My Smart Trick for Making the Best Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole at Home

My version is just as delicious and at a fraction of the cost.

By
Catherine Jessee
Catherine Jessee
Catherine Jessee is a Test Kitchen Assistant in the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. She has tested recipes for brands including Simply Recipes, All Recipes, Eating Well, Food & Wine, Real Simple, People, and Southern Living.
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and
Myo Quinn
Myo Quinn
Myo's recipes, writing, and food styling can be found on King Arthur Baking, Food Network, Delish, Food52, and more. She collaborated on the cookbook Delish Vegan Dinners and trained at Gramercy Tavern and Untitled at the Whitney Museum.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Published August 30, 2023
Spoon digging into copycat Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole in a casserole dish with a basketful of biscuits and a glass of orange juice in the background

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

I finally found the trick to recreating Cracker Barrel's famous Hashbrown Casserole at home. Many of the copycat recipes I found online are heavy on ingredients like eggs, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup. With some trial and error, this is the recipe I'll be using going forward when the craving strikes.

Buttery, cheesy, crispy on top, tender inside, and with lots of flavor, just like the original version, this isn't a wet and mushy casserole. The potatoes are firm—basically, strings of potatoes suspended in a casserole form, and they're delicious.

Overhead shot of copycat Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole on a plate with a fork

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

The Trick To Making This Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

I found that using frozen hashbrown potatoes, even after thawing, are easy to overcook and become soggy when baked as a casserole. Using refrigerated hashbrowns fixes that problem.

Refrigerated hashbrowns hold their shape and have a better texture—less powdery and wet, and won't break apart when mixed. My grocery store carries them next to the refrigerated breakfast sausage. Two brands I recommend: Resers and Simply Potatoes.

Then, instead of pouring, spoon the hashbrown mixture into the baking dish to avoid weighing the potatoes down.

Copycat Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole in a casserole dish at a table setting with a plate, a basketful of bisquits, a stack of plates, and spoons on the counter

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Servings 12 servings

Colby cheese is not necessarily tricky to find, but not a lot of well-known cheese brands make it. I've seen Amish Country Cheese at many big box grocery stores. Use Colby Jack as a substitute, but note that the casserole won't have that orange hue that's unique to Cracker Barrel's Hashbrown Casserole.

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray

  • 2 (20-ounce) packages refrigerated shredded hashbrowns such as Resers

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2/3 cup condensed cream of chicken soup (half of a 10.5-ounce can)

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

  • 8 ounces shredded Colby cheese (See Recipe Note)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F:

    Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

  2. Combine the ingredients:

    Combine the hashbrowns, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper in a large bowl. Gently stir with a silicone spatula to evenly incorporate the spices.

    Add the condensed cream of chicken soup, butter, and onion, and stir to combine. Fold in the cheese until evenly distributed.

    Copycat Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole mixture in a bowl with a rubber spatula

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
  3. Bake the casserole:

    Lightly spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish, being careful not to press down on the hashbrowns.

    NOTE: I found that sprinkling cheese on top wasn't necessary—many existing copycat recipes do, but there isn't much of a cheese topping on the original version. Rather the cheese throughout gives it an orange-golden color and a crispness on top. Feel free to sprinkle cheese on top if you'd like.

    Bake the casserole for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp. Serve warm.

    Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a review below!

    Copycat Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole mixture spooned into a casserole dish

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
    Copycat Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole in a casserole dish

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
    Baked copycat Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole resting on a wire rack

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
168 Calories
15g Fat
3g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 168
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 20%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 39mg 13%
Sodium 387mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 136mg 10%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 58mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.