Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 50 minutes Servings: 8-10
Cracker Barrel’s hashbrown casserole is the side dish that outsells everything else on their menu. It shows up at breakfast, but plenty of people order it with dinner too. Shredded potatoes baked in a creamy, cheesy sauce with a crunchy cornflake and butter topping. It’s comfort food in its purest form — nothing fancy, nothing complicated, and you’ll eat twice as much as you planned to.
This recipe uses frozen shredded hashbrowns, which is what Cracker Barrel uses. Don’t feel guilty about that. Fresh-grated potatoes oxidize, release too much moisture, and add an hour of prep time for a result that’s no better. The frozen bag is the correct move here.
Tips for Getting It Right
- Thaw and drain the hashbrowns. This is the most important step. Frozen potatoes hold a lot of water, and that water will pool in the bottom of your casserole if you skip this. Squeeze them in a towel until barely any moisture comes out.
- Grate your own cheese. I know I already said it, but it bears repeating. Bagged pre-shredded cheese does not melt the same way. It’ll work in a pinch, but the texture of the finished casserole will be grainier.
- Cream of chicken, not cream of mushroom. Cracker Barrel uses cream of chicken. Cream of mushroom gives it a different flavor that’s fine but not accurate. Cream of celery is another substitute that works.
- Full-fat sour cream. Light sour cream and nonfat yogurt contain more water and less fat, which means a thinner, less rich casserole. This is not the recipe to lighten up.
- Crush the cornflakes by hand, not in a blender. You want irregular pieces, some bigger and some smaller. A blender turns them to dust, which becomes a pasty layer instead of a crunchy topping. Put them in a zip-top bag and crush gently with your hands.
- Let it rest. Ten minutes of resting time lets the casserole firm up enough to scoop neatly. Skip this and you’ll be ladling instead of serving.
Make-Ahead Options
Night before: Assemble the casserole base in the baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Make the cornflake topping but store it separately. In the morning, add the topping and bake, adding 5-10 extra minutes since it’s starting cold.
Freezer: Assemble without the cornflake topping, wrap tightly in foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. Add fresh cornflake topping before it goes in the oven.
Cost Breakdown
| Item | Restaurant (Cracker Barrel) | Homemade |
|---|---|---|
| Side of hashbrown casserole | $4.79 per person | ~$1.20 per serving |
| 8 servings | $38.32 | ~$9.60 total |
| Savings | ~$28.72 |
A 30-oz bag of frozen hashbrowns costs about $3.50. A block of sharp cheddar is $4-5 (and you use half). Sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and cornflakes together run about $4. Total cost for a casserole that serves 8-10 people: roughly $9.60. At Cracker Barrel, feeding a family of four that same side dish would cost about $19 — and they’d give you much smaller portions.
More Cracker Barrel Copycat Recipes
The casserole anchors the plate; pair it with these Cracker Barrel favorites:
- Cracker Barrel Biscuits — tall, flaky buttermilk biscuits to serve alongside the casserole at breakfast or dinner, ready in under 30 minutes.
- Cracker Barrel Meatloaf — Ritz cracker-based meatloaf with a caramelized sweet-tangy tomato glaze, a natural dinner pairing for the hashbrown casserole.
- Cracker Barrel Buttermilk Pancakes — thick, airy pancakes that complete the Cracker Barrel breakfast spread when you’re serving the casserole alongside.
See all Cracker Barrel copycat recipes →
