Air Fryer Hash Browns

September 20, 2021

Air Fryer Hash Browns

Air fryer hash browns are shredded potato, crisped in a hot air fryer with a little oil and salt until the edges turn deep golden and the inside stays tender. Classic hash browns come down to potato, fat, and salt — garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne are all diner-style extras, worth adding if you like them but not required.

The technique that actually matters is drying the potato. Shred it, rinse the shreds in cold water to wash out surface starch, then wring them as dry as you can get them in a kitchen towel. Wet shreds steam instead of crisping, so the drier they go into the basket, the better the result. From there it’s just oil, seasoning, and a thin, uncrowded layer in the air fryer.

Hash browns are a fixture of the American breakfast, usually served alongside eggs and bacon or sausage, sometimes folded into a breakfast sandwich. The name comes from “hashing” — chopping or shredding the potato before it’s cooked, the same root as hash in the corned-beef-hash sense.

Floury baking potatoes (russet, Maris Piper, King Edward or Bintje) are the traditional choice and crisp the best, since they’re higher in starch. Yukon Gold potatoes are waxier, hold their shape a little better, and give a slightly deeper golden color, at a small cost in crispness. Either works.

Ingredients

Serves 2

500 g floury baking potatoes (russet, Maris Piper, King Edward or Bintje), or Yukon Gold (about 2 large, or 3 medium)
1–1½ tbsp neutral oil (or olive or avocado oil)
½–¾ tsp fine salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder (optional)
½ tsp onion powder (optional)
½ tsp smoked paprika, or ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
oil spray, for the basket

Directions

Peel the potatoes if you like — the skins are fine left on for extra texture — then shred them on the coarse side of a box grater or in a food processor, working directly into a bowl of cold water so the shreds don’t discolor.

Let the shreds sit in the cold water for 5–20 minutes to rinse out surface starch, then drain them well.

Tip the shreds into a clean kitchen towel and wring and squeeze out as much water as you can. The drier the potato going in, the crisper it comes out, so don’t rush this part.

Toss the dry shreds with the oil, salt, pepper, and any of the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, or cayenne you’re using, until everything is evenly coated.

Preheat the air fryer to 375°F (191°C) for about 5 minutes. Mist or lightly oil the basket, or line it with a perforated parchment liner.

Spread the potatoes in a thin, even layer no more than about ¾ inch (2 cm) deep, without crowding the basket. If you’d rather have a single diner-style cake than loose shreds, press the mixture down lightly instead of spreading it loose.

Air fry at 375°F (191°C) for 15–20 minutes, shaking or flipping the basket about halfway through. For a pressed cake, skip the flip and instead press it down again for the last few minutes of cooking.

The hash browns are ready when deep golden and crisp at the edges. Taste and adjust the seasoning, cut into wedges if you cooked it as a cake, and serve hot.

Notes

For a crispier, darker finish, raise the temperature to 400°F (204°C) and watch the last few minutes closely so the edges don’t scorch.

Stirring and flipping keeps the shreds loose and diner-style. Leave the potatoes pressed down and unflipped instead, and they crisp into one sliceable cake, closer to a rösti.

Using bagged frozen shredded potatoes instead of fresh? Toss 1 lb (454 g) of them with the same oil and seasoning, spread in a shallow layer, and air fry at 350–375°F (177–191°C) for 17–20 minutes, stirring every 5–6 minutes. Frozen patties need even less: no oil required, a single layer with space between them, 380°F (193°C) for 12–18 minutes, flipped once around the 10-minute mark.

Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–5 days. Re-crisp in the air fryer at 350°F (177°C) for 4–6 minutes.