Can you make crispy and delicious hash browns at home? The answer is simple, YES! Our homemade Vegan Hash Browns are tasty, crispy and so yummy! These Hash Browns can be air-fried, baked or deep-fried.
What are Hash Browns?
British or Irish Hash Browns are small potato cakes made normally with only potatoes, salt, and pepper. To make Hash Browns, the potatoes are shredded before they are shaped into small cakes.
They are a key ingredient for the classic full English breakfast and let's be honest, it is my favourite part of the dish!
These are similar to American Hash Browns but shaped into round pancakes.
Are Hash Browns naturally vegan?
Yes. Hash browns should be naturally vegan and gluten-free but the reality is that in many places they are made with egg, wheat, milk, butter and the list goes on. Our recipe is vegan and gluten-free and contains simply five ingredients.
What type of Potatoes are best when making Hash Browns
The two main varieties you want to look at when choosing your potatoes for making this recipe are waxy and floury potatoes.
Waxy potatoes will ensure that your hash browns stick together after cooking and don't separate or fall apart. They are though, less starchy so your hash browns won't come out as crispy as if you use floury potatoes.
Floury potatoes. They are starchy and will ensure the crispiness of your hash browns. Russet potatoes are a perfect choice if you want to make your hash browns crispy.
If you are using waxy potatoes, you can always add some potato starch for the hash browns to hold together.
Our Hash Browns are:
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Crispy
- Made in the air-fryer (you can bake or deep-fry them as well)
- Family-friendly recipe
- A snack or side dish
- English-style
How to make the best Hash Browns
Ingredients
Potatoes. To make this recipe, we use Russet potatoes, as they are your best choice to make crispy hash browns.
Olive Oil. We prefer using olive oil as it's the one we have always at home but you can use any vegetable oil of your choice.
Corn starch. Corn starch will help keep the hash browns in shape.
Garlic powder, salt and pepper. This is the only seasoning we use for our vegan hash browns. You can of course add other spices but we are keeping this simple and delicious
Other ingredients you can add to your Hash Browns
- Onion. You can add slightly cooked onion or green onions to the mixture
- Fresh garlic. If you like garlicky hash browns, add some fresh garlic to the mixture.
- Smoked paprika. You can optionally add some smoked paprika to give your Hash Browns a smoky flavor.
- Nutritional yeast. Adding some yeast flakes will give a gentle cheesy flavor to your recipe.
Step-by-Step Method
Prepare the potatoes
- Wash and peel the potatoes.
- Grate the potatoes. For this part, we used our Ninja Food Processor, as it is the fastest way to get the job done. If you prefer to do it manually, we strongly recommend using a good grater as it will save you time and energy. A box grater is what we have at home and it works perfectly. Grate your potatoes using the medium-sized part.
- Bring water to boil using a big pot and add the shredded potatoes. Boil for about 3-4 minutes.
- Drain the water using a colander and leave to cool for about 15-20 minutes. This will help get rid of any excess water.
- Place the shredded potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add the corn flour, olive oil, and seasoning.
- Mix well until everything is combined.
Shape and Freeze the Hash Browns
For this part, we use a metal ring that we have from our dumpling kit. It works great to shape the hash browns and maybe you have something similar at home that you can use such as a muffin ring or a cookie cutter. Alternatively, you can shape them by hand.
Once they are shaped, they will need to be left in the freezer for at least 2 hours. I like to make the hash browns a day before I want to cook them so I can have them in the freezer overnight.
As well, this recipe is a great recipe for batch cooking or making ahead. Our recipe makes about 20 Hash Browns so you can freeze them and then take some out every time you are craving them!
To freeze the Vegan Hash Browns place them on baking paper on a flat surface and freeze them for about 2 hours. Then you can cook them or transfer them to a freezer bag and keep them for another day.
Cooking the Hash Browns
Air-fryer
We make our hash brown recipe using our Air-fryer. To air-fry the Vegan Hash Browns, they need to be in the freezer for at least two hours.
Take the hashbrowns out of the freezer, add some oil with a bush on both sides and place on the air-fryer. Cook at 210C (410F) for about 14 minutes, turn them and cook for another 6 more minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Sprinkle some sea salt and serve while hot.
Deep-fry
Another option to cook your Hash Browns is by deep-frying them. To deep-fry the Vegan Hash Browns, they need to be in the freezer for at least two hours.
Add enough oil to a saucepan. If you are thinking of just frying a few Hash Browns, take a small saucepan so you don't need to use that much oil. Heat the oil to medium-high heat.
Take the Hash Browns out of the freezer and add them into the saucepan once the oil is hot enough. Cook for 5-6 minutes, flip and cook the hash brown on the other side so it cooks evenly on both sides. Cook until golden brown.
Place the Vegan Hash Brown on a paper towel to release the excess oil, sprinkle some sea salt and serve.
Bake
If you want to bake your Vegan Hash Browns, you don't need to freeze them beforehand.
Preheat your oven to 180ºC or 350ºF.
Place the hash browns on a baking tray using a non-stick silicone mat or parchment paper, add some oil using a baking brush and Bake for 40 minutes at 180ºC or 350ºF.
Serving Suggestions
Hash Browns are best served right after cooking, while warm.
To complete this side dish or snack, you need to serve it with a sauce. Try this Sriracha Mayo from Detoxinista if you want to add a little spice, Ketchup, regular vegan mayo, our your favorite sauce.
Hash browns are a great option for a full vegan or vegetarian English or Irish breakfast or brunch. Served with some mushrooms, vegan sausage, beans, and toast. These Hash Browns make a great addition to our Vegan Fish and Chips too!
They are amazing just as a snack or even served as a side dish with your favorite meals. We always have a batch in the freezer and we use them as after-school snacks for our son Luca, he really likes them!
FAQ and Tips
Why do they need to be frozen before cooking?
One similarity between croquettes and Hash Browns is that they will hold their shape way better after freezing. If you don't want to wait to enjoy your Hash Browns, you can bake them as they don't need to be frozen if you want to use the oven to cook them. For deep-frying and air-frying, we recommend freezing them for at least two hours before cooking them.
How Can I reheat Hash Browns?
Hash Browns tend to go soggy after a while, if you want to reheat them, you can use the air-fryer with the setting "Reheat", or use the oven or a pan. You can alternatively use the microwave but they will get soggy.
Oven-baked Vegan Hash Browns
Ingredients
- 1 kg Russet Potatoes
- 4 tablespoon oil
- 3 teaspoon corn starch
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes.
- Grate the potatoes. For this part, we used our Food Processor, as it is the fastest way to get the job done. If you prefer to do it manually, you can use a grater.
- Bring water to boil using a big pot and add the shredded potatoes. Boil for about 3-4 minutes.
- Drain the water using a colander and leave to cool for about 15-20 minutes. This will help get rid of any excess water.
- Place the shredded potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add the corn flour, olive oil, and seasoning.
- Mix well until everything is combined.
- Shape your Hash Browns using a metal ring or muffin ring. Alternatively, you can shape them by hand. Place them on a baking sheet on a flat surface so you can freeze them.
- Leave them in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight. To freeze the Vegan Hash Browns place them on baking paper on a flat surface and freeze them for about 2 hours. Then you can cook them or transfer them to a freezer bag and keep them for another day.
For Air-frying
- Take the hashbrowns out of the freezer, add some oil with a bush on both sides and place in the air-fryer. Cook at 210C (410F) for about 14 minutes, flip them and cook for another 6 more minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
For Baking (no need to freeze beforehand)
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC or 350ºF. Place the hash browns on a baking tray using a non-stick silicone mat or parchment paper, add some oil using a baking brush and Bake for 40 minutes at 180ºC or 350ºF
For Deep-Frying
- Add enough oil to a saucepan. Heat the oil to medium-high heat.
- Take the Hash Browns out of the freezer and add them into the saucepan once the oil is hot enough. Cook for 5-6 minutes, flip and cook the hash brown on the other side so it cooks evenly on both sides. Cook until golden brown.
- Place the Vegan Hash Brown on a paper towel to release the excess oil, sprinkle some sea salt and serve.
Notes
- Serve with some sriracha mayo, ketchup, spicy sauces or any other dip of your choice.
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| If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram. We are always happy to see your creations! |
Elizabeth says
Thanks for the recipe! These came out great. I added some onion and cooked them longer and at 375 (then 400) to get them crispier (I also flipped them after 30 minutes). Really good!
Laura says
Thank you Elizabeth! Adding onion sounds like a good alternative too!
Jill says
I added fresh garlic and was too hungry to wait for them to bake so I made some in a pan. Delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Laura says
Thank you Jill!
Stephanie says
Hi,
Do you boil the potatoes until they are soft? Thanks , can not wait to try!
Stephanie
Laura says
Hi Stephanie, no, they should be parboiled so still hold their texture when grated, enjoy!!
Nalan Cobanoglu says
Can they be frozen to be used later
Laura says
Hi Nalan, sure they can!
Carol says
Can you use frozen grated potatoes/hash browns?
Laura says
Hi Carol, we haven't tried, as we use fresh grated potatoes for this recipe.
Rosie says
Can these be reheated? Wanting to make them the night before and re-heat in oven before serving - think they will hold up?
Astra says
Hi Rosie, yes absolutely! they firm up once after they are cooked.