If you have a flat top grill, then chances are you’ve made griddle hash browns. But do you know how to make the best crispy hashbrowns on the Blackstone? We tried 4 different types of hash browns to see which were the best for cooking on the griddle… Here are the results, plus some tips for making the BEST hash browns on the flat top grill!
A flat top grill breakfast just isn’t complete without bacon, perfectly scrambled griddle eggs, and crispy hash browns.
I’m a huge fan of crispy hash browns. When I order mine smothered and covered at Waffle House, I ask for them to be “well done”. You can’t beat the crunchy strings of potatoes on the sides and the perfectly soft (but not mushy) texture on the inside. It’s pure potato perfection!
But many new griddle owners complain of mushy hash browns when they first try cooking them on the griddle. In fact, overly soft potatoes that stick together in a big pile of starchy mess are a fairly common occurrence for people that aren’t familiar with griddle cooking.
But with the right amount of oil or butter, properly prepared potatoes, and a whole lot of patience, you can have the best griddle hash browns at home, without driving to your local diner.
Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about how to cook hash browns on the griddle, including what type of hash brown potatoes work best, what griddle temperature to cook at, and my best tips for griddling perfectly crispy shredded hash browns every time:
Why You’ll LOVE Cooking Hash Browns on the Griddle:
- Cook a bunch of hash browns at once. The large surface area of most outdoor griddles is perfect for cooking crispy hash browns for a large family. With a 3 or 4 burner griddle, you can easily make 4-6 servings of perfectly cooked hash browns at one time.
- Large flat griddle surface makes flipping easier. The great thing about griddling items like hash browns and pancakes that need to be flipped is that you don’t have to try and maneuver around the sides of a skillet. Since a griddle is flat, you have plenty of space to slide your spatula underneath the hash browns and flip them easily, without your patties falling apart.
- Make other breakfast items while hash browns are cooking. Take advantage of the large cooking surface and make other breakfast items at the same time. You can cook your pancakes, sausage, or even sauté peppers and onions while the hash brown potatoes are cooking, saving you time and dishes!
What type of hash browns did we test on the griddle?
Since hash browns are probably one of the most popular foods to cook on a griddle, and since there are so many different types of potatoes you can buy to make griddle hash browns, we decided to do the ultimate taste test.
Here are the different potatoes and hash browns that we tried for our taste test:
- raw potato – We actually grated a raw potato and then dried the potato shreds on a paper towel.
- refrigerated bagged shredded hashbrowns – You can find these in your grocer’s refrigerator section. We used the Simply Potatoes brand.
- frozen hash browns – We used the Ore-Ida brand of shredded hash browns.
- dehydrated hash browns – You can find small milk carton-style containers of dehydrated shredded potatoes at Costco, Dollar Tree, or Amazon… I have had difficulties finding this style of potatoes at the major grocery stores.
Tips for Cooking the Best Griddle Hash Browns
Whether you use fresh potatoes or bagged frozen hash browns, here are our best tips for cooking hash browns on the Blackstone or other griddle:
Dry the hash brown potatoes before adding them to the griddle.
Moisture is the enemy of crispiness. If the hash browns contain excess moisture, they will steam rather than brown when placed on the hot griddle. By removing this moisture, you allow the hash browns to develop a crispy, golden-brown crust when cooked.
The easiest way that I have found to remove the excess moisture from your potatoes is with a clean kitchen towel, cheesecloth, or paper towel. However, if you use a paper towel, remember that all brands are not created equally… some may be more prone to tearing, which you don’t want because then you’ll end up with paper shreds in your potatoes. I personally use and recommend the Kirkland brand of paper towels from Costco.
Simply add a handful of shredded hash browns to the center of the towel, gather the ends of the towel, and twist tightly (like you’re wringing the towel out) over the kitchen sink. You should see a good amount of liquid come through the towel or cheesecloth. Continue squeezing until no more liquid comes out.
*If you’ve ever squeezed spinach, grated cucumber, or shredded zucchini for various recipes, then the process is the same.
Make sure the griddle is hot enough.
You can’t expect your shredded hash browns to crisp up if the griddle temperature is too low. Aim for a griddle temperature of about 400 to 425 degrees F. You want the temperature to be in that perfect range – low enough so that the potatoes don’t burn before they cook through, and hot enough that they’re able to get nice and crispy.
It’s also important to flip your hash browns to the second side in a new “zone”, or an area on the griddle that didn’t previously have food on it. That’s because adding food to your griddle top can drastically reduce the surface temp in that area, so if you were to flip the hash browns to the second side in the exact same spot, the temp will be lower and your second side may not crisp up as easily.
Use plenty of oil or butter.
In my YouTube videos, I preach that there are two secrets to the perfect hash browns: 1) Lots of oil (or butter) and 2) Lots of patience. Be sure that you lubricate your surface with plenty of oil so that the potatoes are able to fry and get crispy. Also, before I flip the hash browns to the second side, I add a few pads of butter to the top so that each side gets equally crispy.
Notice in the photo below, I’ve got a few pads of butter on each pile of hash browns before flipping them to the second side to cook on my Traeger Flat Rock griddle:
Recipe Tip:
If you’re worried about your butter burning on the hot griddle surface (because butter burns at about 350 degrees F), then you can add a squirt of a high heat oil, like avocado oil, to the pad of butter as it’s melting on the griddle. This will help to raise the burn point of the butter and prevent the burnt flavor.
Comments & Reviews
Kathi Hawley says
We shredded fresh potatoes, rinsed them in cold water multiple times then spun them in a salad spinner to dry, excellent!!!! For those that don’t have the hand strength to wring their potatoes out with a tea towel this worked great for me.