Here’s how to make a homemade version of those famous fried pucks of potato only found at McDonald’s. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even make them cheese-stuffed if you’d like, too.
Now I remember as a kid, as a treat we would sometimes get McDonald’s breakfast, and the hash browns were my favorite part of that entire meal.
The crispy outside, and just eating it out of that little sleeve — so stinking great! Or sometimes putting it in the actual sandwich and eating the whole thing together…. Yes!
I adapted 매일맛나, or delicious day’s YouTube channel recipe. True to the channel name, these hash browns really are delicious. And better yet, they are relatively simple to make.
Now similar to my McDonald’s-style French fries that you can also make at home, you could use the McMenu recipe which calls for frozen Ore-Ida potatoes which will make things a tad bit easier. But I like a little difficulty, so I used a combination of Russet and Yukon gold potatoes in a one-to-one ratio.
And really, it’s hard to go wrong with potatoes!
So if you have a hankering for some Mickey D’s hash browns, but don’t feel like going out, this recipe is for you. Happy hash browning!
Homemade McDonald’s Hash Browns
Equipment
- heavy-bottomed skillet
- strainer
Ingredients
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes medium, 10oz.(300 g.)
- 1 Russet potato large, 10oz.(300 g.)
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 6 tbsp. corn starch
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil for sautéing
- 2 C. vegetable oil for frying, This amount will vary depending on the size of your skillet. You'll want the oil to be slightly deeper than the thickness of your hash browns ~1/2".
- 3 slices mozzerella cheese pre-sliced
Instructions
Preparing the Potato Mixture
- Peel and rinse the potatoes.
- Slice the potatoes ~1/16"(2 mm) thick. Then into sticks ~1/4"(4 mm) and crosswise into cubes ~1/4"(4 mm).
- Place the chopped potatoes into a strainer and pour over ~8 cups of water to rinse out the potato starch. Allow the potatoes to drain into a bowl and shake thoroughly to remove any excess water.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped potatoes and salt. Stir to make sure the potatoes are coated in oil. Cook 5-6 minutes while gently stirring until tender, but not mushy.
- Transfer to a large bowl.
- While the potatoes are still hot, add the cornstarch. Mix well. The potatoes should hold their shape when pressed into a patty.
Shaping Plain Hash Browns
- Place the warm potato mixer onto a sheet of parchment paper. Gently flatten into a patty.
- Top with a piece of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin roll the mixer out into a rectangle that's a little less than a 1/2"(1 cm) thick.
- Use a knife and cut out rectangles that measure ~2 1/2"x4" (6.3 x 10 cm). Gently round the corners of the rectangles.
Shaping Cheese-filled Hash Browns (optional)
- Place the warm potato mixer onto a sheet of parchment paper. Gently flatten into a patty.
- Top with a piece of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin roll the mixer out into a rectangle that's a little less than a 1/4 "(0.5 cm) thick.
- Use a knife and cut out rectangles that measure ~2 1/2"x4" (6.3 x 10 cm).
- Cut the cheese slices into 1 1/2"x3"(3.8×7.6) pieces.
- Place a measured slice of cheese on top of a rectangle of potato. Cover with another rectangle and roll gently with the rolling pin to stick the two halves together. Gently round the corners.
Frying
- Add enough vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed skillet to just cover the hash browns ~1/2"(1.3 cm).
- Heat the oil to 325˚F(163˚C).
- Gently place the patties into the hot oil. It should bubble and sizzle. Use a spatula to carefully nudge the hash brown to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Fry for a couple of minutes. The edges should start turning golden. Carefully flip to the other side. I found it helpful to use another spatula to assist with the filp and reduce any splattering.
- Fry the other side for a couple of minutes. Flip again for even browning. Drain to a paper towel-lined rack. Serve immediately.
Hi. How many should this make? Tx
Hi from the Netherlands Emmy! I’ve been following you on facebook and love to see your experiments!
I’ll certainly be trying this one, as it looks as if it could easily be frozen for future use (single household). Yukon and Russet potatoes are not readily available here, so I’ll have to try it out with some Dutch brands. Am I correct in assuming that these are the kinds of spuds that are used for fries?
If nothing else works, I’ll have to start growing Yukons on my balcony LOL.
I am trying this recipe our, feeling them, then air frying them. The take forever I’m the air fryer so I’m not sure if it’s worth it. The store bought ones cook in 9 min from frozen, but I think they are precooked and have a lot of oil. Hopefully I can get this recipe converted to an air fryer version!
This is how I have done them in Ninja air fryer:
Do as the recipe called for up to frying. I placed cut pieces on a cookie sheet and froze them. When frozen, for about 2 hrs, I then bagged them up.
I preheat Ninja to 390°. I put them in the air crisp basket for 10 minutes. Be sure to spritz with a tiny Amount of oil. I did not flip. They turned out awesome.
Hello, Can you use any kind of potatoes for this recipe? or do you have to use the potatoes that are reccomended?
FYI for non-Americans: Russet potatoes are a heartier potato popular for baking (but used for other uses, too). The Yukon potato has become very popular because of its light skin which is frequently left on the potato when it’s cooked. I think Emmy is using two kinds of potato to create a better flavored dish.
Looking at this article about European potatoes, ( https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-potatoes-in-europe )I’d say the Russet is similar to the French Fingerling and the Dutch Bintje while the Yukon would be more like the Italian Patata del Fucino or the Spanish Galicia.
Hope this helps!
Hey Emmy,
Quick question, do you think these would oven bake okay instead of frying in oil?
These look so delicious!!
I made them exactly as printed and they fell apart in the frying.
They were still tasty but didn’t have the texture of McDonald’s hash browns.
This technique worked perfectly for me after many fails. I understand now that the secret to hash browns is to chop finely not grate your potato, cook lightly first and mix with cornflour/starch before you fry. It also matters what spud you use. For those in the UK….use a Maris Piper.
HI Emmy! I love watching all of your videos and have been wanting to try a recipe of yours for sometime now. Finally got around to making this one and it went horrible! The hash browns fell apart and the taste wasn’t that good. I was super disappointed. I think I might have been doing something wrong. It took 3 hours and I didn’t even get to have a really hash brown. 🙁 I am not a professional cook but I do cook dinner every night for my fam so I do have some experience. I will continue to keep trying your recipes. I plan to make your McDonald’s apple pie and have already bought the ingredients for it! I will continue to watch your videos! Your are so cute and funny and I love watching whatever crazy stuff you decide to do next!
The recipe failed (patties disintegrated the very second I put them in the frying oil) but I managed to fix this by returning everything into the bowl and adding 3 medium eggs. ..so at the end of the day, I didn’t waste any food. Next time: will stick to the hash browns I have been making for 25 years.
Made the recipe but modified it pretty heavily. I used shredded and soaked russet potatoes. I blanched them for 3 minutes then added the cornstarch and salt. I portioned them using a 4oz scoop and lightly pressed them to shape. Deep fried for 5 minutes. Delicious but very different from the recipe as it is written.