What does a one or two pound bag of hashbrowns cost these days? I really have no idea, since I never buy them, but I do know that I can make 20 pounds of my own hashbrowns for about $5-$6, with very little effort. Yes, 20 pounds!
How to Make Homemade Hashbrowns
1. Bake a bunch of potatoes. (Excuse the blur, courtesy of a certain 3 year old’s fingerprint.) After scrubbing the potatoes, poke them a few times with a knife or fork. Click to see what happens when they don’t get poked. Sigh. I put all my potatoes in a baking dish with a lid and bake them at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or so. They are done when they are easily poked with a fork.
*** I occasionally cook my potatoes in the microwave, but the texture turns out differently. I haven’t tried that cooking method for hashbrowns.
2. Allow potatoes to cool, and then refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
3. Shred the cold, baked potatoes with a cheese grater.
I don’t bother peeling the potatoes first. Much of the skin stays intact during shredding, and I simply toss it in the compost pile. The bit of skin that gets shredded with the potatoes doesn’t affect the taste or texture.
4. Heat cooking oil or butter to medium/medium high in a heavy skillet. I use enough oil to easily cover the bottom of the skillet. Hashbrowns aren’t health food at our house. Enough oil makes them nice and crispy.
5. Carefully add shredded potatoes to the hot oil, add some salt (or seasoned salt, or whatever seasoning you like), and leave them alone! Let the potatoes cook for about 5 minutes. Scrambled hashbrowns aren’t nearly as tasty as scrambled eggs. They get mushy. And messy.
6. Flip the potatoes over and cook for another 5 or so minutes. Place them on a paper towel to soak up the extra grease.
7. Serve with ketchup. Oh, wait. Maybe that’s just how I like my hashbrowns. How do you like yours?
*** Feel free to freeze your hashbrowns before frying them up. That’s the kind of convenience food I like!
Linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday.
This is exactly how my mom and grandma taught me to make them. Baking the potatoes first works great. In fact it is the only way I knew how to cook them until I saw my mother inlaw make them with raw potatoes. It is a great way to use up leftover baked potatoes.
I do that now myself. Taste so much better than the store bought and cheaper too.Those are prefect for making hashbrown casserole as well.
I’ve always just diced potatoes for the hashbrown casserole, but need to use these next time!
Well, you know I use your recipe… and it’s delish! And, yes, please, pass the ketchup! (Of course, I eat ketchup on my scrambled eggs, too, so perhaps I’m already odd…)
Not odd ~ that’s how I eat them both, too…as does my whole family!
I totally used to do that. Now I’m more of a salsa girl with the eggs.
Yep, definitely with ketchup! Thanks for this recipe. We often eat fried potatoes which is basically cooked potatoes sliced, fried and then served with ketchup. This seems like a bit more work but I’m sure going to give it a try.
Yes, I like fried potatoes, too. I sometimes make a big skillet starting with fried potatoes, then adding onions, peppers, sausage, scrambled eggs and cheese. Yum!
What a great idea!!!
I like them with Tabasco!
Ah, yes. That would be my husband’s preference. That or salsa.
It has been a while. I’ve done it from raw potatoes, but I think I will try your method.
Could you freeze these cooked and shredded and fry later? I would love to make some one day for hashbrowns and have some in my freezer for a hashbrown casserole the next week and only use the oven and dishes once. Thanks.
Absolutely. Freeze them on a cookie sheet pan, then bag them up to use whenever.
Use coconut oil to fry them–then they will be health food.
I’m too scared… afraid that will turn them a bit “sweet” which will NOT work for me. Hmmmm, you try it first!
I think she means the coconut oil that doesn’t taste like coconut. That would be expeller pressed coconut oil (its a solid most of the time in my house, however above a certain temp it is liquid). I cook my scrambled eggs, onions, omlettes etc, what every I would normally use buttter for and no coconut taste.
I don’t know if ours is expeller pressed, but it is solid unless it gets too warm in my house. I kind of like the faint coconut taste with eggs and potatoes. And all that ketchup should cover any coconut, anyway. : )
We like ours with ketchup and a little onion shredded in also. Yum, yum.
When I’m feelin’ fancy, I’ll add onion, bell peppers, and maybe even some sausage or bacon.
You know, I just thought of something. If you shred and then freeze you could also use the shreds for potato soup.
Absolutely. Great idea!
This post came at the perfect time for me. Just bought a bag of potatoes with the intention of trying to make hashbrowns. Thanks for all of your tips!
Try frying them in bacon grease, not health food, but sooooo tasty.
I’m a pancake syrup on the hashbrowns kinda girl. Actually, more like on the whole breakfast plate (except the toast). I’ll swirl it over hashbrowns, eggs, breakfast meat, french toast, and maybe even pancakes.
“and maybe even pancakes” That cracked me up!
Hi Amy,
These hashbrowns look amazing! I’ve added them to my Favorite Recipes post for this week. Enjoy! ~Aubree
I like hot sauce like tapitio and sour cream or salsa. Otherwise, I like pepper and vinegar….
Vinegar?! That is definitely a new one to me.
I love vinegar on almost anything….well, savory things! I am not a big condiment fan though!
Those look amazing, but please hold the ketchup! (I think ALL condiments are gross, for some reason…)
… and you’re probably healthier for it.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I’ve been wanting to make homemade hashbrowns (haven’t had any luck with them before), but this looks like just what I’ve been looking for. Am going to try these over the weekend. Thank you!
After seeing the picture of Amy’s oven, now I know why all those years growing up, my mom poked holes in the potatoes before baking them.
You know it!
I finally got around to trying this and they are delicious! I have never been able to make hashbrowns before. Thank you!
Yay! You’re welcome.
Hello Amy,
Is it a must to bake the potatoes prior to shredding and cooking?
Thanks in advance, I am new to the kitchen and am always up for new things!
Rachael
*I* say it’s a must.
I’ve tried shredding raw potatoes, and 1) the hashbrowns are mushy, and 2) they turn brown fast. Plus, it’s easier to shred them after they’ve been baked. 
how long will they keep in the freezer? just got done baking them and now waiting for them to cool…i cant wait to get em cookin…my mouth is watering!
Honestly, mine have never lasted more than a few weeks in the freezer, so I’m not an authority on that.
I’d say, though, they should last at least 3 months if there’s not a ton of air in the bag.
I made hash browns for the first time last week and could not figure out why the texture was so weird and gluey. I didn’t realize you “bake” the potatoes. I shredded raw potatoes and fried them up. They were quite icky but I know I LOVE hash browns so I knew it must me me. Thank you for the recipe. Can’t wait to try them AGAIN the right way with lots of ketchup
Ah, yes. I learned that the hard way, too. HUGE difference, I promise.
I am saving this recipe to my recipe file. (I really need to print them and put them in a notebook. =) I eat my hash browns with either ketchup or salsa, depending on what else we are having. Oh, and I love breakfast for supper!
I’ve not tried making hashbrowns from baked potatoes…. My mom taught me to use left over baked potatoes to make “american fries”….. just slice your baked potatoes cold the next day, fry up with sliced onions the next day. yummy!
LOVE fried potatoes with onions and peppers. We like to add sausage or hot dogs sometimes, too.
You could also dehydrate them after shredding them if you’re limited on freezer space. Then just re-hydrate and cook!
Ooo, good idea. I never think of that because I have abundant freezer space and no dehydrator.
I don’t even bake my potatoes, but I do peel them first, then I just Shred them and make little patties and then fry them. They cook in minutes . I also use a cast iron skillet. Yummmy!!!
We don’t care for the soggy texture of the raw shredded potatoes, but I bet they do make great little patties!