Vegetarian Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole recipe is just as cheesy and delicious as the popular restaurant chain’s. This is such an easy recipe that requires just a little bit of prep work. It is the ultimate comfort food and makes the perfect side dish or breakfast casserole.
What makes this one of my favorite recipes is the potatoes and the cheese and the sour cream, and the melted butter…. Okay, there isn’t anything I don’t like about this dish, haha!
Ingredients
See recipe card for exact amounts.
Ingredient Notes
Hash Browns – we use frozen hash browns for this recipe. We have also used the kind you find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. We have not made this using fresh potatoes.
Cream of Potato Soup – one 10.5 ounce can of our favorite brand works perfectly.
Shredded Cheese – I like sharp cheddar cheese but you can use mild or extra sharp.
Sour Cream – regular full fat or low fat will work.
Onion – dice the onion into small pieces and there is no need to cook it first! We use a white or yellow onion, just whatever we have on hand at the time.
Butter – we use a small amount of unsalted butter.
How to Make This Vegetarian Cracker Barrel Copycat Recipe
- Spray a 9″ X 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl combine the melted butter, soup, sour cream, onions, black pepper and three-fourths of the cheese. Fold in the hash brown potatoes.
- Pour into the casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the potato mixture. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 – 20 minutes until hot and bubbly and the edges just begin to brown.
- Cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
Cooking Tips
My casserole dish is on the larger size so I end up with a thin layer of potatoes. If your casserole dish is smaller and you have a thicker layer of potato mixture then you may need to add a little cooking time so your dish is hot enough.
There are recipes for this dish that say you need to dry the hash browns with paper towels before mixing them with the other ingredients. I do not. I try to weigh the time investment versus result to determine how I make a recipe and to me the extra step and dirty dish that it would take to do this just isn’t worth it. My casserole taste just as yummy without doing this. If you feel like this is something that you want to do then by all means, dry your potatoes first.
What Size Package of Hash Browns to Use to Make This Recipe?
We commonly find frozen and refrigerated hash browns packages that are anywhere from 20 ounces to 32 ounces. About 32 ounces is ideal but there is wiggle room here. The casserole isn’t too dry if you use the larger size package. If the 20 ounce package is all you can find then buying 2 packages, and only using about half of the second package, would probably be a good option.
Do the hash browns need to be thawed before making copycat cracker barrel hashbrown casserole recipe?
Technically they wouldn’t have to be. It is a good idea because the frozen ones are usually in a huge clump so it is necessary to thaw them so the ingredients can be mixed together. We take ours out of the freezer about an hour before we plan on making the casserole.
Substitutions & Additions
To make our version of this dish vegetarian we swapped the cream of chicken soup with cream of potato soup. There are several creamy soups that can be used instead of cream of potato. Cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, cream of cheddar soup, or even cream of broccoli soup are all great options. And of course, if you don’t care if this has meat products in it then you can use cream of chicken soup.
Topping Ideas
If you would like your hashbrown casserole to have a crunchy topping there are several options. Mix the entire two cups of cheese into the casserole before adding one of the below toppings.
- Mix 2 cups of crushed corn flakes with 4 tablespoons of melted butter.
- Mix 1 cup of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of parsley and 6 tablespoons of melted butter.
- Mix one sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers with 4 tablespoons of melted butter.
- Sprinkle with crispy fried onions for the last 5 minutes of baking.
For a little color the finished casserole can be topped with chopped fresh parsley or green onions.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover hashbrown casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat individual servings in the microwave or the entire casserole in the oven covered for 25 – 30 minutes or until hot.
More Cheesy Potatoes
Baked Cheesy Mashed Potato Cups
Check out the My Love For Potatoes section of this blog for even more yummy potato dishes.
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Vegetarian Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 can cream of potato soup 10.5 ounces
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup onions
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheese divided
- 1 package frozen hash browns 32 ounces
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9″ X 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.cooking spray
- In a large bowl combine the melted butter, soup, sour cream, onions, black pepper and 1 ½ cups of cheese. Fold in the hash brown potatoes. Pour into prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.1 can cream of potato soup, 1 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons melted butter, ½ cup onions, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 2 cups shredded cheese, 1 package frozen hash browns
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 – 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly and the edges just begin to brown.
- Let set for about 5 minutes before serving.
About Mindy
Mindy has been cooking for over 30 years, starting as a young mother who learned how to create delicious meals on a budget. Today, she shares approachable recipes made with everyday ingredients that are easy, affordable, and family-friendly. Her goal is to show that great food doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive.