This recipe for Cheesy Potatoes with Corn Flakes is an absolutely delicious potato casserole side dish that will feed a crowd. For breakfast or dinner, it’s a perfect side for bacon, sausage or even served alongside your favorite dinner entree.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe
Growing up in the middle of Kansas, in a community where Church Supper pot luck dinners became part of my DNA, I know my way around hot dish casserole recipes. And a potato. style casserole, like this one for Cheesy Potatoes with Corn Flakes is a universal favorite.
I mean really, how can anyone resist, hash brown potatoes, cheese sour cream, butter and a topping of crunchy sweet Corn Flakes? It touches all the bases of creamy, cheesy, crunchy and starchy.
This is an extremely easy recipe to make, using frozen hash brown potatoes. The cheesy comes in the form of Cheez Whiz. Say what you want about this product, but it’s the cheesy ingredient in the most popular recipe on my website for Broccoli Cheez Whiz Rice Casserole.
And you know you’re in for a treat because the aroma is intoxicating as it bakes. And the end result is a potato casserole that’s simply irresistible.
Once baked the texture becomes reminiscent of mashed potatoes. Perfect for brunch, or a pot luck, and especially nice for Easter. A great side dish for ham.
This recipe comes from an Amish Cookbook from the area where I grew up. The cookbook is filled with homestyle, country, Dutch Amish and Mennonite recipes. This recipe has been a family favorite for many years.
Let’s Take A Look:
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Hash Brown Potatoes: I like to make this potato casserole with frozen shredded hash brown potatoes. You most certainly could make this recipe using cubed or diced hash browns.
- Dairy: Sour Cream (full fat please), butter and Cheez Whiz Cheese Dip.
- Dried Onion Flakes: Makes this an even easier recipe. No chopping fresh onions.
- Corn Flakes Cereal: Combined with melted butter, this makes a wonderful crunchy topping.
- Cream of Chicken Soup: I’ve always used cream of chicken, but surely Cream of Mushroom soup would be a good substitute.
- Cheez Whiz: Marketed as a cheese dip or cheese topping product, it happens to be very popular in casseroles such as this.
How to Make Corn Flake Potato Casserole
It’s ridiculously easy.
- Step 1: In a bowl, add Cheez Whiz, dried onion flakes, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup.
- Step 2: Use a whisk to combine well. If it seems hard to stir, microwave for 30 seconds.
- Step 3: In a large bowl use a sturdy spoon to combine thawed frozen hash brown potatoes and the sour cream, Cheez Whiz mixture.
- Step 4: Gently combine melted butter with corn flakes.
- Step 5: Use a large spoon and add the hash brown potato mixture to a greased casserole dish.
- Step 6: Use your hands to sprinkle the buttered Corn Flakes over the potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and steamy throughout.
Topping Alternatives
I personally prefer the traditional Corn Flakes Topping for this potato casserole, however, here are some more ideas:
- Crushed Ritz Crackers. About 40 crackers pulsed in a food processor.
- Two cups crushed potato chips. Use the thinner style of potato chips such as Lays Original. Use your hands to break them up over the casserole.
- French Fried Onion Rings, about two cups. Again use your hands to break them up and sprinkle them over the casserole.
Tips for Success
- Plan about 1 hour for the hash brown potatoes to thaw to room temperature. Or place the potatoes in a large bowl and let thaw in the refrigerator over night.
Questions You May Have
You can start the process through Step 3, where the potato mixture is placed in the casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator up to 2 days in advance. Add the Corn Flake topping right before baking. This will keep that crispy topping nice and crunchy. You can also use these instructions to freeze ahead of time. Let the potatoes thaw in the refrigerator over night, add the Corn Flake Topping then bake.
I’ve seen so many recipe versions for Funeral Potatoes that my head spins. I simply call this Cheesy Potatoes with Corn Flakes.
Yes, use 2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese. Purchase a block and cheese and grate it yourself. These cheese potatoes will be creamier because the cheese will melt smoother.
Storage
Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Leftovers will also freeze well.
Reheat individual servings in the microwave in 30 second increments. You can also let the casserole dish come to room temperature and reheat in a 250 degree oven, until warmed.
Please note that once the casserole is stored, the cornflake topping will lose a bit of it’s crunch. Not to worry, it’s still delicious.
What To Serve With Cheesy Potatoes
This recipe makes a large batch, so more than likely you’ll be using it to feed a crowd. Here are some main course ideas that for a group gathering.
- Sloppy Joes To Feed A Crowd
- Slow Cooker BBQ Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Sliders
- Chili Cook-off Award Winning Chili
- Old Fashioned Classic Meatloaf
Thinking about brunch? Try serving these cheese potatoes with this Sausage Breakfast Biscuit Bake.
Recipe for Cheesy Potatoes with Corn Flakes
More Popular Potato Side Dish Recipes
And don’t miss my category for Potato Recipes. You’ll find more recipe ideas, along with the most popular on my site for Savory Cast Iron Skillet Potatoes.
Easy Cheesy Potatoes with Cornfakes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Hash browns Frozen. Thawed
- 15 ounces Cheez Whiz
- 2 tablespoons Dried onion Flakes
- 16 Ounces Sour cream
- 10 ½ ounce Can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Cups Corn Flakes
- 4 Tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place frozen hash browns in a large bowl and thaw. This should take about an hour.
- In a smaller bowl, mix Cheez Whiz, onions, sour cream, cream of chicken soup. A minute in the microwave will help make this easy to stir together.
- Pour this mixture over the potatoes and gently stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind, the soup and cheese are salty, so be cautious with added salt.
- Pour the potatoes into an 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, gently combine melted butter with corn flakes. Use your clean hands to sprinkle this mixture over the potatoes.
- Bake 350 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes. Mixture needs to be nice and steamy and Corn Flakes are starting to brown.
Notes
Nutrition
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Cheese Potatoes with Corn Flakes … It’s what’s for brunch,
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Can’t loose with this combo of YUM!
My mother used to make this dish – they were a family favorite. I live overseas and cannot get frozen hash browns. Have you ever made it with fresh potato? I am thinking maybe lightly boilWing the potatoes then cutting into little cubes? Any ideas please
I have definitely made this with fresh shredded potatoes. Better than frozen in my opinion but you can’t go wrong either way.
Hi Virginia and thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I’ve never made this recipe with fresh shredded potatoes, so good to know it works well.
That corn flake topping looks so good! I really like how you paired this with ham and eggs.
What an irresistible dish! When I saw “corn flakes” I immediately thought of my grandmother who used to make a potato corn flake dish. It’s been SO LONG since I’ve had it that I have no idea if it’s the same one or not, but I’ll just have to give it a try and see if it sends me down memory lane. 🙂 And what a fun cookbook to have!!
Hi MJ. Yes, this is an oldie but goodie.
Lea Ann, when I saw this on Twitter the other day, I instantly wanted some. What a blast from the past! It’s very similar to a potato dish that was going around my community a few decades ago. Some of us tried to health food it up a bit, but wouldn’t turn down a serving of the good old-fashioned “processed foods” version at someone else’s table! But we never had it with ham and eggs, always as a dinner side dish. Your beautiful plate of food is making me hungry.
Tell me more about the Cream of Chicken soup. Like, the amount. I would like to make this one.
I have been following your blog for many years and have tried some recipes . Just wanted to let you know that my husband and I just moved to Hutchinson this December. I have lived in Denver for 48 years. We decided that Denver area was getting to big for us. Just retired and wanted some place slower and affordable. Plus husband is from Wakeeny. So when you write about Hutch I’ll be thinking about you.
Ahhh! Love this and love you! I look forward to my email notifications from Cooking on the Ranch!
My sister in law made a similar dish for a family gathering a few years ago and we couldn’t get enough of the crunchy topping on the shredded potatoes. She said in Minnesota lots of dishes use corn flakes for that crunchy bite on top.
That’s a fine looking breakfast you have there. I know I like all of the lower ingredients but not so sure about the cornflakes. I like those kind of cookbooks where folks contribute their favorite recipe