Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole (Copycat Recipe)
Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole – get your Cracker Barrel fix at home with this easy and delicious hashbrown casserole copycat recipe! This is one of my family’s favorite holiday recipes and is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
For more Easy Holiday Side Dish Recipes, be sure to check out my Apple Sausage Stuffing, Smothered Green Beans, and Sweet Potato Soufflé.
If you’re looking for the ultimate holiday side dish recipe, this Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole is IT!
I have been making this easy casserole recipe for years and years; from Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and for lots of family dinners in between. It is such a great side dish and is the one that people go back for seconds (and thirds!) of!
This is a copycat recipe of Cracker Barrel’s hashbrown casserole. If you’ve ever had it, then you know it is out of this world good!
You may have heard of funeral potatoes before, and this recipe is very similar. It involves sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and frozen shredded hashbrowns. Simply put, it is total comfort food. This is always a huge hit, and I promise if you make this for a crowd, someone will probably ask you for the recipe!
One of the best things about this recipe is that it only requires a few simple ingredients to prepare, plus it’s easy to make ahead of time and it’s freezer friendly! That can be really nice during the craziness of holiday cooking!
Ingredients for Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
- Cream of chicken soup – my favorite brand (and what I always recommend) for cream soup is Pacific Foods. Most grocery stores carry it. It’s a bit more expensive than Campbell’s or store brand versions of condensed soup, but the flavor and simplicity of ingredients (no weird chemicals) is well worth it.
- Sour cream – use full fat sour cream for ultimate creaminess. I love Daisy brand.
- Butter – you will need one full stick of melted butter. I recommend using unsalted.
- Onion – a sweet or yellow onion works best. I like to dice mine into smaller pieces so that they almost kind of melt into the the casserole. This also helps if you have eaters who aren’t big fans of onions.
- Spices – you will use a combination of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Hashbrown potatoes – one 30 ounce package of shredded frozen hashbrowns is what you will need. You could also use frozen cubed hash browns instead. Make sure you allow the potatoes to thaw before cooking; see my notes section below for tips on how to do this.
- Cheese – I love to use sharp cheddar cheese because it adds a nice kick of flavor to the creamy cheese sauce. You could also use mild cheddar or even colby cheese if you prefer. No matter what cheese you use, I do recommend shredding it yourself from a block! Freshly shredded cheese melts so much better than pre-shredded, bagged cheese in this casserole.
A full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions are located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole – Step by Step
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, melted butter, diced onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and mix until smooth.
Add the thawed hashbrowns and 2 cups of cheese and mix to coat everything well.
Pour into the prepared baking dish
and spread evenly with a spatula.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top of the casserole and bake for 45-50 minutes, until bubbly and golden at the edges.
Tips and Notes
- How to thaw frozen hashbrowns: I like to spread my frozen hashbrowns out in a single layer on a large baking sheet to thaw. This usually take about about an hour. You can also thaw your hashbrowns (in the bag) in the refrigerator overnight. Try to allow enough time for them to fully thaw for the best texture when baked.
- Add some protein: If you’d like to turn your casserole into a main meal, add some cooked meat like ground beef or chicken for a hamburger hashbrown casserole or a chicken and hash brown casserole! It would also make for a delicious breakfast option with bacon or ham. If you’d like to add meat, make sure it’s fully cooked and add it along with the potatoes and cheese before baking.
- Making ahead of time: You can prep your Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole ahead of time for the same day or the next day and store it in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap. Follow the recipe instructions when you’re ready to bake.
- Store any leftover casserole covered, or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freezer Instructions: To freeze your casserole fully assembled and unbaked, cover the casserole dish with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing a fully baked casserole, allow the casserole to cool completely before covering and then freezing. You can follow my reheating instructions below for a fully baked and frozen hashbrown casserole. It is best to thaw the frozen casserole in the refrigerator overnight before baking, and it is even better if you can let it come to room temperature before placing it in the oven.
- To Reheat: To reheat a thawed and fully baked casserole or to reheat any leftover casserole, place the baking dish in the oven at 350°Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes or until thoroughly heated through. If re-heating individual servings, you can warm those in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes at a time.
More Easy Casserole Recipes You Should Try!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. I love to hear from you and always appreciate your feedback!
Recipe: Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
Ingredients
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 16 ounces sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 30 ounces frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, melted butter, diced onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and mix until smooth.
- Add the thawed hashbrowns and 2 cups of cheese and mix to coat everything well. Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top and bake for 45-50 minutes, until bubbly and golden at the edges.
Notes
- How to thaw frozen hashbrowns: I like to spread my frozen hashbrowns out in a single layer on a large baking sheet to thaw. This usually take about about an hour. You can also thaw your hashbrowns (in the bag) in the refrigerator overnight. Try to allow enough time for them to fully thaw for the best texture when baked.
- Add some protein: If you’d like to turn your casserole into a main meal, add some cooked meat like ground beef or chicken for a hamburger hashbrown casserole or a chicken and hash brown casserole! It would also make for a delicious breakfast option with bacon or ham. If you’d like to add meat, make sure it’s fully cooked and add it along with the potatoes and cheese before baking.
- Making ahead of time: You can prep your Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole ahead of time for the same day or the next day and store it in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap. Follow the recipe instructions when you’re ready to bake.
- Store any leftover casserole covered, or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freezer Instructions: To freeze your casserole fully assembled and unbaked, cover the casserole dish with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing a fully baked casserole, allow the casserole to cool completely before covering and then freezing. You can follow my reheating instructions below for a fully baked and frozen hashbrown casserole. It is best to thaw the frozen casserole in the refrigerator overnight before baking, and it is even better if you can let it come to room temperature before placing it in the oven.
- To Reheat: To reheat a thawed and fully baked casserole or to reheat any leftover casserole, place the baking dish in the oven at 350°Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes or until thoroughly heated through. If re-heating individual servings, you can warm those in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes at a time.
This is so good! We go to Cracker Barrel all the time, and I always get their casserole. You did a great job recreating it.
Hi, the recipe doesn’t say how much diced onion to use
Hi Jeff, it’s 1/2 cup. Thank you for catching that; the recipe is updated now.