Air fryer frozen shredded hash browns turn crispy in under 20 minutes, straight from the freezer to the basket – no thawing, no skillet, and no babysitting a pan of oil. They come out golden and crunchy on the outside, tender in the middle, with the diner-style texture you’d expect from a griddle.
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ℹ️ Introduction
Sometimes you just gotta go with the shortcut. When it comes to hashbrowns, I always go with the shortcut by using frozen hashbrowns. Why not have someone else do the shredding for me?!
Ever since I first got my air fryer, I’ve been trying out all kinds of recipes including heating up frozen foods. I prefer using the air fryer rather than the stove to make hash browns because the air fryer does such a great job of crisping up frozen prepared foods.
In addition to my recipe for air fryer bacon, you may want to check out other air fryer frozen foods including air fryer taquitos, french fries, potato skins, and pizza rolls.
If you’re looking for healthier fare, I also have a recipe for air fryer brussel sprouts cauliflower, and roasted potatoes.
🫙 Air Fryer Frozen Hash Browns Ingredients
💡 Ingredient and Recipe Tips
Frozen Hash Browns
Keep the hash browns frozen until you’re ready to air fry them. Coat them with oil, salt, and pepper before air frying – this seasons them more evenly and thoroughly than seasoning after cooking.
If the hash browns are frozen in one big block, break it apart into smaller chunks before adding it to the air fryer rather than after – a large block thaws and cooks unevenly compared to loose shreds. Coat with oil and spices once broken apart.
Air Fryer Setup
Preheat the air fryer if yours doesn’t have a built-in preheat function – some air fryers, like the Instant Pot Duo Crisp, preheat automatically before counting down; the Cosori has a manual preheat button.
Don’t fill the basket too high, or the potatoes won’t cook through – a whole 20 oz. bag needs multiple batches unless you have a large-capacity air fryer.
Spray the basket with oil (not a canned nonstick spray, which can damage the basket coating over time – use an oil mister filled with olive oil or vegetable oil instead) to keep the hash browns from sticking.
Getting Them Crispy
Spray the hash browns with a bit more oil when you turn them halfway through for extra crispiness. Every air fryer runs a little differently, so the first time you make this, check on the hash browns about 2 minutes before the cook time is up and adjust the time up or down for your machine going forward.
❓ FAQS
Cook them for about 14 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, shaking them halfway through. Check on them about 12 minutes in, and take them out if you feel that they’re done.
You may not have added enough oil to the basket and the hash browns. Allow them to cook up a bit till they crisp on the bottom and they should come up a bit easier.
I air fried Simply Potatoes shredded hash browns but there are many brands available. The other popular ones are Ore Ida and Alexia hash browns, which come in a seasoned variety.
Yes, they can be reheated by air frying them for 2 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some unevenness is normal with shredded hash browns in the air fryer – the strands vary in thickness and tend to clump together, so thinner or looser pieces brown faster than thicker clumps. Breaking apart any large clumps before air frying and spreading the potatoes in as even a layer as you can helps a lot. Stirring more than once during cooking also evens things out – for a larger quantity, try stirring every three minutes rather than just once at the halfway mark.
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Since these hash browns were frozen before air frying, I don’t recommend freezing the cooked leftovers again – just reheat what you plan to eat from the fridge.
⏲️ How to Make Air Fryer Frozen Hash Browns
- Keep hash browns frozen until ready to use
- Place frozen hash browns in the air fryer basket
- Air fry hash browns
- Stir or shake them halfway through
- Transfer hash browns to serving platter
See recipe details below
Air Fryer Favorite Recipes
Frozen foods cooked in an air fryer come out crispy and browned outside, but still tender inside. The air fryer’s fast cooking time means frozen foods can go from freezer to table far faster than with conventional oven cooking, yet still achieve that appetizing crunchiness we love. Try these recipes out!
– Totino’s pizza air fryer
– Corn dog in air fryer
– Frozen chicken tenders in air fryer
– Frozen shrimp in air fryer
Frozen Hashbrowns in Air Fryer
Equipment
- Traditional Air Fryer (I use Cosori brand)
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen shredded hash browns [See Note 1]
- ⅓ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ⅓ tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil + more for spraying
Instructions
- Empty the frozen hash browns into a large bowl. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the hash browns and distribute the spices evenly. [See Note 2]
- Add the oil to the potatoes and stir to coat.
- Place the empty air fryer basket in the air fryer and preheat at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 minutes. [See Note 3]
- Spray the basket with oil spray.
- Air fry for 10 to 14 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a spatula to stir up the potatoes frequently, and spray with some more oil. [See Note 4]
- Transfer the hash browns to a serving dish.
Notes
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Katy says
I do not recommend this recipe the potatoes turned out so unevenly cooked almost not edible. Frying them on the stove is so much better. Don’t get me wrong I love my air fryer and it makes a lot of things a lot better most of the time. But this is not one of those times.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Katy, I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you.