The Best Crispy Hash Browns Restaurant Style Minimalist Baker

They’re perfect for weekend brunch or making ahead and freezing for quick and easy breakfasts. This step-by-step recipe yields foolproof hash browns with just 4 ingredients required. Let us show you how it’s done!

How to Make the BEST Hash Browns

Want to know the secret to the BEST (crispy on the outside, tender on the inside) hash browns? It’s all about partially cooking the potatoes (and just the right amount) before grating them! While some methods recommend grating raw potatoes and then squeezing out the excess liquid (easy, right?), we’ve found the result to be very disappointing. They don’t hold together well and have an unpleasant raw potato taste no matter how long you fry them. Other methods recommend partially boiling the potatoes, which is more time-consuming but does result in a better texture. The tricky part is that everyone’s stovetop is a little different in how quickly it boils a pot of water, and potatoes come in different sizes. So getting the potatoes to be perfectly cooked but not mushy was difficult (and time-consuming) with this method. But we were determined to bring you the absolute best hash brown recipe that is as easy as possible, so we kept innovating! What did we come up with? Instead of boiling the potatoes, we steam them! Less water means it takes less time to get to a boil (yay, time and energy savings!). And adding the potatoes to the steamer basket once the water is already boiling provides less variability in cook time. Plus, in the recipe, we provide specifications for different sizes of potatoes (no mushy hash browns here!). Bonus points? Steaming vegetables (versus boiling) preserves more nutrients —especially vitamin C and B vitamins! Once steamed, the potatoes get a quick rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process. And when cool enough to handle, you can slice one in half and it will look about halfway cooked (exactly what you’re going for). The minimally cooked portion of the potato creates the shredded texture and the more cooked portion acts as the glue to hold the hash browns together.

How to Shred Potatoes for Hash Browns

After partially steaming the potatoes, you can peel and shred them one of two ways: The shredded potatoes are mixed with salt, pepper, and optional onion powder for flavor. Then they’re formed into hash brown patties for cooking in a skillet. You can make larger hash browns, too, but smaller patties are easier to flip and have crispier edges (our favorite part).

How to Cook Frozen Hash Browns

One of the beauties of hash browns is that they freeze incredibly well. After forming them into patties, simply place on a silicone- or parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then transfer to a sealed container to keep them fresh and prevent freezer burn. When ready to cook, simply heat up a skillet, add oil, and cook the hash browns directly from frozen for about 6 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy! We hope you LOVE these homemade hash browns! They’re:Crispy on the outsideTender on the insideButterySaltyComforting& SO Delicious! They’re perfect for breakfast or brunch and especially delicious topped with ketchup. Make a big batch and store in the freezer for effortless, restaurant-quality, homemade hash browns any time the craving strikes! Make it a meal by serving with fresh fruit and our Perfect Fried Eggs, Spring Vegetable Frittata, Easy Vegan Sausages, Vegan Scrambled Eggs, or Simple Vegan Omelet.