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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Recipe
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
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
*I originally shared this recipe December 2016. Updated October 2018.
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“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!
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!!
Rated this 3 stars the other day, but only based on the instructions for a double recipe.
Now for the updated review. After making this for the first time, and taking it to a last minute church function, all I can say is that is was absolutely delicious and definitely a crowd pleaser. A double batch was completely gone!
Being a stickler on following recipes to a “t”, as I’m not a cook by any means, the only thing different was that I had to used the small, frozen, cubed potatoes with onions and peppers in it (nothing else was available). So, I omitted the dried, minced onion.
Perfection. Even for an amateur cook like me.
My only suggestion, Lauren, is to update the instructions accordingly for a double or triple batch (specifically steps 3 & 6) so that whomever cooks this knows the correct amount of butter to put in at each of those steps. As it is currently written, the instructions are exactly the same for the 1, 2, and 3 batch recipes, which can drive a non-cook absolutely crazy and potentially ruin a fantastic recipe.
I love this recipe!
SunnyAlisha LOL what are you talking about saying she needed to update the recipe for double or triple instructions to be exact same? That makes no sense LOL.
Just double or triple the ingredients.
If 1 batch calls for 10T butter, then it would 20T butter for double batch and 30T butter for triple batch.
Step 3 you use 6T butter for 1 batch, so….. double = 12T. Triple = 18T.
Step 6 you use the remaining 4T of 1 batch…so…..double = 8T. Triple = 12T.
LOL but actually if it’s too hard to double or triple like that, then get 3 bowls out and do 1 batch for each bowl, then put all bowls in one big baking pan 😆
This is very good and easy to prepare. I don’t add the butter and it tastes just fine.
Not adding butter? Repent. That’s a sin! LOL
can this recipe be made and kept in fridge for 2 days before baking?
That would be fine, they just may not be as creamy/saucy, because the potatoes will soak in some of the sauce.
Its easy to change this up a bit. I used cajun spices, added some shrimp. For the cheese I substituted an Italian blend with shredded asiago, romano and parmesan. Yummm
So if I make this a few days before should I just prepare everything except cornflakes and bake it and then freeze it? Or should i not bake it and freeze it?
Do not bake it. Prepare it through Step 4. Freeze as instructed and when you are ready to bake it. Add the cornflakes and bake as directed! Thanks!
It tastes really great! I usually use a random recipe just as a base since my momma never wrote down the ratio to her Cheesy Potato Casserole. We don’t like corn flakes so we always top it with cheese.
Here’s a tweaked recipe:
30 Oz bag of hashbrowns
3 cups of sour cream
2X 10.5 Oz can of cream of chicken soup
2 sticks of butter
3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
2 bunches of green onions diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup diced cooked ham
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tbs of garlic powder
We do the recipe the same except we save 1 cup of the shredded cheese to top with at the very end of the cooking process and let it melt.
Nom nom lol
I never leave comments on recipes, but I stumbled across this post while looking at something else and just broke out into the biggest smile. My grandma called these patio potatoes and made them for every single holiday when I was growing up. Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, Sunday supper LOL we always had patio potatoes. She passed a couple years ago but now I make these for my little ones and it makes the holidays.
I think the version you written up is perfect, but what I love about this recipe to as it does have some flexibility which is nice when the supply chain issues rear their heads. You can use pretty much any cream of whatever soup, I have used cream of celery to make it vegetarian for a guest and it turned out really nice. Are used frozen O’Brien potatoes, which have onions and peppers on them, and that was my favorite just because I like the purity of claim potatoes but it definitely works if that’s all there is.
Anyway, thanks for making me smile and sharing this take on a classic.
I made this dish with 2 pounds of southern style frozen hash browns (thawed), and added garlic and onion powder, sauteed onions, and a little bit of smoked paprika. I also added a can of cheddar cheese soup and used Colby jack cheese. Absolutely phenomenal!!
I followed the recipe to a “T” and they were AMAZING! I now make this for all family gatherings. Great recipe, and thanks for setting me up for all these great compliments because I get them every time I make this recipe!
One of my favorite dishes
Excellent recipe! I was out of cornflakes so I used bacon and cheddar cheezits. Everyone loved it.