• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Blog
  • Contact

Brooklyn Farm Girl

Cooking And Gardening in NYC

PopularStewed Tomatoes
let's be friends
join my free recipe club!
  • New? Start Here
  • recipes
    • Course
      • Breakfast
      • Desserts
      • Dinner
      • Drinks
      • Side Dishes
      • Snacks
    • Type
      • 30 Minute Meals
      • Breads
      • Brownies & Bars
      • Cakes
      • Casseroles
      • Cheesy
      • Cookies
      • Dips
      • Donuts
      • Holidays
      • Kid Friendly
      • Mac and Cheese
      • Muffins
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Potluck
      • Salads
      • Smoothies
      • Sneaky Vegetables
      • Soups
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
    • Meat
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Turkey
    • Method
      • Baked
      • Canning
      • Drying & Storing
      • Freezing
      • Instant Pot
      • Roasted
      • Slow Cooker
      • Stovetop
    • Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
  • Vegetable Index
  • Urban Gardening
    • Let’s Harvest
    • Tutorials
    • Seed Calendar
    • Compost in Brooklyn
  • About Me
    • About Pamela
    • Our Garden
    • Editorial Guidelines
  • Life & motherhood
    • Journal
    • Motherhood
    • Our Upstate Adventure
    • Cats, Cats, Cats
    • Crafts
  • Videos
  • PopularStewed Tomatoes
Home ยป Recipe Type ยป Breakfast
No reviews yet

Crispy Hash Browns

20 minutes
potato
By: Pamela Reed
Posted:3/11/22
Updated:8/6/24
Jump to Recipe

Learn How to Make Crispy Hash Browns at home. They ​​always turn out golden brown like the diner, are easy to prepare, freezer-friendly, and the perfect addition to breakfast.

crispy potato hash browns on plate.

Homemade crispy hash browns

Have you ever wondered how diners and breakfast restaurants get their shredded hash browns to turn out so crispy and delicious? Now you can make restaurant-worthy crispy hash browns at home! Using a few simple tips and secrets, you’ll never have to suffer through soggy hash browns or boring frozen potatoes again.

Learning How to Make Crispy Hash Browns is easy. Using the right kind of potatoes and a few preparation secrets, you’ll be pan-frying your shredded potatoes to golden brown perfection in no time. They’ll quickly become a staple at your weekend breakfast or brunch to pair with your bacon, scrambled eggs, cheesy omelette, pancakes, blueberry pancakes and sugar donuts! You can even use them in my Amish Breakfast Casserole!

hash browns next to toast, avocado adn eggs for breakfast.

What kind of potatoes are best for hash browns?

You’ll need a hearty, starchy potato before making homemade hash browns. Russet potatoes are the best choice because they’re full of starch and are great at crisping. Waxy potatoes, like red potatoes, won’t work because they contain too much moisture and won’t crisp as well.

How to make crispy hash browns in a frying pan

Peel the potatoes and grate them using a box grater or the grater tool on a food processor.

Lay the shredded potatoes on a clean kitchen cloth. Wrap the cloth around the potatoes and use your hands to squeeze all of the excess moisture out over the sink.

Now that your potatoes are ready for frying, heat some oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat.

Lay the drained potatoes in an even layer in the pan. Add salt and pepper on top and let them cook undisturbed.

Once the bottom is golden brown, flip the hash browns over to cook on the other side.

Serve the golden brown crispy hash browns with breakfast and enjoy!

crispy hash browns on blue plate.

How to make Potatoes O’Brien

Take your hash browns up a notch by making Potatoes O’Brien. This classic side dish is made with fried potatoes, onions, and bell peppers. There aren’t any fancy steps here – just make the hash browns as-is, then throw in some peppers!

  1. Prepare the hash browns as is.
  2. Lay the potatoes in the pan with diced onion and green bell peppers.
  3. When the vegetables are tender and the potatoes are golden brown, flip, and cook until the other side is golden brown and crisp.
  4. Serve and enjoy!

The secrets behind the crispiest pan-fried hash browns

  • Remove as much water as possible – The less water that’s in your potatoes, the higher the chance they’ll have of becoming crispy. You can drain the shredded hash browns by pressing them in a strainer, wringing out the liquid with a tea towel, or placing the potatoes in a salad spinner.
  • Skip the soak or rinse – Some recipes will tell you to rinse the potatoes under water or to soak them in cold water after shredding. This isn’t necessary! Simply shredding the potatoes, draining the water, and then cooking retains the starch that helps the potatoes stick together in the pan.
  • Cook the potatoes in a thin layer – The thin layer of potatoes in the pan will cook faster and become even crispier than if you were to pile them on top of each other.
  • Leave them alone – Give the hash browns time to turn golden brown on the bottom before flipping. Leaving them untouched is the best way to achieve a consistent golden brown crust.
  • Add flavor – Season the potatoes with just salt and pepper or take it up a notch with onions and peppers, garlic powder, dried herbs, or paprika.
closeup of browned hash browns.

Can you freeze hash browns?

Yes! To freeze the uncooked hash browns, spread the shredded potatoes on a lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer. Once they’re solid, transfer the potatoes to an airtight container or sealed bag and freeze for 3 to 6 months. They can be cooked right from frozen or thawed.

More breakfast potatoes to try

  • Waffle Iron Hash Browns
  • Mashed Potato Patties
  • Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Pin for later:

Learn How to Make Crispy Hash Browns at home! These golden brown breakfast potatoes are easy to make and better than the diner.
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
Free Recipe Club
No reviews yet

Perfectly Golden Crispy Hash Browns

Print
Learn How to Make Crispy Hash Browns at home. They ​​always turn out golden brown like the diner, are easy to prepare, freezer-friendly, and the perfect addition to breakfast.
By: Pamela Reed
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 1.5 pounds potatoes peeled and grated
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Peel and grate the potatoes. I use my grater tool on my food processor to make it quick and easy, but you can also use a cheese grater.
  • Squeeze out all the excess water you can from the potatoes by using your hands to squeeze. I like to put the potatoes in a strainer and press down gently to remove excessive water. It's important to remove as much water as you can as this will result in crispy hash browns!
  • Heat olive oil up in large frying pan on medium high heat.
  • When oil is heated, add the grated potatoes, spreading them out along the bottom of the pan, but not more than 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
  • Let sit for a few minutes, and then lift up to see if it’s browned. Once browned, flip over to the other side. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the new side now.
  • Fry to a golden brown on both sides. Enjoy!
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy hash browns
Vegetarian
Did you make this?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @BrooklynFarmGirl and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below.

Similar Recipes

  • Crispy Baked Ranch Chicken
  • Crispy Parmesan Wasabi Soybeans
  • 45 Minute Vegetarian Chili
  • Vegetarian Taco Casserole (so creamy and cheesy!)

Reader Interactions

join the free recipe club

Receive My Favorite Recipes Straight To Your Inbox!

Thank you for subscribing!

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

I love hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this? Rate this recipe:





  1. what do you think says

    June 28, 2014 at 10:14 pm

    Wonderful website you have here but I was curious about if you knew of
    any user discussion forums that cover the same topics talked about in this article?
    I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get feedback from
    other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest.
    If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
    Thanks a lot!

    Reply
  2. Carrie says

    January 19, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    Pamela,
    You are so dang cute! I have pinned a bunch of your recipes and I am so excited to try them. I love your pictures. What is that light thingy that you showed at the end of this post? Does it help with taking pictures when it is dark outside? If so I want one.
    Have a great weekend!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      January 20, 2014 at 10:19 am

      Hi Carrie, it does! It’s a Lowel EGO Light. I got it since I wanted to take pictures during the night and prior to dinner, instead of relying on the sunlight during the day. It works great!

      Reply
  3. Rika says

    January 15, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    Awwww what an adorable kitty! Man, your crispy hashbrowns look heavenly delicious and in perfect shapes! I want some with veggie sausage & tofu scrambles, please and perhaps some cheesy nutty sauce!

    Reply
  4. Allie | Baking a Moment says

    January 10, 2014 at 3:56 pm

    I had to ‘lol’ at that last pic- so funny! But seriously I am a hard-core hash brown addict too. I love when they are crispy and yours look amazing! Stay warm, girl!

    Reply
  5. Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says

    January 10, 2014 at 9:15 am

    Love, love, love hashbrowns too and they MUST be crispy! I’ve tried to make them before but they came out really bland. You’ve inspired me to try them again and I’ll season them differently this time. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  6. Rachel @ Bakerita says

    January 10, 2014 at 7:11 am

    Hashbrowns are my FAVORITE and I could devour a massive plate of them, but nothing sucks worse than when they’re soggy. Gross. Now I’m craving crispy, salty, delicious hashbrowns!

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

welcome!

Hi! I'm Pamela, an artist Mom who shares family recipes. My farm is a 1,000 sq ft apartment in NYC. Let's make dinner together.

Read More

join the free
recipe club!

Receive My Favorite Recipes Straight to Your Inbox!

Thank you for subscribing!

TOP POSTS

Half Sour Pickles

The Best Stewed Tomatoes Ever

Unstuffed Bell Pepper Casserole with Ground Beef

Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

Recipe Index
Vegetable Index
Follow On Facebook
Follow On Instagram
Free Recipe Club

fresh this week view all

How to Store and Freeze Fresh Blueberries

Irish Potato Candy (Pennsylvania Dutch)

Classic Stuffed Peppers

Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

As Featured On
free recipe club!
Get weekly recipes, videos, and gardening tips to your inbox!
join the club!
EST. 2013
let's be friends
  • Recipe Index
  • Veggie Index
  • Urban Gardening
  • Web Stories
Back To Top
© 2025 - All Rights Reserved
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

join the recipe club!

Receive My Favorite Recipes Straight to Your Inbox!

Thank you for subscribing!

62 shares

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required