Believe it or not, “Funeral Potatoes” is not actually the technical name for this dish–it’s usually something like Cheesy Potato Casserole. But these are often found served with ham on Easter dinner tables as well as luncheons following funerals which, not shockingly, is how they got their name in certain circles. You can serve this as a main dish (kind of like mac and cheese, right?) with a salad and fruit or serve it alongside pot roast, ham, or roasted chicken. The funeral is totally optional. If you’ve never tried them, be prepared for these creamy, cheesy potatoes to disappear very quickly!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Onion
- Fresh garlic
- Butter – Use real butter.
- Frozen hash brown potatoes
- Sour cream – Full fat is best.
- Cream of chicken soup
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Topping of choice – Crushed cornflakes, seasoned bread crumbs, crushed potato chips, crushed crackers, or more cheese!
How to Make Funeral Potatoes
- First you’ll melt some butter and sauté your onions and garlic.
- While the onions and garlic are sautéing, combine together the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, salt, and pepper.
- Combine the sautéed onions and garlic with a bag of thawed hash brown potatoes, the sour cream mixture, and the cheese. Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish.
- You can bake these potatoes as is, or sprinkle with corn flakes, cracker crumbs, or extra cheese before baking. I prefer topping with cheese or leaving them plain, as the other options become soggy on leftovers.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled leftover funeral potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- If you’d like to save dishes, prepare these potatoes in a cast iron skillet or other pan that can go from stovetop to oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Feel free to prep these potatoes a day ahead of time. They will need a few extra minutes in the oven if baking directly from the refrigerator.
You can freeze funeral potatoes for up to 3 months, before or after baking. Leave the toppings off if you plan to freeze. Thaw your pan in the refrigerator overnight before baking or reheating.
Funeral Potatoes
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish optional
Ingredients
- 1 onion, small-medium diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
- 1 28-30 ounce bag hash brown potatoes shredded, thawed
- 1 16-ounce container sour cream
- 1 10-ounce can cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese about 2 cups, shredded
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- crushed cornflakes, seasoned bread crumbs, crushed potato chips, or crushed Ritz or saltine crackers optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. In a large skillet (or 12" cast iron skillet), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Add the thawed hash browns, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, cheese, salt, and pepper and combine well. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.
- If not baking in the skillet, spread the mixture into a 9×13" (or similar) dish and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the casserole is hot in the center and the cheese is bubbly throughout. Serve as a main dish with a salad and fruit or alongside roasted ham, turkey, chicken, or beef.
Notes
- Store cooled leftover funeral potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- If you’d like to save dishes, prepare these potatoes in a cast iron skillet or other pan that can go from stovetop to oven.
- The comment section on this recipe is filled with interesting and delicious variations, such as adding green onions, different types of toppings, and unique seasonings. If you’re looking for a new spin on this recipe, take a look!
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
We now throw a can of green chilis in with the recipe and it is wonderful! Not too spicy but a really nice flavor added.
I have not had funeral potatoes for over 20 years, found your recipe on Pinterest, tried it and we loved it.
Is it ok to mix this up the night before?
Yep!!
Just to add to the debate:
I wince a little bit when I see people making funeral potatoes the wrong way (read: not my way). Frozen hash browns have no place in funeral potatoes (I bake, peel and shred mine) and neither do garlic and onions. I guess I’ll try to be happy that you’ve never had my funeral potatoes because you would never fully appreciate yours after that! ?
The tip my mom always gives when people ask for her funeral potato recipe is, less potato and more funeral! Keep them moist! ? (I know we all love that word!)
So, used to LOVE this dish, but I developed an allergy to cheddar cheese as an adult (only cheddar – it makes my throat swell and gives me hives and everything), it’s my lifelong sorrow…. Anyway, do yo think these would work with a different kind of cheese? Maybe a blend of a few like Swiss, Parmesan, etc…. I want to make these so badly!
Totally! Sub any good melting cheese you like 🙂
These do very well in a crockpot, too.
Wondering if these can be baked and then frozen?
Yep, absolutely!
These are holiday potatoes for our family but we skip the extra step of cooking onions. We just chop them really fine. They will cook during that hour. We use melted butter, 1 cup, and 8 oz sour cream. Add everything together at once. In any case, they are everyone’s favorite !
Great recipe! Just fold in all the goodies till blended. It is a lot of hash browns, Easier to Mix when doing half potatoes/with half sauce, in another bowl. It made 2 dishes. Yummy!!
This is a long time family favorite that we call “Fat Lady Potatoes”. We first saw the recipe in the newspaper along with the photo of the lady who submitted it. She was, for lack of another term, fat! We figured it had to be a good recipe for that reason so we tried it. We were right and those potatoes are great! Plus, if you eat enough of them, you will be fat too!