Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

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February 7, 2009 71 Comments

Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole is a favorite recipe of many people who go to the Cracker Barrel. They often go just for the Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole. The Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole is rich with cheese, a touch of sour cream, onions and more. You don’t have to leave home to have a taste of the Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole, which is a special breakfast treat. I really like this recipe for lunch or dinner. I cant go to the Cracker Barrel without ordering some of the Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole.

Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole

Author: CopyKat Recipes
Recipe Type: Side Dish
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves: 10

This classic casserole is one of our favorite recipes at Copykat.com. You don't even need to be an experienced cook to make this dish--it is easy.

Ingredients

1 (2 pound) package frozen hash browns
8 ounces sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup margarine or even butter works very well also
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups grated Colby cheese (personal note--I prefer sharp cheddar)

Instructions

Place potatoes in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Season with salt and pepper. Melt butter in the microwave. In a bowl, add minced onions, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and melted butter and mix together. Pour soup mixture over potatoes; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until all is completely warm, and the cheese begins to melt.

One of the best things about the Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole is you can literally serve it for any meal. One thing is for certain: now you won't wonder how to make the Cracker Barrel Hash Brown casserole anymore!

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Shauna

I’m a vegetarian and I was just wondering if anyone had a suggestion on what to use instead of cream of chicken soup?
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  Cream of celery, you could also do a cream of mushroom, or maybe even the cheddar cheese soup.
- Anita
  
  cream of mushroom works too. That’s what I used being a vegatarian also.
madkatz

Sorry my husband was cracker barrel manager for years and this is not the recipe
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  You are right. It is a “Copy Cat” recipe. Meaning it is pretty close.
LizzieB

I was glad to find this recipe. My husband is recovering from chemo and radiation for throat cancer and is having a lot of difficulty eating. We found he liked this at Cracker Barrel and when I made it this morning I got two thumbs up from everyone in the family. I will probably mix the ingredients with the potatoes next time and cook a little longer for a crunchy top. Thanks for the great taste alike!
cbserver

I work at Cracker Barrel. I’m not a cook, but I will say that the casserole is definately mixed all the way through and baked that way. It gets crispy on top simply from baking. I will say it definately has potato shred, milk, finely chopped onion, and LOTS of colby. We are really big on the colby at CB I don’t know about the parmesaen or velveeta… I could totally be wrong, but I don’t think I have ever seen velveeta in the stock areas… maybe american? The only cheese we have in the building are colby, american, and swiss. If you bake it right you shouldnt have to put it in a skillet afterwards… some guests ask for their hashbrown casserole grilled, and it totally flattens it out and makes it not as good.
http://www.facebook.com/heidi.wiegert Heidi Iverson

Could any of the Cracker Barrel emploee tell me if they crisp this up on the flat top before serving, or do they just scoop it out of the baking pan? Thanks!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RY6VHWVOU3UIEQNCVYARM3U2TM Ramadu

I guess because I haven’t had the actual Cracker Barrel dish I didn’t go into this with any preconceived ideas. I really like the taste of this recipe. I used a 14-oz can of cream of chicken soup, sharp white cheddar cheese, and Lite sour cream and sprinkled additional pepper on top before baking. The only thing I might try different in the future is using seasoned salt in place of plain table salt. This would be a great side dish with checken or beef.
socalmom

Making this today for my family and my 90 and 91 year old Aunt and Uncle. They just love this!! and after just finishing chemo and radiation treatments, they are ready for some comfort food. They will be so happy when I deliver dinner to them tonight! And that makes me very happy! Thanks for such a yummy recipe!
Bearable_girl

I think the actual recipe doesn’t contain any sour cream in it. It’s basically a Bag of Oreida Hashbrowns, a can of cream mushroom, a can of cream of celery soup, an onion, and 1/2 pound of colby cheese (1/4 pound in the casserole, 1/4 pound on top of it) and 2-3 tablespoons of butter dotted on top.
Mimmi78

Can you make this a day ahead and put it in the fridge so you can just pop it in the oven the next day?
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  You could, I think it may absorb a lot of the soup mixture and be a little dry if you do this, so I would add about 1/2 cup of milk to soup mixture so it won’t be so dry.
Mandi

Very good! I did cut back on the butter to try and make it little healthier, I also used reduced fat sour cream and 99% fat free cream of chicken soup and couldn’t even tell the difference! Next time I might try and mix the potatoes and “sauce” together as opposed to layering it to see if the potatoes get more crispy. I will be making this again and again as it was sooooo yummy and easy, thanks for sharing!
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  Thanks for your suggestion. I know many of us want to cut calories out of dishes.
Nicole

this is good. i just made it. i don’t think it taste anything like cracker barrel’s though. just my opinion. it has a totally different taste. but still enjoyed it quite a bit
Bernice

I fixed this for Christmas and the whole family loved it I am planning to fix it again tonite I didn’t change anything , and my Mom said she thought it was better than Cracker Barrell “well I don’t know if I would go that far “
Bernice

I fixed this for Christmas and the whole family loved it I am planning to fix it again tonite I didn’t change anything , and my Mom said she thought it was better than Cracker Barrell “well I don’t know if I would go that far “
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  Aww It’s better because you can make it at home!
Rbhimmelberg

We have made this for years. One variation is to put crunched up corn flakes on top with a few tsp of melted butter over the top of the corn flakes. Makes a great addition to the recipe
Lollie

i would use this website again if an annoying video didn’t come on that you couldn’t stop or close. sheesh…not cool, people.
Oletawilliamson

do you let your potatoes thaw before fixing this
- Anonymous
  
  I do not purposely thaw my potatoes before preparing this dish.
- Anonymous
  
  I do not purposely thaw my potatoes before preparing this dish.
Rettascroggs

I found this recipe and made it about a year ago and I get asked to make this ALL the time. The only thing I’ve changed from your recipe is I use 1/2 velveeta and 1/2 sharp cheddar (maybe a little more cheese than you call for). Oh and I mix it all up including the potatoes before I spread it in my pan. It’s always all gone!! Thank you for sharing this recipe! It’s delicious!!!!
Trblmagnet

i would add ham chunks in it but i have made this but is is still good i love cracker barrel
Diana

I love this way of fixing potatoes
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  I always order these potatoes when I go.
Cheryl

You are an E*V*I*L* woman!!! This recipe is absolutely fabulous. I am about to make it for an Army picnic and KNOW that it will probably be the hit of the food! Thank you, I am so far away from home and good food…No Cracker Barrel for 6 hours so I am forced to find my own way most of the time. Your website has made my life bearable! Keep up the good work!
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  Wow, thanks so much for the lovely compliment.
Elisabeth Fletcher

I made this and it didn’t turn out right after it was just poured on top so I mixed it up half way through baking. Also do you need to use a certain type of onion?
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  I am really sorry the recipe didn’t work out well for you. I use yellow or white onions when I make this. I just use what I have on hand.
jennifer

omg thank you so much i am so happy my fiancee is eating it right now and he was like omg this is amazing and my grandpa and my sister had it and they love it my fiancee said it taste better than cracker barrel and grandpa said he is going to start ordering it at cracker barrel cause it is so good thank you so much i am so happy they loved it.
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  I am glad to hear everyone enjoyed the recipe so much!
http://www.pannekakeoppskrift.no Sturla

I think this is a great recipe. I would do one thing different though.I would use fresh hash browns istead. They add more flavor.
Mike

I make this recipe all the time. We had it for Christmas morning brunch and it went over big with my sons and their wives. They all wanted the recipe! I am making it in the morning for Sunday brunch but this time just me and my wife will be enjoying it sitting by the fireplace! Thanks for this great site. I love it!
http://caitesdayatthebeach.blogspot.com caite@a lovely shore breeze

I have been making this for years and I have a version I use as a breakfast casserole on Christmas morning. I make the potato mixture, adding some sauteed red peppers, mostly for the color. Then I cook and cut up several of the big links of Italian sausage. Put 1/2 the potatoes in the cooking dish, a layer of the sausage, then top with the remaining potato mixture. top with cheese, bake…eat!
Julie

If you like Cracker Barrel’s Hash Brown Casserole try this one although it is not anything like theirs. The parmesan cheese leaves a crispy crust on top of casserole.

1 – 2 lb. bag shredded frozen hash browns
1/2 cup onions sauteed in butter
1 can cream of celery OR chicken soup
1/2 soup can of milk
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 t. garlic salt
Pepper to taste

Mix all together and put in a 9 X 13 greased pan. Sprinkle parmesan cheese to cover top of the potato mixture. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees uncovered,

Variation: If you like green peppers try using the shredded hash browns that have the green pepper and onions in it.

Hope you enjoy!
Jess

I adore this recipe and get compliments every time I make it! It tastes dead on for Cracker Barrel maybe even better! I adore the ease, quickness and cheapness of ingredients used to make this. I typically make it the day before I want to serve it so I can reheat it in a skillet and get that nice crunchy crispness like at Cracker Barrel I am so thankful for this site!!
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  I love people like you Last night when I saw your comment, I was knee deep in shooting photos and working on future posts. Comments like these make this worth while.
  - Jess
    
    Stephanie, I can’t thank you enough! I’m about to make another batch so we can have it to nibble on today and for a few days after. Big snow storm moving in or so they are saying. This is the perfect comfort food
jessica

so for vegetarians…just to let u know… i made this with cream of mushroom…and it came out exactly the same…SUPER GOOD!
Ellus

Does anyone have the Cracker Barrel Fried chicken? It is 2 large boneless chicken breast dipped in buttermilk…That is all I know except it is the BEST FRIED CHICKEN that I have ever tasted…
- Stormyrose
  
  i used to work for cracker barell all you do is use boneless skinless chicken breast soaked in scrambled egg and run thru flower with you own seasonings
Bud

I made it and added chopped chicken breast pieces and 2 strips of chopped bacon. Yummmmm!
Marla

I liked the recipe but it didn’t really taste like the Cracker Barrel version though. Next time I will leave out the butter—way too greasy for our tastes, but I didn’t have Colby so I used Cheddar—maybe Cheddar is oilier?
Wabbitgrl

I have made this recipe countless time`s & it is fabulous ! Always a big hit & reheated it`s still yummy.Goes great with ham or turkey & it`s great with breakfast fare.I actually like it better than Cracker Barrel`s hashbrown casserole !
Mrs. Mom

Hi, I’m trying to find YOUR (THE CopyKat Recipe Lady!:) recipe for the Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole. And I’m lost! I truly love this site but I don’t want to read somebody else’s recipes, I want to read YOUR recipes. It’s very confusing here on this site trying to do a Search for a recipe, because the Search returns EVERYONE’s recipes — I don’t want anyone else’s, I just want yours, because YOU are the CopyKat Recipe EXPERT!!! (I’m feeling rather whiney about it, as I don’t like being confused especially when I’m looking for a very specific recipe.) Thank you.
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  So I am not sure I fully understand your point. 90% of the recipes on CopyKat.com were created by me. Some are not. I used to post viewers recipes, my site is about 15 years old, and I have changed gears a couple of times in the last 15 years. Sometimes I still post a viewers recipe, and note this.
  I don’t know what you are looking for, you don’t mention it, email me if you have a question, but if you have searched in the toolbar, and you don’t see the recipe you desire, chances are, I don’t have that recipe. If there is a specific request you have let me know.
  - Stacy
    
    She stated she wants the cracker barrel hashbrown casserole recipe in the first line of the message.
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  You know I tried to follow up with you, and I have basically no idea by what you meant, but you never replied.
KatieBands

DELICIOUS! Tastes just like it. The most simple and tasty side dish.
chelley123

This is not even close to a recipe I found elsewhere and this one does not sound like it would taste like Cracker Barrel, The one I use includes beef broth, cheese, milk, onions, hashbrowns, garlic powder and salkt and pepper. MMMM fabulous!

Thank you for your comments, if you thought another recipe would have been better, I wished you would have included the recipe, link to the recipe, or something other than just teasing us with what you think works better. ~Stephanie
Anonymous

This is awsome
Barbara

Looking for a recipe for Great Harvest cranberry almond biscotti. Thanks! My email is dubai2dc@yahoo.com
http://www.copykat.com Stephanie

This has to be one of my favorite recipes ever. I don’t care where you take this pan of hash browns, they will be gone. It is easy to make, and you can swap out different cheese if you desire.
Judy

We made a low-fat version of this hashbrown casserole. We used non-fat plain yogurt in place of the sour cream, low-fat shredded cheese and the 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup. We did the rest as the recipe called for but agree that it would be better if we mixed everything first then added some of the cheese on top. The guys were skeptical of the taste of the yogurt but when we all tried it they were amazed that it tasted just like sour cream! There were two families eating and all agreed that this would become a staple in their healthy meal plans.
Krystal

Another way to make this dish is to add crushed cornflake crumbs on top. Pour melted butter over that. About 10 minutes before removing from oven, sprinkle cheese on top! Now you have a cheesy, crunchy, top! This was the way I was raised making this dish, long before I ever ate at a cracker barrel or even heard of one, believe it or not. My family has been making this dish for years.
Lynda

I used 98 percent fat free Cream of Chicken soup, half a stick of butter & 1 c of sharp cheddar (it’s sharp so you still get lots of flavor) to lighten it up a bit. I love this casserole but it makes so much! I cut the amount of hash browns almost in half but used the same amount of the mixture on top. Delicious!
Gina

Oh, I forgot to mention before…..that I substituted Colby-Jack cheese mixture, instead of the Cheddar, and it tastes just as good too !!!
I still put the 2 cups of cheese called for in the recipe, into the mixture, and then sprinkle some on top of the casserole, (about 20-30 mins. into baking) so that it will have a nice melted cheese topping on it !!
Ron

I also agree with Jenny & Gina. It’s better to mix everything together, including the cheese. As far as the cheese goes… a waitress at the local Cracker Barrel told me that she watched the kitchen crew mix up a batch and they mixed everything together, and used 1/2 cheddar cheese and 1/2 "Velvetta"! We love it…
Especially with the Grilled Chicken Tenderloins.
Prudence

I don’t know what Cracker Barrel you went to but that tasted like garbage! Not even close!
- Betty
  
  I agree with you cause I work for Cracker Barrell as the cook who make hashbrown casserole dish everyday and this is not even close I will say one thing there is no sour cream in it
  period.
  - Amy
    
    Betty, since you work at Cracker Barrel and know the recipe. May you please share the original one with us?
    I am sure Betty signed something not to give away their recipes. Maybe she could give a hint though ~Stephanie
- I am against eating garbage
  
  Wow! Prudence, when did you have the opportunity to eat garbage to make this comparison? That’s unfortunate that you have eaten garbage in this land of plenty. The potato dish is very good.
  - http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
    
    There are always a few folks out there that like to say things for an impact. I know, let’s go have dinner at her house, and taste her food, it must be good!
    - Kd5kids
      
      Amazing how some people can be so mean and ugly! I think the recipe is pretty close…not exact, but hey….that is why this is copykat recipes. they are close in flavors, not exactly the same. Most places can not give out the real thing, so people come up with something close. But to come out and talk trash…shame on you! I know this post is old…but the comments still bothered me.
- Cayopeachy
  
  That’s bull crap. Where ever you came from, you need to return! You are the only person who has ever complained about this recipe!
Gina

I agree with "Jenny", on Dec. 18th……it definitely is easier to mix it all up together in a bowl (potatoes included), then trying to pour the mixture over the potatoes.
I also agree with the idea of only using part of the cheese, added into the mixture, and saving some to put on top of the casserole, after it has baked for most of the time called for. It’s a yummy dish though !
Jenny

I have found that mixing half the shredded cheese into the mix works better for me and topping with the other half. Also pouring the mix onto the hashbrowns was a little bit of a chore, so I mix everything together and then it goes into baking dish. Family Fav!
http://www.milehimystery.com Sara Wall

This recipe is great if you replace the potatoes with macaroni and cubed ham, too!