Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

Cracker Barrel Hashbrown casserole has been the gold standard of potato casseroles for years. You can make this copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown casserole at home, easily and with simple to find ingredients.

Love copycat restaurant recipes? Me too! Try my Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich recipe or my Olive Garden Breadsticks. 

You can find Cracker Barrel restaurants all over the United States, typically in cities close to interstates where weary travelers can pull off and find a filling, home cooked meal in a comfortable setting. If you’ve never had the honor of eating at Cracker Barrel, you may not realize that they make the best ever hashbrown casserole. It’s cheesy, piping hot, and packed with the home-y flavors of onion and sour cream. 

This is a simple casserole recipe with hashbrowns, canned soup, and a few other easy-to-find ingredients. It comes together in just a few minutes and comes out of the oven browned and bubbly and ready to serve with your favorite family meals. 

I like to serve this casserole with my Instant Pot Honey Glazed Ham at Easter, but it’s just as delicious with a non-holiday dinner, like Grilled Spatchcock Chicken or Air Fryer Fish. Hash brown casserole is amazing as a breakfast or brunch side dish too! There’s really no bad time for cheesy potatoes. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. No Fuss. Casseroles like this copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown recipe are super simple to put together. We’ll just mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, transfer that to a baking dish and pop it in the oven. This recipe is foolproof!
2. It’s Cheesy. I’m not sure what’s better than hot, cheesy potatoes. This recipe is creamy, cheesy, and totally irresistible. 
3. Great for a Crowd. This recipe fills a 13×9 baking dish, and is a great side dish for holidays or parties where you have extra mouths to feed. Make two of them for larger get togethers. There are rarely any leftovers no matter how much of this I make.

Ingredients in Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Frozen, Shredded Hash browns: This recipe works best with the thinly shredded potato hash browns. Thaw them before mixing and pat them dry to remove excess moisture. You can also use cubed hash browns if preferred.
• Butter: One whole stick of butter, melted, goes into this casserole. It adds amazing texture and flavor to the potatoes. 
• Cream of Chicken Soup: For the best and most Cracker Barrel like flavor, canned cream of chicken soup is perfect. You could substitute cream of mushroom too. 
• Sour Cream: This makes our casserole of hash browns and cheese extra creamy. I suggest using a full fat sour cream for best results. 
• Yellow Onion: Dice your onion finely so that it adds flavor but you aren’t chewing on pieces of onion in your final dish. 
• Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheddar is my choice here, but a mild one would be good as well. We’ll add some of the cheese into the casserole and use the rest to create a browned, cheesy topping. 
• Salt and Pepper: Just a bit to properly season the dish. 

How to Make CopyCat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

1. Preheat: Set your oven to 350°F/180°C so you’re ready to bake. 
2. Dry Hash browns: Pat dry the thawed hash browns to get rid of excess moisture. Use paper towels for easy clean up, or any clean kitchen towel.
3. Combine Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients, but reserve ½ cup of cheese. Stir well. 
4. Fill Baking Dish: Place the mixture in a greased 9×13″ casserole dish, and top with the remaining cheese.

1. Bake: Bake in the oven as directed in the recipe card below. 
2. Broil: Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to slightly brown the cheese. 
3. Cool and Serve: Allow to cool down for about 10 minutes, garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Tips for Making the Best Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

• Thaw and dry the potatoes. Extra moisture is not going to be your friend in this recipe. The frozen hash browns should be thawed, drained, and then towel dried to get rid of as much moisture as possible.
• Make it Vegetarian. I like cream of chicken soup in this recipe, but you can substitute cream of mushroom to make this cheesy side dish vegetarian friendly. 
• Use full fat dairy. The flavor will be off if you use low fat sour cream or cheese. I don’t recommend it.

Toppings for Hash brown Casserole

I’m using just cheese as my topping to make this close to the version I’ve had at Cracker Barrel, but this casserole is also delicious with a crunchy topping. Crushed potato chips, or crushed corn flakes mixed with a bit of butter can be used instead of the cheese for a different spin on this dish. 

Hash Brown Casserole Add Ins

• Cooked bacon or ham
• Leftover shredded chicken
• Broccoli or cauliflower
• Jalapeño peppers

Storing, and Making Ahead

Make ahead: You can make this hash brown casserole the night before, and store it in the fridge covered.

Fridge: Store the leftovers in the fridge covered for up to 3 days.

Reheat: You can either reheat this casserole in the microwave or in the oven until just warmed through.

Freezer: Freeze this casserole unbaked, thaw in the fridge overnight then bake as instructed in the recipe card below.

Frequently Asked Questions

I know you and your family are going to love this cheesy, creamy Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole! Pin this recipe to enjoy later!