Level Up Your Brunch With These Crispy, Diner-Style Hash Browns (2024)

Recipes
Breakfast
Easy Breakfast

The secret to the crispiest hash browns? Remove as much moisture as possible before frying. Here's how.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Updated December 07, 2023

20 Ratings

My father, being of solid German stock, is naturally a connoisseur of all things potato. In particular, he loves nothing more than very crispy, shredded homemade hash browns for breakfast with his eggs.

Now, there are many ways of frying up potatoes for breakfast, and I think we do all of them.

But the shredded variety of hash browns holds a special place in his heart (mine too!) and for that reason, he has mastered the way to make them extra crispy.

Level Up Your Brunch With These Crispy, Diner-Style Hash Browns (3)

Crispy Hash Browns (Dad) vs. Mushy Hash Browns (Mom)

He explained his approach to me one day, while my mother was in the room and couldn't help but overhear:

ME: Dad, how do you make your hash browns turn out so crispy?
DAD: Use a potato ricer. It's the only thing I've found that really gets the moisture out of the potatoes. The trick to these hash browns is to get rid of as much moisture as possible before cooking them.
MOM: I always used paper towels to press out the moisture.
DAD: Your hash browns are mushy.
MOM: I made this family hash browns for forty years and you never complained. They're perfectly fine.
DAD: They were mushy.
MOM: You ate them!
DAD: Yes I did. And they were mushy.
(And the debate continues as I quietly leave the room...)

Mom's hash browns are mushy. Tasty, edible, yummy, but still mushy. They aren't as good as Dad's, and that is just a fact.

Level Up Your Brunch With These Crispy, Diner-Style Hash Browns (4)

What Kind of Potatoes Work Best for Hash Browns?

Starchy potatoes like Russets work best for hash browns. Waxy potatoes like red new potatoes have a higher moisture content and tend to hold their shape better than starchy potatoes, and as such do not develop the crispiest of edges when fried.

Tips for the Crispiest Hash Browns

Squeeze out moisture: Use a potato ricer, orange or lemon press, or a tea towel to wring out excess moisture from the shredded raw potato. Some people find a salad spinner can work well too.
Heat the oil in the pan first: Make sure you are using enough oil to generously coat the pan well, and get the oil shimmering before adding the potatoes.
Spread the potatoes in a thin layer: A thin layer of shredded potatoes in the pan will help the hash browns crisp up better and cook more evenly.
Wait to flip the potatoes until they are brown on one side: Peak underneath to see if they are browning up well, and when one side has fried to a golden brown, flip the potatoes to the other side.

What follows is my dad's way of making hash browns that turn out perfectly crispy and absolutely delicious. Have a favorite way to make crispy hash browns? Please let us know about it in the comments.

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Crispy Hash Browns

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time20 mins

Servings4 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound Russet baking potatoes
Salt and pepper

Method

Peel and grate the potatoes:
Peel the potatoes and grate them using the large holes of a box grater.
Squeeze out the moisture:
Squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the grated potatoes. An easy way do this with a potato ricer (or an orange or lemon press), using it like you would a garlic press but without forcing the potatoes through it completely. You just want to press out the excess moisture.
Work in batches and only fill the ricer half-way with the raw grated potatoes.
If you don't have a ricer, wrap the raw grated potatoes in a clean tea towel and squeeze it until you have squeezed out as much moisture as you can. Work in batches to make it more manageable. Note that the potatoes can sometimes stain a cloth towel, so use one that you don't mind showing a bit of wear.
Cook the hash browns:
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. When the oil heats up to the point of shimmering but not smoking, add the grated potatoes, spreading them out evenly along the bottom of the pan. The potatoes should not be too thick in any one place—about 1/4 to a 1/2-inch thick.
Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the potatoes.
Flip the hash browns:
After a few minutes, lift up one edge of the potatoes and see how done they are. If they have fried to a golden brown, they are ready to flip.
Use a large metal spatula (or two spatulas) to flip the potatoes over all at once, or divide the large potato cake into halves or quarters and flip.
Continue to cook until they are golden brown on the bottom.
Serve:
Use a metal spatula to cut into quarters and serve.
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Easy Breakfast
Russet Potatoes

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
200	Calories
10g	Fat
24g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	200
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g	13%
Saturated Fat 1g	7%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 90mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 24g	9%
Dietary Fiber 3g	9%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 9mg	47%
Calcium 21mg	2%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 625mg	13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.