Hash Brown Waffles | No-Oil
Making waffle iron hash browns is a quick and easy way to achieve perfectly crispy, golden-brown potatoes with minimal effort. This method evenly cooks the hash browns, giving them a delicious crunch that’s hard to resist.
In the past, I used to make hashbrowns in my nonstick frying pan but always had to hang around the stove to flip them when one side finished browning. Thankfully, I discovered a better way by using my waffle iron because it cooks on both sides at one time. No flipping required!
We have many great vegan breakfast recipes on this website like my tofu breakfast scramble and this smoked tempeh bacon.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Crispy and Guilt-Free: These waffle iron hash browns are oil-free, offering a perfectly crispy texture without the extra calories, making them a healthier breakfast option.
- Easy and Convenient: Cooking hash browns in a waffle iron is quick and hassle-free, delivering evenly cooked, golden-brown potatoes with minimal effort.
- No Mess, No Fuss: Without the need for oil, these hash browns are less greasy and easier to clean up, so you can enjoy a delicious breakfast without the mess.
- Versatile and Customizable: These hash browns are the perfect base for your favorite toppings and seasonings, allowing you to customize them to your taste for a satisfying and flavorful meal.
Tips for hash browns
Ingredients you will need
- Hash browns- I prefer buying frozen hash browns without any oil or additives. Off-brands tend to be oil-free and without seasonings, and they are less expensive.
- Onion- Caramelized and crispy, with their natural sugars developing a rich, sweet flavor. The waffle iron’s heat cooks the onions evenly while creating a delightful texture that enhances their taste and makes them a unique and flavorful addition to various dishes.
- Seasonings- Garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, dry steak seasoning, and salt are the seasonings we use to flavor these potatoes.
Tips for hash browns
Frozen hash browns- When shopping for frozen hash browns, check the ingredient list well. You will want to buy the ones that are only shredded potatoes and have no added oil, salt, or other ingredients. I have found that off-brands such as Aldi, Walmart, and other grocery stores are perfectly compliant and quite inexpensive.
I like to use them to make hash brown waffles for breakfast sometimes as well because they cook both sides at one time, and no flipping is required.
Fresh hash browns- I’ve read some comments from people who have made this recipe with fresh shredded potatoes. My understanding is that the potatoes need to be shredded, and soaked. Then the water squeezed out well. Here is the process that includes soaking and squeezing towards the bottom of the page.
How to make waffle hash browns
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: Heat your waffle iron and make sure it’s been seasoned recently to prevent sticking.
The hash browns will be added to the hot waffle iron still frozen. There is no need to defrost them.
Add spices and seasonings desired. Some of my favorites are sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and smoked paprika.
STEP #2: Diced onions make a terrific addition. I sometimes like to and other veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, and even spinach.
After sprinkling the seasonings and adding the diced onions, lower the lid and allow to cook for approximately 6-8 minutes. Waffle iron temperatures differ, so check regularly until you find the right cooking time for your appliance.
STEP #3: Once done, remove from the heat, unplug the waffle iron, and serve warm with toast and fresh fruit. Healthy Vegan Grits are also a great option for serving with these. Tofu scramble with veggies is a perfect compliment for this recipe.
*Originally published December 2014.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure to purchase frozen hash browns that have no additives. They need to be simply potatoes. Walmart, Aldi, and many grocery stores carry these, and I have found that no-name brands are excellent because they often don’t have any additives. Just be sure to read the labels.
Sure, though I’ve never done that myself. There is a process fresh hash browns have to go through of soaking and squeezing out excess water, and I just like to keep it simple with frozen ones.
A couple of important things to remember to keep it from sticking. First, always season your waffle iron or press periodically to maintain the surface area. Second, allow plenty of cooking time for potatoes to get crispy.
More Vegan Breakfast Potato Recipes
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Waffle Iron Hash Browns No Oil
Ingredients
- frozen hash browns amount desired
- 1/4 cup diced onions
- 1 spinkle garlic powder
- 1 sprinkle onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- any other vegetables desired mushrooms, spinach, etc
Instructions
- Make sure to purchase frozen hash browns that have no additives. They need to be simply potatoes. Walmart, Aldi's, and many grocery stores carry these. Just be sure to read the labels.
- Heat your waffle iron and make sure it's been seasoned recently to prevent sticking. The hash browns will be added to the hot waffle iron still frozen. There is no need to defrost them.
- Add spices and seasonings desired. Some of my favorites are sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and smoked paprika.
- Diced onions make a terrific addition. I sometimes like to and other veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, and even spinach.
- After sprinkling the seasonings and adding the diced onions, lower the lid and allow to cook for approximately 6-8 minutes. Waffle iron temperatures differ, so check regularly until you find the right cooking time for your appliance.
- Once done, remove from the heat, unplug the waffle iron, and serve warm with toast and fresh fruit. Healthy Vegan Grits are also a great option for serving with these. Tofu scramble with veggies is a perfect compliment for this recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Hi! Can you share the brand if potatoes you use? Every brand seems to have dextrose.
Hi Kim- I usually use off-brands such as from Aldi’s or my local grocery store called Ingels.
Can I make them in an air fryer?
Hi Josie- I haven’t made these in an air fryer, but it would be worth a try!
Terri, can you tell me about using the panini maker, why you like it better, and any different prep, how long, etc? Tried in a waffle maker, total fail (live and learn!!) Would like to use your best method. Thanks!!
Liz, I like the panini maker because it’s more of a flat surface (without the waffle holes), so it’s easier to clean up. The trick with hash browns–whether in a panini maker, waffle iron, Foreman Grill, etc–is to cook until very crispy. Mine takes a good 7 minutes or so. Once they are crispy, the lid can be opened without sticking. I also season my appliance with a spritz of cooking spray every 5-6 uses. Hope this helps!
I have had similar misadventures with small appliances. In a nonstick frying pan, I use small amounts of veggie broth which I have to keep replenishing splash by splash. But, in a sandwich maker–no can do. So, spray coconut oil. I read the nutritional label and found that for A QUARTER of a second burst, it has NO FAT. I don’t know how to get that low a shot. The amount should have been calculated on a three second or so burst. Talk about living up to the letter but not the spirit of the labeling law. BTW, did you see the Snopes post in early January 2017 that actually showed Wheaties, I believe, being held by a magnet. Elemental iron (iron filings) can’t be safe to eat or usable by the body.
Paul, it is true that spray oils list a serving size as 1/3 or 1/4th of a second, which is basically impossible. They are able to say ‘zero fat’ on the labels, because the serving size is unrealistic so the fat and calories can be rounded down to zero. Actually, cooking sprays are 100% oil, so 100% fat. It’s very deceptive advertising. Nutritional label guidelines are scheduled to change by 2018, and I am hoping it gets a little better.
Hi! Just found your blog, just starting out on this lifestyle. This is all so intimidating to us, and we were never ‘cooks’ before – lol! For the crispy potatoes do you use fresh diced onions, and do you mix them in with potatoes before putting them in machine? What spices do you use, and are approved, for this lifestyle? Thanks! Just liked your page on Facebook and will be following! ☺
Welcome aboard, Debbie! For the hash browns, I use freshly sliced onions, and just pile them on the top before closing the lid. The spices I use most are nutritional yeast (not baking yeast, and found in most grocery stores), sea salt, and dry steak seasoning. This is one of our favorite breakfasts! Thanks for liking and following!
When you make hash browns from regular potatoes do you cook them first?
No need to cook them first. This link is to Will at Potato Strong and his recommended process for making hash browns from potatoes. Hope it helps!
Only one plus for waffle irons convoluted surface is that you get a LOT more crispy surface on your potatoes and that is by far my favorite part! I was using a very old one at a friend’s house some months ago, I think supposed to be non-stick but she said it no longer really was. But if you wait long enough for the potatoes to really brown and crisp a bit, they tend to let go pretty nicely. I used a tiny swipe of olive oil on paper towel to make it shine after pre heating before putting the potatoes in and at most ever had to (easily) pick out one or two tiny bits that did not just pop right off.
I’m with you, Geoffrey! I LOVE them crunchy too! 🙂
You can do hash browns with a waffle maker or a George Forman type grill too.
Great post, Terri! And thank you for the update about seasoning. This is why we send you first into the wilderness! ;-))
Ha! Love it, Keara!