Gluten-free Cheesy Potatoes

Easy-to-make gluten-free cheesy potatoes are the ultimate comfort food side dish that's perfect for holiday tables or any night of the week!

When it comes to gluten-free side dishes, these gluten-free cheesy potatoes, also known as funeral potatoes, are one recipe that you'll be happy to have in your back pocket. They are the perfect addition to your holiday gathering from Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and so much more.

You really can't beat the comfort of potatoes tossed in a creamy, cheesy sauce, topped with a light and crispy topping.

If you love potatoes as much as we do, check out my apple potato leek soup, smashed fingerling potatoes, and crispy breakfast potatoes recipe.

Jump to:

• Are funeral potatoes gluten-free?
• Ingredients.
• Steps.
• Tips and tricks.
• Make ahead and freezing.
• Serving suggestions.
• More Gluten-Free Casseroles
• 📖 Recipe

Are funeral potatoes gluten-free?

I hate to break it to you, but most funeral potato recipes are not actually gluten-free due to most having some sort of canned soup and are usually topped with cornflakes cereal, which is NOT gluten-free either. This includes the Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole.

Don't worry, though; it's easy to make completely gluten-free cheesy funeral-style potatoes with just a few simple swaps by making our own cheesy version of a gluten-free condensed soup and a delicious gluten-free topping that might surprise you.

Ingredients.

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this cheesy potato casserole.

• Chicken Stock - Make sure you are using gluten-free chicken stock to keep these cheesy potatoes gluten-free. You can also use a vegetable to stock to make this a vegetarian casserole.
• Milk - I prefer the flavor using whole milk. However, you can use what you have on hand. If you want it even creamier, you can also use half and half.
• Frozen Potatoes - I find the texture the best when I use frozen diced potatoes, but you can also use frozen shredded hashbrowns. Just make sure you buy gluten-free ones. Brands like Ore-Ida and Simply Potatoes frozen potatoes are labeled gluten-free.
• Cheddar Cheese - I prefer to use a sharper cheddar cheese that I shred from the block for the best flavor and texture. Not all shredded cheese products at the store are gluten-free due to anticaking ingredients, so make sure if you are using pre-shredded cheese that it is gluten-free.
• Onion - Yellow onion is my favorite to use as it adds a bit more sweetness to these cheesy potatoes than a white onion does.
• Butter - You can use salted or unsalted, depending on your preference.
• Sour Cream - I use a full-fat sour cream for the best flavor and texture.
• Cornstarch - Cornstarch helps us bring our sauce together to coat the potatoes. You can also use arrowroot starch or a 1:1 gluten-free flour if that's all you have.
• Spices - We are keeping the spices simple with some salt, pepper, garlic, and a bit of poultry seasoning.
• Potato Chips - Regular funeral potato recipes call for corn flakes cereal which is not gluten-free. Swapping that out for some gluten-free potato chips, we can get that crispy, salting topping everyone will love. I like the Kettle brand that is labeled gluten-free.

Steps.

Step 1. Make the gluten-free cheese sauce.

1. Saute the onion in the butter, and then stir in the cornstarch to coat the onions.
2. Stir in the milk, stock, and seasonings.
3. Once it starts to thicken, stir in half of the cheese and let it melt.

Step 2. Fold in the sour cream and frozen hashbrowns.

Step 3. Transfer to a baking dish, top and bake.

1. Scoop the mixture into a baking dish and top with remaining cheddar cheese and crushed potato chips.
2. Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cheesy potatoes are hot and bubbly around the edges.

Tips and tricks.

• Do you have to thaw your potatoes? - This is a personal preference. I never tend to thaw the frozen potatoes for very long, just long enough for them to sit on my counter while I make the rest of the casserole.
• If you don't want to use already frozen potatoes, you can substitute some small diced or shredded potatoes. I do suggest peeling and par cooking them before adding them to the casserole to make sure they cook all the way through during baking.

Make ahead and freezing.

You can make these gluten-free funeral potatoes ahead of time.

1. Make the cheesy potatoes up until you transfer them to a baking dish. (Be sure to LEAVE OFF the potato chip topping at this time.
2. Cover and store the cheesy potatoes in the fridge for 1-2 days.
3. When you are ready to bake, take the casserole dish out of the oven and add the potato chip topping.
4. Bake as you would fresh. Note that the cooking time may vary if the potatoes are still cold from the fridge.

Freezing funeral potatoes.

1. To freeze funeral potatoes, follow the make-ahead instructions, but instead of the fridge, place the covered potato casserole into the freezer.
2. Let the cheesy potatoes thaw in the fridge overnight before trying to bake them.
3. On the day of baking, add the potato chip topping and bake as you would fresh. Just like with them being in the fridge, the baking time might vary slightly.

These gluten-free cheesy potatoes can be frozen for up to three months.

Serving suggestions.

You can serve these gluten-free cheesy potatoes any night of the week, with dinners like my crispy cheddar chicken or my classic gluten-free fried chicken. No need to save them for a special occasion if you don't want to, but they are delicious then too!

More Gluten-Free Casseroles

📖 Recipe