Hash Brown Casserole Recipe (2024)

This has been my kids favourite holiday dish for 25 years, after I got the recipe from my mother in law. I recently discovered omitting the salt and onions and adding a package of dry onion soup mix makes this even better. We’re vegetarian so we use cans of mushroom soup instead of the chicken. The beauty of the dish is how quickly it comes together, so while the homemade canned soup sounds interesting, I think I’ll stick with the canned. It’s a once a year thing.

I grew up eating (and loving) this with baked ham every Christmas. I made this recipe last weekend to see if it was just as good. Reader, IT IS. And I may have eaten 1/3 of it by myself.

I've made this, but use canned cheddar soup instead of cream of chicken, plus the sour cream and copious amounts of cheddar cheese, sometimes adding ham. Everyone always loves it, and you can top it with anything. One time I used crushed sour cream chips. I will say it usually takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get it where I like it.

Frozen hash browns get a bad rep. I had the best, I mean The Best potato latkes at Fox's deli in Rochester, NY and when my SIL and I asked for the recipe, the long time owners told us they start with frozen hash browns. We tweaked it a bit and now they are the basis for our Chanukah staple. Don't knock it til you try it.

I use either canned cream of potato or cheddar cheese soup and cut down drastically on the butter and sour cream and cheese. (And believe me when I tell you I am not “that person”!) But even for me, 11 tablespoons of butter is a bridge too far, even when a lot of it is used making the soup. I use a cup of sour cream and one 8-oz package of shredded sharp cheddar. And always the cornflake topping! It’s still absolutely delicious - just not as over the top and gloppy.

I ALWAYS make these hash brown recipes with Idahoan dehydrated hash browns. Boil water, pour into the 8 oz milk carton the dehydrated spuds come in and let set for 8-10 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients. These dehydrated spuds beat the frozen ones hands down. They take up less space and can be used when camping and cooked in a 3 legged Dutch oven. You can find them ( the dehydrated spud) at Costco and probably at Albertsons, or in any grocer with bulk buns.

Where is the bacon?

This has been a family favorite for years. The only variation is we top it with crunchy fried onion rings - store bought.

Canned soup works fine, but frozen hash browns? No, thank you. Gently boil about 6 russet potatoes until barely done. Shred after peeling or don’t peel and shred anyway. Sharp cheddar works well. This holiday dish has been known to appear in summer when a family member returns home for a visit. Great with grilled flank steak!

Never feel guilty about taking kitchen shortcuts. Some people get a little full of themselves by what they consider homemade or from scratch, like--gasp--subbing frozen hashbrowns for raw potatoes. My comeback is that these "purists" aren't digging up potatoes in their garden, churning butter, or making their own cheese. Especially if you have a hectic life or health issues, be proud of yourself for getting a home-cooked meal on the table, no matter how many shortcuts it took.

Very easy and pretty good for what I thought was going to be a fairly trashy dish. Obviously you could swap out the cheddar for a different cheese and get a totally different dish— say Gruyère and less sour cream. Great steakhouse-style side dish.

I make this dish from memory as the recipe got lost. We know it as heavenly potatoes and it is a stape to our holiday meals. I use boiled potatoes that are cooled and grated. Frozen hash browns work but not the same result.

A version of this dish, with the addition of a pound of bulk sausage, is my family’s Christmas breakfast. Here in the deep South, grocery stores run short on frozen hash browns early in the season. We’ve discovered that frozen Tater Tots work just fine.

I grew up eating a version of this dish. We called it 'Texas Casserole'. There was no parmesan or extra seasonings, but my mom would make it with a can of Campbell's cream of chicken soup, frozen hash browns, sour cream, cheddar, chopped white onion, and a buttery cornflake topping. I always enjoyed the bits of undercooked onion throughout the dish, and obviously we all fought over the crispy edges. Although we seldom ate processed foods growing up, this was always a favourite.

I dislike the bland sameness of color in this casserole, so I add the chopped greens from a large bunch of scallions to the potatoes before baking, and sprinkle chopped chives over the top before serving. The onions add a nice sharp bite & an oomph of extra flavor. I've also added diced ham on occasion to turn this into a dinner casserole & serve with a salad for a complete meal.

You can make this ahead and freeze it before baking. I often make the whole recipe and put in smaller dishes, which have enough for 2 people, and put them in the freezer. I do not put the cornflakes/butter on the casserole before freezing, instead put them in a plastic bag, and then put on top of the casserole before freezing, adding it before baking. Thaw before baking or add 20-30 minutes to the baking. I use cream of celery most of the time.

I think this does a bit better if the hash browns are thawed before warming. I have made this with the canned cream of chicken soup as well; it is not as flavorful and is more salty

Made this by the recipe and also made a vegan version with substituted vegan cream cheese, milk, and cheddar. Both vegetarian and vegan versions turned out well. Will make this again, but will add some frozen vegetables.

This came together so easy and is so good! I can’t wait to have an event to bring this to so I have another reason to make it. Will def become a holiday favorite, but it’s easy enough to make anytime! Next time I will decrease the salt by half. Or just not add in the 2t at the end. Was edible and delish but too salty. I didn’t have any stock on hand like I thought I did so I just doubled the milk. Would be easy to make gf with a gf flour replacer in the roux instead.

This is really good but to make it better confuse half an8 oxthing of light sourcream

Tastes exactly like the cheesy potatoes at the university of wisconsin hospital cafeteria. In case you miss those, like I do sometimes!

I make a similar casserole but substitute French onion dip for the sour cream. It’s always a hit!

Hash browns casserole

Has anyone added meat to this? I was thinking of using leftover holiday ham.

I made this the day before Christmas and brought it to my boyfriend's mom's house on Christmas morning after reheating it in the oven for about half an hour. For some color and Christmas flair, I chopped up one red and one green bell pepper and sprinkled them on top before reheating. It was so easy and delicious and everyone loved it! I can't wait to make it again soon.

Made the day before. Did not bake. Refrigerated overnight and baked in morning. Seemed to work well although it did need extra time in the oven. Used extra sharp cheddar. Maybe next time I'd use a somewhat milder cheddar.

Also 1/2 cup Parmesan 2 cups cheddar cheese, 1.5 cups in mix, 1/2 cup on top

Absolutely delicious! And smells wonderful while cooking. In my opinion, significantly better than the version made with canned soup. Personal preference - I substituted crushed Ritz crackers for cornflakes in the topping. In the unlikely event there are leftovers, best to reheat in oven rather than microwave so the topping (crackers or cornflakes) regains its crunchiness.

I topped with crispy bacon crumbles and a little smoked paprika. I also precooked the hash browns to shorten the oven time a little.

Can this be assembled the night before? Making for a Christmas brunch and trying to save myself a few steps in the AM?