients at one point say 16 oz cream cheese, I think supposed to be sour cream as it says this later in the recipe. Just FYI
Trisha says
omgosh, you are right. Goodness!! Thankfully it was ok on the printable one but sheesh. Thankyou!
Lora Bachman says
You might want to put ” thawed hashbrowns” in your ingredient list.
🙂
Trisha says
It does say that in the recipe card on the bottom where the full recipe is written out, but Ill add in the main article as well. 🙂
Terri says
Do you cover this when baking or do you leave uncovered?
Trisha says
I leave it uncovered.
🙂
Trisha
Terri says
Thanks! That’s what I thought.
Darryl says
I did it today. My wife has always been a proponent of Cracker Barrel’s hashbrown casserole. Just for fun, I decided to make one myself. I followed your recipe to the letter, except that I used cream of chicken instead of cream of cheddar. She thought it was BETTER than Cracker Barrel’s! So now I’m stuck and she’s going to want it all the time. So thanks, I guess… FIVE STARS!!!!!
Trisha says
Hey Darryl, thank you so much for your feedback! I am so glad that you and your wife enjoyed this hashbrown casserole, its totally one of my favorites too!
Tonia Feltner says
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I added sausage!!!