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This super cheesy, crunchy topped hash brown casserole is truly The Best Funeral Potatoes Ever! The combination of sour cream, onions, garlic and that buttery top all meld together with the potatoes for a side dish perfect for any occasion. Serve this up for your next holiday, or special day and watch the dish disappear. It’s a comfort food classic!
Serve these potatoes with just about anything from Ham, to Chicken to Steak and even Fish! It will go with it all!.
The Best Funeral Potatoes
Cheesy and beautifully seasoned, these really are just plain amazing! Potatoes are that ultimate comfort food. Combined with onions, sour cream, and lots of cheese, what’s not to love? This has become a staple at the table for many holidays. From Thanksgiving to Easter and everything in between this is a classic side dish that can make any meal complete.
Serve them at potlucks, BBQs as well as holidays. They are not just reserved for special occasions. Double the batch and freeze it (without the topping) to use at another occasion. You loved ones are going to love these potatoes!
Funeral Potato Ingredients
These are so buttery and cheesy!
- Butter: To saute the onion and garlic with.
- Onion: Finely chop the onion
- Garlic: minced
- Hash Browns: Frozen shredded hash brown potatoes thawed, or make your own
- Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup: Creates creamy goodness and flavor
- Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt: More creaminess and a bit of tang
- Parmesan Cheese Adds a nice punch to the cheese.
- Salt and Pepper To Taste
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Shredded and firmly packed, don’t skimp on the good stuff.
- Crushed Corn Flake Cereal or Panko Bread Crumbs: Either one will work
Making Funeral Potatoes
This comes together in a snap.
- Saute: In a medium skillet melt 2 Tablespoons of butter. Add the onions and cook till translucent. Add the garlic and saute, just until fragrant.
- Mix: In a large bowl combine the onions, garlic, hash browns, soup, sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese. Stir till well.
- Pan: Spread into a 9×13 pan and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
- Melt: Melt the remaining 4 Tablespoons of butter and mix with the crushed cornflakes or bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the potatoes
- Bake: Bake for 50-60 min at 350 degrees till bubbly and cooked throughout.
Why Are They Called Funeral Potatoes?
- What’s in a Name: As the name suggests, this cheesy potato comfort food is traditionally served at a meal for the grieving family following a funeral. Most commonly known as Funeral Potatoes in the western and southern United States they are also known as a Cheesy Potato Casserole. They’re popular at gatherings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are often served at their funerals and other functions.
- Why Funerals: Besides cheese and potatoes being an ultimate comfort food and just delicious, they are easy to transport, easy to make, and easy to keep warm. Perfect for a potluck and a time of need.
- The Little Black Dress of Side Dishes: A big helping of cheesy potatoes goes with just about any main dish, making it a very versatile dish. Dress it up or dress it down for the occasion. From Christmas, to birthdays, to funerals, it’s the perfect side attraction. Trust me these will go fast!
Tips for The Best Funeral Potatoes
- Make Ahead: These are one of those wonderful dishes you can make ahead. Make as directed but do not put the cornflake or bread crumb topping on. Refrigerate till ready to bake. Remove from the fridge and let come to room temperature, if you have time. Mix up the topping put on top and cook as directed.
- Potatoes: Shredded potatoes as well as country style hash browns (cubed potatoes) will work in this recipe. I like the shredded best.
- Bake Your Own Potatoes: Make your own hash browns by parboiling 12 small potatoes and grating them once cooled.
- To Top or Not to Top: You can leave the topping off if you prefer. The crunchy topping does go soggy if you have leftovers. So if you know you will have leftovers you might want to leave it off. Either way it’s still amazing!
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. They are almost even better the next day!
- Make it a Meal: Add in diced ham, chicken or bacon and turn this side dish into the main dish!
More Potato Recipes
Potatoes are just plain good!
- Crispy Potato Skins
- Easy Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Cheddar Garlic Mashed Potato Casserole
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
- Garlic Butter Herb Steak Bites with Potatoes
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The Best Funeral Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons butter divided
- 3/4 cup onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 30 ounce bag of frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed -or- 12 small potatoes parboiled and shredded
- 1 10.5 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded and firmly packed, divided
- 1 1/2 cup crushed cornflake cereal or panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized skillet, add 2 Tablespoons butter and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cooked onions, garlic, hash browns, condensed soup, sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese.
- Spread into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.
- Melt the remaining 4 Tablespoons of butter and mix with the crushed cornflake crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cooked throughout and bubbly.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love funeral potatoes, but you have added some extra touches not usually found in the recipe like garlic and parmesan cheese. A lot of recipes don’t even have onion in it.
I tried your recipe and loved it. Your recipe will be my go-to recipe from now on.
Can you use frozen hash browns? I forgot to thaw them first! Hope they are still good❤️
That should work fine! You may just need to extend the cooking time a little bit. Let me know how they turn out!
I did a 15 Servings size and wish I’d made more. So yumm! I didn’t have the fresh garlic so had to sub with powdered and used Ruffles chips crushed for the topping.
I noticed that you can freeze this recipe, do you thaw it prior to adding the top and baking?
Also if bringing to a pot luck, best way to reheat / keep warm
Thanks
You can make this ahead and keep it in your fridge instead of freezing! Assemble it without the toppings. Then, put it in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Remove it from the fridge and let come to room temperature when you are ready to make it. Mix up the topping put on top and cook as directed.
Great version of a classic recipe. Family loves it.
Love this!
I’ve grown up on these, and this is by far my favorite recipe! If these were served at a funeral, I’d lift the casserole dish, look for the masking tape name on the bottom and hunt down the cook to get this recipe! Thanks for posting!
My MIL made these all the time for special events like Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter, instead of mashed potatoes. Now we make them in honor of her memory. These are always the first thing to go at any event. Instead of hash browns, we use Potatoes O’Brien with diced onions and peppers already in the mix. It makes like so much easier not to have to cut onions and the peppers add an extra dash of yummy to the dish. We all love Cheesy Potatoes at any time of year, but my hubby is happiest of all whenever I made these.
These are the BEST funeral potatoes I’ve ever tasted. I watch people try a little bit of these funeral potatoes and then pretty soon they are back getting a much bigger scoop. I never go home with any left in the pan! Thanks for sharing this recipe, you make me look like a good cook!
I decided to go with cream of bacon soup and real bacon pieces throughout and in the topping! Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
thanks for the recipe !!! These are delicious !!!
I really question that this recipe originated in Utah. I received it 35 years ago from a friend in Tulsa, OK – she had no Utah connections. She just called it Hash Brown Casserole. Regardless, it’s delicious and works well for any large gathering.
Potato casseroles have been around for hundreds of years. Most of the differences are superficial. “Funeral Potatoes” originate in the Utah/Idaho/Arizona area; the name comes from the Mormons in that region who started using these as a staple at funeral potlucks, but the dish is also called “great potatoes,” “cheesy potatoes,” “hash brown casserole,” “cheesy hash browns,” “those potatoes,” or “party potatoes” in different parts of the United States. These are also similar to “scalloped potatoes” in France.