Cheesy Potato Casserole

Last Updated April 16th, 2024 at 12:11 pm by Lisa

Cheesy Potato Casserole is wildly popular and also known as Funeral Potatoes. This famous American side dish is loved by people across the country for family gatherings, church potlucks, and holiday dinners.

This recipe gives you my best scratch secrets to make it amazing, plus make-ahead shortcuts. One thing is for sure. You will fall in love with these cheesy potatoes. They are rich, creamy, light, and fluffy with a golden crispy scrumptious topping...

Funeral Potatoes / Cheesy Potato Casserole Recipe

Most of us have either had or made a funeral potatoes recipe at some point in our lives. I grew up with this particular recipe that was shared with my parents. It became our family favorite for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter feasts.

Potato casseroles tend to have lots of variations, so try out some new ideas in the printable recipe card below. You can make this as a hash brown casserole or take the time to go totally scratch! I promise you it is worth the effort of a bit more total time in the kitchen, making this incredible side dish.

PRO TIP: Over the decades I have made this recipe, hand-grated cheese is so much better! Grate a good sharp cheddar. You will taste the difference. And hand grating cooked potatoes results in a fluffy light texture, and totally worth your time!

Cheesy Potato Casserole Ingredients

• medium Russet potatoes or buy 2 bags of shredded hash browns
• melted butter
• cream of celery soup (canned or homemade)
• sharp cheddar cheese (hand grated melts better than pre-shredded!)
• green onion chopped
• sour cream
• potato chips
• Nonstick coconut oil spray

PRO TIP: Use two 20 oz bags of frozen hash browns in place of 6 cups of cooked shredded potatoes for a shortcut. Real potatoes add a fluffier texture, but take a little more prep time.

Casserole Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes and cook until tender, coarsely grate. Add them to a large bowl as you go. You can use pre-shredded hash browns, but I recommend you shred your own potatoes. It makes the casserole so fluffy and light!
2. Grate the cheddar cheese. Grated cheddar cheese melts so much better than pre-grated cheese. There are stabilizers in the bag to keep it from sticking, so it's worth a few extra minutes to grate it for this recipe.

3. On the stove in a saucepan, melt the stick of butter (½ cup). Add the 2 cups cheddar cheese and 10.5 ounces of cream of celery soup. Stir over medium heat until just combined. Turn off the heat. Let it cool down.

4. Once cool, mix in the 16 ounces of sour cream and chopped green onions.

5. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with coconut oil spray. This really helps with easy clean up and serving.

6. Layer ½ the potatoes and ½ the cheese sauce. Layer the other ½ of the grated potatoes and the other half of the cheese sauce.

7. Add the potato chips into a zip-top bag, and seal the bag removing the air. Roll a rolling pin back and forth until you have finely crushed chips. Note: many people use cornflakes and love them on top, your choice!

8. Sprinkle the crushed chips all over the top of the potato casserole.

9. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 450 degrees. Serve it hot! Try using a warming tray for this holiday party side dish classic.

Top Potato Casserole Recipe Tips And Ingredient Variations

Potatoes: If buying shredded potatoes at the store, be sure to get shredded hashbrowns, not diced hash browns! If you buy frozen hash browns, thaw them overnight in the fridge.

Cheese: Quality ingredients make a difference in your cooking. Use a good sharp cheddar cheese that you hand grate. It will taste better and melts into a smooth and creamy sauce mixture! This is worth the extra cooking time in this recipe.

Canned Soup Options: Many versions of this recipe exist, and in place of cream of celery, swap in either cream of mushroom soup or storebought or homemade cream of chicken soup.

Toppings: For many years I have used crushed potato chips. Many people love a cornflake topping, panko bread crumbs, or Ritz crackers. One thing I like about potato chips, is you crush them up and that's it!

For any of these other toppings, I recommend melting a couple of tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet and browning the cracker, bread crumbs, or crushed corn flakes if you choose one of those toppings.

Green Onions: If you prefer to leave out the onions, add a teaspoon of onion powder, garlic powder, and a dash of black pepper. The green onions add a wonderful depth of flavor but not everyone is a fan.

Other Additions: Some people love to add Diced Smoked Ham leftover from the holidays! And how about this idea, my friend Michelle lays raw chicken breasts on top and bake the potato casserole. Add crumbled bacon or bacon bits with green onions like a loaded baked potato!

Or people add a little can of diced green chiles, and shredded chicken, with crumbled tortilla chips for a Mexican flair!

Funeral Potatoes Reheat & Leftover Instructions

Cover any leftovers tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You can reheat them in the microwave uncovered, but the chips don't crisp up. I prefer to bring leftovers to room temperature for about an hour, then reheat the cheesy potatoes in the oven covered with foil at 350 for 20 minutes or for 8 minutes at 375 in my Air Fryer!

Freezing: You can freeze the unbaked mixture or the leftovers! I like to put them in portions in zip-lock bags, push the air out, and pop them into the freezer. Then defrost overnight in the refrigerator, put into a dish covered with foil, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes!

Make Ahead Tips

For holidays and family gatherings, this recipe is great to make ahead. You can follow the recipe and layer it in your baking dish. Then crush your topping and add it right before baking!

More Potato Recipes

Smashed Potatoes served with melted herb butter are one of the most heavenly potato recipes. These crispy potatoes are a perfect side dish for a family dinner, romantic date nights, holidays, or a dinner party.

Bake your Hash Browns in muffin tins and skip the frying on your stovetop altogether. And no messy stovetop to clean! This simple recipe is so popular for holidays or any special occasion.

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes are creamy smooth, buttery, fluffy, and melt in your mouth. There are five reheating methods here plus tips on how to keep them warm for dinner, or holiday meals like Thanksgiving when you have several things cooking in the oven.

Tater Tot Casserole is an easy breakfast recipe that takes 15 minutes to prep and bakes golden brown in just 50 minutes.