Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

This copycat Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole copycat recipe is the perfect cheesy, tangy, make-ahead hashbrown casserole from the popular chain restaurant! This can be made in advance and baked in the morning for brunch, or eaten as a side dish all week long! Pro Tip: This is really really really good with Cajun Glazed Bacon on the side!

Oh, hey.

How are you doing on restaurant food? Back in restaurants? Outside? Inside? More takeout than you've ever imagined? Missing everything like whoa?

No matter where you are on the "how much is too much" dumpster fire of reopening currently happening in the US, one thing is certain: Cracker Barrel is yummy and Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole is the only side dish worth getting, honestly.

I stand by it.

We have SO MANY good restaurants where we live that, I'll be honest, Cracker Barrel trips are usually reserved for car trips.

But that doesn't mean we can't make copycat hashbrown casserole at home.

So that's exactly what we're doing. This is copycat Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole. It has just a few REALLY easy ingredients, has hardly any prep work (you have to chop an onion, you can do it), can be made in advance, IS GLUTEN FREE (check labels obviously), and really is just all around a very delicious brunch recipe.

I have tried BOATLOADS of versions of this recipe, and, to me, this is the closest thing I've come to the real Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole recipe.

Ingredients

Get some ingredients! Frozen hashbrowns, cream of chicken soup, butter, chopped onion, salt and pep, grated cheddar (do it yourself or use bagged, your call!), and sour cream. YUM, you know?

Ingredient Notes

• I love all frozen hashbrowns, but I particularly like any that are labeled as seasoned; they have just a little bit of extra flavor and are so delicious!
• Check labels, but there are GREAT canned soups that are gluten free.
• If you prefer to make this vegetarian, use cream of cheese or cream of mushroom soup. Both are delicious!

Step By Step Instructions

Melt the butter is a really complicated prep step for this hashbrown casserole recipe. Add it to a big bowl with the rest of the ingredients!

I like lots of pepper. Add several grinds of black pepper to the mixture, then stir everything together.

• 

• 

Spread into a baking dish. Mine is similar to this one, but an 8x8 square would work well here too. Anything that's 3-4 quarts or so will work great.

Top with some more cheese if you saved any, then the casserole goes into the oven to bake.

Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. The casserole is baked for just about an hour, maybe a little less, until the whole thing is hot and bubbly and the cheese is slightly browned.

And, done. I can't TELL YOU how delicious this is. It's creamy, cheesy, savory, and just all around absolutely delicious.

OK, some questions:

Serving Suggestions

I love this for breakfast, with bacon and eggs and fruit. HOWEVER, hashbrown casserole is not particular about when it is served.

• For a larger brunch spread, this would be delicious with pancakes and/or quiche.
• For lunch, the casserole with some green salad and marinated grilled chicken would be bomb.
• For dinner, hash brown casserole, pork roast, and green beans just sound VERY delicious to me.

This entire recipe is suuuuper forgiving, so easy to throw together, and the resulting creamy, cheesy, tangy casserole is just so yummy. I love it so much.

And, not to be outdone, this Cajun glazed bacon is one of our favorite "omg when I come visit can you make THE BACON" recipes. If you haven't made it, HIGHLY recommend a batch with this casserole. Enjoy this!

Print