Funeral Potatoes
Funeral Potatoes are a simple side dish recipe with creamy, cheesy potatoes and a crunchy, buttery topping. They are comfort food that everyone loves!
A DELICIOUS, CREAMY POTATO SIDE DISH
Funeral potatoes seems like such a sad name for such a delicious dish but they got this name for the fact that they always seemed to show up at funerals so folks just began associating them with that occasion. I got the original recipe from a friend who was from Utah (where this particular dish originated – at least the name seems to have originated from there anyways.) I have another friend that prefers to call them party potatoes – ha! I have since tweaked that original recipe a bit to add more seasoning. Whatever you call them, I hope you will call them delicious!
Huge hit at our bbq! Didn’t change a thing!
– Brynn
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Often when someone passes, we all just want to do something for those who are grieving. So, we often gather around after a funeral and eat and comfort each other. These Funeral Potatoes are one of those foods that many folks have made in a time of need. Cheesy and creamy with a crunchy chip topping. It tastes so good and maybe brings just a little bit of comfort in each bite. The recipe was thought to have first been introduced in Utah by the Mormon community.
I think this would be a wonderful side dish with Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast! Or perhaps even some Chicken Fried Steak for a total comfort food experience!
Yes! Prepare recipe as written but do not add potato chip topping. Wrap them up really well with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil to protect against freezer burn. When ready to cook, remove the plastic wrap (keep on aluminum foil) and bake for about an hour. Then continue with the rest of the recipe with the potato chip/butter topping.
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they will last for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until warm.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- O’Brien potatoes – You can get the kind with or without peppers. Also, you can cut up raw potatoes but you’re going to want to cut them up pretty small (about 1/2-inch) so they will cook in the amount of time I have given below.
- garlic salt – you could just use garlic powder and add a little bit of salt to the mix. Use the same amount of garlic powder (1 teaspoon) and then add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt or leave out the salt altogether if you prefer or need to cut back on the added salt.
- pepper
- onion flakes – you could also use onion powder (same amount).
- dried chives – this is optional but I think it gives it an extra layer of flavor along with some color.
- shredded cheddar cheese – feel free to switch up the cheeses to watch you enjoy. I think Colby Jack or pepper jack would both work great here.
- cream of chicken soup – you could pretty much any cream of something soup you think would taste good here. Cream of mushroom, cream of onion, cream of garlic, etc. You could even make Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup! If you have any salt sensititivites, you could use a no or low sodium cream of chicken soup.
- sour cream – I know a lot of people hate sour cream but you don’t taste it as a separate ingredient in this. If you are totally against it you could use plain Greek yogurt or even mayonnaise. I generally tell people just use whatever you normally use in recipes that all for sour cream. You could probably even use a bit more cream of chicken soup.
- crushed potato chips – I like wavy potato chops and I make sure to crush them up pretty small. Personally I don’t like big chunks of potato chips in my topping.
- butter – I use salted butter because that is always what I have on hand but you could certainly use unsalted butter.
HOW TO MAKE FUNERAL POTATOES:
Place potatoes into refrigerator to thaw out overnight. Or place on counter to thaw for about an hour. Preheat oven to 375f degrees. Spray an 11×7-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (you can also use a 9×13-inch baking dish.) In a large bowl, mix together the thawed potatoes with seasonings and cheese. Then stir in cream of chicken soup and sour cream.
Spread mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover baking dish with nonstick foil and bake for about 45 minutes (until bubbly.)
Crush potato chips (measure out 2 cups after crushing.) After potatoes are cooked, spread crushed chips evenly over potatoes.
Pour melted butter over crushed chips. Place back into oven and cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. If you want a darker topping, pop it under the broiler for a minute or two.
Allow potatoes to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Then dig in!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: January 2017
Updated and republished: March 2025
Funeral Potatoes (+Video)
Ingredients
- 28 ounce package frozen cubed O'Brien potatoes, thawed (with or without peppers)
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
- 1 Tablespoon dried chives
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 cups finely crushed crushed potato chips (measured after crushing)
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Place potatoes into refrigerator to thaw out overnight. Or place on counter to thaw for about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Spray an 11×7-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (you can also use a 9×13-inch baking dish – it'll just be thinner)
- In a large bowl, mix together 28 ounce package frozen cubed O'Brien potatoes, thawed with 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes, 1 Tablespoon dried chives and 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese.
- Then stir in 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken and 2 cups sour cream.
- Spread mixture into prepared baking dish.
- Cover baking dish with nonstick foil and bake for about 45 minutes (until bubbly.)
- After potatoes are cooked, spread 2 cups finely crushed crushed potato chips over potatoes.
- Pour 3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted evenly over crushed chips.
- Place back into oven and cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.
- If you want a slightly more golden topping like mine, pop it under the broiler for a minute or two (keep a close eye – you may have to move it around for it to brown evenly).
- Allow potatoes to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- I like my potato chips very finely crushed. This is a personal preference and you can certainly leave them as large as you like!
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Brandie, you have once again provided a recipe I like better than my own. My guys thought I had majorly tweaked my original recipe, but I had to come clean and tell them it is your recipe. Now they are asking if new dishes I make are Brandie’s =0
Would I be able to just leave out the potato chip topping?
Is there such a thing as “non-stick” foil that can be purchased or are you just spraying the underside of a sheet of regular aluminum foil with a vegetable spray such as Pam so that the foil will not pull off all the sticky cheese topping when removing and ruin your casserole?
Yes there is nonstick foil or you can spray with nonstick spray. Up to you 🙂