How To Make Hash Browns {easy recipe} - Fast Food Bistro (2024)

These can easily be made from scratch and taste so much better than anything store-bought. Season to your liking and you are good to go. So, are you ready to learn how to make hash browns? Join me in the bistro kitchen!

How To Make Hash Browns {easy recipe} - Fast Food Bistro (1)

Quick Hash Browns Recipe

Hash browns come in many shapes and sizes. They can be prepared in various ways. Some consider it the ultimate breakfast food that needs to be served with eggs.

Others also eat it as a side dish. In either case, hash browns or hashed browns are made with a limited number of ingredients and that is what we love.

It is quick, simple, tasty, and easy to prepare another thing we love as well. These only take you 15 minutes to make and they are perfect to make in a bigger batch because they store well.

How To Make Hash Browns {easy recipe} - Fast Food Bistro (2)

Hash Browns Ingredients

For this potato recipe, you only need 4 ingredients and a hot skillet. It is also handy to have a mandolin slicer ready.

This will make life so much easier. Put the following ingredients on your grocery list:

  • Starchy potatoes – the starch in the potato helps the grated potato to stick together better
  • Onion – this adds flavor
  • Egg – another binding agent to let them stick together better. Use a medium size egg
  • Salt and pepper

How To Make Hash Browns {easy recipe} - Fast Food Bistro (3)

How To Make Hash Browns

Start this recipe with potatoes. Peel them and wash the potatoes with cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel.

Peel the onion as well but do not cut or slice. Take a mandolin slicer and coarsely grate the potatoes and onion.

Put the mix of potatoes and onion in a clean tea towel. Then twist the towel to squeeze out the excess liquid.

Keep on twisting and squeezing until no excess liquid comes out. You will be surprised to see how much liquid you can squeeze out.

Put the potato-onion mixture in a large bowl. Beat a medium size egg and add to the mixture. Stir to combine.

Add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Put in more than you would normally do without it the hash browns will taste bland.

Thoroughly mix the ingredients. Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat with olive oil. Take a big spoon and put it into a round heap in the skillet.

Press down to slightly flatten the patties. Turn the heat to medium. Bake until golden brown this will take about 5 minutes before you turn them and bake the other side.

Ready to serve.

How To Make Hash Browns {easy recipe} - Fast Food Bistro (4)

What Are The Best Potatoes For Hash Browns?

Making the grated potatoes stick together is made easier when you use a starchy potato. When you boil this type of potato a high amount of starch is released that is milky in color.

Starchy potatoes are fluffy and absorb liquids really well, which you need when making hash browns. As these potatoes have coarser skin, they fry up crispy.

Starchy potatoes are:

  • Russets
  • King Edward
  • Yukon gold
  • Idaho
  • Maris Piper
  • Golden rush

Hash Browns Versus Rösti

If you know rösti you might wonder what the difference is compared to hash browns.

Some say there is no difference while others say that hash browns are made like small potato patties and rosti as a pancake.

There is also an explanation that rosti is made with raw potato and hash browns with cooked potatoes.

How To Store Homemade Hash Browns

If you make more than you can eat you can easily store them to eat later. You can store them in multiple ways:

  • Fridge – put them in a food container and close the lid. Put them in the fridge if you plan to eat them within 2 days
  • Freezer – want to save longer put them in a freezer-friendly container. You can easily store them in the freezer for up 2 months

How To Reheat Hash Browns

If you stored these baked hashed browns in the freezer thaw them first else preheat a skillet. Apply some cooking spray or a touch of olive oil to coat the pan.

Warm the potato patties for a couple of minutes per side. Do not overheat the pan you only want to warm the patties not brown them.

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Can You Make Hash Browns In Air Fryer

Yes, you can make hash browns in an Air Fryer. If you want to make them from freshly grated potatoes it is recommended to use a grill pan in your Air Fryer.

The grill pan makes it easier to hold the hash browns together and flip them compared to a regular Air Fryer basket.

You can also make Air Fryer frozen hash browns.

Why Are My Hash Browns Not Crispy?

Hash browns get brown and crispy when the majority of the moisture is out of the grated potatoes. That is why after grating the potatoes you have to squeeze all the liquids out.

This is done best using a clean kitchen towel.

If they are soft and not crispy let the moisture evaporate from the potatoes on low heat. When the moisture has mostly disappeared you can brown them by increasing the heat of the pan.

More Side Dishes

If you love this side dish, also take a look at these recipes:

  • Dinner rolls
  • Onion rings
  • French fries
  • Hasselback potato
  • Baked potato
  • Green beans
  • Potato wedges
  • Mixed vegetables
  • Mexican potatoes

How To Make Hash Browns {easy recipe} - Fast Food Bistro (6)

I love these homemade hash browns. I hope you do as well!

Made a recipe please tag @fastfoodbistro on INSTAGRAM, PIN on PINTEREST, and like us on FACEBOOK for more information and updates.

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How To Make Hash Browns

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Simple and quick hash browns. Take a look at this hash browns recipe similar to rösti. Great to serve for breakfast or as a side dish.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium floury potatoes
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Fresh black pepper
  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

  1. Peel and wash the potatoes with cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel
  2. Peel the onion as well but do not cut or slice. Take a mandolin slicer and coarsely grate the potatoes and onion
  3. Put the mix of potatoes and onion in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the excess liquid
  4. Put the potato-onion mixture in a large bowl. Beat a medium size egg and add to the mixture. Stir to combine
  5. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper without it the hash browns will taste bland
  6. Thoroughly mix the ingredients. Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat with olive oil
  7. Take a big spoon and put it into a round heap into the skillet. Press down to slightly flatten the patties
  8. Turn the heat to medium. Bake until golden brown this will take about 5 minutes before you turn them and bake the other side
  9. Ready to serve

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 108Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 150mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g

Please note: Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

How To Make Hash Browns {easy recipe} - Fast Food Bistro (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to cooking hash browns? ›

Squeezing the shredded potato in a towel or cheesecloth to remove as much moisture as possible helps it brown more evenly. Cooking the shredded potato briefly in the microwave helps it develop a better crust that remains crispy for longer.

How are McDonald's hashbrowns made? ›

The peeled potatoes are then inspected again to remove any blemishes. They then pass through a mechanical cutter and are cut into strips which are then blanched for a few minutes in hot water. The strips are then dried before being cut again into the distinct hash or riced pieces.

What ingredients are in hash brown potatoes? ›

Image of What ingredients are in hash brown potatoes?
The potato is a starchy root vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are tubers of the plant Solanum tuberosum, a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern United States to southern Chile.
Wikipedia

Why can't i make hashbrowns? ›

The biggest culprit that's making your hash browns come apart is moisture. You need to make sure the potatoes are dry before adding them to the flour and egg mixture. Whether you squeeze them out in a dish towel or use a salad spinner, get the potatoes as dry as they can be.

Why won't my hash browns get crispy? ›

Remove as much moisture as possible. In order to get evenly crispy hash browns, you need to squeeze out as much water as you can. I prefer to do this using my salad spinner- it works GREAT for removing water! But you can also use a cheese cloth or even paper towels to squeeze it out.

Why do McDonald's hash browns taste different? ›

Ingredients and Processing: McDonald's hashbrowns are made using specific ingredients and processing methods designed to create a consistent and appealing taste. They use high-quality potatoes and other ingredients that are processed and seasoned in a way to achieve a particular flavour profile.

Why does McDonald's hashbrown taste so good? ›

To make their fried menu items healthier, McDonald's began cooking potato sides with vegetable oil in 1990. But the fast-food joint wasn't willing to sacrifice that signature flavor: McDonald's added natural beef flavoring to the oil to preserve the taste customers had come to love.

How are factory hash browns made? ›

Commercially the potatoes are steamed and tumbled to get the skin off, then shredded and blanched in water or oil and then (this is key) individually flash frozen in huge freezers by running the potato pieces thru on a conveyor belt. Then bagged and ready for the customer to oven bake or finish fry.

What do they put in McDonald's hash browns? ›

Ingredients: Potatoes, Non-Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Rapeseed, in varying amounts), Salt, Maize Flour, Dehydrated Potato, Dextrose, Stabiliser (Diphosphates), Black Pepper Extract. Prepared in the restaurant using non-hydrogenated vegetable oil.

What seasoning is good on hash browns? ›

Sprinkle shredded potatoes into hot butter in an even layer; season with cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Cook potatoes until a brown crust forms on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip or stir and continue to cook until potatoes are browned and crusty all over, about 5 more minutes.

What is traditionally the main ingredient of hash browns? ›

Hash browns, also spelled hashed browns and hashbrowns, are a popular American breakfast dish consisting of finely julienned potatoes that have been fried until golden browned.

Why do my hashbrowns turn GREY? ›

It depends on whether your potatoes are turning gray before you cook them or after. When you grate raw potatoes, you release starch that can cause them to oxidize, or turn dark. The best way to keep that from happening is to cover the potatoes with cold water, then drain them very well and pat them dry before cooking.

Why are my homemade hash browns mushy? ›

If you don't eliminate enough liquid (from the potatoes that you, again, just soaked in water), they will get soggy instead of crispy, a.k.a. a total bummer.

Can you eat hashbrowns raw? ›

You can eat raw potato, but you might not want to. Raw potatoes contain solanine and lectins, two compounds that can cause gastric distress and potentially make you sick.

Is it better to cook hash browns with butter or oil? ›

Using a drier, starchier potato such as Idaho, and rinsing away the excess starch is a sure-fire way to crispy, golden hash browns. Butter helps both browning and flavor, while oil lowers the smoke point, allowing your pan to do the steady, even cooking needed for perfectly crisped potatoes.

Should I cook hash browns covered or uncovered? ›

Cover and cook just until the perimeters start to get golden, about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to press the top down. Season with salt and pepper and flip. Cook, uncovered, until the bottom is golden and crispy, another 3 to 5 minutes.

What is the best way to fry frozen hash browns? ›

Spread them out in an even layer, ensuring that they are not overlapping. Cook the hash browns for approximately 4-5 minutes on one side, or until they turn golden brown and crispy. Use a spatula to flip them over and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes on the other side.

Should you soak potatoes before frying hash browns? ›

Immediately put the potatoes into the bowl of water. Soaking the potatoes in the water removes some of the starch and keeps the potatoes from turning an unappetizing color. Once the potatoes have soaked for a few minutes, squeeze them out and put them on a clean dish towel.

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