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
I usually use rice krispies or any kind of chex cereal that I happen to have on hand. .it usually stays crunchy!! Wonderful recipe for sure!
I was going to make these for a potluck at work one day and I saw a recipe that called for crushed corn flakes on top. It wasn’t until they were baking that I realized that I had accidentally used frosted flakes! It was a breakfast potluck so I decided to just pass them off as breakfast potatoes!
Oh my goodness! I’ve died and gone to heaven! I love me some funeral potatoes! But, I’ve gotta have the corn flakes on top!
I made these tonight for dinner! We only had colby jack cheese so I hope they turn out ok. Thanks so much for this! We haven’t had a funeral in my ward since we’ve been here( thank goodness) but I didn’t know who to ask for this recipe!! Thanks so so much!!!
I’m sure colby jack will be delicious–I just like sharp because it gives it a little more zing, but colby jack is my next choice. 🙂
I thought it was so funny you call them Funeral potatoes because I grew up always knowing them as Wedding potatoes…what a different mindset!
I’ve always known that I love you girls, but could never pin point the exact reason why. Now I know. It’s because you don’t use cream of whatever soup in your recipes. I keep it in my pantry for food storage, but rarely ever use it. I just might have to dust off one of my cans though and try this for Easter.
When I make these we have to use “real” potatoes. I boil them until tender, peel and grate. This makes them really creamy. I also add green onions and we have to put the cornflakes on top mixed with melted butter. This is what we have every year on Christmas day.
OMG! I love this recipe. My mom’s friend brought these over once when we were kids for Sunday brunch and I LOVED IT! I begged her to write down the recipe because I needed my mom to make it for me everyday. She was good about making it for me but as the years went on she stopped. I had forgotten about this recipe until just now!! Thank you! I’m making this tomorrow. HURRAY!!!
We call these Church Potatoes because well, you always see them at funeral luncheons.
Now I have made these with the crunch topping and frozen the whole dish, and when put into the oven, and baked the topping was just as good as if I had just mixed everything together that day.
There are so many variations of this recipe I have seen. The one I grew up on uses potatoes that have been boiled until they’re soft and then riced (or you can mash them, but ricing them makes the end product creamier). I have tried both kinds but prefer them with the riced potatoes because they are much creamier and smoother than if you use hash browns. You can also try them with green onion instead of regular onion.