Two crispy homemade hash browns on a white plate next to bowl of ketchup
Breakfast

Homemade Hash Browns

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I love eating homemade hash browns for breakfast, along with bacon and eggs. It is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast.

You can shape them to be more like those classic yummy McDonald’s hash browns or you can make them into a pancake shape. Or maybe you just want to make them like a pile of crispy shredded hash browns, you can do that do.

This homemade hash browns recipe is super easy to make, if I can do it, you can do it. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Gather the ingredients

Box grater, potatoes, egg, flour, and other ingredients in glass bowls on a wooden table.

In order to make these yummy crispy shredded homemade hash browns you need just a handful of everyday ingredients, which you probably already have at home:

  • Potatoes – I usually use Russets, but you can use other potatoes too if you like.
  • Water
  • Egg – This is optional, but helps with binding the shredded potatoes together.
  • Flour – All purpose/plain flour.
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Oil for frying – Canola, vegetable, coconut, peanut, etc.
White plate with two homemade hash browns and a bowl of ketchup on it.

Tools

  • Box Grater
  • Potato peeler
  • Bowls
  • Cheesecloth or tea towel
  • Fork
  • Skillet (Cast iron, nonstick, etc.)
  • Spatula

Step 2: How to make crispy homemade hash browns

Hand grating potatoes with a box grater.

Begin by washing the potatoes. Peel them if you wish, but it isn’t necessary. Now use a  box grater or normal cheese grater and shred those potatoes. You can also use a food processor to do this if you want. Maker sure to use some sort of a guard when grating the potatoes by hand, so you don’t accidentally grate your fingers.

Large bowl filled with water and shredded potatoes.

Time to get some of the starch out of the potatoes. This is very important for getting crispy homemade hash browns. Place the shredded potatoes in a bowl of cold water. Allow them to sit in the water for a few minutes.

Reach in and squeeze the potatoes with your hand, helping to squeeze out more of the starch. Drain the water and then add more water and repeat the process a few times. This will get a good amount of the starch out.

Bowl of dried shredded potatoes for hash browns

After the final rinsing of the potatoes, drain the bowl of the water. Grab a few handfuls of shredded potatoes and place them on a cheese cloth or tea towel. Wrap them up and then squeeze which will drain more water out of them. You can squeeze pretty hard it won’t hurt the potatoes.

Place the dried potatoes in a large bowl and repeat with the rest until they are all squeezed and dried. Technically they are ready to be fried like this, but I like to add seasonings and shape them.

Step 3: Shaping and frying the hash browns

Bowl of seasoned shredded potatoes ready to be made into hash browns.

If you would like to make a classic oval-shaped McDonald’s style hash brown then use an egg and the flour as a binder. If you don’t want to use the egg, use a little butter or oil to hold the potatoes together. Mix the shredded potatoes with the egg or other binders.

Then add in all the seasonings, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Two homemade hash browns frying in a skillet.

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet on medium heat. Or you can make it about an inch deep if you would like to deep fry them.

Scoop some of the potatoes up and shape them into an oval about 3 to 4 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide. You can make them whatever side you want. Squeeze a bit of excess liquid if any while shaping them, back into the bowl.

Place them in the hot skillet and cook them or “brown” them for 4 to 5 minutes per side until nice and crispy. Add additional salt and pepper as desired. Once both sides are cooked, remove them from the pan and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel to dry.

The flatter you make them the more crispy towards the middle they will be. Deep frying them is also really nice. They will only take 4 to 5 minutes total if you deep fry them.

Hand holding a homemade hash brown with a bite out of it.

Serve them with ketchup, plain, with eggs and bacon, whatever you want to do. They will be nice and crispy on the outside and soft and perfect on the inside. Enjoy!

How long do homemade hash browns last?

While they are best if eaten right away, you can store them in the fridge for a few days. You can crisp them back up in the pan or the oven. You can also freeze them for long term storage.

Homemade hash Browns pin for Pinterest
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Here are a few more recipes you may like:

Homemade Naan

Pumpkin Cookies

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Nutella Brownies

Apple Swan

Two crispy homemade hash browns on a white plate next to bowl of ketchup
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4.50 from 4 votes

Homemade Hash Browns

I love eating homemade hash browns for breakfast, either by themselves or with eggs and bacon or sausage. This recipe is so awesome, they remind me of the hash browns that they have at McDonald's.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy, fried, potatoes
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 288kcal
Author: Matt Taylor

Equipment

  • Box Grater
  • Potato peeler
  • Bowls
  • Cheese cloth or tea towel
  • Fork
  • Skillet (Cast iron, nonstick, etc.)
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 3 medium potatoes Russets, Yukon Golds, etc.
  • Water
  • 1 large egg optional for binding and shaping
  • 2 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour 30g (optional, add only if you use the egg)
  • 1/2 tsp. of table salt 2g
  • 1/4 tsp. of ground pepper 1g
  • 1/4 tsp. of garlic powder 1g
  • 2 Tbsp. of oil for frying 30ml
  • Salt and pepper to taste after cooking

Instructions

  • Wash and then peel the potatoes. Use a box grater or normal cheese grater or food processor with a grater attachment, and grate the potatoes.
  • Place the shredded potatoes into a large bowl with cold water. Let them sit in the water for a few minutes, then reach in and squeeze the potatoes in your hand. Drain the water, then replace it will a new batch of cold water, and repeat the process 3 or 4 times. This helps to get the starch out of the potatoes.
  • Take a couple of big handfuls of the potatoes and put them on a cheesecloth or tea towel. Then wrap it up and squeeze the potatoes allowing the excess water to drain. Place in a bowl and repeat until all done.
  • Whisk up that egg in a large bowl then add the potatoes, flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix them all together with a fork. If you don't care about the shape and or don't want to use the egg, you can leave out the egg and flour.
  • Pour a few tablespoons of oil into a skillet and heat it up using medium heat. Once it is nice and hot shape your hash browns and while you are shaping squeeze them a bit to allow excess egg to fall off. Then place them into the hot skillet. You can further shape them with a spatula once in the skillet. Cook them for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until nice and golden brown. Once they are cooked transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate.
  • Now serve them up with ketchup, bacon, eggs, etc. They are nice a crispy on the outside and soft and perfectly done in the middle. Enjoy!

Video

How to Make Hash Browns | Homemade Crispy Hash Browns Recipe

Notes

Nutritional facts for homemade hash browns
Tried this recipe?Mention @WPRecipeMaker or tag #wprecipemaker!

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal

Do you like this recipe? Pin it! And please give it a rating and comment down below, I really appreciate it. If you make it tag me on Instagram @inthekitchenwithmatt. Also, sign up for the newsletter so you won’t miss out on any of my new posts and recipes.

10 Comments

  1. Deborah Santoro

    These homemade hashbrowns sound yummy! Wonder what the difference us between these & making jewish potato latkes would be since would like to find and try that recipe too! My heritage is German but I love trying Jewish, Italian, Greek recipes too! (I guess all food types lol! 🤣) Yum! 🍽️

  2. 3 stars
    Hash Browns or Potato Pancake recipe?!

    • Um, definitely hashbrowns. Haven’t you ever had the McDonald’s hashbrowns? And first of all, are you in the US? If not, there are a few styles of hashbrowns here. Ones like these, just plain cooked shredded potatoes, and the others in cubed form, like the Potatoes O’Brien. Potato pancakes are different. However, if you live in a different country you may call these potato pancakes.

  3. 5 stars
    This hashbrown recipe was delicious! So easy too.

  4. 5 stars
    I gotta get me a shredder like yours! I’m always freaking out about shredding up my hands…where’d you get that one?
    These hash browns are incredible!!! Yum!

  5. Lauren Kelly

    5 stars
    These were so crispy and delicious! We added a little extra garlic 🙂

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