Step-by-step guidance explaining how to make homemade shredded hash browns from scratch perfectly every time.
I went slightly overboard perfecting this homemade hashbrowns recipe. Eating frozen hash browns wasn’t good enough for me; I needed to know how to make them from scratch and how to do so perfectly. So for about a year, I stocked up on the required simple ingredients and made them multiple times a week until I could fully understand each facet of the process.
Why did some recipes call for soaking the potatoes and others rinsing them? Is changing the water or using ice cubes really necessary? I don’t like blindly following recipes. I want to know why I am doing something so I can figure out for myself if there is a better way.
Here is what I learned:
Ingredients you will need
- Russet potatoes - Also known as baking potatoes, the best potatoes to use are russets. You cannot make crispy hash browns with waxy potatoes such as reds or yukon golds, so stick with starchy potatoes like russet potatoes.
- Salt - I like to use finer grain table salt on my hash browns, rather than kosher salt.
- Black pepper - Fresh ground pepper is best.
- Butter - Bacon grease can be substituted.
- Cooking oil - I use a high-temperature vegetable oil when cooking these, such as canola oil.
How to make homemade shredded hash browns
First thing I learned: Peel the potato only if desired. This will not affect the final dish. Some like the rustic look of potato skins in their food, others do not. Pick a side. Then shred the raw potatoes with a box grater and quickly move on to the next step to prevent oxidation.
Second thing I learned: Some recipes call for soaking the potato in ice water, while others just say to rinse the shreds. What you are actually doing here is removing the excess starch from the shreds so you get a crisper final product. Cold water prevents oxidation and if you decide to soak the potatoes changing the water will remove more starch and speed up the process. Personally, I prefer to rinse the shreds in a strainer under the faucet until the water runs clear because it is easier to tell when the objective has been accomplished. When the water runs clear I know the excess starches have been removed.
Third thing I learned: For the crispiest hash browns the stored water must be removed from the grated potatoes because you can't have the potatoes holding too much moisture. There are multiple ways to accomplish this. Personally, I like to just grab a fist full and squeeze it over the sink. However, if you are cooking for others you may want to ring it tightly in cheesecloth, paper towels, or just squeeze out the excess water in a ricer. Whatever method you choose, be sure to work in batches so the water can easily disperse. The more water that is removed, the crisper the hash brown will be. Once the water has been drained, mix in salt and pepper.
Tip: I don't recommend using a salad spinner to remove the water, you will be left with too much water in the potatoes to make crispy homemade hash browns.
Fourth thing I learned: Heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat (This pan has been my main workhorse for years and I would buy it again in a second) with a mixture of enough oil and butter to coat the bottom of the nonstick skillet in a thin layer. Butter gives hash browns better flavor, but adding oil prevents the butter from burning by raising its smoke point. The fat mixture lies more thinly in the pan and also coats it more evenly which allows for more even contact with the hash.
Fifth thing I learned: Place the shredded potatoes in the hot pan and press with a spatula to flatten the shreds into an even layer, then brown the potatoes until they have crispy edges. Thinner is better as this will ensure everything cooks. If you desire healthier hash browns you can use less oil and butter, but using more fat will result in deliciously crispy hash browns.
Sixth thing I learned: Once the bottom is crispy you can use a spatula to divide the hash brown into four sections and then proceed to gingerly flip them. OR you can flip the whole thing in the pan with a quick upward flick of your wrist. Once flipped proceed to cook until the bottom is crisp.
Once you have finished cooking your homemade shredded hash browns you can serve them immediately or place them on a baking sheet in a warm oven to keep them warm while you work on additional batches of deliciously crispy potatoes.
How to make hash browns in advance
You can shred the potatoes and leave them soaking in water for a few hours until you are ready to cook. This will remove the excess starch and prevent oxidation until you are ready to cook.
I never had good results with par-cooking the hash. Blanching the potato shreds did prevent oxidation but the hash browns never stayed together when cooked and the flavor was off.
I doubt that I just spared any of you from a year-long sabbatical to fully understand the inner workings of the perfect shredded hash brown. However, if I have perhaps given one person a sense of personal satisfaction for not only following my recipe but actually understanding what they are doing and why… then I am just as happy.
How to Make Homemade Shredded Hash Browns
Equipment
- Large nonstick skillet
Ingredients
- 1 russet potato
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
- Peel desired amount of skin off potato,
- Shred potato through a cheese grater or food processor.
- Rinse shreds under cold running faucet until starch has been removed.
- Drain the water and wrap clumps of shredded potato in cheesecloth or ricer and squeeze tightly to remove all excess moisture.
- Place shredded potaotes in a large bowl and mix with salt and pepper to taste.*
- Melt butter in non-skillet with oil. Place hash in hot pan on medium-high heat and press with spatula to flatten into a uniform thickness around pan.
- Once bottom is golden brown and crispy divide into four sections and flip (or keep it whole if you are able to flip it), continue cooking until it has the desired crispness.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com on June 3rd, 2012.
rebekah wilson
Thanks for a great recipe! My previous attempts were dismal. I did an internet search and found this recipe. This worked perfectly and I was amazed at the amount of shredded hash browns one potato will make. I added a few herbs, shredded some parmesan reggiano on the finished potatoes and substituted coarse sea salt for salt.
Lori H
Oh . my . gosh !! These were so delicious, light & fluffy. A wonderful complement to our breakfast before we head out to shovel a foot of snow!
Thank you for the back-story & the significance of rinsing the starch out of the grated potatoes & then squeezing the excess moisture out as well. Good info to have.
karen
you sir are a gentleman and a scholar. damn good hash browns were made from this recipe, eternal and heartfelt thanks.
pego
well here I go, one big breath and I'm heading for the kitchen. thanks!
Johna Mohr
Thanks for the info. It helped me a lot. My hashbrowns were grey, gooey and yucky. Now they are white, crisp and delicious!
smitha
Love these Hasbrowns!!! came out perfect... everytime i did it... i had no idea of how to make hashbrowns and came across this post when i googled. Glad i tried it... i have never left a response for recipes online... but had to for this one......:-)
thanks for making me a good cook !!!!LOL
Jenny Holdeman
I shredded some potatoes in my food processor on Sunday to make hashbrowns for the first time. I immediately put them in the skillet and ended up with a waxy ugly mess! I didn't know what I did wrong but now I totally get it! Thank you!
Ed Chainey
I use an inverted plate, of a size just smaller than the pan, to hold the hash browns while I flip the fry pan. I then slide the potatoes back onto the pan to finish browning. There is much less chance of potatoes falling to the floor or the browns from flopping onto themselves. Otherwise, great recipe!
Mark Limke
I was going to suggest the inverted plate method, too, but Ed beat me to it. I will add this: before you heat the frying pan, find the plate that's not your fine china, and is big enough to cover to the edges. Try the flip cold with nothing in the pan, so you get the feel for what's going to happen when it's smokin' hot.
When you finish side one of your cook, plop the plate over the browns, hold the plate down, and carefully turn the pan upside down so the browns now sit on the plate. Lift the pan off, back to the fire, and then I add a bit more oil/butter before sliding the browns back in, cooked side up. Works beautifully!
And be careful not to burn your wrist as you do this flip! Wear a mitt if you're prone to wobbliness!
Paula Schultz
great idea, about the plate... but my dogs are NOT going to be happy.... LOL
William
Excellent! Far superior to the crappy fare served at "family" restaurants across America. A note on oils: you should never use olive oil or any of the toxic industrial seed oils like canola for frying. A high smoke point oil is key. The number one best fat would be Leaf Lard if you can find it. Never use frankenfood hydrogenated lard which is full of dangerous trans-fats! Other excellent choices would be bacon fat as the author suggested or coconut oil and ghee (clarified butter).
Chris
Just did your recipe... it was very good. Thank you. I love cooking breakfast and never seemed to quite get these right, until now. It was amazing to see how much starchy water came out on squeezing. I think next time I will reserve the water, and let the water evaporate to get the potato starch. I have a gravy idea that I want to try out. Thank you for your time in posting this recipe.
Karen
You don't even have to let the water evaporate. Just let it sit 15 m or so and the potato starch will sink to the bottom.
Dawn Pedersen
Making hash browns has always been a challenge. If I tried to do them from scratch, they were gluey, grey and slimy. I had been using freeze-dried or frozen to avoid spending the time to figure this out. I read your article and went to work. What a difference, but I am still working on it. I had good success with a ceramic pan, but forgot to squeeze out the excess water. For those of us who do not have the typical family or four this is an amazing way to be able to cook exactly what you want. You should be very proud of your efforts. Thanks so much for the article. It was, not only useful, but also fun to read.
Cari
PERFECT and DELICIOUS ! Thank you for the great advice to creating the best homemade hash browns ever!
Matt
This worked great for me. Thanks.
I will add something no one else has mentioned. If you want to get out the moisture after squeezing them over a strainer I suggest putting them in the microwave on high for 5 minutes. I thought they might lose some flavour or mess with texture (as microwaving often does) but it doesn't.
matthew clark
This is exactly what I discovered. Excellent advise!
Virginia
Thank y0u, thank you! We have harvested two 5 gallon buckets of potatoes (and that's only half of the rows). I was looking for ways to use them and I am thrilled to have found this. My husband and son thank you as well 😉
Lucy
Looks yum me and my dad make these for the family we served them with bacon eggs mushrooms and cheese they are fantastic I love the recipe .
Allen
Awesome advice, thanks
Beth
I consider myself a decent cook, but I have been wondering for years why my hashed browns never turned out. Now I know why! I was determined to make a great breakfast for my husband for Father's Day, and found your advice. I've made them according to your recipe several times and they haven't failed since. Thanks so much!
colleen wanner
I am going to try this! Thank-you for explaining the "why" because my first personal attempt this morning at what I thought was a really good idea turned into a grey gluey mess!! So I had to get on the internet and figure out what I did wrong 🙂 Btw your blog is great! Love your humour!
Alex
Thanks for the recipe! Just made some for breakfast and they turned out perfectly!