These cheesy hash brown breakfast potatoes are a delicious and indulgent way to start your day. They’re simple to make but hard to resist. Serve cheesy breakfast potatoes alongside everything from waffles to eggs. And the best thing, this cheesy potato “breakfast” casserole even goes great with dinner!
Why I Love These Cheese Hash Brown Potatoes
I make this delicious cheesy breakfast hash brown potatoes recipe at least twice a week! My family just loves it and can never get enough!
And I don’t mind either, because not only do I also love the amazing flavor, but it’s so easy and fast to make. They can even be made ahead of time for the next day!
These cheesy hash browns are as perfect with eggs for breakfast as they are with chicken for dinner. Trust me, you won’t run out of ways to serve these easy cheesy potatoes. Here are just a few more reasons to love them!
- Potatoes + cheese for breakfast is such a tasty indulgence.
- Goes great with any breakfast food, including ham, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, eggs, and more.
- My whole family absolutely devours these every time I make them!
- One of my favorite breakfast recipes for a weekend breakfast or special occasion like Christmas morning or New Year's day.
- They’re also a perfect side dish for dinner as well. Try them with grilled chicken or pork chops.
Recipe Ingredients
Butter - For sauteeing the onions. Olive oil can be used instead.
Yellow onion - I like the flavor the onions add, but if you don’t like onions you can omit them.
Cheese - Use shredded cheddar cheese or another melty cheese such as provolone or mozzarella.
Cream cheese - Adds an extra creamy flavor, but you may omit if you want to slim the recipe down a bit.
Sour cream - I like full fat sour cream for the best results.
Milk - Whole milk will give the creamiest results.
Salt and pepper - Go simple or add seasonings of choice! Other options include paprika, parsley or oregano.
Hash browns - No need to thaw first!
How to Make Cheesy Breakfast Potato Casserole
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F and coat a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them for about 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
Step 3
Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper. Stir until mixture is creamy and remove from heat.
Step 4
Pour the frozen hash browns into the prepared baking dish in a single layer. Top with the cheese mixture and give the mixture a gentle stir, to combine the potatoes and sauce slightly.
Step 5
Top the combined ingredients with the remaining cheddar cheese.
Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes or until the top of the casserole is golden brown and the whole thing is crispy around the edges.
How to Prep Cheesy Breakfast Potatoes Ahead of Time
- Prepare the cheesy potato casserole as directed up until baking.
- Place the covered dish in the fridge overnight.
- Decrease the cook time by 7 minutes and otherwise bake as directed.
-OR- - Bake the cheesy breakfast casserole in its entirety the day before and store it covered in the fridge.
- Reheat in the oven the next morning for approximately 20 minutes at 350 degrees F before ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
- Other types of potatoes may be used in place of shredded hash browns.
- Many of the ingredients can be substituted for lower-cal and lower-fat options. Butter can be replaced with olive oil.
- Freshly shredded cheese melts best. Prepackaged shredded cheese contains an anti-caking ingredient that also keeps it from melting its best.
- Add chopped crispy bacon pieces and green onion or green chiles for a loaded cheesy bacon potato bake.
How to Serve Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes
One of the great things about this easy recipe is it works just as great at dinnertime as it does at breakfast. These are a few of my family’s favorite pairings with these potatoes.
With Breakfast
Serve these potatoes with scrambled eggs and bacon, pancakes, waffles, french toast, or alongside some avocado on toast.
With Dinner
These potatoes go great with grilled or BBQ chicken, chicken fried steak, roasts, steak bites, pork chops, and more.
How to Store Leftover Cheesy Potato Bake
Cool the leftover potatoes completely at room temperature before storing.
In the refrigerator - place leftovers in an airtight container or zip top bag. Stored properly, cheesy hash brown casserole will be good for up to 1 week.
In the freezer - Freeze the whole thing or in individually portioned slices. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag or airtight container. Frozen casserole will be good for up to 3 months when stored properly. Thaw completely in the fridge before reheating.
How to Reheat Hash Browns
Reheat leftover breakfast potatoes in the microwave or in the oven.
In the microwave - Heat on high for 30 second bursts until the casserole is heated through.
In the oven - Place leftovers in a preheated 350° oven for 10-12 minutes or until warmed through completely.
Home Fries vs Hash Browns
Hash browns or home fries, what’s the difference? Hash brown potatoes are made with shredded potatoes before being fried to golden brown perfection. Home fries are usually cubed or diced potatoes and might be fried along with onions and peppers.
Are Hash Browns Gluten Free
Hash browns, being shredded potatoes, on their own are a gluten-free food. However, some store brands of hash browns may use flour in their ingredients. Read the package fully to ensure GF friendliness.
How to Make a Hashbrown Casserole
This 4 ingredient hash brown casserole is another wildly popular potato casserole in our house. It’s the ultimate in comfort food, and requires only 1 dish, 5 minutes of prep, and is done in an hour from start to finish! Great for breakfast or as a dinner side!
Easy Breakfast Recipes
Cheesy Breakfast Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 32 oz frozen hash browns
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and fragrant, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper. Stir until mixture is creamy and remove from heat.
- Pour the frozen hash browns into the prepared baking dish in a single layer. Top with the cheese mixture and give the mixture a gentle stir, to combine the potatoes and sauce slightly.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy around the edges.
Notes
- Other types of potatoes may be used in place of shredded hash browns.
- Many of the ingredients can be substituted for lower-cal and lower-fat options. Butter can be replaced with olive oil.
- Freshly shredded cheese melts best. Prepackaged shredded cheese contains an anti-caking ingredient that also keeps it from melting its best.
- Add chopped crispy bacon pieces and green onion or green chiles for a loaded cheesy bacon potato bake.
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