What’s better than breakfast? Brunch. (There, I said it.)
Specifically when potatoes are involved.
These “haystacks” were inspired by my love for hash browns and my laziness to stand over the stove and actually cook them.
I packed them into muffin tins, watched Youtube for 30 minutes, and voila! Crispy, savory, perfect hash browns for you and for me.
All is right in the land again, friends. Let’s make some spuds.
This recipe requires just 7 ingredients,and comes together in less than 1 hour.
Can I share my secret for shredding potatoes in 1 minute? The grater attachment on the food processor. It is a revelation.
DO IT. You’ll never shy away from hash browns and veggie slaws again (nor should you).
To bring some sweetness and freshness to the game, I included corn and fresh parsley.
And for binding and moisture, I opted for cornstarch and a little melted vegan butter (which can be subbed for another oil of your choice).
The result was perfectly browned hash browns that were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and begging to be dunked in hot sauce and stuffed in your mouth (or served alongside your favorite breakfast scramble).
Friends, if you try this insanely easy recipe, let us know! Leave a comment it, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers!
Crispy Hash Brown Haystacks
Ingredients
- 4 cups loosely packed grated russet potatoes* (3 potatoes yield ~4 cups)
- 1 medium shallot, very thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (or other herb of choice)
- 1/2 cup fresh or canned corn (if canned, very well drained // not frozen)
- 2 Tbsp melted vegan butter (or sub coconut oil // plus more for cooking)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch (for binding)
- 1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper (plus more to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and arrange a rack in the center of the oven. Also line a standard muffin tin with parchment liners (to prevent sticking) and generously grease them with oil of choice (for flavor).
- Add grated potatoes (see notes for my go-to method) to a large mixing bowl with shallot, parsley, corn, melted vegan butter, cornstarch, salt and pepper and stir to thoroughly combine.
- Divide mixture evenly between 12 muffin tins (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), filling each tin with about 1/4 cup of the potato mixture. Press down gently to form. Sprinkle the tops with a pinch more salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes.
- At the 20-minute mark, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F (218 C) and bake for 10-12 minutes more, or until the tops appear golden brown, and the edges are dark golden brown.
- Best when fresh. To freeze, arrange baked haystacks in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then store in a freezer-safe container up to 3-4 weeks. Reheat in the microwave or a 350-degree F (176 C) oven until completely warmed through.
Notes
*I haven’t tried substituting russet potatoes for sweet potatoes, but if you do let me know! I’m sure they would be delicious.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without additional toppings.
Jordan says
While the flavor is okay, I feel that there are steps missing. Should the potatoes be drained? Mixing everything together, the flavor barely comes out, and while being in the oven for about 35 minutes total, the insides are still soggy and uncooked. The only part that cooked is the very outer edges which are crispy, but that’s it, otherwise they fall apart
We’re so sorry you had a negative experience with the recipe, Jordan. We haven’t found it necessary to squeeze out the potatoes, but it wouldn’t hurt. As for the soggy texture, we’ve found that if using a fine grater (vs. the larger holes usually used for grated cheese), that can contribute to excess moisture.
Meredith says
I agree with the other commenters that this recipe was lacking. Also missing some key instructions— should we peel the potatoes, rinse them, squeeze the moisture out? I didn’t rinse or dry the shredded potatoes since the recipe didn’t say to, and mine came out sticking to the liners and mushy. I’ll stick to Budget Bytes’ hash brown recipe, I had much better luck with the stovetop method.
Hi Meredith, we’re so sorry to hear that was your experience. We’ve found there’s no need to peel or rinse the potatoes, nor squeeze out the moisture. Though doing those things won’t hurt! Did you spray the liners with oil? As for the mushy texture, we’ve found that if using a fine grater (vs. the larger holes usually used for grated cheese), that can contribute to excess moisture.
Gillian Hill says
I made these yesterday. I live in Spain and they don’t put type of potato on the bag, they are just potato’s. I followed the recipe.
I peeled potato’s and used processor to grated them. I then rinsed them and squeezed all excess water out and then used a towel to dry further. Then put into the bowl to mix
They turned out lovely and crispy on top but underneath was still a bit sticky. I think it was because I used a silicone tray and should have left them in the oven slightly longer
They tasted lovely and will try again but with a tin tray
Thanks for sharing your experience, Gillian! xo
Laura says
I never leave comments on recipes but this one was very disappointing, especially when I followed the instructions exactly and the finished product looks nothing like the picture. Used raw russet potatoes, shredded in the food processor, frozen well-drained corn, and everything else was exactly as directed (except used real butter which shouldn’t hurt). Did the original recipe truly use raw, unpeeled russet potatoes which were not rinsed/drained/dried/baked or otherwise pretreated? My final product was a crusty on the outside, soggy on the inside, grey mushy wet mess. Clearly way too much moisture although I followed the recipe. Sad waste of ingredients and time!
Laura, sorry to hear that! We will revisit this one and make any improvements we can!
Magda says
This is the first time one of your recipes doesn’t work for me. I followed the instructions but it did not work. I’ve seen from other comments that I’m not alone. It was soggy, not crispy and rather grey looking. So weird! I love your work and I thank you for sharing your recipes!
Magda, sorry to hear that and thanks for sharing! One way to mitigate the grey color is to use Yukon gold potatoes, which have a lighter / golden peel and don’t impact the color. As for being soggy / not crispy, it sounds like perhaps they just needed a bit more time in the oven?
Marie says
I had always had the greying issue in the past. I don’t if it helps but I find it doesn’t happen if I get all the other ingredients into the bowl, the oven heated and muffins tin ready to go, and then grate the potato at the last minute and then mix it in and get them into the oven as quickly as possible, to minimise the time the raw potato is in contact with the air. I hope this helps.
Rich R says
Delicious as always! I didn’t get the same visual results the center was a little soggy. Any suggestions for doing these with out the use of oil?
Hmm, you could put them in cupcake liners or use a silicon liner, then bake slightly longer?
Tracy B says
Delicious! I sprayed the tops with additional olive oil to try to get a nice crispy top but they did not get fully crispy on the top, but the edges were dark brown. Very good nonetheless!
Thanks for sharing, Tracy!!
VijayaH says
Turned out good. I added cilantro instead of parsley and added some grated ginger. I had to squeeze out water from potatoes as well. My muffin pan only makes 6, so made flattened balls with the rest of the mixture and baked on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. That turned out better than the ones in the muffin pan. Thank you for all your awesome recipes.
Thanks for sharing, Vijaya!
Marie says
I made this recipe today with a little extra corn flour and oil and they’re very good. I used baking paper liners which probably made them a bit less crisp than straight into the muffin tin but they were still nice and crunchy and held together perfectly. I think next time I will drain the grated potato to get them even more crisp. Thank you for the recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing, Marie!
Marie Biddix says
Made with modifications and still amazing! Will make over and over. Going to freeze these for some quick meals! I read the comments and I hope this answers some questions that I saw, and also some that I had. With my changes (due to diet and what was in the kitchen) these were still AMAZING! I used arrowroot to replace the cornstarch, leftover cold potatoes from the fridge instead of fresh, omitted the corn and used white onion instead of shallot, about 1/2 cup in order to make up some of the bulk lost in not using the corn. I did not trust my muffin tins to be non-stick and try to keep oil consumption to a minimum, so I used parchment liners. Tops and bottoms were brown and crispy. So Good!
Yay!! Thanks for sharing, Marie!!
Anya says
These were really delicious. My kids loved them too. I used olive oil instead of vegan butter or coconut oil. The only problem was getting them out of the muffin tin. Despite greasing with olive oil, they completely stuck to the sides and bottom. Has anyone else found that? Maybe it was because i used olive oil to grease the tin?
Hi Anya! Some tins are more prone to sticking than others. I don’t think it would have been caused by the change in oil type. You could also try lining with cupcake liners for easier removal next time!
Aleisha says
Hi! These look delicious. Is it possible to make these without oil?
If made in a silicon or paper-lined muffin tin, yes it should work!
Sneha says
If I have frozen corn, Should I thaw it before using? Or do you not recommend?
Thawed would be ideal so you can drain off any excess moisture to help keep them crispy!
Jane says
I have made this but swapping half potato for celeriac..
I used celeriac as it was in the fridge…
Very taste.. I like served with beetroot hummus..
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Jane! xo
Anna says
This looks delicious! Do you think adding some mushrooms and spinach would make these too soggy?
Thank you!
We do, unless maybe you sauté them first until most of the moisture evaporates. Let us know if you try it!
Niralee Yeisley says
Making them again!
Yay!
Niralee Yeisley says
This is my first time trying to make haystacks I am vegan and my husband is not so we added some eggs and sausage to his. I am really excited as they are still in the oven I plan to use this as quick breakfast on weekdays and pair with something on weekends for example with avocado toast (I am doing that today 😉 ). Thank you for all the good recipes that you add on here . I have a feeling I am going to be making these often!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Niralee. We are so glad you are enjoying our recipes! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Donna says
I’m making these agaim.for the second time. They’re great. I also add fresh herbs fr the garden. Today I’m going to use rosemary.
Love the additions, Donna! Thanks so much for sharing!
Natalie Mbogo says
Hi there! Long time fan and first time comment!
This is the only recipe that foils me every time. I use sweet potatoes and no matter what I do I can’t get them to crisp up or keep a shape: not in a muffin tin, not with hand shaping, not on parchment paper, nothing. They’re currently in my oven atill 45 minutes later and they’re soggy and limp in the muffin tin.
Any ideas on how to get that crisp factor? I’m using everything above with the exception of substituting sweet potatoes. I tried wringing moisture but no avail.
Please help!
Hi Natalie, we haven’t tried subbing sweet potatoes, so we’re not sure what to advise! Perhaps take a look at this recipe for inspiration?
Jacinda says
Hi team, great recipe, we use it all the time. We use the measurements and ingredients as a guide, and just go for it with whatever we have fresh in season. We serve these tasty little morsels on a bed of chickweed, or finely chopped spinach, or pea shoots, or coriander. Oh yes, and always about 1-2 cups of fresh, finely chopped coriander goes in…then the final touch is a cayenne or chilli infused relish made from end of season tomatoes. We make enough for six people for a meal, and the total prep time is usually around 20 minutes to get them in the oven. Love this recipe…great work team…this is the stuff of our family happiness. Oh, we fill one oven tray, then use a biscuit tray lined with brown baking paper and just hand shape about another 10 or 12. Super easy to squish and holds together. Legends. Cheers.
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Jacinda! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Kate says
Made these today. I noted another comment that suggested taking some of the moisture out of the potatoes. I used my nut milk bag and rung some of the moisture out of the grated potatoes which helped.
I also used a silicon muffin tin which made them easy to get out. They turned out great. Even my fussy husband is a fan.
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Kate!
Kiran says
I liked the recipe, but I think as a personal preference it was a little bland. I added a lot more garlic powder and also paprika, but it couldn’t have used something else. Also, not sure if others had experienced it being a little mushy on the bottom of the cups. Also wondering can you add other veggies such as mushrooms or bell peppers or would the make the cups too mushy. Overall I think this was a great alternative breakfast. Also, I had no idea about being able to shred potatoes in the food processor!! This was super exciting to find out. Thanks for the recipe!
Tracy says
I did this without the corn and they were good but had a gray color to them. I did not take the skin off of the potato. If I peel them first should that help with the color?
Yes, we think that would help make it less of a gray color. Let us know how it goes!
Dana says
Delicious! I also use this recipe for Hannukkah, I use a 3:1 ratio of potatoes to onions and no other ingredient. Comes out perfect! Thanks for another easy and versitile vegan recipe!!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Dana! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Jeff says
One of the worst recipes I’ve ever followed. Disgusting!
Sorry you didn’t enjoy these, Jeff! Did you modify anything, by chance?
Julie Podlich says
They come out really crunchy? Been trying to figure out something “latke like” that doesn’t require standing over the stove (and cleaning up oil splatter for an hour).
So you’d like them less crunchy? Perhaps cook at a lower temperature for slightly longer. OR use the same recipe but flatten into discs and bake on a parchment-lined tray at 400-425 F until golden brown?
Julie says
Thanks for replying. I guess I wasn’t too clear in my question. I do want them to be very crunchy! I’ll give this a try, minus the corn. Thanks for all the interesting recipes
Tammy says
This was a fun breakfast recipe. I followed it as written with the addition of one thinly sliced serrano pepper and about a quarter cup of diced red bell pepper. Both enhanced the color and the serrano gave a nice kick. I had a rough time mixing in the arrowroot and the coconut butter. It was a little clumpy probably more my technique than anything. I also had a rough time getting them out of the pan. I sprayed it with avocado oil but clearly that was not a good option. Taste was fantastic! I served them with spicy ketchup and wing sauce. I’ll definitely try them again but do need to practice a bit.
Thanks for sharing!
Nicole says
I made mine with this recipe as the guide, but I switched it up a bit based on what I had and my taste. These were fabulous! I didn’t have parsley, or shallots so I used green onion, and I added jack cheese. They were so good! Great recipe.
Lovely – thanks for sharing!!
Vina Rostomyan says
Please make an app!
Thanks for the suggestion, Vina! We will add it to our ideas list.
Marta says
I yams instead of russets and tapioca in stead of suggested starches and they came out divine. Thank you for yet another wonderful inspiration!
Betsy Hicks says
Here’s what happened….I arrive in Argentina in a remote area with no car. I have with my autistic son who can’t eat gluten, dairy, eggs, corn….and the list goes on. I bring with me a bag of Arrowroot flour from the USA because that’s what prepared mom’s do as it would be days until I could get to a place I could get more ingredients. I wake up wondering what the heck I’m going to feed this kid. “Dana, help!” I see this recipe and know I can improvise. In the garden, I found a squash growing, similar to a pumpkin. I replace the potato with the pumpkin and create a breakfast masterpiece! Thanks, Dana
Giselle Soldati says
¡Que bueno, Betsy! Me imagino que tus hash browns se han quedado buenísimas!… mi novio és argentino y yo soy brasileña, pero vivimos en California. Mandandole de aqui mucho amor y paz en este tiempo difícil! ♥️??
Zonetta Glenn says
Can you use frozen hash brown potatoes instead of fresh potatoes? Would you first thaw and then pat dry? I’m making them tonight for a group.
Yes, that should work! Let us know how you make out :D
Zonetta Glenn says
Thank you. I’ll let you know.
Maria Ortiz-Malte says
Do you think I can make this in a big pie pan or cast iron pan?
Yes, that should work out nicely!
Camil says
These are pretty delicious. I ended up making 2 batches by accident. I sprayed non-stick coating canola oil on the muffin tin cans, then sprayed it on top prior to baking. The first batch didn’t turn out brown on top, because I forgot to change the oven settings midway. The second one, I remembered to change it to 425 F, and it turned out beautiful! I may need to tinker the seasonings a bit for my taste, but thanks for sharing!
Luisa Stoler says
A super important element I need in all my box graters is ease of cleaning. It drives me crazy having to clean out certain sides. dipping it a few times in boiling soapy water can leaved fragments that make me lose my mind. I think being able to slide out the sides is an incredibly helpful aspect of a box grater.
Varsanarani Myers says
I made these this morning and they turned out blue and gummy. As some other folks have asked, I’m wondering if I should have squeezed out the water after shredding them. There was a ton of water and since the instructions didn’t say to squeeze them out, I didn’t. Any suggestions?
Hi! I am wondering if you used a different variety of potato?
Easter says
Mine did the same thing. Grey and soggy. I even grated mine over a strainer to get some of the water out and tried cooking the 2nd half in a skillet. They taste ‘ok’ but do not look appetizing. :(
Grated potatoes do oxidize. One way to keep the color more appetizing is to use golden potatoes, which have a richer color. And also remove the peels before grating so the brown doesn’t affect the color.