The BEST Hash Browns: This is a perfect hash brown recipe! Easy, flavorful and absolutely delicious! Make this popular breakfast side right at home and give up the diner!
I love greasy spoons. Ya know. The kind with late night hours, kitchy diner decor, sassy waitresses and the best breakfast food you can imagine. The Waffle House immediately comes to mind when we are talking chains. Back in my college youth during my clubbing years, these were the types of spots my group of friends could not wait to get to after dancing into the wee hours.
As soon as you enter, you can smell the pancakes (these are my faves to make at home now), french toast, orders of eggs and hash browns ripe on the griddle. While you all know how much I adore pancakes, there is something quite special to me about hash browns (really potatoes in general to be honest).
Growing up, my mama used to make these fantastic cubed potatoes, which were more like home fries with onions. The potatoes were so tender and flavorful. Whenever she would make them, I would dream about them for weeks to come. This dish really was the reason why I started ordering hash browns whenever I went out for breakfast at my favorite diners. I wanted to duplicate the taste but didn’t realize how different they were.
The perfect hash brown recipe is the total opposite of my mama’s potatoes. They are crisp and crunchy and buttery and salty and oh so lovely. They each have a place in my heart. After enjoying several hundreds of orders (I’m sure at least 100) of hash browns in my life, I decided I should really start making them at home, and they couldn’t be any easier. That’s where this perfect hash brown recipe comes from. Simply shred your potatoes with a grater and add them to a skillet with butter and oil over medium heat and watch the magic unfold.
Sure I will still be hitting my local greasy spoon whenever the craving strikes but if I need a quick and delicious fix, I don’t have to look any further than my very own kitchen.
For more incredible breakfast ideas, check out these posts:- Ever want to know how to make grits? This southern grits recipe is perfect!
- This Chicken and Waffles recipe is everything!! The buttermilk waffles are a dream.
- Ever tried a johnny cakes or hoe cakes? These are the ones to try for your upcoming brunch!
- Perfect pancakes are my jam! These lemon ricotta pancakes, or this easy blueberry pancakes recipe and even these brown sugar pancakes are incredible!
- 2-3 russet potatoes
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
- Using a cheese grater, grate all potatoes until completely shredded. Use the large holes of the grater to get nice sized shreds.
- Place potato shreds on paper towels and remove all excess liquid from them until dry.
- Heat butter and oil over medium high heat in a large skillet (add more butter and oil if the entire surface of the skillet is not covered).
- Once butter/oil mixture is hot, add potato shreds to pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Once a golden brown crust develops on the bottom of the potatoes, flip them on the other side.
- Once golden brown on both sides, season to taste and serve hot.
Recipe Video
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Does it matter if you use cooked potatoes or raw potatoes? And if so what’s the difference?
You should use raw potatoes to actually cook during the recipe.
These are so look delicious!!! I find myself wishing I would have made more! I used unsalted sweet butter and added a sprinkle of salt to the butter/oil mix. I also added black pepper during and after cooking the hashbrowns. Delicious! They were so crunchy, but there were these nice soft bits too. I made sure to get as much moisture off as possible with paper towels as suggested. I now know what “real” hashbrowns taste like!!!
Fantastic! This makes me so happy!
Just made these and they’re perfect!
Wonderful!!!
We happened upon an article in the newpaper that had you use a panini maker for cooking hashbrowns! What a great invention, we have had perfection hash browns since. And you may get away with less oil/butter. We shred ours in the food processor (don’t even get the water out) and then spread them out (not too thick) on the bottom plate that is sprayed with olive oil then dot some butter on the top and season and close it up. After 12 minutes, perfectly brown, crisp taters!!
Now that sounds like a great idea!
I make my hash browns in the oven. They can get good and crispy without the fat. I do spray the cookie sheet with oil or get the pan hot, pour on just a little oil, and rub it all around the sheet. A very hot oven (425-450) gets them nice and crispy in about 20 minutes or less, depending on how many you are cooking. Without the oil, I can taste the delicious potatoes-red, blue, or yukon, preferably.
Wow that sounds like a super awesome idea Virginia. I can’t wait to try these in the oven next. Thanks for sharing!!!
I wonder if you could freeze these at the grated stage? I love food I can prep ahead in a big batch and cook later
Oh I’m totally sure you can! Just make sure you get rid of the access water before proceeding with the recipe or they won’t be very crispy.
I wonder if you could freeze these at the grated stage? I love food I can prep ahead in a big batch and cook later
Jocelyn,
I love your little story tied to your recipe. I think most of us associate food with fond memories. I found it funny that I to remembered my clubbing years and late nights at the local 24 hour breakfast diner (IHOP in my case). Now with kiddos of my own they’re always asking for hashbrowns… Now I can make them n than nd to you! Something so easy and I never thought how to make them. They came out great btw!
Hooray! I’m so glad you enjoyed the story and the recipe. That makes my soul smile.
Will try again. I have a hard time with them being too greasy. Not sure what I am doing wrong.
Make sure your oil is hot enough too so they aren’t soggy. And make sure they are dry too.
Learned a secret to get potatoes really dry. Use a potato rice to squeeze excess moisture. Really dry potatoes=really crisp hash browns.
Nice!
i find my salad dryer (lettuce) works best.
MOUTHWATERING! I adore how crisp and buttery these are! Pinning!
I often shred leftover boiled or baked potatoes to make hashbrows….totally quick and easy, plus crispy
Delicious!!
I will have to try….this because it is simply…Thanks…:):)
Yes give them a try!
I think my husband Tom would devour that plate in two seconds flat! It looks like the perfect breakfast and the more hash browns the better!
Me and hash browns go together like PB&J. So this is happening.
These do indeed look like some crowd-pleasing HB’s! Awesome, Jocelyn!
Oooh this is just so timely! I had some delicious hash browns recently that’s got me thinking about making some at home – this recipe looks like a perfect place to start. Yum, looks delicious!
Great recipe. I love hash browns. Also, I just bought your book and can’t wait to start baking. Thanks for the great recipes and especially the memories and pictures.
Thank you so so much!
I haven’t had a good side of hashed browns in ages, and these look perfect!
I love how simple these are! Breakfast is my fave!
Thank you doll!
Love how straightforward this is! Hash browns are a definite draw at the diner and we do love to hit the diner for a big breakfast! Now I can make hash brown at home and get them just right like this… thank you!
Absolutely!
Hash browns are my favorite kind of potato, for sure! And I love how crispy you got yours 🙂
Thanks doll! I love a crispy hash brown!
Thanks for the recipe! I am not a huge hash brown fan, but my daughter LOVES them; these will be a hit in my house. They almost look like Waffle House hash browns. Thanks for sharing!
YES they are a huge hit in my house as well!
I always struggle to get by hash browns crispy. Yours look perfect and I can’t wait to try them!
YES! These are totally crispy.
The secret is to get the spuds as dry as possible. I use a potato ricer to press out the juices.
Indeed!!!
i find my salad dryer (lettuce) works best for drying the potatoes.
Great idea!
My 5 year old is currently obsessed with potatoes and hash browns in particular. I’ll have to make this for her soon!
YES! You totally must make them!