Hash Brown Waffles
Hash Brown Waffles are golden brown on the outside, soft, and tender within. So easy, but so delicious, enjoy them for breakfast or brunch with eggs, bacon or sausage, or as a side to your favourite meals. I use my mini waffle maker to cook individual waffles, but you can cook in a standard waffle iron if preferred.
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Who doesn’t love hash browns? I’m talking about great homemade ones here of course, not those tasteless frozen ones. I think there’s something about crispy shards of potato enclosing a softer middle that’s just so good. But I also say, what’s not to like about waffles with the same pleasing textural contrast?
So, making Hash Brown Waffles seemed the obvious thing to try when I got my first waffle iron a few months ago. And I was so pleased with the results. I discovered that, besides the greater surface area provided by all those peaks and troughs giving an even better exterior, the waffle version has an even more tender inside.
HASH BROWN WAFFLES
I originally bought a mini waffle maker to try my hand at chaffles. These are low carb waffles often made with just egg and cheese, hence the name chaffle. I love those and I’m planning to write a post about them too. But, rather ironically, another favourite thing coming out of my waffle maker turned out to be unashamedly carb-y Hash Brown Waffles.
I mainly eat them as a weekend brunch topped with poached or fried eggs, maybe with some mushrooms and tomatoes on the side. Or perhaps as part of a full cooked breakfast as a change from Potato Farls/Irish potato cakes. But you can really eat them as a side to any meal where you might otherwise have boiled, mashed, fried or chipped potatoes.
INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT
You only need a handful of simple ingredients, plus salt and pepper, to make Hash Brown Waffles.
- Potatoes. Using a suitable variety of potato is the key to success with this recipe. You need to use a floury (as opposed to waxy) potato as the waffles need the starch to hold together properly. The texture will also be nicer when it comes to eating them. I recommend Maris Piper, King Edward, or Rooster potatoes.
- Onion. I include a little onion for background flavour.
- Cheese. These waffles don’t have a noticeably cheesy flavour, but it does help bind them.
- Garlic powder (optional). I like a background flavour of garlic, but you can leave out if preferred.
- Egg. This is essential to bind the waffles. If you’re looking for egg-free, then you’d be best making regular hash browns fried in a pan.
- Oil. Just a little is needed to grease your waffle iron. I use sunflower oil.
Of course, you’re going to need a waffle maker. I love the cute, 10-centimetre round waffles from my mini waffle maker. The downside is that you can only make one waffle at time, so the process does take longer. If you have a regular sized waffle iron then you could use that, although the recipe hasn’t been tested with one. The recipe card at the end makes 3 small Hash Brown Waffles (4 if you prefer them thinnish) but you may need to adjust the ingredient amounts depending on your appliance.
The important thing is to make sure you’re familiar with your waffle maker. If you’ve been using it successfully and understand how much oil it needs to prevent sticking, then you shouldn’t have any problems.
HOW TO MAKE HASH BROWN WAFFLES
The first step is probably the most important one. Potatoes naturally contain a lot of water which, as they cook, could prevent the hash browns becoming crispy. So, we extract some of it first.
All you do is grate the washed potatoes (skin-on or off, as preferred) into a bowl along with the onion. Stir in a little salt then leave for 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. Different potatoes will give out varying amounts of water, but you might be surprised at just how much liquid comes out. Now take handfuls of the potato and give it a good squeeze to get even more water out. Transfer each handful to a sieve when done.
Now take a big bowl and crack in the egg. Beat it with a fork then add a large pinch of salt, a good grind of pepper, the garlic powder if using, plus the grated cheese. Stir these together then switch on your waffle maker to heat up. Before adding the potatoes and onions to the egg mixture, I like to squeeze it in handfuls again.
HOW TO COOK
To cook the Hash Brown Waffles, first brush the heated plates with oil. Then spoon in one third of the potato mixture (or one quarter of it if you want to make 4 thinner mini waffles, or all of it if using a regular sized waffle iron), covering the peaks. Close the lid and cook until it’s golden brown on the outside and tender within. This will vary depending on your appliance; in mine it’s 8 – 9 minutes. As a rough guide, the waffle is likely to be done when there’s no longer lots of steam coming out of the machine.
One tip: don’t be tempted to sneak a peek and lift the lid too soon. If the potato is some way off being cooked, there’s a good chance it will stick to the top plate.
When it’s done, remove the waffle to a wire rack (or keep it warm in a medium oven) while you repeat the process with the rest of the potato mix. Remember each time to re-oil the waffle maker and stir the mixture to reincorporate any liquid that’s separated from the vegetables.
EATING, STORING & REHEATING
I most often eat my Hash Brown Waffles with eggs. I’m a big fan of the potato-egg combination whether that’s a classic Spanish tortilla, Irish potato cakes with fried eggs, or egg and chips. And golden potato hash browns, with runny yolks collecting in the ridges of a waffle, are right up there. But I think they’d go with almost any other meal where you might serve potatoes.
If you’re not eating them straight away, the waffles can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days or frozen. You’ve various ways of reheating them. I’ve done them in a toaster, a medium oven and, although not recommended, even the microwave. But my current favourite is in an air fryer. My smallish one fits three mini potato waffles perfectly. I preheat at 180 degrees Celsius then air fry for 3 minutes. Yours may take a little less or longer depending on your appliance and the thickness of your waffles.
If you’ve made this recipe, I’ve love to know what you thought. Please do leave a comment and rating.
Hash Brown Waffles
Golden brown on the outside, soft and tender within, these easy but delicious Hash Brown Waffles are great at breakfast, brunch or as a side to all sorts of meals.
I use my mini waffle maker to cook three thick or four thinner 10 cm waffles. You could use a standard sized waffle iron if preferred, but note that the recipe has only been tested with a mini waffle maker. Estimated cooking time assumes three small waffles made one after the other.
To get the best results, read the accompanying blog post with images before starting the recipe.
Ingredients
- 300 g potatoes (weight after peeling or leave unpeeled) (see Recipe Notes for type of potato to use)
- 1 small onion
- salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 40 g cheese (mature or mild, grated)
- 1 medium egg
- oil for greasing
Instructions
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Wash the potatoes and coarsely grate into a bowl. Finely grate the onion into the bowl. Stir in ½ tsp of salt and set aside for 10 minutes: do not skip this step as it draws some of the liquid from the vegetables which would otherwise make the waffles too wet to cook properly.
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Meanwhile, crack the egg into a separate bowl, beat with a fork, then stir in the garlic powder if using plus the black pepper, a large pinch of salt, and the grated cheese.
Switch on your waffle maker to preheat.
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Take handfuls over the potato-onion mixture and squeeze firmly to extract and discard as much liquid as possible. Transfer handfuls to a sieve when done.
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Repeat the squeezing, this time adding each squeezed handful to the bowl with egg, cheese and seasonings.
Stir together.
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Brush or spray oil onto the preheated waffle plate then spoon in ⅓ or ¼ of the mixture depending on whether you want 3 thick or 4 thinner hash browns (or add all of the mixture to a standard size waffle iron). Spread so it covers the peaks of the waffle iron.
Close the lid and cook until golden brown on the outside and tender within. Depending on your appliance and the thickness of the waffle, this could take 6 - 10 minutes.
Tip 1: once steam stops coming out, the waffle is usually done.
Tip 2: don't be tempted to lift the lid too early as uncooked potato is likely to stick to the top plate of the waffle maker.
Remove to a wire rack (or low oven if you want to keep them warm) and repeat the process to make more waffles, oiling the waffle maker again each time and stirring the mixture to reincorporate any liquid that's separated out.
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If not eating straight away, store in the fridge for 2 - 3 days or freeze.
Reheat: in a toaster, moderately hot oven (200°C/180° Fan/Gas 6/400°F), or an air fryer at 180°C until piping hot on the inside and crispy in the middle.
Microwaving not recommended as the waffles will become soft.
Recipe Notes
Varieties of potato for Hash Brown Waffles.
You'll get the best results with potatoes regarded as floury rather than waxy as the waffles will hold together better. Recommended varieties include Maris Piper, King Edward, and Rooster.
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