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These easy and delicious Funeral Potatoes (also called cheesy potatoes) are a cheesy hash brown casserole that makes the perfect warm side dish for any meal, holiday dinner, or potluck.
I can't believe the holidays are almost here! These delicious funeral potatoes accompany many Sunday dinner, holiday dinners and potlucks this time of year in our house. They go well with everything and are a huge crowd pleasing side dish.
Why are they called funeral potatoes?
Funeral potatoes get their unique name from being a crowd-pleasing casserole served as a side dish at after-funeral luncheons (particularly in the culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). As sad as that might sound, it shows how comforting and delicious this dish is to have become such a STAPLE. Many people also call them Cheesy Hashbrowns.
These warm, cheesy potatoes with a crispy cornflake crumb topping make a great side dish to ham, turkey or chicken. I've also heard of many people who enjoy this dish for breakfast as a hash brown casserole, with eggs.
No matter how you serve it, it's guaranteed to be a crowd favorite!
How to Make Funeral Potatoes:
Combine the sauce ingredients–sour cream, cream of chicken soup (or use my HOMEMADE cream of chicken soup recipe), 6 tablespoons of melted butter, salt, pepper and dried onion– in a bowl and mix them up.
Add the diced potatoes (you can use frozen cubed hash browns, or use real potatoes. You will need about 10 small diced potatoes, parboiled) and shredded cheese and stir everything to combine it, then pour it into a baking dish.
Crush the cornflakes (I pour them in a ziplock bag and use my hands to crush them). Mix in the remaining 4 tablespoons of melted butter and sprinkle cornflakes over potatoes. Bake funeral potatoes in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until it's bubbly and warmed through.
Can I freeze funeral potatoes, or make them ahead of time?
To make funeral potatoes in advance make the recipe through step 4 when the mixture is spread into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Store covered in the fridge for up to 1 day. Add crushed cornflake topping before baking. Add 5-10 minutes to the bake time if they go into the oven cold from the fridge.
To freeze funeral potatoes, make as directed, but do not add the cornflake topping. Cover and store in freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw in the fridge overnight. Add cornflake topping before baking.
What should I serve with funeral potatoes?
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Funeral Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 30 ounces frozen hash browns, , diced or shredded will work, THAWED*
- 2 cups sour cream
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup, (or homemade)
- 10 Tablespoons butter, , divided, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups corn flakes cereal
Instructions
- Allow potatoes to thaw in your fridge overnight, or spread them on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes, until thawed.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine sour cream, cream of chicken soup, 6 Tablespoons of melted butter, salt, pepper and dried onion in a bowl. Mix well.
- Add potatoes and shredded cheese and stir to combine. Spoon mixture into a single layer in a 9x13'' pan.
- Add cornflakes to a large ziplock bag and crush gently with your hands or a rolling pin.
- Add remaining 4 tablespoons of melted butter to the crushed cornflakes and combine well. Sprinkle mixture over potatoes.
- Bake uncovered at 350 F for 40-50 minutes.
- Serve these with baked ham, oven roasted turkey, or flank steak.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
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*I originally shared this recipe December 2016. Updated October 2018.
“Best funeral potatoes I’ve ever eaten” said my son which is something a Mom always wants to hear. Easy and yummy! Made them the night before and baked them for Christmas lunch. I used white cheddar and they were all eaten. Thanks for the recipe!
We used a 3 cup bag of sharp chedder and put 2 cups in the mixture and 1 cup on top! Also I made it all up night before without thawing and just let mixture thaw together in casserole dish in fridge before baking next day
Couldn’t find my moms recipe so I goggled funeral potatoes and used this recipe…they were THE BEST funeral potatoes I have ever eaten!! Thanks so much!!
I had never had these or made these before but man are they yummy! I don’t really know if it’s a good thing that I have now because they sure are not low calorie. Thank you for the lovely recipe.
Living in Utah, I’ve been making Funeral Potatoes for years. To make them more special I like to add about a quarter of a cup of bacon bits and mix them in well with the potatoes. I also use Panko bread crumbs on the top.
Mine are really wet still, I followed the direction to a t…. should I have let the defrosted potatoes sit on a paper towel first maybe?
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear that your funeral potatoes turned out wetter than expected. Yes, allowing defrosted potatoes to sit on a paper towel to absorb some of the excess moisture can help prevent this in the future.
Potatoes, particularly frozen ones, can release a lot of moisture as they cook, so it’s important to give them a chance to dry out a bit before using them in recipes. After defrosting, try patting them dry with a paper towel or even giving them a light squeeze to get out the extra water before adding them to your dish.
Alternatively, your dish might be wet due to excess cream, butter, or other liquid ingredients. Make sure to measure all your ingredients carefully to avoid adding too much.
I hope this advice helps, and I’m confident your next batch will turn out perfectly. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any more questions!
I have been making these potatoes for years. Except I used cream of Celery and very hard to have left overs.
I always put my hash on paper towel to soak up water and blot them. It makes a HUGE difference.
I am making these for a Wednesday pot luck and don’t have much time between Monday and then. Could I prepare these Monday night (without topping), refrigerate, and then throw in the oven on Wednesday? Not sure if they will hold up or not and don’t wanna waste. I’m making 2 pans.
I was in a hurry in the grocery store and ended up grabbing a bag of potatoes o’brien which have diced onion and red & green bell pepper. Didn’t realize this mistake until I actually dumped the bag in my mixture,and by then, it was too late. So I went with it. These turned out AMAZING 🤩 I think this one change, I’ll be making a permanent one.
I got the recipe from my ex-mother in law from Minnesota years ago and besides the recipe about the only thing good that lasted from that marriage. Unfortunately I just learned it is referred to as “funeral potatoes” Kinda ominous …I wonder if she knew all along? Well I passed it on to my family and they love it and for years now it’s been a holiday favorite. Tho sometimes it makes me kinda sad… 🤷🏻♀️Thanks Marion ✝️RIP 🌹
Can you cook Funeral Potatoes in a glass Pyrex dish???
Thanks. Mary
Yes, any oven safe dish will work!
Some of these comments, no most all of them, but this one in particular, has me laughing so hard, oh my, my, my. LOL, From Salt Lake City, Utah.
We had these Monday at a funeral. I got the link from her. They are delicious. Putting this in my book of good food.
These are the best tasting potatoes, and not just for funeral dinners. They are great anytime.
Simple and tastes awesome!!…. I think I’m gonna swap 1 cup of sour cream for 1 of cottage cheese and sprinkle a few green onions or chives in there too next time.