Air fryer frozen hash browns
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If you're a fan of a nice big breakfast, or a full English as we call it here in England, then you'll love being able to cook frozen hash browns in the air fryer! They are a DODDLE to cook. Super simple, much faster than the oven and they come out extra crunchy and delicious too.
Using the air fryer is one of my favourite ways to cook food in a hurry, and it has to be the best EVER kitchen gadget I've purchased. I currently use a Ninja Foodi OL750UK or a Ninja AF300UK, but any model of air fryer would work great for this recipe and the timings should be very similar too.
I have had all sorts of kitchen gadgets over the years but the air fryer is my number one favourite as it makes it faster to cook foods and things go extra crispy, golden brown helping you enjoy delicious hash browns. I love the convenience, as it just sits on my worktop, and it is lightweight to use and simple too.
Using the air fryer or air crisp function on a multi-cooker works just as well as using a stand alone air fryer, which is why I have a multi-cooker myself, rather than just an air fryer. I have added a double air fryer to my kitchen in recent years, and now have the ability to cook several different meals at once - which is ideal when I have fussy little ones to feed.
Cooking frozen hash browns in the air fryer, whether still frozen or already defrosted, is so simple and takes just minutes. I find that it is MUCH FASTER than cooking in the oven with significantly reduced cook time.
Next time you're looking for a quick snack, something nice to accompany a special breakfast or even a tasty air fryer side dish, then be sure to try these air fryer frozen hash browns.
The effort is so low, you just need to grab a bag of hash browns frozen the freezer, rip the bag open, pour a few in to your air fryer basket and then get them cooking. I always look to start with 50% of the quoted packet cooking time for oven cooking and then go from there, usually going up to around ⅔ of the cooking time for the crispiest hash browns.
While you're here be sure to check out my air fryer tips and tricks and my air fryer recipes. Whether you're a total beginner to air frying they're great to help you get the most from your machine.
These would go great alongside a sausage egg and biscuit breakfast casserole if you're feeding a crowd.
Ingredients for air fryer frozen hash browns:
A bag of frozen hash browns. Surprised you I'm sure!
Depending on the hash brown patty a good portion size is usually 2-3. These are often gluten free too which is an added bonus.
Your choice of toppings for when you serve them. Sometimes I use them as a sandwich, placing air fryer bacon or air fryer sausages in the middle of the hash brown patties. I also love to serve with brown sugar bbq sauce or just good old tomato ketchup!
You can buy just about any brand or type that you like. We also love air fryer frozen onion rings, so we buy those too sometimes to cook at the same time. We have used both frozen supermarket versions and ones from brands, such as McCain hash browns.
Cooking frozen food in an air fryer is more convenient and quicker than using a conventional oven. A lot of frozen food items come pre-coated with breadcrumbs or batter. They also have lots of seasonings added already, which means you don't need to prep them at all, just throw some in your air fryer and get them cooking.
The coating for hash browns is usually oil, such as sunflower oil, which is why you don't need to pre-heat the air fryer basket or pre-oil it either.
Frozen hash browns crisp up beautifully in the air fryer, as this is designed to cook things in a confined space, and it will help you get your breakfast ready even faster in the morning. Perfect if you're looking to make a quick meal before you head out for a full day of work.
Method for air fryer frozen hash browns:
Turn on the air fryer and then set the time and temperature, based on the recommended temperature and cooking time on the packet of hash browns.
I always start with ½ of the recommended packet cooking time, shaking the basket once during the cooking time, or flipping the hash browns over if I'm not feeling lazy, and then I will also set the temperature to 20C - 30C lower than the packet recommends while cooking.
Halfway through that cooking time I will give the basket a good shake, or turn over the hash browns with tongs. I always wear oven gloves when doing this, as I've accidentally burned myself a few times on the Ninja Foodi basket now.
If the hash browns are beginning to brown then after the halfway mark I'd just add a couple of minutes to the cooking time and then check back every 2 minutes or so, as they will turn brown very fast once they are cooked and you don't want to burn them.
I find that 10 minutes at 180C (355F approx) is usually the right amount of cooking time for most frozen hash browns. This is similar to cooking other foods, such as air fryer frozen chicken nuggets, which is great if I want to make a fast but simple tea for my girls before they go to bed.
Something to note about air fryer recipes is that all air fryers have different sizes, depths and as such the cooking times can vary. All air fryer recipes on this website are intended as a guide, and not a guarantee that the timings will be perfect. Enjoy!
How to air fryer frozen hash browns in Ninja Foodi:
The Ninja Foodi has an air crisp setting, which is the same as air frying, so just follow the method documented in this post and you'll be grand.
If you are using an air fryer with multiple settings then set the air fryer, air frying or air crisp function.
I actually cooked the hash browns in this recipe using my Ninja Foodi multi-cooker, and cooked the featured food from the photos in my OL750UK which I recently purchased. You can use any air fryer though - it will all be similar for such an easy recipe.
How long does a hash brown take to cook in the air fryer?
I find 10 minutes is usually the perfect amount of cooking time for crispy hash browns. 12 minutes if you like them extra crispy and dark brown.
If you're cooking defrosted or fresh ones then you'll want to check out my air fryer hash browns recipe instead. You can easily make homemade hashbrowns with shredded potatoes. Likewise check out my oven baked hash browns if you don't have an air fryer.
Are air fryers good for frozen hash browns?
Absolutely! They are SO crispy and delicious, and I've just never been able to get them this crispy when cooking in the oven.
I find that air frying is great for cooking lots of prepared foods, particularly ones with batter, coatings or breadcrumbs, as these don't require any preheating and they have a sufficient coating that will crisp up lovely while leaving the inside lovely, soft and fluffy.
Can you cook other foods at the same time as air frying hash browns?
Yes you can.
My air fryer basket or multi-cooker has a little rack that allows me to stack up foods, and get a little more surface area. You can buy these on Amazon, or you can just cook a small amount of hash browns and add the other items you want to cook alongside.
I make sure not to over crowd the air fryer basket, as that prevents things cooking as well, but I often cook entire meals, minus the veg or sauce, in my air fryer in one go.
I'll cook lots of 'freezer tapas' this way such as nuggets, air fryer fish fingers, air fryer frozen chips, etc. You can also cook things like air fryer green beans or air fryer carrot fries too if you want something a little healthier or just to dish up the token vegetables for your children.
All of these items cook great, but obviously you will want to keep an eye on the timings and ensure that everything finishes together, or cooks on a similar temperature, but this is really simple with the air fryer.
If you have a double air fryer, such as a Ninja model, then it may be possible to use the sync mode to cook foods with different temperatures and timings and then have them finish cooking at the exact same time. I love this feature as it allows me to put everything in to cook at the same time and not have to come back to the air fryer before the food has finished cooking.
What are the best hash browns for air frying?
I often buy the Tesco frozen ones, but I also love the Aldi frozen hash brown patties, the rectangle ones, which are apparently a dupe for McDonalds, and taste pretty darn close when you air fry them until they're crispy and delicious!
The McCain ones are lovely, and turn out deliciously crisp too.
If you want to use shredded hash browns these work great, though you will want to start with ½ the cooking time of this recipe as they crisp up very well and need less cooking time.
Any hash browns cooked for long enough will give you great results really - especially if you're a fan of crispy hash browns and increase the cooking time a little.
Do you need to defrost frozen hash browns before air frying?
No, I don't recommend you do this at all.
If you do have hash browns that have been accidentally defrosted, or were even bought fresh, then you can aim for around half of the cooking time and increase from there.
When you buy fresh hash browns the cooking time will be displayed on the packet. Start with 50% of the time and then increase from there as needed.
Want some topped hash browns ideas?
I love to serve up topped hash browns for a simple breakfast or brunch. Here are some of my favourite suggestions:
- Baked beans and cheese either cooked together on the hob or finished under the grill for a crispy golden top.
- Nacho cheese, tomato and chili salsa, guacamole and sour cream are delicious. Chilli hash browns. I love to use leftovers from my slow cooker beef chilli for a filling and tasty lunch.
- Scrambled eggs with spring onions and chilli flakes.
- Smoked salmon and cream cheese.
- Breakfast sausage and peppers.
- Chorizo sausage slices.
- Crispy fried eggs with everything bagel seasoning.
Sauces that work great with hash browns:
- Tomato ketchup
- Brown sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Sweet chilli sauce
- Mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Hot sauce
- 3 ingredient BBQ sauce
- Maple syrup
- Sour cream
- Gravy
Looking for some other suggestions to serve with your frozen hash browns made in the air fryer?
- Cajun chicken breast in the air fryer
- Air fryer chicken fajitas
- Peri peri chicken in the air fryer
- Air fryer frozen sweet potato fries
- Chicken wings in the air fryer
How to air fry hash browns (frozen)
Air fryer frozen hash browns
Ingredients
- A bag of frozen hash browns. Surprised you I'm sure! I serve 3 hash brown patty per person
Instructions
- Turn on the air fryer and then set the time and temperature, based on the recommended temperature and cooking time on the packet of hash browns.
- I always start with ½ of the recommended packet cooking time, shaking the basket once during the cooking time, or flipping the hash browns over if I'm not feeling lazy, and then I will also set the temperature to 20C - 30C lower than the packet recommends while cooking.
- Halfway through that cooking time I will give the basket a good shake, or turn over the hash browns with tongs. I always wear oven gloves when doing this, as I've accidentally burned myself a few times on the Ninja Foodi basket now.
- If the hash browns are beginning to brown then after the halfway mark I'd just add a couple of minutes to the cooking time and then check back every 2 minutes or so, as they will turn brown very fast once they are cooked and you don't want to burn them.
- I find that 10 minutes at 180C (355F approx) is usually the right amount of cooking time for most frozen hash browns. This is similar to cooking other foods, such as air fryer frozen chicken nuggets, which is great if I want to make a fast but simple tea for my girls before they go to bed.
Nutrition
Note: All calorie information is for demonstration purposes only and is based on the specific uncooked ingredients that I used when creating the recipe.
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