The Funeral Potatoes You’ll Crave Every Week!

This casserole has no business being this easy to make. Creamy, cheesy hashbrowns baked in a 9×13 pan with a buttery, golden cornflake crunch on top — funeral potatoes have been showing up at holiday tables and potlucks for decades, and once you make them, you’ll understand exactly why they never go away.

I’ve made this more times than I can count. It’s the dish people text me about before Easter. It goes with every main dish, feeds a crowd without drama, and takes almost no active work. The name is funny until you eat it. Then you don’t care what it’s called.

Once you make this, it sticks. Holidays, potlucks, Sunday dinners, random weeknights when you need a side that everyone will actually eat — this shows up for all of it.

Baked Cheesy Potatoes (Funeral Potatoes)

Funeral potatoes are a classic Midwestern casserole — frozen hashbrowns baked in a creamy mixture of sour cream, cream of chicken soup, butter, and cheddar cheese, topped with buttery crushed cornflakes and baked until hot and golden.

The name comes from their history as a dish brought to post-funeral gatherings. Simple, filling food that feeds a crowd when nobody has energy for anything complicated. These days the name is mostly a conversation starter — nobody’s thinking about history when they’re quietly fighting over the corner pieces.

This is one of those recipes that earns its reputation every single time you make it. Same result, same crowd reaction, no surprises.

Why This Recipe Works

Cream of chicken soup and sour cream together do something specific — they create a sauce that stays creamy through the entire bake. It doesn’t dry out. It doesn’t get watery. It holds its texture from edge to corner, every single time.

The cheese melts right into that base and makes every scoop consistent. You’re not getting a cheesy bite here and a bland bite there. It’s even throughout.

The cornflake topping is what separates funeral potatoes from every other potato casserole. Crushed, tossed in butter, baked until golden — it gives you crunch and richness in the same bite. Without it, this is a fine side dish. With it, it’s the thing people ask about.

Frozen hashbrowns are the right call here. They have consistent texture and water content, which means you get the same result every time. Fresh potatoes need extra prep and still won’t be as reliable.

What You Need (And Why Each One Matters)

Frozen hashbrowns: The base of everything. Thaw them completely before mixing. If they go in frozen, they release extra water as they bake and your casserole ends up watery and loose. One hour in a colander at room temperature is all it takes.

Cream of chicken soup: This is your binding sauce. It adds a savory, slightly rich flavor and holds the whole casserole together. Don’t skip it.

Sour cream: Adds creaminess and a very subtle tang that balances out the richness of the butter and cheese. Don’t swap this — it does something specific here that yogurt or cream cheese just won’t replicate the same way.

Melted butter: Goes into both the filling and the topping. In the filling it adds richness. In the topping, it’s what makes the cornflakes actually crisp instead of just sitting there.

Shredded cheddar: Sharp cheddar gives you the most flavor. Pre-shredded works fine, but freshly shredded melts more smoothly into the filling. Either way it’s good.

Cornflakes: Kellogg’s original cornflakes are the classic choice. Don’t crush them to powder. You want small, irregular pieces — some bigger, some smaller — that hold their shape in the oven and give you real crunch on top. That texture is the whole point of this topping.

Salt + onion powder: Simple seasoning that pulls everything together. The onion powder is subtle but makes a real difference — don’t leave it out.

How to Make Funeral Potatoes

Here’s how straightforward this is — mix, top, bake. That’s the whole process.

1. Thaw your hashbrowns for about an hour in a colander. Don’t skip this step.
2. In a large bowl, combine hashbrowns, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, melted butter, salt, onion powder, and cheddar cheese. Mix until evenly combined.
3. Spread the mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish and smooth it out evenly.
4. In a separate bowl, toss crushed cornflakes with melted butter until coated.
5. Sprinkle the cornflake topping evenly over the casserole.
6. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, until the center is hot and the topping is golden.
7. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. It scoops cleaner that way.

If the topping is browning too fast before the center is done, lay a piece of foil loosely over the top and keep baking. Don’t cover it tight — you want steam to escape.

What to Serve These With

Ham is the classic pairing, and for very good reason. The saltiness of ham against the creamy, cheesy potatoes is one of those combinations that just works. Easter dinner practically requires this on the table.

Beyond ham, these go alongside anything roasted. Chicken, pork tenderloin, beef roast — any of those give you a reason to make this as your side. It fits naturally into a full holiday spread without adding any extra work or stress.

• Ham (the classic — especially for Easter)
• Roast chicken
• Pork chops or pork tenderloin
• Beef roast or pot roast
• Turkey (yes, this works at Thanksgiving too)

Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions

Make it ahead: Mix the filling and get it in the pan up to 24 hours before. Cover and refrigerate without the topping. When you’re ready to bake, add the cornflake topping and put it straight in the oven. Coming from the fridge cold? Add 10-15 extra minutes to the bake time.

Refrigerator: Leftovers keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container. The topping will soften in the fridge, but the flavor is completely intact.

Reheating: Oven at 325°F is the best way to revive any texture in the topping. Microwave works if you just need it hot fast — expect softer topping.

Freezer: Freeze the filling without the topping in a freezer-safe dish for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, add fresh cornflakes and melted butter on top and bake as directed.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No peeling, chopping, or pre-cooking — frozen hashbrowns handle all of that
• Makes a full 9×13 pan that feeds 8-10 people easily
• Can be assembled ahead and baked the day of
• That cornflake topping is genuinely something else
• Consistent every single time — hard to mess up
• Goes with everything: ham, chicken, pork, beef, turkey
• Kids eat it without a single complaint

Questions That Come Up Every Time

Why are they called funeral potatoes?
The name goes back to their history as a dish brought to post-funeral gatherings — easy, filling, feeds a crowd without anyone having to think too hard. The name stuck long after the tradition spread everywhere.

Do I have to thaw the hashbrowns first?
Yes. This is the most common mistake. Frozen hashbrowns release extra water as they bake, and if you skip thawing, your casserole will be watery and loose. One hour in a colander at room temperature is enough.

Can I use fresh potatoes instead?
You can, but you’d need to par-cook them first. Frozen hashbrowns are easier, more consistent, and honestly just the right choice for this recipe.

What can I use instead of cornflakes?
Crushed Ritz crackers work really well — about 1½ cups crushed with ½ cup melted butter. You get a slightly softer, more buttery crunch. Still excellent.

Can I freeze this?
Yes — freeze the filling without the topping. Thaw overnight in the fridge, add fresh cornflake topping, and bake as directed.

Can I double the recipe?
Yes — use two separate 9×13 pans so each casserole cooks evenly. Going deeper in one pan doesn’t work as well.

Variations Worth Trying

Ritz cracker topping: Swap the cornflakes for crushed Ritz crackers tossed in melted butter. Slightly different texture — softer crunch, more buttery. Both are genuinely great.

Add ham: Stir 1-2 cups of diced cooked ham into the filling. Turns this from a side dish into a complete main dish. Great way to use up leftover Easter ham.

Extra cheese on top: Sprinkle a handful of shredded cheddar right on top of the cornflake layer before baking. More cheese is rarely wrong.

Add some heat: A pinch of cayenne or some diced jalapeño mixed into the filling adds contrast that works really well against all that creaminess.

Cream of mushroom swap: Works as a direct substitute for cream of chicken if that’s what you have. Slightly earthier flavor, still delicious.

What to Do With Leftovers

Leftover funeral potatoes are good. Don’t let them sit there going to waste.

Breakfast hash: Scoop leftovers into a skillet with a little butter and heat until the edges get slightly crispy. Add a fried egg on top. One of the best breakfasts you can make with five minutes of effort.

Breakfast burrito: Scramble some eggs, add a scoop of leftover potatoes, wrap in a flour tortilla. Done. Lunch is handled too.

Stuffed peppers: Fill halved bell peppers with the leftover casserole, top with extra shredded cheddar, and broil until bubbly and melted.

Just reheat it: This reheats beautifully as a side dish and tastes just as good on day three as it did fresh out of the oven. No need to overthink it.

The Right Dish Makes a Difference

A good 9×13 pan is all the equipment this recipe needs. Pyrex dishes are the reliable classic — even heat distribution, easy cleanup, and you can see the edges browning as it bakes. If you’re doubling the recipe for a crowd, bake two separate pans side by side rather than trying to go deeper in one dish.

For the cheese, buy a block and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking coatings that make it slightly grainy when it melts. Tillamook sharp cheddar is what I reach for — it melts smoothly, has enough bite to cut through the richness of the sour cream and soup, and makes the whole dish taste more pulled-together.

Want a Lighter Version?

This is still a casserole, so manage expectations — but here’s how to lighten it up without losing what makes it good.

• Use reduced-fat sour cream
• Use reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup
• Cut the butter in the filling to ¼ cup
• Use 1½ cups shredded cheese instead of 2
• Keep the cornflake topping — it’s not where most of the calories are, and cutting it changes the dish too much

The texture will be slightly less rich, but the flavor holds up well. These swaps are worth it if you’re making this more regularly outside of just holidays.

Nutrition information is listed in the recipe card below. One serving is approximately 1 cup of the casserole.

A Note From My Kitchen

I started making this when my kids were small and I was always the one asked to “bring a side.” I needed something reliable — something I could prep ahead, something that fed a group without requiring any babysitting once it was in the oven.

This became that dish. It’s been to more Easter tables than I can remember. It shows up at Thanksgiving when someone asks me to bring a potato side. It’s appeared at school potlucks, neighborhood dinners, and random Sunday nights when I just needed something easy that everyone would actually eat without complaint.

My family still gets excited when they see this going in the oven. After all these years, that hasn’t changed. That’s what a good recipe does.

Final Thoughts

The name makes people smile. The first bite makes them ask for the recipe. That’s a pretty good track record for a simple potato casserole.

Make it once and it goes on the permanent list. That’s what happens with this one every time.

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• Pork Chop and Hashbrown Casserole
• Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
• Cheesy Potatoes Potato Bake
• How to Make Crock Pot Baked Potatoes