Don’t be fooled by the creepy name! These Slow Cooker Funeral Potatoes are creamy, cheesy, and comforting. Featuring a crispy and crunchy Corn Flake topping, they are the perfect crowd-pleasing side dish for your potluck or holiday dinner. A super simple potato side dish, with all the classic flavors you you’ve come to expect from this Utah comfort food.
While the name may be somewhat macabre, these Slow Cooker Funeral Potatoes are absolutely delicious! They are often served at big events like potlucks, holiday dinners, and get togethers of all sorts (ahem, like funerals).
Funeral potatoes are often served in big foil pans, but this version is made in the crock pot. This means it is not only super easy to put together, but you can keep it warm wherever you happen to take it! Let everyone else fight over the oven space, you just need an outlet for this delicious, comforting casserole!
Ingredients
- Frozen hash brown potatoes: You will need 2 (12oz) bags of frozen cubed hash brown potatoes for this recipe. This works out to about 1 1/2 lbs if you buy your hash browns in bulk. They do not need to be thawed to make funeral potatoes, so don’t worry about that extra step.
- Sour cream: I like to use a thick sour cream like Daisy brand, but you can use whatever happens to be your favorite.
- Cream of chicken soup: You will need 1 can of undiluted cream of chicken soup for this recipe. Low sodium or standard are both great options.
- Shredded cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese is preferred for this yummy slow cooker funeral potatoes recipe. Cheese that is grated at home tends to melt better than the pre-shredded stuff from the store, and so I would recommend using freshly grated cheese if possible.
- Other ingredients: melted butter, salt, pepper, onion powder, and for the topping: additional melted butter and corn flakes.
Instructions
There are two ways to prepare this easy casserole recipe: mix the ingredients together in a bowl, or mix them together in the crock pot.
I like to mix them together in a bowl first (starting with the sour cream, soup, and butter. Then folding in the seasonings and cheese. Finally, adding the frozen hash brown potatoes), and then spread into a greased crock pot. For an ultra easy method, you can mix the ingredients right in the crock pot. While this doesn’t end up as uniform as the bowl method, you dirty one less dish!
For the purposes of simplicity, the recipe card reflects the bowl method, while the in-post instructions below will show you the in pot method.
Pour your frozen cubed hash brown potatoes to the insert of a 6qt slow cooker.
Add in the sour cream, the undiluted cream of chicken soup, and then the shredded cheddar cheese.
Sprinkle in the seasonings, then toss it all together with a silicone spatula until uniformly combined.
Spread this mixture out evenly into your slow cooker and place the lid on the crock pot.
Cook on high for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours. If possible, stir the mixture halfway through to ensure even cooking.
The Crunchy Topping
Ingredients
- Corn flakes: You will need 2 cups of crushed corn flakes cereal. You can buy it pre-crushed, or you can crush it yourself using a freezer bag and a rolling pin (or a food processor). I like my corn flakes still largely intact, but some prefer a fine crumb consistency. This is up to your preferences!
- Butter: You will need another 1/2 cup of butter.
Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a medium sized skillet over medium heat.
Add the crushed corn flakes to the melted butter and toss well to coat them.
Lightly toast over medium heat until the corn flakes are browned. Be careful, they can burn easily!
Spread the toasted corn flake topping on top of the cheesy hash brown casserole. Do not place the lid back on the slow cooker, as this will cause the topping to become soggy from the steam.
Serve and enjoy!
Substitutions
Cream of chicken: If you prefer not to use cream of soups, you can easily make your own at home. Since cream of chicken is used for this recipe, you’ll want to make a homemade cream of chicken. You can use this recipe for Cream of Chicken Soup from The Cozy Cook.
Fresh Potatoes: If you’d like to use fresh potatoes in place of the hash brown potatoes, you may do so with a few extra added steps. Firstly, use Russet potatoes since they are dry and firm. Secondly, peel them and dice them into 1/2″ cubes. Thirdly, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain and dry them on clean tea towels before proceeding with the recipe. You will also need to increase the total melted butter by about 2 tablespoons, since frozen hash brown potatoes have some oil/fat content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Often served at large events, such as funerals, this cheesy hashbrown potato casserole earned its moniker by being a crowd-pleasing side dish during a time when much comfort was needed. They are not only served at funerals, having earned their place at many potluck dinners and holiday dinners such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Most funeral potato recipes contain sour cream, condensed soup, cheese, and of course: cubed hash brown potatoes. Most often, Funeral Potatoes are topped with a crunchy and buttery crushed corn flake topping.
Yes, you can! Be certain to completely cool the cooked potatoes prior to serving. The consistency will change slightly in the freezer, but they should still be very delicious! Just thaw and reheat.
Yes, although there are some stipulations. If you’d like to use fresh potatoes, select whole russet potatoes, since they have a firm and dry texture. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2″ cubes. Soak in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, before draining and then drying on clean dish towels. Increase the butter in the casserole portion of the recipe by 2 tablespoons.
Main Dishes for Slow Cooker Funeral Potatoes
Turkey, ham, and chicken all make great main dishes for slow cooker funeral potatoes. Anything that would be served at a classic Sunday dinner will work well with this tasty side dish.
- Crock Pot Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze – Dinner at the Zoo
- Pork Loin – Café Delites
- Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast – Recipe Tin Eats
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken – Café Delites
More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow Cooker Funeral Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds frozen cubed hashbrowns about 2 12oz bags
- 1 cup thick sour cream like Daisy brand
- 1 10oz can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Topping
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 2 cups crushed Corn Flakes cereal
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and 1/2 cup of melted butter. Fold them together with a silicone spatula.
- Add the salt, onion powder, and pepper. Fold it into the soup mixture to combine.
- Add in shredded cheddar cheese and fold again
- Finally, add in the frozen hash brown potatoes. Stir the mixture together until all of the potatoes are coated with the soup mixture.
- Pour the potato and soup mixture into a greased slow cooker. Smooth it out and ensure it is spread into the crock evenly.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours. If you can, stir the mixture half way through the cook time to ensure for even cooking.
Once the time is up, turn off the slow cooker and begin to prepare the crunchy corn flake topping.Topping:
- Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a medium sized skillet over medium heat.
- Add the crushed corn flakes to the melted butter and toss well to coat them. Lightly toast over medium heat until the corn flakes are browned. Be careful, they can burn easily!
- Spread the toasted corn flake topping on top of the cheesy hash brown casserole. Do not place the lid back on the slow cooker, as this will cause the topping to become soggy from the steam.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Resouces:
- Cream of Chicken Soup – The Cozy Cook
Can I double the recipe in the crock pot?
Yes, you can! I would just make sure to cook it on “low” and increase the cooking time so it can cook through to the center.
Can you use Cheez-it crackers rather than cornflakes?
You could definitely try it, although it would be quite different in flavor and texture. I’ve used them to top regular casseroles before (no additional butter), but I have not for slow cooker recipes. I think I would add them after the cooking time for sure.
Can you bake these the night before and warm them in the crock pot the next day? I would have to double the recipe and I don’t think I would have enough time to cook it for the time needed in the crock pot. It’s for a potluck at work. I would still continue to do the corn flakes separately.
I think you probably could, but I’m not sure how exactly you would warm them in the crockpot. The warm setting might be enough, but it may take a while to heat it through the center. You could try low, but that may overcook the edges a bit.
Can u make this the night before and cook it the next morning for a noon lunch and how long should u cook it
You could probably assemble the potato portion and place it in the slow cooker. Then in the morning you could take it out and allow the crock to come to room temperature (1 hour maybe?) and then cook according to the recipe instructions. You may need to add a bit of time (1 hour I would guess) since the mixture would be cold. Then add in the cornflake topping.
Made this recipe and everyone really enjoyed them. Tried other recipe calling for onions and they really overpowered the other flavors. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure Judy! I’m glad everyone enjoyed it!