Why Diner Hash Browns Stay Crispy (And Yours Don't)

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Crispy, golden hash browns just like your favorite diner. Master the secret to perfectly shredded, non-oily hash browns that stick together every time. Your best breakfast side starts here.

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I always love some potatoes for breakfast (or any time of the day, honestly!), and these hash browns are definitely going to enhance any breakfast or brunch!

You only need 4 ingredients for these hash browns, and no crazy tricks with cornstarch or other powders to get these golden brown and super crispy, just like at the diner! In my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, I explain how going out to eat can be an excellent source of inspiration for when you’re not sure what to cook up! I don’t go to brunch very often, but when I do, I love a good savory hash brown dish, with all the goods including eggs, bacon or sausage, and toast! It’s surprisingly easy to make these hash browns, and I’m sure you’ll want to treat yourself to a satisfying diner-style breakfast right at home in your pajamas!

If you’ve wanted to make the best diner experience at home for yourself and for your family, then this hash brown recipe will help you check this off your bucket list as part of your Live to Cookone-month challenge! Start today by signing up to my free email newsletter, plus you’ll get all of my latest recipes sent straight to your inbox!

To grasp all the concepts and tips and tricks presented in this post, be sure to watch the video! Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you’re not already, and hit the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes go live along with the written ones! Let’s get cooking!

What Are The Best Potatoes For Diner Style Hash Browns?▼

Some people will tell you that russet potatoes are the best hash browns because of their starch content and low moisture content, which will allow them to get nice and crispy. However, I used Yukon gold and they turned out amazing! Experiment and find out what will give you best results, but I don’t think there is any golden rule for hash browns.

Crispy diner-style hash browns served with eggs, toast, and avocado slices on a white plate

Do You Peel The Potatoes Before Shredding?▼

You don’t have to but I just prefer the texture of the hashbrowns without it, so it really is your call. If you are unsure, then treat yourself by making two different batches, one with the peel and one without it and you decide for yourself. At the end of the day , you will enjoy great hashbrowns. Just make sure you have squeezed out all of the moisture out of the potatoes before cooking.

How to Grate Potatoes for hash Browns▼

Use the thick side of a box grater to achieve the perfect diner-style consistency in the potatoes. These are supposed to be really easy to make so keep it straightforward.

Crispy diner-style hash browns on a plate with buttered toast, fried eggs, and avocado slices.

What’s the Difference between diner-style hash browns and McDonald’s Hash browns?▼

Both hash browns are made with shredded potatoes, and they are both golden brown and delicious! However, fast food hash browns, such as from McDonald’s or Tim Horton’s, are one solid entity, and they are deep fried. However, while the diner-style hash browns are still shredded, they are pan-fried and more “spread out” than the fast food hash brown.

Do I need flour or cornstarch to make crispy hashbrowns?▼

Actually, you do not! I managed to get the potatoes nice and crispy by just using potatoes! This is because I really ensured that all the moisture from the potatoes was removed. Then I packed it tightly with a spatula on the pan and the cross hatching of the shreds of potatoes, along with them getting really nice and crispy allowed the hashbrowns to hold their shape.

Do I Cook Hash Browns with butter or Oil?▼

The answer to this question is… you can use both! That’s the secret to great hashbrowns that actually taste diner style. Lots of butter and oil.. its true. You can of course use lesser oil or even spray oil, but to get the diner experience, be generous!

Crispy golden hash browns served with two sunny-side-up eggs, toast, and fresh avocado slices on a white plate.

How Do I prevent The Hash Browns from getting soggy?▼

Here is where the squeezing the drying the padding comes into play. You first try to get as much of the water and the starch out of the potatoes out by rinsing them well and then squeezing them as tightly as you can. Then either using a potato ricer or by just layering the shredded potatoes in a thin layer over tea towels or paper towels and patting them dry. I even used the heavy cast iron burger press to get the excess water out.

Equipment for Crispy Hash Browns

Crispy golden hash browns served on a white plate with fried eggs, avocado slices, and toasted bread.

Ingredients for Diner Style Hash Browns

The FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD is at the bottom of this post, which contains the full list of ingredients and their quantities, in addition to allowing you to save the recipe for later! You can also scale the recipe so that you know how many potatoes you’ll need for a satisfying portion of hash browns!

Boiled Yukon gold potatoes in a white bowl with butter and salt in small dishes nearby.

Potatoes: Grated Yukon gold yellow potatoes here. Feel free
Olive oil: To fry the hash browns and get them crispy.
Salt and pepper: The golden rule here is seasoning to taste!
Butter: Also for cooking and to add some flavor.

How to Make Restaurant-style Crispy Hash Browns

Wash and peel the potatoes.

Hand grating peeled potato on box grater over white cutting board with shredded potato and bowl of whole potato visible.

Using the thicker side of a box grater, grate the potatoes.

Grating peeled potatoes on a box grater over a white cutting board, with shredded potatoes in a bowl nearby.

Shredded potatoes on a white plate, showing the grated texture for hash browns.

Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, fill with water and strain. Repeat until the water is clear. Alternatively, you can place the shredded potatoes on a sieve, and rinse with water for 30 seconds to 1 min as you move the potatoes around. Transfer the potatoes back to the bowl, fill with water and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes.

Shredded potatoes in a glass bowl being rinsed with water for hash browns preparation.

Hands squeezing shredded potatoes in a black kitchen sink strainer to remove excess water.

Hands draining shredded potatoes into a colander over a kitchen sink

Drain the potatoes and squeeze them as hard as you can to drain out most of the water. Spread 1-2 layers of paper towels or tea towels on a large plate or baking sheet and then spread the potatoes on a thin layer. Pat down with a couple more paper or tea towels. Alternatively, you can use a potato ricer to help squeeze out most of the water. The potatoes need to be dry as you can make them for them to get crispy while cooking.

Shredded potatoes spread on paper towels in a red baking pan being squeezed dry for hash browns.

Shredded potatoes being wrapped and squeezed in paper towels on a red baking pan to remove excess moisture.

Shredded potatoes spread on paper towels in a red baking dish for draining before cooking hash browns.

Heat pan on medium heat add 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil, followed by one to 2 tablespoons of butter. Add potatoes and spread out into a thin layer and press down using a spatula. The potatoes should be spread evenly on the surface area of your non-stick pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pan with the lid and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until you start to see golden brown crispy edges on the corners of the potatoes.

Butter melting with diced potatoes in a non-stick skillet on a stovetop burner.

Shredded potatoes cooking in a skillet with melted butter and oil on a stovetop, beginning to golden.

Hand flipping golden shredded hash browns in a black skillet with a fish spatula on stovetop.

Shredded potatoes cooking in a black skillet on the stovetop, forming a golden-brown hash brown cake.

Hash browns cooking in a clear-lid pan with melted butter, showing a golden-brown, crispy potato layer on the stovetop.

Butter and oil heating in a skillet with condensation on the glass lid, ready for cooking hash browns.

Using a thin fish spatula, flip the hash browns, add some more butter around the edges and cook the other side until it is golden brown crispy as well.

Shredded potatoes cooking in a black skillet on an induction stovetop, spread in a thin layer.

Golden-brown hash browns cooking in a black skillet with a fish spatula on the stovetop.

Golden brown crispy hash browns cooking in a non-stick pan, showing the finished side being flipped.

Cut into smaller portions, and serve fresh with your favourite breakfast.

Crispy diner-style hash browns served on a plate with fried eggs and fresh avocado slices, with a fork lifting a golden-brown portion.

Crispy hash brown patty served with two fried eggs, buttered toast, and sliced avocado on a white plate.

Tips for Perfectly Crispy Diner Style Hash Browns

Make sure to rinse off as much starch from the shredded potatoes as you can. The water should be clear when the potatoes are ready to be dried off.
Squeezing most of the moisture out is key to getting the perfect crispy texture. Squeeze as much as you can before using a potato ricer or paper towels or tea towels to extract the remaining moisture.
Letting the potatoes air dry after you’ve patted out most of the moisture can help dry the potatoes even further.
Spread out the potatoes in a thin even layer and pack them tight using the back of a spatula on a non-stick pan to get them evenly crispy.
Season just one side of the potatoes with your favourite seasonings and cook with the lid on to create steam to cook the potatoes while a medium heat will crisp the underside of the potatoes.

How to Serve Diner Style Hash Browns

Hash browns are the perfect side to any breakfast! Here are some great serving suggestions for a balanced breakfast:

Diner-style breakfast plate with crispy hash browns, two fried eggs with runny yolks, toast, and avocado slices.

Can I Make Diner Style Hash Browns in Advance?▼

I do not recommend so! Unfortunately, you cannot even really prep your hash browns in advance. You could cut and soak a couple of hours in advance, but not too long or else the potatoes will turn brown due to oxidization. Furthermore, reheating cooked hash browns just won’t keep the same crispiness as they originally were! So, fresh is best! Trust me, while it seems like you need to allocate time to grate, peel and dry the potatoes, the process is not actually too much hands-on work at all!

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra

Elevate Your Breakfast with Crispy Diner Style Hash Browns

Crispy, golden hash browns just like your favorite diner. Master the secret to perfectly shredded, non-oily hash browns that stick together every time. Your best breakfast side starts here.

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25 min

Prep

12 min

Cook

37 min

Total

hash browns

easy

Level

Ingredients

Tap any quantity to scale

medium Yukon Gold potatoes
(10 ml) olive oilShop →
(14 g) butter
salt(to taste)Shop →
pepper(to taste)Shop →

Instructions

1
Peel the potatoes and using the thicker side of a box grater, grate the potatoes.
Peel the potatoes and using the thicker side of a box grater, grate the potatoes.
2
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, fill with water and strain. Repeat until the water is clear. Alternatively, you can place the shredded potatoes on a sieve, and rinse with water for 30 seconds to 1 min as you move the potatoes around. Transfer the potatoes back to the bowl, fill with water and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes.
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, fill with water and strain. Repeat until the water is clear. Alternatively, you can place the shredded potatoes on a sieve, and rinse with water for 30 seconds to 1 min as you move the potatoes around. Transfer the potatoes back to the bowl, fill with water and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes.
3
Drain the potatoes and squeeze them as hard as you can to drain out most of the water. Spread 1-2 layers of paper towels or tea towels on a large plate or baking sheet and then spread the potatoes on a thin layer. Pat down with a couple more paper or tea towels. Alternatively you can use a potato ricer to help squeeze out most of the water. The potatoes need to be dry as you can make them for them to get crispy while cooking.
Drain the potatoes and squeeze them as hard as you can to drain out most of the water. Spread 1-2 layers of paper towels or tea towels on a large plate or baking sheet and then spread the potatoes on a thin layer. Pat down with a couple more paper or tea towels. Alternatively you can use a potato ricer to help squeeze out most of the water. The potatoes need to be dry as you can make them for them to get crispy while cooking.
4
Heat pan on medium heat add 1–2 tsp of olive oil, followed by one to 2 tbsp of butter. Add potatoes and spread out into a thin layer and press down using a spatula. The potatoes should be spread evenly on the surface area of your nonstick pan. Season with salt and pepper. cover pan with the lid and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until you start to see golden brown crispy edges on the corners of the potatoes.
Heat pan on medium heat add 1–2 tsp of olive oil, followed by one to 2 tbsp of butter. Add potatoes and spread out into a thin layer and press down using a spatula. The potatoes should be spread evenly on the surface area of your nonstick pan. Season with salt and pepper. cover pan with the lid and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until you start to see golden brown crispy edges on the corners of the potatoes.
5
Using a thin fish spatula, flip the hash browns, add some more butter around the edges and cook the other side until it is golden brown crispy as well.
Using a thin fish spatula, flip the hash browns, add some more butter around the edges and cook the other side until it is golden brown crispy as well.
6
Cut into smaller potions, and serve fresh with your favourite breakfast.
Cut into smaller potions, and serve fresh with your favourite breakfast.

Nutrition per serving

113

Calories

Protein

14g

Carbs

Fat

Fiber

Sugar

614mg

Sodium

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Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen

Equipment for Crispy Hash Browns

Ingredients for Diner Style Hash Browns

How to Make Restaurant-style Crispy Hash Browns

Tips for Perfectly Crispy Diner Style Hash Browns

How to Serve Diner Style Hash Browns