Sweet Potato Hash Browns

5 from 1 vote

Published 10/31/2018 • Updated 7/12/2022

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These 5-ingredient sweet potato hash browns are a delicious addition to any breakfast and are a great hash brown substitute in recipes calling for regular hash browns. All you need is a sturdy cheese grater and a few large sweet potatoes to get started!

It’s no secret that we love sweet potatoes – they’re a staple in the Fit Foodie kitchen! Whether they’re roasted, baked, mashed, fried, or pureed, we love finding new ways to add these deliciously sweet taters to our favorite recipes.

Today’s sweet potato hash browns come together quickly and easily in the comfort of your own kitchen. Serve them as a side to any breakfast or substitute them in any of your favorite recipes with hash browns. They’re still wonderfully crispy, but made with less oil for a wholesome alternative to classically greasy hash browns.

After testing this recipe, we have two tips for perfect sweet potato hash browns: 1) use a cheese grater (!!) to shred the sweet potatoes and 2) begin cooking the hash browns low and slow on the stovetop. This draws out some of the moisture before cranking up the heat for the last couple minutes.

What You Need for Sweet Potato Hash Browns

These sweet potato hash browns come together with 5 simple ingredients:

Sweet potatoes
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Sweet Potato Hash Brown Variations

Use our recipe for sweet potato hash browns as a starting point and mix it up based on what you’re serving with the hash browns. Here are 2 variations to try:

Spices/Seasonings: Feel free to add your favorite spices or homemade seasonings to the recipe in step 2. Add a pinch of cayenne for some heat, a sprinkle of cinnamon for a sweet/savory combo, homemade everything bagel seasoning, or homemade ranch seasoning.

Ultra Crunchy Hash Browns: If you’re looking for that classic, greasy hash brown texture, you’ll want to double or triple the amount of oil and essentially “fry” the grated sweet potato.

FAQ

What’s the best way to grate sweet potatoes?

A cheese grater! It’s so easy to do and is much simpler than getting out the food processor for only this step.

Can you add cheese to these hash browns?

For a cheesy version, make our baked cheddar sweet potato hash browns.

How can you make these hash browns crispier?

For crispier sweet potato hash browns, add more olive oil (double or triple what our recipe calls for) to fry the sweet potatoes. This will give the sweet potatoes that classic hash brown crisp and crunch.

Storage

These sweet potato hash browns are best enjoyed fresh. If you do have any leftover, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. When ready to reheat, use the microwave or, for crispy leftovers, reheat the hash browns in a skillet.

Make Ahead Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Grate the sweet potatoes up to 2 days ahead of when you’d like to make these hash browns. Store the grated potatoes in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator – make sure to get as much air out as possible so the potatoes don’t dry out. When ready to cook the hash browns, continue with the recipe as written.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy these homemade sweet potato hash browns as a side for breakfast, brinner, or anytime a recipe calls for regular hash browns. We love them with frittata, strata, breakfast egg cups, and breakfast stuffed peppers or use them in our sweet potato hash protein bowl or sweet potato hash egg cups.

5 from 1 vote

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Learn how to make crunchy sweet potato hash browns at home! They're a great addition to breakfast, brunch, buddha bowls, and more.

By: Lee Funke

Prep: 15

Cook: 15

Total: 30

Servings:

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Ingredients

Instructions

Rinse, dry, and peel the sweet potatoes. Use a medium/large cheese grater to grate the sweet potatoes. You should have about 4.5 cups of grated sweet potatoes.
Add the grated sweet potatoes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Mix well.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. When the oil is fragrant, add the sweet potato hash brown mixture to the skillet.
Cook the hash browns for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes.
Increase the heat to high and cook the hash browns for another 4 minutes, stirring and flipping after 2 minutes. Serve warm.

Tips & Notes

Storage: Store leftover sweet potato hash browns in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or, for crispy leftovers, reheat in a skillet.
Make Ahead Instructions: Grate the sweet potatoes up to 2 days ahead of when you’d like to make these hash browns. Store the grated potatoes in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator – make sure to get as much air out as possible so the potatoes don’t dry out. When ready to cook the hash browns, continue with the recipe as written.
Crunchier Hash Browns: For crunchier sweet potato hash browns, add more olive oil to fry the sweet potatoes. This will give the sweet potatoes that classic hash brown crunchiness.