Do you know anybody that doesn’t love hash browns! That’s right, because they make the perfect snack or party appetizer and frozen hash browns in air fryer come out super crispy and delicious.
Frozen hash browns are cooked to perfection in an air fryer, it is so simple that even a kid can learn how to do it. In a few words, it is no rocket science.
The best part about cooking frozen hash browns in the air fryer is that the cooking time is cut down significantly making the whole process quicker and easier.
The Equipment
In order to obtain perfect hash brown every single time, we need to talk about the equipment first.
Though there are many air fryers on the market, it is highly recommended to use basket style air fryer for your frozen fish sticks.
The basket air fryers are popular because the basket usually has a handle for easy tossing.
As the name implies, these air fryers cook your food in a basket. Since the basket has holes all around, it’s easier for air to get through your food, although you’ll still have to stir it at least once during the cooking process.
Many consider the best basket air fryer to be the Philips Airfryer.
Photo credit: Philips
Take a look at some its components:
Size: Philips has a small air fryer (2.75 quarts) as well as an XXL version (4 quarts). In both versions, the roomy basket, could fit two layers of food.
Look: The Philips AirFryer comes in black. Its compact design makes it easy to store, though it makes a slick addition to your countertop appliances.
Function: This air fryer produces some of the crispiest results due to the way air can flow through the basket.
There are accessories that go inside the air fryer that can make it more useful too. Look for utensils such as cake pans, silicone molds, ramekins, racks, and other cooking devices that can fit inside your air fryer basket.
These can make a huge difference and will help you make a much wider variety of foods in your air fryer without having to worry about spillage, overflow, or burning, so you can get as much use out of your new device as possible.
Since the coating on an air fryer is nonstick, you should always use plastic utensils such as spatulas.
Using a metal spatula can cause the basket to scratch and possibly even start to peel in those scratched areas.
Another great option for your hash browns would be the Cosori Air Fryer; which is another basket air fryer type. It can fit a total of 6 frozen hash brown patties at one time.
Take a look at some its components:
Cooking time is faster than a conventional oven, but with crispier and tastier results.
It also has a shake reminder function.
Preheat the unit before adding your ingredients to achieve the best results. ETL Listed, 170°F-400°F, 120V, 1700W.
The Ingredients
All the ingredients you need is your bag of frozen hash browns
Frozen hash browns
Cooking spray (if cooking strips of frozen hash browns or shredded hash browns)
The Process
The recipe is super simple and after you try it your breakfast routine will never be the same. Just picture crispy golden hash browns cooked to perfection in an air fryer; served with crispy bacon, and eggs, and you’ll be enjoying a breakfast of champions.
Then cook up frozen hash brown patties perfectly and consistently, with a slight crisp to the outer edges, in the air fryer.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Place the frozen hash brown patties in one layer in the air fryer with a cook time of 8-10 minutes flipping halfway through with a plastic spatula.
- If you like a crispier hash brown patty, feel free to let them cook a few minutes extra. An extra 3 to 5 minutes should help.
- Remove the patties from the air fryer, wait 2 minutes to allow them to cool slightly, then enjoy!
Other key tips to the process of making perfect and delicious air fryer frozen hash browns are
- Since most frozen hash brown patties already contain oil from their original cooking, you can make this recipe with absolutely no oil needed.
- Do not stack the hash brown patties in the air fryer.
- Cook from Frozen.
- Turn once during cooking.
- In the case you are using hash brown strips and not patties; the main challenge is the strips of frozen hash browns sticking to the bottom of your basket. Do not panic, the solution is simple. Just place an air fryer parchment paper in the bottom of the basket. Then, pour your hash browns on top.
Do I need to defrost frozen hash browns before air frying?
Just to be clear, some of the most common questions about air frying frozen hash browns include this one. And the answer is no, you don’t need to defrost your frozen hash browns or prior to air frying.
Because we are talking about frozen food there is no prep to worry about.
How long do you cook frozen hash browns?
You need to preheat your air fryer to 400F.
Time for the air fryer to work it’s magic, simply place them into the basket. You don’t need to add any oil but you can brush some onto the top if you want them extra crispy.
At 400F for 15 minutes, check to see if they are crispy and cooked through. Remember that you need to turn them around after half the cooking time.
If they are cooked from frozen, then they will take slightly longer to cook. You should keep an eye on them towards the end, you will know when they are cooked.
Should I freeze frozen hash browns before frying?
It really depends on when you want to eat your frozen hash browns.
If you want to consume your hash browns as soon as you come back from the market, then keep them outside. However, if you want to enjoy this delicious app some other time, then keep the bag in your freezer.
What sauce goes perfectly with frozen hash browns?
This is another personal choice. Some prefer the classic dollop of ketchup while others just like adding a pinch of salt and pepper to go along with their warm and delicious hash browns.
Other popular dipping sauces for hash browns include a creamy dill sauce, a smoky sauce, a white sauce or even mustard.
To prepare the smoky sauce you need:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mix together.
What are the best frozen hash browns brands?
There are lots of brands that make and supply hash browns. Check out some of our favorite picks
1. Ore-Ida Hashbrown Patty, 2.8 lb bag, (Pack of 6)
2. Simplot 101 Hash Brown Potato Patty, 5 Pound — 6 per case.
3. Cavendish Original Hash Brown Patties
How to reheat frozen hash browns
Reheating frozen hash brown in the air fryer is amazing. They get that first-day crispy crunch on the outside that’s lost when microwaving leftovers while the inside stays fresh and flaky.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Place hash brown inside the air fryer and cook for 1-2 minutes until thoroughly heated.
- Remove the hash brown from the air fryer and enjoy!
The secret for making GREAT frozen fish sticks
Thinking about making your own fish sticks instead? Why not! Freshly made hash browns can be frozen for consumption at a later date. You get all the goodness minus all the preservatives.
This process makes fantastic hash browns. It basically involves two steps to get great results.
- The first part of it deals with the main base of this which is the potatoes.
- The second part of it is creating the ‘bind’ to ensure they stick together. Once you put them together in the air fryer, the hash brown will be wonderfully light and crisp.
Tips for making frozen hash browns
You will need the following to make air fryer hash browns:
Bowl of potatoes
¼ Onion…I recommend a ½ shallot
Salt – ½ teaspoon
Pepper – ½ teasoon
Cajun seasoning – 1 Tablespoon
Flour – 1 Tablespoon
Coconut oil – 1 Tablespoon
1 Egg white
For best results, check out the following tips:
- Grate your potatoes with a grater.
- Fill the bowl with salted cold water. The reason we do this is to remove some of the starch in the potato and also, it helps draw the water out of them.
- Leave them to one side for 5 minutes while you prepare the bind.
- Grate your half shallot as finely as you wish.
- In a bowl put the coconut oil, flour, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and shallot into it. Mix together using a spoon. This is the bind that will keep your potato together.
- You’ll need to remove the water and moisture out of the potatoes so the hash browns are crispy.
- Drain the water and with a handful of grated potato, I place it in the cheese cloth and twist the top of the cloth together.
- Now mix together the potatoes and the bind, once the potatoes are coated, grab a palm full and pat them together.
- Lastly, simply place them into the basket.
How do you make frozen hash browns taste better?
If you want to make your hash browns even tastier, season them before you put them into your air fryer. This tip is particularly helpful if you are cooking strips of frozen hash browns.
An awesome trick is to spritz the top of the hash browns with olive oil. This achieves a crispy outer layer that will provide the texture you want. It will also serve as an edible adhesive, holding your hash browns together so that you can flip them over with a spatula halfway through the cooking process. Once you have flipped the hash brows, spritz the top layer once more with olive, avocado or canola oil.
It could be tempting to skip oiling them, however be aware that If you air fry the plain frozen hash browns straight from the bag, they will have very little flavor. Once the frozen hash browns are in the air fryer, sprinkle salt and pepper on them then spray the top with oil. You could put any seasoning you like on before the oil spray, or even put the frozen hash browns in a bowl with seasoning and oil and toss together before putting in the air fryer. One thing is for sure, definitely add flavor before air frying.
Can frozen hash browns be thawed and refrozen?
If you are going to go to the effort of making them, make a large batch and freeze them. This means you get homemade hash browns whenever you want without going through the effort. Homemade air fryer frozen hash browns taste just as good.
Thawing your homemade frozen hash browns is super easy. Simply remove the desired quantity of hash browns from your freezer bag and thaw on a paper towel to allow any excess moisture to be absorbed.
Then re-seal the bag with the remaining hash browns removing any excess air, and place back in the freezer.
How to keep frozen hash browns fresh?
The most practical way to preserve potatoes is to partially cook them first and then freeze.
How to stock your freezer with frozen hash browns or use make-ahead frozen hash browns
- Parboil the potatoes. There’s two ways to do this easily as mentioned above and it will mostly depend on the quantity of potatoes that you are wanting to freeze.
- Chill the potatoes.
- Shred or dice potatoes. Using a box grater or food processor, shred the potatoes. Alternatively, you can also dice into cubes.
- Spread the shredded potatoes on a large baking sheet about 3/4″ thickness. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and spread another layer of shredded potatoes.
- Transfer the shredded/diced potatoes to the freezer until completely frozen.
- Once fully frozen, break apart and store in a large freezer bag or freezer safe container.
