I totally don’t utilize potatoes enough in my kitchen. They’re cheap and can be used about a bazillion different ways. So, when someone asked me for a tutorial on how to make crispy hash browns, I was on it! Besides, I like making an indulgent breakfast on the weekend to celebrate the time off and these crispy hash browns made the perfect base for what I like to call my “ultimate hash browns”. Scroll to the bottom of the post to check out what I topped my hash browns with that made them so ultimate. ;)
I’m sure everyone makes their hash browns differently, but there are three things that I have found to be key to making really great, golden brown hash browns:
- Rinsing the starch off the potatoes
- Drying the potatoes
- Using an adequate amount of oil
Yes, that’s right, OIL. Hash browns are fried and there’s just no way around that, aside from not eating them. If you don’t use enough oil the potatoes will be dry and tend to go from white to burnt. Use enough oil and you’ll get crispy yet moist potatoes with a beautiful spectrum of golden brown color.
Also on that note, you’ll want to use an oil with a high smoke point, so something like canola, corn, peanut, or sunflower oil. Butter obviously gives amazing flavor to hash browns, but the butter solids tend to burn, so you’ll want to use clarified butter or ghee instead. I didn’t have patience to clarify any butter, so I just used canola oil. #lazybutt
I used my 10″ cast iron skillet because it offers non-stick protection while giving really even heat and a nice surface for crisping. While stainless steel is also great for crisping, starchy foods (like potatoes) tend to stick a lot more on stainless, so it can be tricky. If you’re not well practiced with keeping food from sticking on stainless steel, I’d suggest either cast iron or a non-stick skillet.
How to Make Crispy Hash Browns
Servings 4 (1 cup each)Ingredients
- 2 large russet potatoes (about 2 lbs.) ($1.00)
- 4 Tbsp cooking oil, or as needed ($0.20)
- Seasoning salt to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, if desired. Use a large-holed cheese grater or food processor to shred the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a colander and rinse well, or until the water runs clear. Let the potatoes drain.
- Squeeze the potatoes of their excess water by pressing against the side of the colander or squeezing in your fist. Or, place the potatoes in a clean, lint-free dish towel, roll them up, then press to remove excess moisture.
- Heat a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon of cooking oil. Tilt the skillet to spread the oil over the surface. Add about 1/3 of the shredded potatoes or enough to cover the surface of the skillet in a solid, yet thin layer (1/2 inch thick or so). Let the potatoes fry, without disturbing, until deeply golden brown on the bottom (3-5 minutes). Season lightly with seasoning salt.
- Flip the potatoes, and drizzle with additional oil if needed. Let the potatoes cook on the second side without disturbing until golden brown and crispy again. Season lightly on the second side.
- If needed, flip and cook one more time to achieve the ratio of brown to white that you like. Repeat the process until all of the potatoes are cooked. Serve hot.
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Nutrition
How to Make Crispy Hash Browns:
Start with two russet potatoes, or about 2 lbs. You can either scrub them clean and leave the skin on, or peel them.
Use a large-holed cheese grater or a food processor to shred the potatoes. I found that the potatoes shredded fairly easily with the cheese grater, so it wasn’t worth cleaning out the food processor.
Place the shredded potatoes in a colander and rinse them really, really, really well. The water running from the colander should be clear. Then, let them drain.
Making sure the potatoes are as dry as possible is key to keeping them crispy. If they have too much water on them that water will turn to steam while they cook and basically steam the potatoes and make them soft. So, you can either let them drain a long time in the colander, squeeze them dry with your hands, or roll them up in a clean, lint-free towel and press them dry. I chose the towel method.
Heat a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add about a tablespoon of oil. Spread the oil over the surface of the skillet, then add about 1/3 of the shredded potatoes, or enough to cover the bottom of the skillet in a solid but thin layer (only about 1/2 inch thick). You’re shooting for maximum surface contact here, so if they’re packed in there too thick, some won’t touch the skillet… and they’ll generate steam again and make everything mushy.
While the potatoes are cooking, sprinkle on a little seasoning salt. This is the kind I like because I live in Louisiana and we put it on EVERYTHING, but you can use whatever brand you like. I love the little bit of extra flavor and kick that seasoning salt adds to the crispy hash browns compared to just plain salt and pepper.
Now, the key here is to not touch them long enough for them to get really nice and brown and crispy. If you mess around with them, stirring or flipping too often, they won’t form a nice crust and the long strands will kind of break down. So, LEAVE THEM BE. :) Then, once they’re very golden, flip them. You might need to drizzle on a little more oil at this point to help the second side crisp up. Then, LET THE SECOND SIDE BE until it’s also golden and crispy. Now, depending on how many potatoes you have in the skillet, you may want to flip and cook one last time to get most of the potatoes crispy, but that’s up to you. Some people like a 50/50 ratio of crispy to soft, some people like almost all crispy.
Once you get the ratio of crispy/soft that you like, it’s time to move on to the second batch. Remove the cooked crispy hash browns to a plate, then repeat the process a couple more times, or until you’ve cooked all the potatoes.
Hash browns are great on their own and all, but why not make them ULTIMATE by adding lots of yummy toppings? I did a fried egg, some avocado slices, diced tomato, sliced jalapeño, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream. Waffle House ain’t got nuthin’ on my hash browns. 😎
I hate to do this because I love most of your recipes, but this was a complete failure for me. I followed exactly (even though grating the potato by hand KILLED my wrists) and came out with simultaneously over- and under-cooked potato shreds that did not make a nice patty and that tasted like oil and raw potato. It also dirtied way more dishes (and towels!) than my usual breakfast potatoes and made a huge potato-y mess of the kitchen.
I’ll be sticking with homefries from here on out, I think!
No one cares.
I would like to know how a recipe will turn out to know if it’s worth making, so I care 🤷♀️
I care, too. Feedback is valuable to me.
I just made hashbrown this morning using regular table salt. Peeled, shredded and washed the potatoes (we have yellow here in the philippines), let drip dry in collander, cut 1 medium onion small pieces (diced), heat (2-3 tbls) oil til hot in skillet, put handfuls of raw mixed hashbrown with onion in hot oil to cover bottom of skillet plus a little more for desired thickness, cook until bottom starts to brown (or when there is no more steam) turn do same on other side, finish cooking to golden brown, remove from skillet, salt to desired taste, cook more if necessary or serve while hot. This worked good for me close to the method described here, just letting you know this ol man can make it turn out right, try again.
I have tried rinsing my potatoes before, and they still came out gray and mushy. It sounds like my issue was not rinsing them enough — So, to anyone reading this, be sure to extensively rinse and dry your potatoes if you use this method.
That being said, I have found it more convenient to par-bake my potatoes and save them in the fridge for later. Then I will take them out and shred (or wedge or dice or etc.) them as I need them. And, if you par-bake the potatoes when you are using your oven for other purposes (e.g. pizza, hot dish, enchiladas), you essentially remove all potato prep time. I have found this to be easier for my lifestyle.
Definatley cook them in the cast iron! I take an onion section and grate it on the fine setting of the cheese grater, then mix it in with the grated ‘taters before cooking for mmmmm mmm flava. I don’t rinse, or dry, and have no crisping problems. To me, keeping the starch in helps to hold the shape and keep from seperating . Before flipping, I oil down the raw side. We keep our olive oil in a condiment squeeze bottle, add just a little before flipping. Top with shredded cheese of choice when done, smoked Gouda rocks. Serve with side of sliced fried ham and eggs of choice, all cooked in cast iron.
Great tips Jim!
This may be a stupid question but is there anyway to combine this with the crustless quiche recipe so that you have hashbrowns on top or bottom or both or anywhere LOL? Besides just adding it after the fact of course
That’s not a stupid question at all! :) That would be very similar to a Spanish Tortilla. But unfortunately I think I would need to do some testing before I could advise on the best method.
Ill back burner that then till i get more adventurous LOL. I made these the other morning and it was my first attempt at ever making hashbrowns. By the third batch I was getting really good at knowing when to flip (I grated two jumbo russet potatoes – turns out that makes a LOT of hashbrowns for two people). Because of my lack of experience I wasnt sure at first about the white parts that werent browning but figured its pretty normal to have a mixture of white and brown.
they were so crunchy you could hear it when someone bit on one – IT WAS AMAZING. They were absolutely delicious. There is a place nearby that I get their hashbrown bowl for like 9 dollars and I can basically replicate it at home with no problem and make a lot more with my 9 dollars.
My brother couldn’t believe that I had made them from scratch. muahahaha
Thank you
First time tonight to use the water removal and not turning till brown. I did one very large potatoe and it came out perfect ,used one small batch at first ,once they cooked removed from skillet. Then cooked second and third batch . Once done put all back in the skillet,and best too a very hot heat.
Great ,,but no canola oil. its a GMO,,,,Peanut oil adds great flavor for those with no allergy to nuts ,Mc Donalds used it in the 60s ,, since they stoped , Day Aint da same ……GO PEANUT OIL ,,
Is there a way to store the shredded hash brown for future use? Maybe freeze?
Some people find that the texture of potatoes gets mealy with freezing/thawing, but I’ve never noticed it myself. So I would consider this to be okay to freeze. After all, there are plenty of frozen potato products available at the store. :)
I make wonderful oven fries with a crinkle cutter-crispy & delicious…try ’em-you’ll love ’em-Crinkle cut oven fries-I spray ’em with canola oil and season ’em with Italian Seasoning,Garlic powder, cumin,basil…quite delicious
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I create things in my head when I can’t sleep , menu/meal ideas . Wasn’t sure about hash browns in cast iron,, but I thought I’d try it in the oven? Cast iron and ovens together , oh what beautiful food . Making it Thursday . Using in new recipe for ommelette in a hole . Plan is cook hash browns in oven , cool slightly , put bread ring in greased pan, add thin layer inside , add favorite egg or ommelette ingredients, put bread center in bread ring , wait till it’s just firm enough to flip, give it a few minutes more , comes out as a ommelette in a hole with one side hash browns . I also put a weight on top of the bread center , holds up better . It’s like a frenhtoast , hashbrown ommelette in 1 PC. Yum
I am a self-confessed potato lover so I love anything with potatoes in them. This hash brown recipe is a life-saver! It is definitely nice to know how to fry hash browns to the right crisp. Will definitely try this later! Thanks for sharing, Beth!
The title is somehow missleading ….
Just made these with frozen hashbrowns. My husband took one bite and asked “Wow, what’s the secret to making them crispy?” I replied with “Beth.” 😂
Hahaha I love it. :)
Beth, how do I keep the first batch warm while waiting for the second batch to finish
You can cover the plate with foil to help hold in the heat, and/or even place it in a warm oven. :)
Ahh homemade brunch for the win!