Sweet Potato Hash Browns
49 Comments
Updated Mar 02, 2019
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Sweet potato hash browns are utterly delicious, healthy and make for a family favorite breakfast. They’re gluten-free, vegan and paleo-friendly and pair perfectly with any type of eggs – fried eggs, poached eggs or boiled eggs – take your pick!
We didn’t eat a lot of fast food growing up. My brother and I were fortunate to subsist on mainly home-cooked food (thanks mom). My college years and 20’s, well, that’s a whole ‘nother story (and not a pretty one). But as a child, there wasn’t heaps of fast food involved.
Of course, there were always exceptions to the rule and for us that usually came in the form of road trips…when McDonalds became the breakfast hot spot. I wasn’t so fond of their Hotcakes or Big Breakfast or even Egg McMuffin. But what I did want (and usually two of them) was the hash browns. Those crispy, golden hash browns that so easily broke apart as you bit into them.
Out of curiosity, I just Googled the ingredients in a classic McDonald’s Hash Brown. Oh lordy. I sorta wished I hadn’t. Hold on to your horses friends, because this isn’t pretty. Here’s the ingredient list as per McDonald’s website:
Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]*), Salt, Corn Flour, Dehydrated Potato, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Extractives of Black Pepper. *Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients. Contains: WHEAT, MILK.
Yep, they’ve got gluten, dairy and corn in them. It’s like the allergy triumvirate. In something you’d think was made simply from potatoes. Moral of the story: read labels (or ask for the ingredient list)…always.
Alright, now that I’ve surely tarnished your fab childhood memories, I’m here to show you how to make new, even more delicious ones with healthy, homemade, sweet potato hash browns.
Earlier this week I talked about prioritizing simple recipes and trust me, it doesn’t get much simpler for breakfast than these sweet potato hash browns. Many hash brown recipes are thickened up with flour or binded together with a whisked egg. But to be honest, I actually like when they’re less structured and sorta fall apart all loosey goosey. So that’s what we’ve got going on today.
One medium sweet potato makes about 4 large sweet potato hash browns (as you see pictured). But you could make them half-sized for easier flipping. Alternatively, you could toss the entire shredded sweet potato into your pan, crisp up one side then flip and serve it up family-style.
To get started, shred the sweet potato with a box grater and finely dice a shallot (the secret ingredient). Or, you can make life easy by using a food processor with a grater attachment. Once you’ve got the sweet potato grated, add oil to a pan (I love ghee for this recipe, but avocado oil works awesome as well), then cook for a few minutes on each side. Wait until the edges go all brown and crispy for the best flavor before flipping.
Serve these sweet potato hash browns up with a fried egg, as a side dish to scrambled eggs….or if you want to keep it 100% egg free, consider topping them with some garlic sautéed spinach and a breakfast sausage. The options are endless.
Enjoy!
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Sweet Potato Hash Browns
Sweet Potato Hash Browns
Description
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 shallot
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp ghee (or avocado oil)
Instructions
- Wash and peel the sweet potato. Use either a box grater or food processor to grate the sweet potato.
- Peel the shallot and finely dice it or grate it with the food processor. Stir together the grated sweet potato and shallot. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat ghee or avocado oil in skillet (I prefer cast iron) on medium heat. Grab a small handful of the sweet potato and place in the skillet. Gently push down with a spatula and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the edges are crispy. Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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Hi Lisa
Can these be made in bulk and frozen for the weeks or month ahead??
Hi Bev – I personally think these are best made fresh, as they’ll always be softer on reheating. But if you’re okay with that, then go ahead and make a larger batch. :)
Hi, do you have a alternative suggestion for the shallot (for IBS members that can’t make use of it), and will white sweet potato also work with the recipe?
You can use finely diced yellow onion instead!
I just made this recipe and I LOVE it. The shallot gives it so much flavor.
Glad you loved these hash browns Chloe!
Just wandering. Can I freeze shredded sweet patato to cook extra hash browns another day.
Hi Samantha- Yes! I believe you can :)
Hash browns are a weekend must. I love this sweet potato version.
This recipe will be perfect for a brunch crowd!
Never thought I could make hashbrown with 2 tsp of oil. This recipe is the game changer. Thanks for sharing!
Why have I never thought to make sweet potato hash browns? These look amazing!!
Hi Leslie – It’s the perfect potato alternative!
I LOVE sweet potatoes. Can’t wait to try this hash
I make these hashbrowns all the time and my family loves them! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Hi Jessica – Such a fun way to use up your sweet potatoes!
How easy and packed full of nutrients! Love this one, thanks for sharing!
A great way to sneak in sweet potatoes into your breakfast :)
This is so easy and perfect for the whole family. Can’t wait to make this.
Love this recipe! The “secret ingredient” really makes it extra delicious. I eat this with a fried egg on top and I just love it,
Hi Amy – A fried egg on top is always a good idea :) You should also give my sweet potato egg nests a try if you have a spiralizer!
Can i use coconut oil not avocado?
Hi Rasha – Yes! You can use coconut oil instead of avocado :) I just personally like to use avocado oil when cooking!
Do we have to take the skins off before food processor? I like the nutrients the skin provides but wondering if it disrupts texture.
It’s better to remove the skin for this recipe.
Easy and delicious! This will be made often in my house!
Hi Amy – Glad you enjoyed this recipe! These hash browns are definitely a breakfast keeper 😊
Hello! I’m delighted to eat some kind of potato with my bacon and beans that doesn’t involve squeezing and drying like with white potatoes. I did add a bit of beaten egg and gf flour for ‘security’ as I call it. No shallot, but a small diced onion worked. I am overjoyed! It was delish!
I’m not vegan or paleo, but I am wheat and milk allergic, so I have to improvise and I just go with moderating what I eat.
The McDonald’s hash Ingredient list was an eye-opener! No wonder it’s almost impossible to recreate these things! Does not sound nice one bit.
Anyway, thank you for providing this recipe… I’m over the moon!
Cali
I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe! And yes, I think we’re all a little better off not trying to recreate the McDonald’s version. This wholesome version (and your version) are much better. :)
I don’t make recipes unless the nutritional details are available. so although it looks delicious,, I’ll find another recipe that includes that information
Nutritional information is currently being added to all recipes on my website. You’ll notice it’s available on all recipes posted in the last several months. But with hundreds of recipes to update (and only one me), it will obviously take me a few weeks to add it to my older recipes such as this one. :)
I am wondering if there is a difference between white and red sweet potatoes? I will try these tomorrow with white sweet potatoes! I recently became a huge fan of sweet potatoes! Love your Sweet Potato toast and avocado, cucumber and smoked salmon (homemade alaskan sockeye, of course!) .
There are some nutritional differences, but either will work in this recipe. I’d say give both a try and see which you like better! :)
I made these sweet potato hash browns today but it keeps breaking up. How do I hold them together? Tastes lovely though the presentation is not ideal.
Yes, as I mention on the post, these sweet potato hash browns tend to be less structured than store-bought (or restaurant-style) hash browns. I don’t mind them that way, but if you’d like them to hold together, you could add an egg and maybe a little GF flour, like coconut flour or almond flour. But glad you love the flavor! That’s always what’s most important. :)
Do these freeze well? And if so how do I reheat?
To be honest, I’ve always made them fresh. But I don’t see why they couldn’t be re-heated on the stovetop or in the microwave. :)
You had me at sweet potato!!! I bet this would work with mashed sweet potatoes too, wouldn’t it? I don’t own a food processer or a noodle maker .
Yes, absolutely! Though it would be more like a potato pancake (though equally delicious). You could also shred the sweet potato with a box grater, if you have one of those. :) x
It’s scary to find out what they put in fast food! Luckily, I haven’t had McDonalds since I was very young, but traveling overseas in my 20s I was curious why so many McDonalds in other countries touted 100% beef burgers only– so I did an internet search and found out that the burgers in the US are up to 30% soy- which I am deathly allergic to. How can that not be prominently displayed on their menu?!
These hashbrowns look and sound so much better anyway! Thanks for the beautiful recipe.
Isn’t that crazy?! It truly is scary to read the ingredients list of fast food places. Thankfully, once you become aware, you realize how much healthier and better tasting home-cooked food is anyway! :) x
I never thought to use sweet potato! I love sweet potato fries so why not :)
I love sweet potato fries as well! I swap sweet potatoes all the time for regular potatoes for a little added sweetness and nutrient variety. Gotta keep it interesting! ;)
I LOVE hash browns but never thought of making it with sweet potato.. so cool. Can’t wait to try. Thanks
Then I think you’ll really love the flavor with the sweet potatoes! Enjoy!
What a simple, flavorful and healthy recipe! Love everything about this!
Thanks Sarah!
These hash browns reign supreme! REAL ingredients, fantastic flavors, easy to prepare – fast food knockoffs, step FAR to the side.
Far, far to the side! ;) x