Cheesy Funeral Potatoes

This ultra-creamy, decadent cheesy funeral potatoes recipe features tender potatoes enveloped in a rich sour cream and cheddar sauce, topped with a buttery, crispy cornflake crust.

Why This Recipe Works:

• Starch Gelatinization Control: Thawing and thoroughly drying the potatoes prevents excess water from diluting the cheese sauce, ensuring a velvety texture.
• High-Fat Emulsion: Using full-fat sour cream and real butter creates a stable protein matrix that won't break or curdle under high oven heat.
• Double-Crunch Physics: Tossing the cornflakes in melted butter before baking coats each flake, preventing them from absorbing steam and getting soggy.

I first ate these at a neighbor's wake.

My hands were freezing, and as I pressed the heavy glass baking dish against my chest for warmth, the aroma of bubbling cheddar and toasted buttered cornflakes instantly cut through the heavy, quiet grief of the room.

Most people throw frozen hash browns and canned soup into a bowl, stir half-heartedly, and hope for the best. But that lazy method yields a watery, sad mess because frozen potatoes dump excess moisture as they thaw, breaking the delicate emulsion of the sour cream. I tested this with four different brands of sour cream, and the cheap, watery store brands failed every single test because they lacked the necessary fat content to hold together under heat.

You need a stable fat-to-water ratio to keep the sauce from curdling into a grainy puddle.

Trust me on this one.

Cheesy Funeral Potatoes

• Publisher Storied Skillet
• Cuisine American
• Category Side Dishes, Comfort Food
• Prep Time 15 minutes
• Cook Time 45 minutes
• Servings 12
• Calories 320 calories
• Rating 4.8 2606
• Tags cheesy funeral potatoes, hashbrown casserole, comfort food side dish, party potatoes

Ingredients

• 32 oz (900g) frozen shredded hash browns, thawed and patted completely dry
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted (divided)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups (480g) full-fat sour cream
• 2 cups (200g) sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 1.5 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups cornflakes, gently crushed

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with a tablespoon of melted butter.
2. Spread the thawed hash browns across a clean kitchen towel and press firmly with paper towels to extract every drop of excess moisture.
3. In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and sauté the diced onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sautéed onion, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, garlic powder, black pepper, and Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
5. Fold the dried hash browns into the sour cream mixture until every shred is evenly coated, then transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
6. In a medium bowl, toss the crushed cornflakes with the remaining melted butter until thoroughly coated.
7. Scatter the buttered cornflakes evenly over the potato mixture, pressing down gently so they cling to the surface.
8. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, until the edges are bubbling vigorously and the cornflake topping is a deep, golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Brand Recommendation & Conversion: I highly recommend using Daisy brand full-fat sour cream. If you only have table salt, reduce the measurement from 1.5 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt to 1 teaspoon of fine table salt to avoid over-salting.
• The Science of Cheese: Always grate your own cheddar from a block. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated in cellulose to prevent clumping, which interferes with the melting process and ruins the smooth protein matrix of your sauce.
• Workflow Warning: Keep a close eye on the oven during the last 10 minutes of baking. The sugar in the cornflakes can go from perfectly toasted to burnt very quickly.
• Storage Behavior: As this dish sits in the fridge, the cornflakes will naturally absorb moisture from the sour cream and lose their crunch. See our reheating tips below to revive that perfect texture.

Serving Suggestions

These potatoes are the ultimate side dish chameleon, equally at home next to a holiday ham or a casual weeknight main. Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve them:

• Pair with a hearty Creamy Low Carb Chicken Casserole for a double-dose of cozy comfort.
• Serve alongside a crisp green salad dressed with a bright lemon vinaigrette to cut through the rich cheese.
• Spoon a generous helping next to a smoky, grilled ribeye steak or roasted pork loin.
• Add them to your holiday spread next to Cheesy Mashed Potato Puffs for the ultimate potato lover's feast.
• Balance the richness with a side of roasted green beans or charred broccoli.

Storage and Reheating

If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Just know that those gloriously crispy cornflakes will lose their crunch as they absorb moisture overnight.

Do not fret, because you can easily restore that initial texture with a quick reheat.

Avoid the microwave unless you want a sad, soggy pile of mush. Instead, scoop the potatoes into an oven-safe dish, tent it with foil, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes before removing the foil to let the top crisp up again.

It tastes almost better the second day.

Ingredient Substitutes

If you need to swap things out based on what is currently in your pantry, here are the best tested alternatives:

1. The Potatoes: You can swap the shredded hash browns for frozen cubed potatoes, or even use leftover Easy Twice Baked Potatoes scooped out and mashed gently.
2. The Crunch: If you are out of cornflakes, crushed Ritz crackers or panko breadcrumbs tossed in butter make an incredibly crispy alternative.
3. The Soup: Cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup works beautifully for a vegetarian-friendly version.
4. The Base: If you want to change up the flavor profile entirely, you can layer these ingredients into a skillet similar to our One Pan Cheesy Meat & Potato Skillet.

This is the kind of dish that makes everyone at the table quiet down, scoop up a second helping, and ask for the recipe before they have even finished their first plate.