Cheesy and delicious Funeral potatoes (aka Cheesy potatoes, Party Potatoes). This simple casserole is a potato lovers dream. With cheesy, sour cream, butter, cream of chicken and Hash Browns, these potatoes are perfect for any meal or holiday.
These potatoes are the perfect side dish for large gatherings, parties, and holidays. If you like cheesy potatoes, you’ll probably like scalloped potatoes, or loaded mashed potatoes.
what are funeral potatoes?
There are certain side dishes that have to be made on Thanksgiving in our family. Some of those include my aunt’s super yummy Ham, my mom’s famous rolls, and several side dishes, including Funeral Potatoes (also known as Cheesy Potato Casserole, Party Potatoes, Cheesy Potatoes, etc.).
Yes, we do have classic Mashed Potatoes as well, but we always have at least two pans of Funeral Potatoes. Usually one has onions in it, and the other one does not (for us picky folk).
Why are they called Funeral Potatoes? Because this dish has become a staple at funeral luncheons. And since they are so yummy, they are great to have for the holidays with some of our other favorite sides including creamed corn, green bean casserole and homemade macaroni and cheese. We also like to make this all year long because they’re that good – and simple!
I’m not going to lie… I sometimes crave these more than the regular mashed potatoes, BUT having said that I usually have both on Thanksgiving, because I’m just a potato lover!! 😀
How to Make Funeral Potatoes
Once your cubed hash browns are thawed, rinsed and drained, you’ll set them aside and make your cream mixture. This is made by mixing the sour cream, cream of chicken soup and butter. Add salt, onion and cheese to this and mix well.
Combined hash browns with the sour cream mixture and stir until it’s well combined. Pour this into a greased 9×13 pan.
Place your corn flakes in a Ziploc bag with melted butter and mix and crush until well coated. Pour this over the potatoes and bake for 350 for 40 – 50 minutes.
funeral potato variations:
There are so many ways to change this up!
- Topping – We think corn flakes work the best, but you can also use Panko or even crushed Ritz crackers. Most kind of crackers will do, but Ritz works best if you are going that route.
- Potatoes – You can use shredded potatoes too – we have a similar recipe using them for Hashbrown Casserole.
- Crock Pot – We like this version in the oven, but we do have a Slow Cooker Cheesy Potatoes recipe we love!
Cheesy Potato FAQ
Can you make funeral potatoes ahead of time? Yes, you can! If you want to make these funeral potatoes ahead of time make them as the recipe says, but don’t add the cornflake topping or butter. When you’re ready to bake, thaw in the fridge overnight. Add the butter and cornflake topping and bake as directed!
Can you freeze funeral potatoes? You will also make this to the point where you pour the potatoes into the dish. Do not add the cornflakes and instead cover with foil and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw in fridge overnight and then add the cornflakes before baking. We also recommend making them in a disposable dish pan if you are planning to freeze.
How to store/reheat funeral potatoes? We place the potatoes in an air-tight container and leave in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, just place on a plate and reheat in the microwave until heated through.
How to make funeral potatoes for 50+ people? Funeral potatoes are a great dish to make for a crowd! If you want to make this recipe for 50 or more people – just triple the recipe or more. This recipe serves about 16 people. Make sure you have a few 9×13 pans lying around to bake all the potatoes in! Or better yet – buy large disposable pans to bake them in. 😉
If you’ve ever had these Cheesy Potatoes, then I’m sure you know just how yummy they really are. The best part is that you can add ingredients like bacon bits or even a few veggies to make them just how you’d like them. 🙂
What to Serve with Funeral Potatoes:
For more potato recipes, check out:
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole recipe
- Favorite Mashed Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole
COLLECTIONS: Thanksgiving Sides
Funeral Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place your potatoes in a colander. Let set until thawed and drained.
- Combine sour cream, soup and butter in a bowl. Mix it well. Add salt, onion and cheese to this mixture and mix until all combined.
- Add potatoes to mixture and stir until all combined. Place in 9x13 pan.
- Sprinkle on butter covered crushed Corn flakes.
- Bake uncovered at 350 for 40-50 minutes.
I have made these a few times and they never disappoint.
What is “born” as in “cream of chicken and born?” TIA
Best potatoes we’ve ever had!
Everyone gobbled down the potatoes! We loved this version with the cheese as my other recipe (mother-in-law’s recipe) does not call for cheese. The only change made was I eliminated the 1/2 cup butter and cornflakes as it is not needed (yummy with them, but totally optional).
Yes, totally optional! Thank you for sharing that!
I have eaten and made these for years according to the recipe written on a name brand of frozen hashbrowns. However, when my sister-in-law made your version, this became everyone’s new go-to recipe. We do use thawed shredded hashbrowns and skip the rinsing step. They’re so good! Thank you!
You are so welcome!! Glad you like them! Thank you for letting me know!
Hi!!what size can of cream of chicken ?
I believe it is the regular size can approx 10.5 oz
Yes, that’s correct!
We’ve always just called it potato casserole and make it like a baked potato, with all the butter and cheese, add bacon & green onions, with only about 1/2 cup sour cream but then add 1 cup heavy cream, because I’m not a big fan of sour cream. I also use use cream of chicken with herb soup, because it adds so much flavor. I’ve always used the potatoes frozen, right out of the bag, and mix it with the soup, sour cream, 1 stick of melted butter and heavy cream mixture. Then add the bacon, cheese, and green onions. Stir and pour into the dish, then melt and pour another stick of butter on top. Once cooked, add more cheese on top and broil about 4 minutes, or until cheese is browned in places and bubbly. It is a wonderful casserole for any occasion, no matter the extra ingredients added/mixed in.
That sounds good! Thank you!
Can this recipe be cooked in an electric roaster?
So good even tried it with cream of bacon soup with bacon bits was delicious!!!!!!
Cream of bacon soup and bacon bits would be delicious with this recipe! You can’t go wrong with bacon and potatoes! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. 🙂
Great recipe but improvised with what I had available. The changes made were using 1 cup regular sour cream and 1 cup chive sour cream, 1 tsp chicken bouillon instead or salt and since I didn’t have corn flakes I used crushed Pepperidge Farm Cheddar Goldfish…yum!!
Your improvisations sound great! So glad it turned out so tasty!
I was scrolling and looking for somebody that didn’t use cornflakes. I have the goldfish and am preparing potatoes as we speak. Can’t wait, thanks for the idea!
Trying for first time. Looks a little wet not sure how it’s supposed to be after baking
Let me know how it turns out. I’d love to hear!
I love funeral potatoes (being born and raised in Utah). The whole family completely loved these! They will definitely be my new go to! I used a little more cheese and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you loved them so much! Thanks so much for sharing!
Made this recipe for a group of friends. Everyone loved them and I didn’t have much left over. Was easy to make, which is great because I am not one of those people who just love to cook. I mainly cook because we get hungry, LOL
Make with brown basmati rice, cut out butter, add diced can chilies…
A bit more healthy, fewer calories and delicious.
Thanks for sharing!
You should post that recipe! I’m sure many people would enjoy it! However, it is definitely NOT a funeral potatoe recipe, you literally posted changes that turn this into a completely different dish. It would completely change the base recipe and flavor. These are DELICIOUS as made, not that healthy, but hey, everything in moderation!
I changed the recipe and it it 100 percent better!
Glad to hear! Thanks for sharing and trying the recipe.
Could this recipe be cooked in the crock pot?
It sure can! I have a crockpot recipe for these funeral potatoes on my site here – Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
Can this recipe be cooked in an electric roaster?
You know, I haven’t tried cooking them in one. I typically recommend using an oven for this recipe, but I suppose you could give it a try! Everything is already cooked, so it just has to be warmed up. You’ll have to let us know how they turn out if you try them in a roaster.
About to make them for a cookout for the first time! I want to confirm there is a total of 24oz of diced potatoes per 16 servings.
Yes, that is correct!! Hope they turned out well for the cookout!
these are delicious and always a big hit, no matter what kind of party or get together you are serving them at…
Thank you!! I’m so glad to hear they are a hit!
Just made my rendition of this obvious flavorful recipe. I added spam to my casserole. I cubed it & sautéed with fresh garlic & white onion. I allowed the spam to cool, got all of that additional flavor out the pan w/spatula. Instead of the corn flakes, which btw is still optional, I opted out. Instead, I decided on French’s onion. The aroma throughout my home is intoxicating. This accompanied meatloaf. I have to wonder this might b a true reason y we stay fun-sized.
Your additions/changes sound tasty! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the potatoes!
Sorry if this has been asked already! Can I sub fresh cubed potatoes for the frozen kind?
Of course!!! Tastes delicious either way!
do I need to cook the potatoes at all first or can they just go in raw?
You’ll want to cook them first! If I’m not using the frozen hash browns, then I like to use baked potatoes, let them cool and peel the skins off, then cube them up for this dish. Frozen hash browns (that are thawed) are just a quicker way to get a similar result, but this recipe is really tasty with fresh potatoes too!
Got it! Thank you!
Why are you thawing them? That’s a step you can totally leave out. They turn out perfectly made with frozen diced hash browns
Glad the frozen hash browns worked for you!