This oven baked 4-ingredients hash brown pie is exactly the kind of recipe you’d expect to find clipped from a 1950s magazine and tucked into a church cookbook—simple, economical, and endlessly dependable. It bakes up into a golden, crispy pie with a tender, layered potato interior, all in a clear glass pie dish so you can see the browned edges. With just frozen hash browns, butter, sour cream, and shredded cheese, it’s the kind of side dish that shows up at Easter once and then gets requested every single year afterward because everyone remembers “that potato pie” more than the ham.
Golden hash brown pie in a glass dish on a kitchen counter
Serve this hash brown pie hot, cut into wedges right from the glass pie dish, alongside baked ham, roast turkey, or a simple glazed pork loin. It’s rich and creamy, so balance the plate with something bright and acidic—think a crisp green salad with a sharp vinaigrette, steamed green beans with lemon, or roasted asparagus.
Leftovers reheat well in a skillet for breakfast; top a warmed wedge with a fried or poached egg and a spoonful of salsa for a hearty morning-after-Easter brunch.
Oven Baked 4-Ingredients Hash Brown Pie
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients
4 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed and well drained
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus a little extra for greasing the dish
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch glass pie dish with a bit of butter, making sure to coat the bottom and sides so the potatoes don’t stick and the edges can crisp.
Butter greasing a clear glass pie dish before baking
Thaw the frozen shredded hash browns completely. Spread them out on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and press firmly to remove as much excess moisture as possible. This step is key to getting that golden, crisp exterior instead of a soggy pie.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the thawed, well-drained hash browns, sour cream, 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and the melted butter. Mix until everything is evenly combined and the potatoes are well coated, but don’t overwork it; you want the shreds to stay distinct for a nice layered texture.
Hash browns mixed with sour cream and cheddar in a bowl
Transfer the potato mixture to the prepared glass pie dish. Gently press it into an even layer, smoothing the top and making sure the mixture reaches all the way to the edges and up the sides just slightly. This helps form that classic pie shape and ensures the edges brown nicely.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the top of the pie. This top layer will melt, bubble, and brown, giving you that old-fashioned, magazine-worthy golden crust when it comes out of the oven.
