Homemade McDonald's Hash Browns Copycat Recipe - Cooking Frog (2024)

It is time for another McDonald’s copycat recipe. After making these delicious Egg McMuffins, andChicken McGriddles, we’re making McDonald’s hash browns this time. These mouthwatering hash brown patties made from shredded potatoes are cooked to be fluffy inside and crispy and toasted on the exterior.

Since no other recipe even comes close to the original and, in my opinion, doesn’t merit the moniker “Copycat recipe,” the primary cause is wrong or missing ingredients. This recipe has been waiting patiently to be published.

Thus I’ll walk you through the process of making these hash browns in the McDonald’s way today. The best part about them is that you can prepare them ahead of time and freeze them for whenever you’re ready to cook them.

The Best McDonald’s Hash Browns Copycat Recipe

I’m not sure about you, but I consider McDonald’s hash browns among their most delicate items. They’re great in the restaurant, but I think my version is much better when it’s cooked at home!

Once you try these easy and delectable homemade hash browns, you’ll be addicted. That has certainly been the case for me. So far this week, I’ve cooked these for breakfast nearly every morning.

Making these McDonald’s hash browns at home is also great because no harmful ingredients are added, which I appreciate. My meal should not contain anything like sodium acid pyrophosphate or hydrogenated soybean oil!

The original McDonald’s hash browns don’t contain any cheese, cayenne pepper, or other additives. Still, I see most, if not all, online versions that do—missing essential flavors, such as those from beef stock and a little sugar. But don’t worry; you’re going to create something genuine.

The second item that appears to be ignored by everyone is confit cooking. Cooking anything in fat or oil at a reduced temperature is known as confit cooking. Because it changes the starch within, most restaurants “double fried” their potatoes.

As a result, it becomes even crispier when you re-fry it after chilling. Confit, indeed, yep.

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Ingredients you’ll need

Okay, to prepare these delectable McDonald’s hash browns, you just need some basic ingredients. And while this recipe calls for a few more ingredients compared to standard hash brown recipes, they are more than worth it.

Here is all you will need to prepare this simple hash browns recipe:

  • Russet Potatoes
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Pepper
  • Cornstarch
  • Vegetable Oil (sunflower or rapeseed)
  • Dry beef stock powder

Since Yukon potatoes have excellent consistency, I occasionally use them to create hash browns, but any potato would work in this recipe. Because the original recipe calls for russet potatoes, I’ve included them.

Regarding the oil, McDonald’s uses a blend of rapeseed and sunflower oils. Any neutral high-heat oil, such as canola oil, avocado oil, peanut oil, or macadamia nut oil, can be used.

How to make McDonald’s Hash Browns Copycat

Once more, making a homemade hash brown that tastes like the one from McDonald’s couldn’t be simpler. To make them, you only need to follow a few simple steps. And the steps in the procedure are basically peeling, grating, straining, shaping, and frying.

You’ll find this recipe incredibly straightforward to create, even if it’s your first time cooking hash brown patties from scratch. And, to be honest, once you’ve prepared these hash browns, cooking them again and again will be simple.

Now, let’s start with the recipe and quit wasting time!

Step 1: Prepare the potatoes.

The potatoes must first be peeled and placed in a dish of cold water to prevent browning. Use a box grater’s big hole to shred the potatoes. Fill the bowl with cold water, then stir the potatoes well. Drain off the water when it becomes cloudy.

Then, move the chopped potatoes to a mesh sieve or strainer and squeeze them to remove most of their extra liquid.

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Step 2: Confit Cooking

To get the restaurant quality hash browns, I advise you don’t skip this step.

A non-stick skillet should be heated at low heat. Add the potatoes to the hot oil and cook them for 5 to 6 minutes. Before continuing, strain the potatoes and let them a little period of cooling.

Step 4: Combine the ingredients and form the hash brown patties.

Combine the potatoes in a bowl with the sugar, cornstarch, dry beef stock powder, salt, and pepper—Transfer 1/4 cup of the hashbrown mixture on a piece of parchment paper afterward.

Make a rectangle out of the potatoes by flattening them. Add another 2-3 tablespoons of the potatoes on top, then fold the parchment paper over the top to help create the patties.

Repeat these final two procedures with the remaining hash brown mixture until you have about four large patties.

Step 5: Frying and Serving

Next, add the oil to a nonstick skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. After that, add the hashbrowns and fry them there for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown.

How To Store Hash Browns

You are aware by now that this McDonald’s hash browns recipe yields around four patties. Don’t worry if you can’t eat them all or decide to double the recipe since they really keep nicely.

You may keep the cooked hash browns in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. By the way, you can freeze the hash browns for up to 10 months if you want to store them for even longer. Just make sure the bag is freezer-safe. This is the approach I normally take. I usually prepare an extra batch of these McDonald’s hash browns since I like preparing and eating them so much. The excess batch is simply frozen, so it’s available anytime I need a quick side for breakfast.

In any case, I advise using parchment paper to line each patty in order to keep them from adhering or disintegrating.

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Reheating Hash Browns

The simplest method to reheat hash browns is to put them in the microwave and cook them for 20 seconds at a time until well hot.

Alternatively, you may bake your hash brown patties at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until they are well cooked, on a baking sheet coated with parchment paper or foil. This is the best approach if you want them to crisp back up.

McDonald’s Hash Browns Recipe

Ok, time for more detailed recipe instructions.

Ingredients

  • 3 Russet Potatoes
  • 1 tsp of Salt
  • 1 tsp of pepper
  • 1 tsp of sugar
  • 6 tbsp of Cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp of Vegetable Oil (sunflower or rapeseed)
  • 1 tsp of dry beef stock powder

Instructions

  • Peel and cut the potatoes, then put them in a bowl of cold water so they won’t turn brown. Next, grate the potatoes thru the large hole on a box grater.
  • Add cold water to the basin, then stir the potatoes well. Drain the water after it has become murky.
  • To release most of the liquid, move to a strainer and press.
  • On low heat, preheat a nonstick skillet. Add the potatoes to the heated oil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Before continuing, drain the potatoes using an oil strainer and give them a little time to cool.
  • Combine the salt, pepper, dry beef stock powder, and cornstarch with the potatoes in a bowl.
  • Put 1/4 cup of the mixture on a piece of parchment paper. Make it flat, like a rectangle shape. Add another 2–3 tablespoons of potatoes on top, and then fold the parchment paper over the top to make it flat. You can make the patties with the help of paper. Do the same thing with the rest of the mix.
  • Add the oil to a nonstick skillet that has been heated to medium-high. Add the hashbrowns to the skillet and cook them for a few minutes, turning them occasionally, until golden brown all over.

Share the image below to your Pinterest board if you like these McDonald’s hash browns!

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Conclusion

There is no way that this hash brown dish could be any more authentic. Every bite has the same deliciousness you adored every time you’ve eaten at McDonald’s, and the outside’s crisp crunch, buttery middle.

3.8/5 (104 Reviews)

Homemade McDonald's Hash Browns Copycat Recipe - Cooking Frog (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in a McDonald's hash brown? ›

Ingredients: Potatoes, Non-Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Rapeseed, in varying amounts), Salt, Maize Flour, Dehydrated Potato, Dextrose, Stabiliser (Diphosphates), Black Pepper Extract. Prepared in the restaurant using non-hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Why does McDonald's hashbrown taste so good? ›

To make their fried menu items healthier, McDonald's began cooking potato sides with vegetable oil in 1990. But the fast-food joint wasn't willing to sacrifice that signature flavor: McDonald's added natural beef flavoring to the oil to preserve the taste customers had come to love.

Which hash browns taste like McDonald's? ›

“In the case of hash browns, there are quite a few that are almost identical to McDonald's hash browns,” says Haracz and states the one he found to be the closest is “Season's Choice Hash Browns” found in Aldi stores.

Why do McDonald's hash browns taste different? ›

McDonald's blanches the potatoes first

It could be what they do with the potatoes. After making sure the potatoes aren't marked in any way, they're cut up into lengths. An important step that you won't see in all hash brown recipes comes next. The potato pieces are blanched.

Why won t my hash browns get crispy? ›

Most recipes for shredded hash browns advise squeezing the potatoes to release as much liquid as possible before they're cooked. This makes sense—potatoes are loaded with moisture, which makes browning difficult. By getting rid of excess water, you enable the potatoes to brown more evenly and quickly.

How does McDonald's get their hash browns so crispy? ›

Pham explains that the trick to extra crispy potatoes is to leave the hash browns in the fryer for "a few minutes past" the alarm that sounds to signal staff members that the item is ready to be served.

Why are McDonald's fries so addicting? ›

Eating those tasty McDonald's fries even releases dopamine in your brain, the neurotransmitter that triggers feelings of pleasure. So how does McDonald's do it? In addition to frying and seasoning the fries, McDonald's coats them in dextrose, a form a sugar.

How much did McDonald's hashbrowns used to cost? ›

Once costing two for a dollar, McDonald's hash browns now cost over $3 a pop in some locations. And the humble chicken sandwich is going for $8.

What brand of potatoes does McDonald's use? ›

Our World Famous Fries® are made from quality potatoes, including Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet, Umatilla Russet and the Shepody. The suppliers we work with first peel, cut and blanche the potatoes. They then dry, partially fry and quickly freeze the fries for our restaurants.

Why are Hash Browns triangle? ›

The triangular shape makes them easy to portion out, resulting in less loss.

Do McDonald's Hash Browns have onions in? ›

At time of writing this article the ingredients of McDonald's hash browns are potatoes, non-hydrogenated vegetable oil, salt, maize flour, dehydrated potato, dextrose, stabiliser and black pepper extract. As they do not contain onion, garlic or flavouring, these hash browns are low in FODMAPs.

How is hash brown made of? ›

A chef may prepare hash browns by either grating potato or forming riced potatoes into patties before frying with onions (moisture and potato starch can hold them together); however, if a binding agent is added (egg or flour for example), such a preparation constitutes a potato pancake.

What are hash brown patties made of? ›

Hash Brown Patties are shredded russet potatoes that are formed into patties and deep-fried to a crispy golden brown. Just like you get from stores and restaurants, but only four easy ingredients and the perfect way to start the day.

How does Mcdonald's make their fries golden brown? ›

The dextrose, a natural form of sugar, is to help achieve a uniform golden color and the sodium acid pyrophosphate prevents the potatoes from turning grayish after they are cooked, according to McDonald's.

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