Funeral Potatoes

Living in Salt Lake County, Utah, for the past four years, has opened my eyes to different foods such as fry sauce and Funeral Potatoes. Coming from southern California, living here in Salt Lake County has been complete culture shock as you can imagine. If you’re anything like me, you’re wondering what the hell Funeral Potatoes are. Also known as Cheesy Potatoes, Funeral Potatoes are a traditional potato dish commonly served after LDS funerals. According to Food & Wine’s article, “Mormon Funeral Potatoes” are the ultimate comfort food and one of America’s greatest triumphs!

If you’ve tried Funeral Potatoes, you’re already familiar with the cheesy, crispy potato casserole and it being one of the most satisfying creations originating from the Intermountain West. Funeral potatoes are normally made with frozen hash browns and cheese, and are topped with crunchy corn flake crumbs. They also contain butter and sour cream – you really can’t go wrong with such a mixture of ingredients!

If you love potatoes, you’ll love my Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole and Mashed Potato Casserole!

Ingredients in Funeral Potatoes

Sour cream. Use full fat sour cream for the best flavor.

Butter Unsalted or salted butter will work.

Salt. Salt gives this dish the perfect amount of seasoning.

Freshly cracked pepper. Freshly cracked pepper is the best and depending on how much you like pepper, you can use more or less.

Cayenne. Sprinkle some cayenne into this dish which really brings out the flavors.

Hash browns. Use frozen hash browns for this dish.

Cheddar cheese. Freshly grated cheddar cheese tastes the best and is of the highest quality. Avoid using pre-shredded cheddar as it contains additives that prevent the cheese from clumping. The additives interfere with the baking and do not melt. Cabot Creamery’s article reports that ingredients such as potato starch and natamycin keep the cheese from clumping and it doesn’t melt as easily as opposed to grating your own cheese.

Corn flakes cereal. Crushed corn flakes cereal really tops this dish off with some crispy crunch.

How to Make the Best Funeral Potatoes

1). Preheat your oven to 225 degrees F/ 105 degrees C. Pour the frozen hash browns onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes to thaw.

2). Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.

3). In a large bowl, stir the sour cream, 6 tablespoons of the melted butter, salt, pepper, and cayenne.

4). Add the hash browns and cheese and mix well.

5). Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

6). Pour the corn flakes into a large zip top bag and crush them with your hands or a rolling pin.

7). Add the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter to the corn flake mixture and coat over the cereal. Evenly spread the corn flake mixture on top.

8). Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly and melted.

Leftovers

If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave or bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and melted.

More potato recipes you’ll love!

Copycat Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole

Mashed Potato Casserole

Crispy Sheet Pan Hash Browns

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

Hash Brown Waffles

Air Fryer French Fries

Final Thoughts

Finally, if you make these Funeral Potatoes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this recipe and always try my best to respond to all comments.

If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your recipe photos!

Funeral Potatoes

Elise McCollister

If you’ve tried Funeral Potatoes, you’re already familiar with the cheesy, crispy potato casserole and it being one of the most satisfying creations originating from the Intermountain West. 

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Side Dishes

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 254 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x4x

• 2 cups Sour cream
• 8 tbsp Butter melted and divided
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper freshly cracked
• Dash Cayenne to taste
• 30 oz Bag of hash browns frozen
• 3 cups Cheddar cheese freshly grated
• 2 1/2 cups Corn flakes cereal

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 225º F / 105º C. Pour the frozen hash browns onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes to thaw.
• Increase the oven temperature to 350º F/ 175º C. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.
• In a large bowl, stir the sour cream, 6 tablespoons of the melted butter, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
• Add the hash browns and cheese and mix well.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
• Pour the corn flakes into a large zip top bag and crush them with your hands or a rolling pin.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter to the corn flake mixture and coat over the cereal. Evenly spread the corn flake mixture on top.
• Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly and melted.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 254kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 9gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 520mgPotassium: 117mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 626IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 260mgIron: 2mg

Did you try this recipe?Mention @elisemccollister or tag #elisemccollister!