Easy Hashbrown Casserole – creamy and cheesy potato dish made with just a few ingredients! No canned cream of soup needed!
Great side dish in place of Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole or Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes.
Easy Hashbrown Casserole makes for a perfect side dish for holiday dinner, weekend brunches or when you simply crave comfort food. I am excited to share my recipe that does not require a can of condensed cream of soup yet still is creamy, cheesy and delicious! It’s pure comfort food! So good, you will reach for seconds. Made with a super easy substitute for cream of soup, sour cream and frozen hash browns, this casserole is super easy to make and can easily be prepared ahead of time.
Ingredients:
- frozen hashbrowns
- butter
- garlic
- yellow onion
- half and half
- cornstarch
- salt and pepper
- dried dill
- sour cream
- cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
How to make hashbrown casserole?
- Prepare the condensed cream of soup substitute.
- Mix hashbrowns (thawed) with the creamy mixture, sour cream, salt and pepper. It should be thick and creamy.
- Spread the mixture in a buttered casserole dish, top with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.
- Bake until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
Condensed cream of soup substitute from scratch:
Most recipes for hash brown casserole call for a can of condensed cream of chicken, celery or cheddar soup. Since I don’t use these in my kitchen, I found a way to make a creamy mixture with half and half and cornstarch as a perfect substitute. It takes only 5 to 7 minutes to cook it in a saucepan.
- First, saute garlic and onion in butter.
- Add half and half whisked with cornstarch, salt and pepper. I also add dill because I just love dill in potato dishes.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy.
- At this point, you can place cooled mixture in a jar, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
Freezing:
Yes, you can easily freeze this casserole. Prepare and freeze. Bring to room temperature before baking.
Reheating:
To reheat any leftovers, simply place the dish in the oven preheated to 350 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.
More side dish recipes:
- Best Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
- Perfect Breakfast Casserole
- Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing
- Candied Sweet Potatoes
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Easy Hashbrown Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 cups hash browns thawed
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried dill optional
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1.25 cup shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add garlic and onion and saute until onion is translucent.
- In a measuring cup, whisk half and half and cornstarch. Add salt, pepper and dill and whisk in.
- Add cornstarch mixture to sauteed onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy. Remove from heat and let cool. At this point you can cool the mixture completely, cover and refrigerate until ready to use, even the next day.
- Butter a 13" x 9" or 2 quart casserole dish. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together hash browns, cornstarch mixture, sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. The mixture should be thick and creamy. Spread in prepared casserole dish.
- Top with cheese. Bake in oven for 30 to 35 minutes OR until bubbly and cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired, and serve.
Notes
- This casserole cuts really easy and clean. If you want to make it more wet, add another 1/2 cup of sour cream to hash brown mixture before baking.
- This casserole can be prepared a day ahead, covered and refrigerated. Before baking, let sit in room temperature while your oven preheats.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2018 and updated on September 26th, 2019.
Michelle H says
Thank you for creating this recipe and in particularly for using corn starch instead of wheat flour (Celiacs rejoice!). I modified this by replacing half the potatoes with cooked spaghetti squash. I simply cooked the spaghetti squash whole in the microwave (pierced squash, then microwave whole on max 5 minute intervals). Did this while creating the cream base, and let them both cool together. Doubled salt, omitted dill & garlic, added tsp onion powder. What a Winner, plus reduced my carbs while increasing fresh veggies.
Anna says
I am so glad the recipe is helpful, Michelle! Thank you so much for giving it a try! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Jennifer says
This casserole was such a hit! Absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to make again and again!
Anna says
Thank you so much, Jennifer!
Natalie says
Love hash brown casserole! I could eat it weekly! I love making it for company, because it’s always a hit & gone so fast!
Anna says
Same here! It’s always a hit! Thank you, Natalie!
Tara says
Creamy, cheesy, and delicious — perfect for any occasion! The dish was scraped clean.
Anna says
That’s fantastic! Thank you, Tara!
Katerina says
Oh my, this looks incredibly delicious!! I can’t wait to try it!!
Toni says
Everyone at my house loved it! So delish!
Anna says
Awesome! Thanks, Toni!
Lacey says
Has anyone tried this in a crock pot?
Katie says
Wow! That looks amazing! Love that it doesn’t call for the can of soup! I like to keep things simple. Pinned it.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Me too! It’s so easy to make the substitute! Thanks, Katie!
Debbie says
This looks so delicious going to make it..
Julie says
We are huge fans of hashbrown casserole! I make it for every holiday! LOVE this no canned soup version. Perfect!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Yay! That’s fantastic, Julie! Thank you!
Averie says
The cheese. OMG the perfect gradient of the darker to lighter cheese on top. Perfection! Pinned!