McDonald’s-Style Hash Browns
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Yay for a fast-food inspired recipe! I love preparing a breakfast, but as I always am on the blog, I’m totally transparent. There are times I sleep in and it’s almost lunch. Unless I’m planning for a feast for brunch, I’m a three square meals kind of guy. If it’s getting late and my tummy is growling, I just can’t concentrate on making myself a breakfast.
I don’t know about you, but I have so many childhood memories from fast food. Back in India, we’d have plenty of McDonald’s breakfasts. Even in Canada, I just love to pick up a good McMuffin with the hash brown, egg and sausage to warm me up and get my day started with a big smile on my face and my tummy satisfied. I love having fast food inspire me for recipes! I love the Egg McMuffin with sausage so much that of course I’ve had to make it myself, and if you want another awesome savoury breakfast option, then be sure to check out the recipe here!
This hash brown recipe has been a long time in the making. If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve definitely seen me testing these out a couple of times recently, but I think I’ve been on the quest for the perfect hash browns literally since I’ve started to cook in Canada. Woohoo, the time has finally come, and I’m so excited to share this recipe with you! If you love the warm and crispy hash brown in your breakfast sandwich or farmer’s wrap (be sure to check out my recipe featuring the hash browns here!), then you can make it at home and it’ll be so hot and fresh and made without all the chemicals!
Make sure you check out the video at the bottom of this post to see all the steps in making this delicious hash brown! If you’re not already, please be sure to subscribe to YouTube! Hit the bell so you’re notified when the recipe videos go live! I love recording the recipes to make a fully tangible recipe and set you up for success in bringing fast food to your home! Let’s get cooking!
equipment for crispy hash browns
We’ll need a couple of tools to make the best fast food hash browns at home. Let’s review what you’ll need:
Ingredients for mcdonald’s Hash Browns
While the McDonald’s hash browns are delicious, the ingredient list will give you a shock. Here’s the ingredient list, taken directly from their website.
Source: McDonalds.com
Maybe you feel queasy or maybe this doesn’t phase you. I have to admit I’m the latter - I’ll still enjoy these in moderation because honestly it’s called fast food for a reason! They do taste so good, but yes, super processed! Unlike the McDonald’s hash browns, ours will have very minimal ingredients.
The FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD is at the bottom of this post, and it includes all ingredients and their quantities and the recipe instructions! The recipe card is awesome because you can save the recipe for later, and the card allows you to scale the recipe based on how much cookie dough you want to make! It does all the work for you - no math on your part!
Potatoes: I’m using Yukon gold yellow potatoes, and we’ll be peeling and grating our potatoes.
Corn starch and rice flour: Helps bind the potatoes together and adds the crispiness.
Seasonings: Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Pepper, Onion powder, and garlic powder.
Canola oil: To fry our potatoes. I’m using canola oil here, but you can use any neutral oil that has a high smoke point. You could also use vegetable oil, grape-seed oil or peanut oil.
How to Make fast-food Style Hash browns
1. Peel the potatoes and rinse them well. Grate the potatoes using the coarse side of a box grater and transfer them into a large bowl and fill with cold water.
Soak potatoes in cold water
2. Soak the potatoes for at least 15 minutes and then drain the potatoes using a sieve.
3. Heat a pan on medium heat and add olive oil. Once hot, add the shredded potatoes. Mix well to coat the potatoes with the oil and season with salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix again and continue cooking while stirring.
4. Once the potatoes are translucent on the sides but opaque in the center, transfer the potatoes to a bowl. The potatoes should still have a bite and not cooked all the way.
5. Add the corn flour and mix to combine. Then add the rice flour and mix until the consistency matches that of a dough. It should not be sticky. Add more rice flour as required.
6. Divide the mixture into 5-6 portions and form each portion into a oblong shape.
Frying Your hash browns
6. Heat canola oil on medium heat until hot, the oil should not be smoking. Fry the hashbrowns in the oil until golden brown and crispy. Cook more or less to your preference.
Tips for hash browns like mcdonald’s
Keep a close eye on the potatoes while cooking in the pan to ensure they don’t cook all the way. Otherwise, the will turn to mush later.
If the “dough” mixture of the potatoes, corn flour and rice flour is too sticky, add more rice flour to adjust the consistency.
After adding the hashbrowns to the oil, give a quick stir to ensure they are not stuck at the bottom of the pan.
Fry until light golden brown for a crispy outside and soft potatoes inside.
Fry until rich golden brown (as above) for an extra crispy hashbrown.
Other Crispy Potato Recipes!
Watch How to Make hash browns like mcdonald’s Here:
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 @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!