These Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes are a great way to make the best comfort food even easier. This dump and go recipe only takes a few minutes to throw together and is the perfect side dish for just about any meal.
And if you’re looking for another easy to make Cheesy Potato recipe with a little kick, try our Spicy Cheesy Potatoes or our Spicy Tater Tot Casserole.
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
Around the holidays, I love to whip out this easy crockpot recipe for cheesy potato casserole. Not only does it save a little time, it also saves precious oven space.
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This classic recipe uses a can of cream of mushroom soup to give the potatoes that signature flavor and creamy texture. I also have a Cheesy Potato Casserole (oven version) recipe and if you’re wondering what to serve with these cheesy potatoes, be sure to try our Turkey Breast, Pot Roast, and Crispy Chicken Recipe. They’re all classics and everyone loves them.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Caramelized onions give them an extra layer of flavor. Taking a few minutes to sauté the onions in butter until golden adds a subtle sweetness and savory depth that sets these apart from basic cheesy hash browns.
- They’re incredibly creamy and cheesy. Sour cream and cream of mushroom soup create the rich, creamy base, while plenty of cheddar is mixed throughout and melted over the top.
- The slow cooker makes them perfect for holidays and entertaining. Frozen hash browns keep prep simple, and cooking everything in the Crockpot frees up valuable oven space while keeping the potatoes warm until you’re ready to serve.
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes Video Tutorial
Key Ingredients
- Shredded Potatoes: You can use the frozen hash browned potatoes in the supermarket freezer section. If you prefer to use real potatoes, you can certainly make this a cheesy potato casserole with real potatoes. Just shred raw potatoes, squeeze out the extra water, and add about 1 hour on low. Or, cut into ½” pieces and parboil, then add the diced potatoes to your mixture and make as directed.
- Shredded Cheese: Any blend of shredded cheddar cheese will work, or you could use pepper jack to add a little spice.
- Sour Cream: This adds extra creaminess and tart flavor. Full fat or low fat; either will work.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup: any brand will do. You can also use cream of chicken soup in a pinch.
- Onion: white or yellow onions work great. Caramelizing the onion makes all the difference and it’s worth the little bit of extra time. You can also use 1-2 teaspoons of onion powder in a pinch.
How to Make Cheesy Potatoes in Slow Cooker
- Saute the onions. In a medium-sized saute pan, on medium heat, saute diced onions in butter until the onions are soft, tender, and golden brown.
- Mix. In a large bowl, combine the hash brown potatoes, sautéed onions, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, garlic salt, and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese. Mix.
- Assemble. Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray, then spread the potato mixture in the bottom and top with the remaining cheese.
- Cook. Cook on low for about 4-5 hours, or on high for 2 1/2-3 hours.
Crockpot Cheesy Potato Variations
These cheesy hash brown potatoes are easy to switch up. Here are a few reader favorites:
- No mushroom soup. Swap the cream of mushroom for cream of chicken or cream of celery soup.
- Cream cheese potatoes. Stir in 4 ounces of softened cream cheese for an extra creamy, rich version.
- Bacon ranch. Add 1 cup of crumbled cooked bacon and 1 tablespoon of dry ranch seasoning.
- Ham and cheese. Stir in 1½ cups of diced ham for a hearty breakfast or brunch casserole, or a main dish.
- Spicy. Use pepper jack cheese and add a 4-ounce can of diced green chiles. Love a little heat? Try my Spicy Cheesy Potatoes.
- Garlic herb. Add 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary or thyme, as one reader did for Easter dinner. Or try my Garlic Herb Cheesy Potatoes.
- Crunchy topping. Toss 2 cups of crushed cornflakes with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, toast in a skillet until golden, and sprinkle over the potatoes right before serving.
- Different cheese. Swap the cheddar for Gruyère, Swiss, white cheddar, or a Colby Jack blend.
- Prefer it baked? Make my Cheesy Potato Casserole in the oven instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! There’s no need to thaw them. Add the frozen shredded hash browns straight to the slow cooker with the other ingredients, and they’ll cook up tender and creamy.
Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2½ to 3 hours, until the potatoes are tender, the edges are bubbly, and the cheese is melted. Let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Keep the leftovers in the fridge in an air-tight container for 4-5 days.
Oven: To reheat the potatoes, you can spread them in a small casserole dish, top with more cheese, and reheat in a 325-degree oven for 30 minutes or until warm throughout and the cheese is melted.
Microwave: To reheat the potatoes in the microwave, spread them evenly on a microwave-safe plate and heat in 30-second increments with stirring, until heated throughout.
Yes. Frozen diced (Southern-style) hash browns work great and give the potatoes a heartier texture. They may need an extra 30 minutes to an hour on low.
Yes! Refrigerated hash browns, like Simply Potatoes, work well. Since they aren’t frozen, start checking them about an hour early.
Yes. Cream of chicken or cream of celery soup works great. The mushroom soup doesn’t taste strongly of mushrooms, though. It mostly adds creaminess and rich, savory flavor.
A 4- to 6-quart slow cooker is perfect for this recipe. If you double it, use a 6-quart or larger.
Yes! Use a 6-quart or larger slow cooker and add about 1 hour to the cooking time. Stir halfway through so the potatoes heat evenly, then top with a little extra cheese.
Yes. Sauté the onions and mix everything together the night before, then store it covered in the slow cooker insert in the fridge. In the morning, place the insert in the base and cook on low, adding 30 to 60 minutes since it starts cold. Cooked potatoes also travel well. Transfer them to the slow cooker and reheat on low or warm for a tailgate or potluck.
Once cooked, they’ll stay hot and creamy on the warm setting for 1 to 2 hours. Give them a stir every so often so the edges don’t overcook.
Frozen hash browns release moisture as they cook. If yours look a little loose at the end, take the lid off for the last 20 to 30 minutes and let some of the steam escape.
They’re very similar! Funeral potatoes, also called hash brown casserole, use the same creamy, cheesy base, but they’re usually baked in the oven with a crunchy cornflake topping. Here’s my oven version: Cheesy Potato Casserole.
This recipe makes 8 servings of a little over ¾ cup each. It’s perfect as a side dish for a family dinner or a holiday meal.
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes with Frozen Hash Browns
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1½ cups onion, diced (white or yellow)
- 20 ounces frozen shredded potatoes
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, (divided)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 10.5-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
Equipment
- 4-6 quart slow cooker
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a 4-6 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, then add the butter. Once melted, add the onions. Saute until they are soft, tender, and caramelized.
- Transfer to the slow cooker and add the frozen shredded potatoes, 1½ cups of shredded cheese, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, and the garlic salt. Stir to combine.
- Spread the mixture in to the bottom of the slow cooker with a spoon and add the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese.
- Cover and cook on high for 2½- 3 hours, or low for 4-5 hours—until the cheese is melted and slightly golden. Once cooked, let the potatoes cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Refrigerator: store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- To reheat in the oven: spread the potatoes in a small casserole dish, top with more cheese, and reheat in a 325-degree oven for 30 minutes or until warm throughout and the cheese is melted.
- To reheat in the microwave: spread the potatoes evenly on a microwave-safe plate and heat in 30-second increments with stirring, until heated throughout.
Nutrition
Did you make this?
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More of Our Favorite Potato Side Dishes
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
- Roasted Potatoes
- Crockpot Ham and Cheese Potatoes
- Fingerling Potatoes
- Smashed Potatoes
- Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Potato Skins
- German Potato Salad
- Hasselback Potatoes
- Gruyere Scalloped Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Steakhouse Baked Potatoes
- More Thanksgiving Recipes
- More Easy Side Dishes
Crockpot Cheese and Potato Casserole Recipe is so easy to make. It’s a dump and go recipe that only takes a few minutes to throw together. It’s total comfort food and the perfect potato side dish for just about any meal.
Categories:
Christmas, Crockpot, Easter, Easy Weeknight Meals, Holiday Favorites, Nut-Free, Potatoes, Reader Favorites, Sides, St Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Videos,
All I have are cubed hash browns in my freezer. Will these work in your recipe? Want to make these tomorrow.
yes, this will work with cubed hash browns.
Perfect re pie. I added rosemary for our Easter meal. Tastes great.
Can I use pre-packaged refrigerated shredded potatoes and just not cook it as long?
Yes, that’ll work too.
I used the Simply Potato fresh hash brown. Also sautéed the onion first. Also seasoned with Rosemary. Cooked four hours on slow.
Do I need to thaw the frozen potatoes first?
No need to thaw the potatoes, just add them frozen.
What is you don’t want to use cream of mushroom soup? (Hubby hates mushrooms!)
You could use cream of chicken soup too. However, I’m guessing he would never know there is cream of mushroom soup in them. It just adds a creaminess and also a meaty rich flavor. It doesn’t have a strong mushroom flavor.
My family loves this recipe! This is my third time making it. It’s so easy and delicious. They say YUM when I say I’m making it.
Amanda, thank you for letting me know! I appreciate you comment and rating!
Could I make this in a casserole the night before, then transfer to a crockpot, reheat to take to a tailgate? I can plug in once there but I need to transfer this way
This is my FAVORITE recipe for any event! Everyone loves them and there the first to be gone!
I’m so happy to hear this. We love it too! You can’t beat the flavor and ease in this recipe!
What cheese besides Cheddar
You could use a gruyere, swiss, white cheddar, or even a mozzarella.
If this recipe is doubled does the slow cooking time change?
You may need to add an hour or so. Something that might helo is if you stir it half way through and then add a little more cheese on top. If you have that much in there it would help to distribute the hot potatoes throughout. Great idea though. I’m making potatoes for a crowd and I’m going to double mine too!
Could I bake half way then cook in crock pot for remaining time the next day?
That’s what I’m wondering too, I would like to make them for an event tomorrow but make them this evening. Thanks!
You bet! You can make them a day or two in advance. Just be sure to let the casserole dish come up to room tempreture before adding it to a hot oven. You can shatter a glass baking dish if it’s cold and you insert it in a hot oven.
yes, You can saute the onions and mix it all up and then just cook it in the slow cooker.
I’ve made these for three different events and everyone loves them!!! So easy, perfect brunch food!
You give all the nutritional information for this recipe (which is great), but don’t state the serving size. Based off 8 people… but how much did those 8 people get? 1 cup? 2 cups?
Hi there – thanks for your question! In a single batch of this recipe, each serving for 8 people would be a little over 3/4 cup.