Easy Funeral Potatoes {+VIDEO} | Lil’ Luna

Family-favorite Funeral Potatoes casserole is creamy, cheesy, and crispy on top. It’s perfect for dinners and holidays!

Funeral Potatoes are the perfect side dish for large gatherings, parties, and holidays. If you like cheesy potatoes, you’ll probably like scalloped potatoes, or loaded mashed potatoes.

what are funeral potatoes?

There are certain side dishes that have to be made on Thanksgiving in our family. Some of those include my aunt’s super yummy Ham, my mom’s famous rolls, and several side dishes, including Funeral Potatoes (also known as Cheesy Potato Casserole).

We do have Classic Mashed Potatoes as well, but we always have at least two pans of Funeral Potatoes. Usually one has onions in it, and the other one does not (for us picky folk).

Why are they called Funeral Potatoes? Because this dish has become a staple at funeral luncheons. They’re a an easy dish to feed a crowd! Which means they are great to have for holiday dinners, potlucks, and family gatherings year round as well!

I’m not going to lie… I sometimes crave these more than the regular mashed potatoes, BUT having said that I usually have both on Thanksgiving, because I’m just a potato lover!! 😀

How to Make Funeral Potatoes

PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place your potatoes in a colander. Let them sit until thawed and drained.

MIX. Combine sour cream, soup and butter in a large bowl. Mix it well. Add salt, onion and cheese to this mixture and stir until all combined.

LAYER. Add potatoes to mixture and stir until all combined. Place in 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle on butter covered crushed Corn Flakes.

BAKE + SERVE. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 40-50 minutes.

Want to use Fresh Potatoes? No prob! Just peel and cube (small cubes) about 6-7 medium potatoes. Add potato cubes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Add a dash of salt and bring water to a boil. Once boiling, cook for 1-2 minutes. Drain potatoes and allow to cool to room temp before adding the cubes to the cream mixture.

funeral potato variations

There are so many ways to change this up!

• Toppings. We think corn flakes work the best, but you can also use Panko, bread crumbs, Lays Potato Chips, or even crushed Ritz crackers. Most kind of crackers will do, but Ritz works best if you are going that route.
• Potatoes. Use shredded hashbrowns – we have a similar recipe using them for Hash Brown Casserole.
• Crock Pot. We like this version in the oven, but we do have a Slow Cooker Cheesy Potatoes recipe we love!

Cheesy Potato tips

Make funeral potatoes ahead of time. Make them as the recipe says, but don’t add the cornflake topping or butter. When you’re ready to bake, thaw in the fridge overnight. Add the butter and cornflake topping and bake as directed!

FREEZE. Make this to the point where you pour the potatoes into the dish. Do not add the cornflakes and instead cover with foil and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw in fridge overnight and then add the cornflakes before baking. We also recommend making them in a disposable dish pan if you are planning to freeze.

STORE. Place the potatoes in an air-tight container and leave in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, just place on a plate and reheat in the microwave until heated through.

Make for a LARGE crowd. Funeral potatoes are a great dish to make for a crowd! If you want to make this recipe for 50 or more people – just triple the recipe or more. This recipe serves about 16 people. Make sure you have a few 9×13 pans lying around to bake all the potatoes in! Or better yet – buy large disposable pans to bake them in.

Serving Suggestions

If you’ve ever had these Cheesy Potatoes, then I’m sure you know just how yummy they really are. The best part is that you can add ingredients like bacon bits or even a few veggies to make them just how you’d like them. 🙂

What to serve with Funeral Potatoes?

Here are some of our favs…

For more potato recipes, check out:

COLLECTIONS: Thanksgiving Sides