You can make homemade hash browns without oil on the stove or in the air fryer! This healthy potato recipe is delicious on its own for an easy weekday breakfast or as a weekend plant-based brunch side.
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🧄 Ingredients
This healthy potato recipe has just 1-ingredient recipe!
You only need: frozen shredded potatoes.
Super simple, right?
Frozen shredded potatoes (aka hash browns) are fat free and are found in the freezer section of your grocery store. They are loose, not packed into bricks.
Be sure to check the ingredients to make sure they do not contain oil.
Also, some brands may be slightly thicker strips than others. For example, here in Texas, the frozen shredded potatoes from HEB and Restaurant Depot are thin and cook fairly quickly.
The hash brown potatoes from Aldi are thicker, almost like matchstick potato fries. They take a little longer to cook.
⏯ Video
🔪 Instructions
Stovetop process:
Air Fryer process:
How to make healthy hash browns without oil
There are several ways to cook hash browns without oil. I'll list the ones I've tried, in order of what's worked best for me.
- Air Fryer Hash browns:
- this is my current preferred method of cooking oil-free hash browns. In my air fryer, I can cook half a bag of frozen shredded potatoes at a time, which yields 1-2 servings.
- Time: 15 minutes
- Hands-off preparation
- Non-stick Skillet:
- Before I had an air fryer, this was my preferred method. Your skillet has to be truly non-stick for this to work and not end up with steamed potatoes and a pan to scrub.
- Time: 15 minutes
- Hands-on preparation
- Bake in Oven:
- If we have a lot of hash browns to make, we sometimes put them in the oven, spread out on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Bake at 425 F until crispy on edges and top. Flip as needed.
- Time: 30-40 minutes
- Mostly hands-off preparation, except for flipping
- Waffle Iron:
- I did this a few times and it did give me crispy hash browns in a waffle shape, but my waffle iron is not truly non-stick and I had to use a little oil to prevent it from sticking. I have heard rave reviews about this method from folks with truly non-stick waffle irons or George Foreman grills. Another key to this method is to leave the hash browns to cook until a crust has formed, so they don't stick. It takes a good 10-15 minutes (much longer than you would cook a waffle).
- Time: 15 minutes
- Hands-off preparation
For this recipe, I'll give you instructions for the Air Fryer and Non-Stick Skillet methods, because those are the simplest, most efficient methods for making oil-free hash browns.
🔄 Variations
Looking for more hash brown breakfast ideas?
👨👩👦👦 Serving suggestions
What do hash browns go with?
Serve these healthy hash browns as a meal by themselves or alongside sautéed vegetables, like spinach, tomato, mushrooms, asparagus or corn.
One way to make this healthy potato dish even healthier is adding greens or vegetables. Make your 50/50 plate by adding 50% starch and 50% non-starchy vegetables to get your day started right.
Hash browns also make a great side to whatever delicious vegan weekend brunch you have going on. Who doesn't love crispy potatoes?
Seasonings
How should I season hash browns? Try one of these spices:
- sea salt and pepper
- seasoned salt
- garlic salt (my current fav)
- Trader Joe's vegan no-chicken seasoning
- paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- turmeric and black pepper (this will turn them yellow!)
Condiments
As far as condiments, I recommend trying:
- ketchup
- BBQ sauce
- salsa (picante sauce, pico de gallo, green salsa, any kind)
- sriracha
- cholula hot sauce
- mango chutney
- mustard
❓ FAQ
You need to leave the hash browns to cook without moving them, for at least 7 minutes in the non-stick pan, so they form a crust. Once they've formed a crust, they will move freely. The other issue may be that your pan is not truly non-stick. Is it old? Has the non-stick coating or material worn off? It may be time for a new pan.
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📖 Recipe
Healthy Hash Browns (air fryer or stovetop)
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (325 grams) frozen shredded potatoes
- sea salt (optional)
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Preheat a 10-12 inch truly non-stick skillet over medium heat for 30-60 seconds.
- Add frozen shredded potatoes to skillet and spread them out evenly across the bottom of the pan. Season lightly with salt or preferred seasoning, if desired.
- Cook hash browns for 7 minutes, so they form a nice crust. Do not attempt to stir or flip them in the first 7 minutes.
- After the 7 minutes, flip the hash browns in sections with a spatula and cook the other side for another 5-7 minutes, checking for doneness after the first 5 minutes and possibly reducing heat, if necessary.
- Serve immediately with your favorite condiment (ideas in the notes!)
Air Fryer Instructions
- Add frozen shredded potatoes to your non-stick air fryer basket (use parchment paper to line your air fryer basket if it's not totally non-stick or the holes are too big and the potatoes fall through).
- Set your air fryer to 400 degrees F for 10 minutes.
- Check your hash browns and see if they need more time or need to be flipped. If you're using parchment paper, they may need to be flipped.
- Air fry for another 3-5 minutes, if necessary to get them as crispy as you like.
- Serve immediately with your favorite condiment (ideas in the notes!)
Notes
Seasonings:
- salt and pepper
- garlic salt
- seasoned salt
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- Trader Joe's vegan no-chicken seasoning
Condiments:
- ketchup
- BBQ sauce
- spicy ketchup
- sriracha
- salsa
- mustard
This recipe serves 2 as a side or 1 large, filling portion.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 54Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 403mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g
Nutritional calculations are done using online tools, such as recipe widget Create. Even though we have tried to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates.
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