Boos, I love me some greasy spoon hash browns. That’s why I created a recipe that’s even better. I get them soft and tender on the inside with those crispy golden edges on the outside. I salt them up super good too. Serve em up with scrambled eggs, fluffy pancakes and candied bacon, and get your whole breakfast life.
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How to Make Hash Browns
Step 1: Use a CHEESE GRATER to shred the potatoes!
Step 2: Lay the shredded potatoes on a paper towel and then squeeze to remove as much water as possible.
PRO TIP: Use the larger holes so you can get large enough potato shreds to have substantial flavor and taste.
PRO TIP: Potatoes contain a lot of moisture, so to get super crispy hash browns, you must dry them out before cooking.
Step 3: Add the butter and oil to a skillet and heat on the stove over medium heat.
Step 4: Add salt and pepper to the potatoes while cooking to give that perfect diner hash brown recipe flavor! Cook on one side until a golden brown crust forms and then flip it over and cook on the other side.
Hash Browns Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2-3 russet potatoes
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- You must dry the shredded potatoes to get rid of as much liquid as possible.
- Don’t skimp on the salt and pepper! Potatoes soak up a lot of salt so don’t be stingy with it.
- Cook the potatoes in the skillet without moving so that it forms that nice crisp crust on the outside.
Serving Suggestions
- This Southern grits recipe is perfect or you might enjoy these savory cheese grits.
- Enjoy them along with some chicken and waffles , amazing candied bacon that has a sweet yet savory vibe or with a plate of crispy, fluffy buttermilk waffles on their own!
- Ever tried johnny cakes or hoe cakes? These are the ones to try for your upcoming brunch!
- Perfect pancakes are my jam! These lemon ricotta pancakes, and easy blueberry pancakes recipe.
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Recipe Help
Use both. The butter gives flavor while the oil makes sure that the potatoes won’t burn.
The secret to crispy hash browns, like Ihop and other diners, is to make sure to dry the potatoes as much as possible. Lay them out on a paper towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. Keep doing it until they are super super dry.
More Potato Recipes
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Smashed Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- How to Bake a Potato
- Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
This post was originally published April 2016. It has been updated with new content and images.
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These sound & look awesome. Both my husband & I love hash browns. A couple of questions for you. You don’t state if you peel the potatoes prior to grating/shredding them. Do you peel them? Also, in the recipe directions you state to cook the potatoes over “medium high” heat. But, then in your notes you state, add them to a skillet with butter and oil over “medium heat” and watch the magic unfold. Do you cook them over medium or medium high heat. I want to make sure the outside is crisp but, at the same time the instead is cooked through too. I can’t wait to try making these. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I simply love all your recipes. Down home cooking at it’s best.
A silly question. Do you grate the potatoes finely or in shreds? Told you it was silly. Have a happy Easter!
Can you use sunflower oil?
I think that should work. Let me know how it turns out for you.
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