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Home » Side Dishes » Hashbrown Casserole

Hashbrown Casserole

Created: May 10, 2020 Updated: April 13, 2023 by Lyuba Brooke 77 Comments

244.1K shares
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This homemade cheesy hashbrown casserole is a comforting side dish that everyone loves. Wonderful comforting potato dish loaded with cheddar cheese and creamy sauce. It’s easily prepared without canned soup and baked to a gooey perfection. 

If you love comforting side dishes, try our Cheesy Potato Casserole and Loaded Potato Soup.

holding some scooped hashbrown casserole on a metal spatula over the dish.

Table of Contents

  • Ingredient Notes:
  • Cooking Instructions:
  • Recipe FAQs:
  • Some More Comforting Side Dishes:
  • Hashbrown Casserole Recipe

Years of working at the Cracker Barrel and enjoying all the delicious comforting food drove me to create my own recipes and make it at home. Hashbrown Casserole is definitely one of those dishes. When you have a recipe that beats the restaurant’s, you don’t have a need to go out and get it. You are all set to make it right at home! 

This amazing potato side dish is cheesy, creamy, and rich. It features shredded hash brown potatoes mixed with homemade creamy cheese sauce and topped with even more sharp cheddar cheese. Bake it right away or pop it in the refrigerator to bake the next day, either way you will have one of the best side dishes on the table.

Scalloped Potatoes and Hashbrown Casserole are the two sides that we make for a big family dinner. Don’t let the fact that this casserole is prepared with no canned soup make you think that it’s harder to cook. It is just as easy and only takes about 10 extra minutes of preparation time.

Ingredient Notes:

labeled ingredients for hashbrown casserole on wooden background.

Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes – hash brown potatoes usually come frozen so make sure to thaw the potatoes first. Best way to do that is to thaw them overnight or for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Flour – all purpose flour works here but you can use gluten free all purpose flour if you need to.

Milk – use whole milk for the best rich and creamy cheese sauce.

Chicken Stock – chicken stock has a more rich flavor than chicken broth so it’s better to use. You can use chicken broth if needed.

Cheddar Cheese – use sharp cheddar cheese for the stronger cheese flavor for the cheese sauce and the topping.

See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

Cooking Instructions:

collage of two step photos of stirring in flour and onions and adding broth to the pot.

Step 1: Preheat a pot over medium heat on stove-top and add olive oil. Sauté diced onion until softened and stir in minced garlic. Let garlic sauté for a few seconds, stir, and sprinkle flour all over the onions. Stir well, until onions are well coated with flour.

Step 2: Keep stirring for a few seconds, lower the heat to medium-low, and start slowly pouring in chicken stock, while continuously stirring. The mixture will start to thicken as you are stirring.

two step photos of adding milk to the sauce and stirring in sour cream.

Step 3: Keep stirring and pour in milk after. Let the mixture heat through and continue to thicken.

Step 4: Stir in the sour cream, salt, and pepper. Let the mixture cook as you stir slowly for a minute or so.

collage of two steps of stirring in cheese into the sauce and pouring cheese sauce into potatoes.

Step 5: Stir in cheese, one handful at a time, as you stir and let it melt into the sauce. Once the cheese is melted, stir in parsley, and take it off heat.

Step 6: Transfer the hash brown potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Pour the cheese sauce into the bowl with hash browns and carefully stir until completely incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and make sure it’s spread evenly.

collage of two step images of stirring hash brown potatoes in sauce and adding to the pan.

Step 7: Spread more grated cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole. Make sure it’s all spread evenly throughout. 

Step 8: Bake the casserole at 350° for 30-35 minutes, until casserole browned and bubbles around the edges. If you wish for the top to get more golden, turn on the broiler for a few seconds.

collage of two images of hashbrown casserole before and after baking.

Recipe FAQs:

How To Make Hashbrown Casserole Gluten Free:

This casserole is very easily made gluten free. Just substitute all purpose flour for gluten free all purpose flour.

One thing I’ve noticed about swapping gluten free all purpose flour for regular one in sauces and soups is that it takes just a little more gluten free flour to make it the same thickness. In most cases, 1/2-1 extra tablespoon will do the trick.

Can I Make Hashbrown Casserole Ahead Of Time?

Absolutely. You can prepare the casserole completely up to the baking step and refrigerate overnight. Make sure to cover the prepared casserole dish with plastic wrap or a fitted lid before putting it in the refrigerator. 

Take the dish out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking and let it sit on the counter to warm up. Discard the plastic wrap and bake at 350° but add extra 5 minutes or so since the casserole will start out cold.

Can I Make This Hashbrown Casserole In a Crock Pot?

Yes you can! Prepare the casserole as instructed in the recipe up to the step of spreading it in the baking dish. Spread the cheesy potato mixture in the Crock Pot, cover with the lid, and cook for 2-3 hours on HIGH or for 4-4.5 hours on LOW. Spread the grated cheese on top of the casserole during the last 30 minutes of cook time.

How to Store and For How Long?

Store any leftover hashbrown casserole in the refrigerator covered air-tight. You can store it in the original baking dish or transfer it into a food storage container with a lid. Properly stored, hashbrown casserole will last up to 3 days.

starting to scoop out cheesy potato casserole from the baking dish to show gooey cheese.

Some More Comforting Side Dishes:

Creamy Italian Asparagus

Creamed Spinach and Mushrooms

Easy Gnocchi with Garlic Butter

Loaded Cheese Potato Casserole

Ham and Cheese Mashed Potato Cakes

some hashbrown casserole on a white plate with a fork.

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If you’ve made my Hashbrown Casserole recipe and found a lot of good information here, PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below as well. Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter!

Hashbrown Casserole Recipe

Wonderful comforting potato dish loaded with cheddar cheese and creamy sauce. It’s easily prepared without canned soup and baked to a gooey perfection. 
4.25 from 190 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 8
Calories: 408kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

  • 30 oz frozen shredded hash brown potatoes thawed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 3 large garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk (can use reduced fat if needed)
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 1/2 tbsp minced parsley (can use dried parsley if needed)
  • salt
  • fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese topping
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9×13 casserole baking dish.
  • Preheat medium pot over medium heat on stove-top. 
  • Add oil, heat it through, and add diced onions. Sauté onions until they start to brown. 
  • Smash and mince garlic and add it to the onions. Stir and sauté until fragrant, just a few seconds. 
  • Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir well. Stir for a few seconds and start slowly pouring in chicken stock, while stirring. Pour in milk after that while stirring as well. 
  • Lower the heat to medium-low. Let the mixture heat through and start to thicken. Make sure to stir often.
  • Stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper. (You may need to use a whisk to help incorporate the sour cream.) Let the mixture cook for about a minute.
  • Stir in cheese one handful at a time. Stir in as it melts and taste to make sure you have enough seasoning. Once cheese is melted, stir in parsley and take the pot off heat.
  • Mix hash brown potatoes and cheese sauce in a large bowl and spread the mixture in the prepared casserole dish. Make sure it's all spread evenly throughout. 
  • Spread some more cheese on top and bake for 30-35 minutes, until casserole browned and bubbles around the edges. If you would like to brown the top a little more, turn on the broiler for a few seconds.

Video

Notes

  • Gluten Free: This casserole is very easily made gluten free. Just substitute all purpose flour for gluten free all purpose flour. Note that sometimes it takes just a little more gluten free flour to make it the same thickness as regular. (Depending on the brand.) In most cases, 1/2-1 extra tablespoon will do the trick.
  • To Make It In The Crock Pot: Prepare the casserole as instructed in the recipe up to the step of spreading it in the baking dish. Spread the cheesy potato mixture in the Crock Pot, cover with the lid, and cook for 2-3 hours on HIGH or for 4-4.5 hours on LOW. Spread the grated cheese on top of the casserole during the last 30 minutes of cook time.
  • Storing: Store any leftover hashbrown casserole in the refrigerator covered air-tight. You can store it in the original baking dish or transfer it into a food storage container with a lid. Properly stored, hashbrown casserole will last up to 3 days.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 515mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 765IU | Vitamin C: 11.3mg | Calcium: 423mg | Iron: 1.7mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on December 20, 2018.

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

244.1K shares

Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Christmas Dinner, Easter, Popular Posts, Potatoes, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Wendy B says

    December 7, 2022 at 11:33 pm

    5 stars
    I cooked this for the first time for dinner with friends. Everyone loved it and went back for seconds and thirds. It is an easy recipe I plan on using again and again! Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  2. Stephanie says

    December 4, 2022 at 10:56 am

    5 stars
    .

    Reply
  3. Mary says

    September 5, 2022 at 10:23 pm

    5 stars
    This was delicious and so much better then several cans of soup like most other recipes. Will add some spices to it next time but a keeper. Went well as a side dish with fried seafood.

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      September 6, 2022 at 1:06 pm

      Thanks, Mary! I am glad you liked it better. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Catherine says

    September 5, 2022 at 3:56 pm

    HELP! I just broke my only 9×13 and everything is ready to go in the oven! what can I use instead?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      September 6, 2022 at 1:13 pm

      Hi Catherine,
      I am so sorry I don’t get notifications of new comments immediately, so I have to log in to see them. The next time you need a response right away send me a message on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/willcookforsmiles and I will respond much faster and be able to help. I hope you were able to figure out how to make this still if not let me know and I will help you out.

      Reply
  5. Michelle says

    August 28, 2022 at 9:01 pm

    Has anyone prepped this the night before and baked the next morning? If so, is an hour sufficient?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      August 29, 2022 at 11:28 am

      Absolutely. You can prepare the casserole completely up to the baking step and refrigerate overnight. Make sure to cover the prepared casserole dish with plastic wrap before putting it in the fridge. Take the dish out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking and let it sit on the counter to warm up. Discard the plastic wrap and bake at 350° but add extra 5 minutes or so since the casserole will start out cold. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Tara says

    September 4, 2021 at 9:57 pm

    5 stars
    My family loved this recipe! I added green pepper and hamburger to make it a full meal. It was like shepherds pie! I also used sour cream and onion dip instead of sour cream because that’s all I had it tasted great!

    Reply
  7. Amy says

    April 6, 2021 at 5:54 pm

    I have leftover ham from Easter, can I add that and if I can should I change any of the other ingredients?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      April 27, 2023 at 9:11 am

      Sorry, Amy, I am just now seeing your comment. Yes, you can add ham and no you wouldn’t chance anything else.

      Reply
  8. Candy says

    March 11, 2021 at 2:43 pm

    Can I use julien hash browns for this recipe

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      March 13, 2021 at 6:35 pm

      Do you mean shredded? If so yes this recipe is best with shredded if you mean diced then it won’t be as incorporated and but it will still taste good. Hope that helps.

      Reply
  9. Lynsey says

    March 10, 2021 at 2:51 pm

    Hi i was wondering if the recipe can be baked in a roaster and for how long?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      April 27, 2023 at 9:12 am

      Hi Lynsey,

      I have never used a roaster for this recipe so I am not sure how long to cook it in one.

      Reply
  10. Catherine Smith-DuGay says

    March 3, 2021 at 3:17 pm

    I haven’t tried this yet. I am thinking of trying a second batch using cauliflower instead of shredded potatoes. My husband will get the hashbrowns casserole and I’ll get a cauliflower casserole. Wish me good luck!

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      March 3, 2021 at 5:03 pm

      Sounds good! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂

      Reply
  11. SAL says

    February 18, 2021 at 6:46 pm

    Do you think it would be ok to substitute cream cheese instead of sour cream?

    Reply
  12. Linda Peterson says

    November 12, 2020 at 10:43 am

    How much salt do you use? I tend to either under salt or over salt so I’d like to have it just right this time. Thanks!

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      November 16, 2020 at 3:33 pm

      Hi Linda,

      It’s very difficult to give the amount of salt because everyone’s taste different with salt I would add about 1/2 a tsp and taste if it’s not enough for you add a little more and keep tasting until it’s just right.

      Reply
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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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