These hash brown casserole griddle cakes are cooked right on your flat top grill in crispy cake form – all the creamy, cheesy flavor of a classic potato casserole with a golden, crispy crust you can only get from a hot griddle. No oven required. Few simple ingredients. Super easy recipe.
If you love crispy hash browns on the griddle, get ready – because these Hashbrown Casserole Griddle Cakes are about to become your new favorite flat top breakfast.
We’re talking golden, crackling-crispy on the outside, and creamy, cheesy, loaded-with-flavor casserole on the inside. No oven. No casserole dish. Just your flat top grill, a handful of ingredients, and about 25 minutes.
The secret? Cooking them as individual “cakes” directly on the hot griddle surface gives you something a baked casserole can never deliver – that deep, pan-seared crust with real texture and crunch on every bite. It’s the best of both worlds: the comfort of a classic hashbrown casserole with the crispy edges you only get from a screaming-hot flat top.
If you’re on a hashbrown kick, make sure to check out my Perfect Griddle Hash Browns for the classic shredded version, or try these show-stopping Hash Brown Omelettes that turn breakfast into a whole event. But if you want something that’s a little different, a little indulgent, and completely addictive — keep reading.
Ingredients
- 20 oz. bag refrigerated shredded hash browns – Use refrigerated, NOT frozen. Frozen hash browns have too much moisture and won’t bind properly. The Simply Potatoes brand is our favorite for all griddle hash browns.
- diced onion
- sour cream and cream of chicken soup – These act as the binder and give your casserole that Cracker Barrel taste.
- shredded cheddar cheese – You can shred your own or use pre-shredded for this recipe.
- diced jalapeños – We love adding these for an extra kick of flavor. Add more if you want a spicier version.
- Salt, pepper, and garlic powder – Or you can also use our Shake That All Purpose Seasoning.
- Butter, for the griddle
How to Make Hashbrown Casserole Griddle Cakes
Step 1: Make the Casserole Mixture
In a large bowl, season the shredded hash browns with your all-purpose seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder). Then add the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, shredded cheddar, jalapeños, and diced onions.
Gently fold everything together – don’t stir or mash. You want the hash browns to keep their texture and shape. The mix should hold together loosely, almost like a thick potato salad.
Step 2: Form the Cakes on the Griddle
Add a bit of butter to the preheated griddle. If you have a heat-safe round silicone mold, use it to form perfect circles – just press a scoop of the mix in, remove the mold, and move on to the next one.
No mold? No problem. Scoop about 1 cup of mixture onto the griddle and use your spatula to press it into a patty shape, about ¾” to 1″ thick. Don’t press too hard or the cakes will start to fall apart.
*If you don’t have an egg mold, you can also use your spatula to form the casserole mixture into a square shape. This is perfect for adding to a Texas Toast-style breakfast sandwich. The goal is just to have a tightly packed patty, so that the griddle cakes don’t fall apart when flipping.
Step 3: Cook Until Golden, Then Flip
This is the step where patience pays off. Let the first side cook for 5 to 7 minutes without touching it — you want a deep, golden-brown crust to form before you attempt a flip. Rushing it means the cake won’t hold together.
Once you see that golden crust building up the sides, carefully slide a wide spatula underneath and flip. Cook the second side for another 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add Toppings and Melt (Optional)
Here’s where you take them from great to dangerous. Sprinkle extra shredded cheddar and a few more jalapeño slices on top of each cake, then dome them with a basting cover to trap the heat and melt that cheese into a gooey, bubbly topping.
Give it 1 to 2 minutes under the dome and then pull them off the griddle.
What to Serve With Hashbrown Casserole Cakes
These are a natural fit for a big outdoor breakfast spread. Here’s what I like to pair them with:
- Eggs any style – Fried, scrambled, or over easy. The yolk from a runny egg over the top of one of these cakes is next-level.
- Bacon or breakfast sausage – Cook sausage or bacon right alongside on the griddle while the cakes are resting.
- A simple green salad – If you want to balance the richness with something fresh.
- Hot sauce or hot pepper vinegar sauce on the side for dipping. Just like the vinegar sauce they have at Cracker Barrel, since these griddle cakes are inspired by their poplar side dish.
They also make a surprisingly solid side dish for dinner alongside grilled chicken or a smash burger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Make the casserole mixture up to 24 hours in advance and keep it covered in the fridge. You may need to adjust the cooking time slightly for a colder, straight from the fridge mixture.
Technically yes, but thaw them completely first and then squeeze out as much moisture as possible with a clean towel. Too much water in the mix and your cakes won’t hold together or get that crispy crust. Refrigerated hash browns are the easier choice.
Two likely culprits: (1) you’re pressing them too thin or too hard when forming the patty, or (2) you’re trying to flip too early before the crust has had time to set. Give them the full 5 to 7 minutes on the first side and use a wide spatula to support the whole cake when you flip.
Absolutely. Cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage or diced ham folded into the mix takes these from a side dish to a full breakfast in one cake. Keep any add-ins small and pre-cooked.
Store cooled cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on a hot griddle or skillet with a little butter — the microwave will technically work but you’ll lose the crispy crust. The griddle brings it right back.
Hash Brown Casserole Griddle Cakes
Ingredients
- 20 oz bag shredded hash browns refrigerated, like the Simply Potatoes brand
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup cream of chicken soup
- 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ medium onion diced
- 1-2 tablespoons diced jalapeños drained
- salt and pepper or substitute Shake That All-Purpose Seasoning
- butter for cooking the hash brown casserole cakes on the griddle
Instructions
- Preheat flat top grill or griddle on medium heat.
- While griddle is heating, add shredded hash browns, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, shredded cheddar, diced onions, diced jalapeños, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Gently fold everything together until well combined.
- Butter the heated griddle where you will cook the hash brown casserole cakes. Put a heat-proof, round silicone mold on the griddle. Add hash brown casserole mix to the mold, pressing down lightly to form a cake shape. Remove the mold and repeat this step until all of your casserole mix is on the griddle. *You should have about 8 griddle cakes.
- Alternate method – If you don't have a mold, you can also mound up about ¾ cup of hash brown casserole on the flat top grill using your spatula and form it into a patty shape, about 3/4" thick.
- Allow the hash brown casserole patties to cook for about 5-7 minutes on the first side, or until nicely golden brown. Then flip and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes on the second side.
- Optional – Sprinkle more shredded cheese and diced jalapeños on top of each patty and allow the cheese to melt.
- Carefully remove the cooked hash brown casserole cakes from the griddle and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Video
Notes
- Use refrigerated hash browns, not frozen — frozen add too much moisture.
- Don’t rush the flip. Letting the crust fully set is what keeps these cakes intact.
- Add crumbled breakfast sausage to the mix to make these a complete one-cake breakfast.
- Reheat leftovers on the griddle with butter to restore the crispy crust.
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These are fantastic. Made them for a group for breakfast after a hayride/camp out the day before. I was instructed I have to make them again next year! Easy to make ahead and cook the morning you want them.
Came across this video/recipe today and I can’t stop thinking about making them this weekend. Thank you.
I knew that we’d love this recipe when I saw it on YouTube. I can tell you the number of times we have made this.
This recipe is it for me. Love fried potatoes and this just makes them better!
Seems like the best of what I like from Cracker Barrel and our own hashbrown casserole recipe that we make for Thanksgiving and other holidays brought to the flat top griddle – I think all I need is to grab a fresh onion today at the store and I have everything else. Congratulations by the way on 100k subscribers on YouTube!
This will be my first summer camping with a flat top, I think this is going to have to be on the menu!
this is my wife’s favorite.
I think I know what I’m making this weekend.
Still new to cooking on flat top griddle.
First time making this for breakfast.
I enjoyed it, and my wife also enjoyed it.
Thank You