This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
Our Cheesy Potato Casserole is sure to please a crowd! You’ll love the tender potatoes, lots of cheese and a unique crunchy topping.
Featured with this recipe
- A Favorite Potato Side Dish
- Ingredients in Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Corn Flake Topping Substitutes
- Hash Brown Casserole Variations
- Questions about Cheesy Potato Casserole
- What to Serve with Cheesy Potato Casserole
- More Perfect Potato Recipes
- How to Make Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Cheesy Potato Casserole Recipe Recipe
A Favorite Potato Side Dish
Cheesy Potato Casserole is a staple for feeding large groups of people. Most church potlucks, family gatherings or large luncheons feature some sort of take on this casserole dish alongside a ham, salad and rolls. There are dozens of variations to this recipe, but this one has been a family favorite of ours for generations.
We make this cheesy potatoes recipe every year for our Easter dinner as it goes perfectly with Easter ham and all the trimmings. This cheesy potato casserole recipe is also a perfect side dish at numerous Christmas, Thanksgiving, basically any holiday dinner in our family. No matter what you serve it with or where you serve it, you’ll absolutely love this cheesy potato recipe.
Ingredients in Cheesy Potato Casserole
Here’s our tried and true recipe for cheesy potatoes. They always turn out delicious and get devoured quickly!
- Hash Brown Potatoes – I like using the frozen shredded hash brown potatoes. Thaw the potatoes before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Salt – about three teaspoons, or to taste
- Black pepper – to taste
- Grated cheddar cheese – Use sharp cheddar cheese for the best flavor!
- Butter – this recipe calls for half cup butter or one stick.
- Cream of chicken soup – some recipes call for cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup, but I don’t like the flavor as well as good old cream of chicken soup.
- Sour cream – this gives the potato mixture extra creaminess that is so delicious!
- Milk – any kind of milk works for this recipe.
- Cornflakes – regular corn flake cereal, crushed to make two cups. Any brand will do.
Corn Flake Topping Substitutes
It may sound strange to you, but I promise you will love the crunchy corn flake topping. Adding a couple of cups of crushed corn flakes gives this Potato casserole a golden brown crust, a delightful crunch and a nutty, buttery flavor that goes so well with all the cheese and cream in the potatoes. However here are some other topping ideas if you don’t have Cornflakes on hand:
- Potato chips
- Ritz crackers
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Other crushed crackers or plain cereal
Hash Brown Casserole Variations
- Add finely diced onion (about half a cup) to your Cheesy Potato Casserole for extra flavor. If you don’t like the crunch of onions, you can grate the onion too. Or just top with green onions or chives.
- Add other veggies like broccoli or peppers.
- Add cubed ham and add it straight to the potatoes for a delicious meaty meal.
- Mix bacon or diced chicken into the potatoes.
- Omit the crushed cornflakes topping and sprinkle with extra cheese.
- Cook up your own potatoes instead of using hash browns. You’ll need 6-8 good size potatoes to make Cheesy Potato Casserole. Just peel and shred, or dice into bite size pieces and cook til they are tender. Then follow the rest of the instructions in the recipe card below.
Questions about Cheesy Potato Casserole
Try plain Greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.
Cheesy potato casserole uses shredded cheese and hash browns or diced potatoes. Scalloped potatoes are sliced and use a cheese sauce made with heavy cream and a flour and butter roux.
Yes, this is a great one to make the night before. Just add everything but the topping, cover with plastic wrap, and keep in the fridge. Then when you are ready to make it just bring the casserole to room temperature, add the topping, and bake.
What to Serve with Cheesy Potato Casserole
This deliciously cheesy potato casserole pairs beautifully with our Honey Baked Ham Copycat Recipe or our Slow Cooker Ham with Maple and Brown Sugar. Try these other recipes for dinner too:
- Honey Baked Ham
- Oven Roast Beef
- Paprika Chicken
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Oven Roasted Green Beans
- Rosemary Tri-Tip Roast
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
More Perfect Potato Recipes
Hailing from Idaho, we know a thing or two about good potato recipes, besides these easy Cheesy Potatoes. Try a few of our very favorites!
How to Make Cheesy Potato Casserole
Cheesy Potato Casserole Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Conventional Oven
- 9 X 13 inch Pan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
- 3 teaspoons salt
- pepper to taste
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cube butter ½ cup or stick
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups corn flakes crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix hash browns, cheese, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Heat butter, soup, sour cream, and milk in a saucepan until butter is melted.
- Stir heated sauce into hash browns.
- Pour mixture into a 9×13 baking dish.
- Top with corn flakes and a little melted butter.
- Bake for 1 hour.
Notes
-
- Add finely diced onion (about half a cup) to your Potatoes for extra flavor. If you don’t like the crunch of onions, you can grate the onion too.
-
- Add cubed ham and add it straight to the potatoes for a delicious meaty meal.
-
- Mix bacon or diced chicken into the potatoes.
-
- Omit the crunchy corn flake topping and sprinkle with extra cheese.
-
- Cook up your own potatoes instead of using diced hash browns. You’ll need 6-8 good size potatoes to make these Cheesy Potatoes. Just peel and dice into bite size pieces and follow the rest of the instructions in the recipe card below.
My aunt used to bring this casserole to every single holiday. I’ve been missing it ever since we moved and the holiday dish lineup changed drastically. I can’t wait to try these!!! Such a nostalgic dish for me 🙂
Great recipe! Perfect comfort food for the winter months, can’t wait to try it out!
Hi,
Might be a stupid question, but if you make this ahead, would you just assemble and put in the fridge without cooking? Or would you assemble and cook, and then put in the fridge to reheat the following day? If the latter, how long to reheat and at what temp?
Thanks!
You could actually probably do either. It might taste the freshest after cooking and less dry if you don’t cook it first. Either way I would assemble without the crumbs on the top so they don’t get soggy. They will be easy to add right before cooking.
Yes you can do ahead do not cook just mix it….I don’t use the cornflakes on top just extra cheese if you use corn flakes put them on just before you bake.
Can you do this in a crockpot?
I haven’t tried it in a crock pot, so I’m not sure! Let us know how it goes if you do try it!
@Sue
Just curious if you made this in a crockpot and if so, how long did you cook it and did you have to change anything about the recipe to make it work well?
This sounds good,
Do I defrost the hash browns first. Or use frozen. Thanks
You can do it either way. I like them thawed first because I feel like they cook better but you can do them frozen too!
Can you make this a day ahead and store in the fridge?
Yes, that should be just fine
Love this recipe!
P.s. If you don’t want the crunch of onions but still want yummy onions in the dish, I recommend sautéing the onions in oil or butter with minced garlic first until they are soft and delicious.
That is a great idea – I often do this to hide the onions from my kids. Thanks for sharing!
Just use your grater and grate the onion. Then they are so small that you don’t even notice them.
Onion? What onion? There is no onion in the recipe? Are we looking at the same recipe?
I use cheddar cheese instead of cream of chicken soup.
Could you think of a good substitue for the can of cream of chicken? I personally strongly dislike it, because I feel as though the chicken just taste fake. It honestly makes me sick. Thanks for any suggestions in advance!
I always use my friend, Melanie’s cream of chicken recipe.. it can be found HERE
Thank you for asking! This is a homemade cream of chicken soup recipe from a good friend of hours – Melanie at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. See recipe here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/homemade-condensed-cream-of-chicken-soup-and-how-to-sub-in-recipes/
I am making this for a birthday party, how many will this serve ?
This recipe makes 12 servings. Good luck with your party!
I love your site because some of my favorite recipes are ones you rave about, it makes it easy to trust the deliciousness of the rest of them! Thank you for sharing your passion with the rest of us. I tried this recipe and I love the country style potatoes, better than shredded. I also love the topping, I never bothered before but my kids loved that part the best!
I loved the country style hash browns and will use this recipe again but with less salt. 🙂
Do the hash browns need to be defrosted and how much butter goes with the cornflakes?
Being from Australia, I find it hard to understand some of the ingredients used in the recipes I find online. Could you please tell me what hash brown cubes are? Are they just cubed potatoes or is there more involved? Thank you
Yes, they are just the cubed potatoes that are small.. the ones in the frozen section of the grocery store.
They are a potato grated.
Crushed Ritz crackers are also yummy!
I wonder how it would taste with Panko bread crumbs. Any other variations you recommend instead of corn flakes?
Yes, panko, corn flakes, or I have even heard of people using potato chips! 🙂
I use crushed up Fritos! Everyone loves it this way that has tried it!
I’ll have to try Fritos next time I make this – thank you for the idea!
I use crushed Ritz bacon flavor crackers….just adds that little something extra!
Oh yum! Great idea!!!
Love this recipe, a favorite in our family for sure! My mom requested I make this for her birthday dinner this year. The only thing I do differently is used shredded hash browns.
Is a cube of butter a stick of butter or a couple of teaspoons of butter?
A cube is one stick.
i make this also, the only different thing i do, is i put ham in mine, and instead of crushed up corn flakes, i use crushed up cheddar and sour cream potato chips. this is a very good recipe, a good way to use some of that leftover Easter ham.
What is a CUBE of butter?
cube=stick
same question.Cube?? I use tater chips on top.
Instead of pint, it is easier to say 16 oz. Maybe we use simple language in MI.
I also add extra stick of butter & top with potato chips.
I use the shredded potatoes instead of cubed. Add garlic powder. Always make sure they are frozen. When you mix . If your ha da are not numb your not doing it right. For a completely different taste you can add a pancake of bacon peices not bits, I mean the packages kind in the bags by the dry ranch dip mixes., and add that to the mixture or justvti the topping for a bacon crunch too. Yes you can cook your own…but why? Lays potato chips crunched up and mixed with additional shredded cheese on top is also a great topping. Keebler butter crackers or cheese it’s work too!!!