The Secret To Making Hash Browns In An Air Fryer

Let's be honest: hash browns are basically an excuse to eat fries for breakfast. Crispy, carby, and oh-so-comforting, they're good with everything from eggs to gravy or sautéed veggies. But you'll take hash browns to a whole new level if you make them in an air fryer. There's no messy oil splatters here, no sticking, and no need to freak out when that portion you tried to flip completely crumbles apart in the pan. It's no surprise that many of us hold off on hash browns until we're eating out for breakfast.

First, the air fryer. These kitchen gadgets have been all the rage thanks to their claim to "fry" foods quickly with little to no added oil (via Taste of Home). According to Wired, they're really not frying anything at all — they're more like "convection ovens in a bucket." Not to mention, these appliances also take up a lot of countertop real estate, according to Taste. The advantages are hard to argue with, though: frozen food cooks up fast, and absolutely everything tastes better fried.

The air fryer may not seem too complicated, but to master the art of air fryer hash browns, you'll need a few tricks of the trade. This Healthy Kitchen has a method for making a huge, crispy round of fried potatoes from scratch. The author uses a round Ninja air fryer in this case, yellow potatoes, plus a little bit of avocado oil and salt. She adds in some extra onion powder for a kick of flavor, and you can add in any other spices to customize the hash browns.

The key to these crispy hash browns is to soak the potatoes in cold water after grating. This acts to remove extra starches for extra crunch and prevents the potatoes from going gray (via The Pioneer Woman). Another crucial step is removing as much moisture from the potatoes as possible before cooking them to prevent them from getting soggy. This Healthy Kitchen uses a clean dish towel to press them dry. They add a little oil to the mix, grease the air fryer basket, and then spread them out on the bottom to cook — no flipping required. Voila! A perfect circle of golden-brown hash browns.