4-Ingredient Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole (Without Soup)

This cheesy hash brown casserole only requires 4 ingredients and is made without canned soup. It’s an easy comfort food side dish that’s great to serve for brunch, holidays, potlucks or weeknight dinners.

Cheesy Potatoes. Hashbrown Casserole. Funeral Potatoes. There are many different hashbrown and potato casserole recipes and names out there. Often times they are made with condensed soup mix, sour cream and/or melted butter. While many are delicious, I find these recipes can often become too rich and heavy.

While this recipe is rich with the addition of heavy cream, it’s not as heavy feeling as some other recipes. This is simplicity at it’s finest.

This recipe is great! It is easy to prepare and has great flavor. I love that there is no condensed soup and only 4 ingredients. Will keep this recipe in rotation at our house.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Simple ingredients – Only 4 ingredients are needed to make this recipe. Nothing fancy. I bet you’ll have most of them in your kitchen at any given time.
One pan recipe – These potatoes are made and served right in the baking dish. No extra mixing bowls to wash!
Rich & creamy flavor – Don’t let the simplicity fool you, the flavor of these potatoes is out of this world. This is comfort food at it’s finest.
Optional crunchy topping – If you love that buttery crunch on top!

What you’ll need for this recipe:

Unlike other recipes for cheesy potatoes, this one requires only a few basic ingredients. No sour cream or canned creamed soup needed!

Frozen hash browns – Don’t try to get fancy here. Frozen store-bought hash browns work best for this recipe. Allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight. Fresh potatoes will create too much liquid. Frozen diced potatoes would also work!
Heavy whipping cream – To create the most perfect creamy sauce for the cheesy hash browns. This is not a low-fat recipe. Everything in moderation, right?
Sharp cheddar cheese – 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese is the star of the show to make these hash browns nice and cheesy.
Salt – To enhance flavors.
Paprika – I like to sprinkle a little paprika on the top for added color, but this is totally optional!

Potato casserole on white plate with a fork

How to Make Cheesy Potatoes with Hash Browns

Prep the pan – Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
Layer the potatoes – Spread 1/2 of the hash browns in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese & a half of the salt. Repeat with the rest of the potatoes, cheese and salt.
Add the cream – Pour heavy whipping cream over the whole pan. Do not stir! Sprinkle with paprika if desired, for some extra color.
Bake – Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until bubbly and the cheese starts to brown.

Layer of potatoes with cheddar cheese — Half of hashbrowns, salt & cheddar cheese in a baking dish

Second layer of hashbrowns in baking dish — Layer with the rest of hashbrowns

Unbaked casserole ready for the oven — Top with the remaining salt, cheese and pour over heavy cream

Baked cheesy potatoes with a black serving spoon — Bake until hot and bubbly

Optional Cornflake Topping:

Crush 2 cups of corn flake cereal and mix with 4 tbsp. melted butter. Sprinkle evenly on top of potatoes before baking.

Serving Tips

I love serving these potatoes with thick-sliced ham, making them a perfect addition to an Easter meal. Steam a vegetable or serve with a garden salad to add some color to your plate (and for some balance).

Serving them with other proteins like steak or chicken breast would also be great options. I remember having a steak at a fancy steakhouse once and it was served with potatoes like this. So. Good.

They are also a great way to kick up your next brunch as a variation to traditional hash browns. Serve with some bacon, eggs cooked your way & some fresh fruit and all will be right in the world.

This dish is also a popular potluck recipe as it’s easy to scale up to feed a large crowd and it goes a long way. You will be the star of the show when you show up with a big pan of these!

Overhead shot of white plate of cheesy potatoes

FAQ

The heavy cream gives the casserole it’s delicious richness, but if you would prefer not to use heavy cream, half & half could be substituted. I would not recommend using milk as it could result in a watery casserole. I have not tested this recipe with any dairy substitutes.

You can also make these cheesy potatoes without thawing the hashbrowns first. Assemble the casserole the same way, just using potatoes are that still frozen. Cover and refrigerate 8-12 hours, then bake. Note that the baking time may increase. I’d recommend taking the baking dish out of the fridge about an hour before baking.

Using fresh potatoes contain too much water and will make the casserole more watery. This is an example of when store-bought is better! Also make sure you are using a 30 oz. bag of hash browns for the right potato to cream ratio.

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