Easy homemade hash brown patties are made from two core ingredients—shredded potatoes and onions—seasoned to taste, then formed into patties and pan-fried to a crispy golden-brown.
This recipe is vegan, containing no dairy or eggs, and is also gluten-free.
A budget-friendly side dish or light meal.
These hash browns are a two-ingredient dish made with a mixture of shredded potatoes and onions, which are formed into patties and then pan-fried until golden brown.
And while the recipe calls for salt and pepper seasoning, it’s adaptable, so you can add your own herbs and spices as desired before you fry!
Plus, the recipe is vegan, containing no dairy or eggs, and it’s also gluten-free, making it a great food choice for people with those sensitivities.
It makes a delicious light meal or side dish anytime.
A little about potatoes
The potato is a perennial, starchy tuber, a root vegetable, that is native to the Americas.
Potatoes contain health benefits and are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, and nutrients and provide fuel for the body.
Potatoes are gluten-free and very filling. In addition, they are a good source of antioxidants—some more than others—and they contain resistant starch. However, their nutritional content depends on the type of potato. Much of a potato’s nutrition is in the skin of the potato, and peeling them reduces their nutritional value.
Adding fattening toppings, such as sour cream or butter, adds calories and fat.
Different potatoes are considered to work best with different recipes, but overall, they can be used in a variety of delicious meals for recipes from all over the world.
There may be over a couple hundred varieties of potatoes in the United States, but there are only 7 main categories. The most popular of these are the red, white, yellow, and russet.
Fun Facts
- Potatoes were first cultivated in Peru by the Incas.
- Potatoes were introduced to Europe (Ireland) toward the end of the 16th century.
- Potatoes began to be planted in the colonies in the early 1700s.
- Potatoes are the #1 vegetable crop in the United States and 4th most consumed in the world.
- Idaho is the largest grower of potatoes.
- The potato was the first vegetable to be grown in space.
Some related useful cooking info:
What are the different oils used in cooking?
“High-heat” oils have neutral flavors and have been processed in order to handle high temperatures and are good for sautéing, searing, and frying. These include canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, and grapeseed oil, each with its own “best for” with chefs.
Some oils have their own flavor and are good for sautéing and roasting and add a little extra to the dish. These include extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and peanut oil. Extra virgin olive oil works well with roasting or sautéing, but not for deep frying.
Coconut oil is good in dishes where a slightly coconut flavor enhances the dish, and peanut oil is good for deep frying and will add a subtle nutty taste and smell. Many Asian dishes call for peanut oil in the ingredients.
Then there are oils that are not used with heat but rather for dressing up foods, such as sesame oil, flaxseed oil, and walnut oil, among others.
What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?
When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking, though).
The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it.
Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.
Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.
What does it mean when a recipe says that an ingredient is “optional”?
If an ingredient is “optional,” it means that you can add it in or not based on your own preference. An optional ingredient can be flavor-related (i.e., salty, sweet, spicy, etc.), appearance-related (garnish), or even something like nuts or chocolate chips in baking.
What does “savory” mean?
“Savory” refers to foods that are not sweet, such as foods that taste salty, spicy, or herbal.
What does “shredded” mean?
“Shredded” means to create thin strips (not necessarily uniform) of vegetables, like with coleslaw or potatoes.
What do common measurement expressions mean?
Drop – ¹/₆₄ teaspoon (or less—it’s however a literal drop comes out)
Smidgen – ¹/₃₂ teaspoon
Pinch – ¹⁄₁₆ teaspoon (what you can grab between your finger and thumb)
Dash – ⅛ teaspoon (what comes out when you shake out of a shaker or bottle)
Tad – ¼ teaspoon
Dollop—a glob on a spoon (like with mayonnaise or ice cream)
Scant—a scant cup is almost a cup, just below the line.
Heaping—above the line of the spoon (teaspoon, tablespoon)
Keeping pantry essentials in your kitchen
For someone who cooks frequently, whether you just like to cook or have a family or frequent guests, I find it very, very, VERY helpful to make sure that I keep a lot of ingredients in my kitchen to make sure I have them on hand to prepare a variety of dishes at a moment’s notice.
I probably wouldn’t have nearly the amount of items I keep if I lived alone, but my kids have regularly asked for different meals that would normally require advanced shopping or a quick trip to the grocery store.
I have a variety of utensils (including for baking, such as measuring cups for liquid and dry ingredients, spoons, bowls, pans, etc.), as well as seasonings, spices, dried herbs, baking ingredients (such as flour, baking powder, baking soda, etc.), substitutions for milk, pasta, eggs, and a whole lot of other things.
I’m not particularly great at advanced planning for meals, so I can’t even tell you how many sudden trips to the store or times having to borrow from a neighbor (usually, they borrow from me!) this has saved me.
Of course, if you barely cook, you probably just want to keep the bare minimum.
Love potatoes?
Try:
Easy New York Deli-Style Potato Salad
Easy Homemade Hash Brown Patties
Vegan and gluten-free, hash brown patties fried to a delicious and crispy golden brown.
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes (peeled or with skin, as desired), shredded
- ½ medium onion, shredded (or chopped very small)
- 1 cup oil for frying, or more if needed
- salt and pepper to taste
- herbs and seasonings, optional, to taste
Instructions
- Mix the shredded potato and onion in a bowl with the salt and pepper.
- Place in a cheesecloth or something similar and drain excess liquid.
- Pour oil into a skillet or frying pan to a height of approximately 1/4" and heat on medium-high until sizzling (when a little bit of the potato mixture sizzles when dropped in).
- Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and flatten a bit to the desired height.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom is golden brown (you can see from the sides or gentle lift to look under), and then flip to fry the other side.
- Remove and place on a plate or tray lined with something absorbant (paper towels, napkins, etc.) to drain.
Notes
Some people add flour and an egg (1/4 cup flour, 1 egg) to the mixture for a different texture/taste.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 581Total Fat: 56gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 50gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g