Cauliflower hash browns are a great breakfast dish or even as a light lunch side dish. Soft inside and crispy outside, these low carb hash browns taste as good as potatoes and are also gluten-free.
This is a delicious low carb alternative to traditional hash browns made from potato, using the wonderful cauliflower yet again! I cooked these for breakfast and the only complaint that I got from the Chief Taster was that there was not enough as he could have eaten a plateful of these.
This recipe for delicious cauliflower healthy hash browns is easy to make and only takes 15 to 20 minutes to cook. Try it tonight! If you like hash browns try turnip in place of potatoes too.
CARBS IN CAULIFLOWER HASH BROWNS
A single potato hash brown can have up to 18 grams net carbohydrates but these tasty keto cauliflower hash browns have just 3 grams of net carbs. Making them a great recipe for a keto diet. This may vary depending upon the size of your hash browns.
INGREDIENTS
Grab your cauliflower rice and start cooking!
- Cauliflower rice - we use 3 cups of cauliflower rice before it's cooked. One cup of cauliflower rice measures just over 107g. A medium head of cauliflower should yield about 3 cups.
- Onion - chopped spring onion could be substituted.
- Cheese - Cheddar cheese can be used by itself or add a mixture of parmesan cheese and even mozzarella cheese. Parmesan is a firmer cheese and binds well.
- Seasonings - this can be used to your own taste. Add different herbs or spices.
HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER HASH BROWNS
You can cook cauliflower hash browns in the air fryer, oven or fry them in a pan.
Squeeze the water from the cooked cauliflower rice.
Mix the cauliflower rice with the cheese, onion, egg and seasonings.
Form cauliflower patties into square shapes.
Air fry, bake or fry.
AIR-FRYER HASH BROWNS V BAKED HASH BROWNS
The texture of cauliflower hash browns vary upon the method of cooking:
- Pan fried - These worked out browner and slightly less firm.
- Oven baked - The hash browns hold their shape well with a softer golden colour.
- Air Fried - Results in a crispier hash brown but still soft inside.
We preferred the air fried hash browns with the air fryer being a great way to reheat them too. It's purely an individual preference but try them all and let us know which method you prefer.
STORAGE
Any leftovers (not in our house with the Chief Taster a big fan of these!) can be stored in the fridge. Store them in an airtight container and they will last up to 4 days. Reheat them in the air fryer, pan on the stove or microwave.
USING LEFTOVER CAULIFLOWER RICE
This would be a great way to use any left over cauliflower rice that you may have too! You could add other spices, herbs or chopped peppers too! I like chopped jalapenos for my cauliflower hash browns with a bit of bite.
WATCH THE VIDEO ON MAKING THEM
FAQ
We have made these with uncooked cauliflower rice and the result is a more crunchier hash brown. Cook them for another 5-8 minutes to ensure that they are cooked thoroughly.
Once seasoned and cooked, there is not a strong cauliflower taste to them. Using a strong Cheddar cheese helps too.
Yes you can but you will need to remove any excess water to prevent soggy hash browns
If you make these ahead of time, shape them, then store in an airtight container with layers of parchment paper between them. They will be good for a day in the fridge.
These freeze well and are handy to have to hand. Once they are completely cool, wrap them in parchment paper to prevent sticking and place them in a zip lock bag or air tight container. They should last up to 2 months in the freezer.
If you are having trouble forming the hash browns due to a soggy cauliflower mixture, this will be as a result of not squeezing enough water from the cauliflower rice. Place the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to help firm it up. Or you could add almond flour to the mixture. It may slightly change the taste though.
OTHER LOW CARB BREAKFAST RECIPES
This recipe was originally posted in July 2012. The photos and content have been updated, along with the air fryer instructions but the recipe remains the same.
Cauliflower Hash Browns
Ingredients
- 3 cups Cauliflower rice
- ½ Onion finely chopped
- ¾ cup Cheddar Cheese (or mix of Mozzarella/Parmesan) grated
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Cauliflower Rice
- Place the cauliflower in a bowl and microwave for 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool enough to handle and squeeze the excess water from the cauliflower rice by either using a nut bag, muslin cloth or strong kitchen towel.
Making the Cauliflower Hash Browns
- Place the cauliflower rice in a large mixing bowl with the chopped onion, cheese and seasonings. Stir well to mix.
- Using your hands, form little patties from the cauliflower mixture and place them on a plate or board. We make them square shaped but any shape can be made.
Air Fry Cauliflower Hash Browns
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes as per the manufacturer's instructions.
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil and place the hash browns in a single layer in it. Cook at 200C/4050F degrees for 15 minutes, turning over after 10 minutes until golden and crispy.
Pan Fry Cauliflower Hash Browns
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat.
- Place the cauliflower patties in the pan and gently press down with a spatula to flatten.
- Cook on each side for 5-8 minutes until golden.
Oven Bake Cauliflower Hash Browns
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the hash browns on the baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, turning over half way through cooking, until both sides are golden.
Danna
I made these last night and they were wonderful! Love being able to cook them in the air fryer so there is less mess to clean up. I squeezed the cauliflower in small batches and let it air dry for several hours but it still wouldn't hold together so I looked at the comments here and added some almond flour and an egg. This worked very well. Even
my husband,who hates cauliflower, really likes them too!
Angela Coleby
Delighted you enjoy them. Air frying them is my favourite too!
Natasha Hall
These are delicious. To avoid the problem keeping them together I made them in my mini waffle maker.
Judy
I’ve just made a batch of these and tried something different to avoid the problem of them falling to bits. I used some steamed cauliflower rice I had in the fridge plus a tablespoon of psyllium husks. It worked a treat. I had steamed a batch of cauliflower rice for 10 minutes, it sat in the fridge for 2 days so before using it for this recipe I squeezed handfuls of it at a time and measured that - it weighed 294g so to that I added 22g finely chopped spring onion, 42 g grated mozzarella, 16g Parmesan, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, a few grinds of pepper, 1 tablespoon psyllium which is 4 Australian teaspoons and 1 egg. Mixed it all together, squeezed handfuls of the mixture tightly and formed into patties then put them into the freezer for 10 minutes - this made 7 patties, the last one was a bit bigger than the rest and I found that the hardest to keep together so do keep them smaller. I heated 20g butter & 2 tablespoons avocado oil until it was quite hot and was able to cook them all at the same time in my largest non-stick frying pan. As the ‘rice’ is already cooked you only need to brown both sides, don’t turn until the bottoms are brown then using an egg lifter and a fork turn them very gently. Drain on paper towels. Not sure how to put photos on here but I’d love to show you the cooked patties.
Angela Coleby
How about sharing the photos on the Divalicious Facebook group along with the recipe and instructions? I'm sure it will be loved! https://www.facebook.com/groups/DivaliciousLowCarb
Kristine Uribe
Like everyone else states on the thread, excellent taste but they do not hold together as suggested. With a few additions it can be done, it's just tricky, but definitely worthy of figuring out. I added an egg and some panko bread crumbs. When I made the patties I really compressed them. Once you put them in the pan move/flip them as little as possible, so make sure the pan is the right temperature from the start ( I find cast iron is best). After the first flip there should be a nice crust, that's when you press them down with the spatula. Once the crust forms on the other side you are good to go. WIll try this with different vegetables with similar textures. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Cynthia
Anyone tried cooking these in air fryer?
Angela Coleby
No but I bet you could with delicious results!!
Marguerite
I made these with leftover cauli rice. Added an egg; and used mozarella cheese. But the patties didn't hold together in the pan. Tasted good anyway!
Angela Coleby
As long as they tasted good! Thanks for popping by!
Eddie S
I have tried to make them twice now (first frying and then baking) and had trouble keeping them together both times. This is a shame because they smell so good, and taste good as well. Unfortunately my cheese doesn't seem to be holding the other ingredients together well enough, so I seem to need something extra to help with the binding. Thoughts anyone?
Divalicious
Ground chia seeds?
Ashley
Regular cauli-hashbrowns are made with one egg as a binder. That's how I make mine and I use the frozen geared organic cauliflower from whole foods.
Angela Coleby
Yum
Vasthy
So good!!! Just made them! I added a little bit of almond meal, cayenne pepper and some chopped pancetta. So good!
Divalicious
What a great idea! Glad you enjoyed them!
Jess
Have just tried these, the taste is very good!! I have trouble keeping the shape when they are in the pan so I just pan fry all the cauliflower mixture till they look slightly golden and place them on a plate, then I press and shape them into a big block of harsh brown. They did stick together a little when they cool down. I will definitely try it again (the big block method) and place a fried egg on top to make it a meal. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Divalicious
Delighted you enjoy these Jess! And loving your creativity with keeping the shape! What a fabulous idea!!
Anu
Do you think they'll keep their shape while frying, without the cheese. Would an egg or some other binder (chickpea flour ) be necessary
Divalicious
I would use another binder to keep a shape. Unless you squeeze every drop of moisture and keep them in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.
HJ
These sound easy and delicious! Have you ever tried them baked?
Divalicious
No, but I cannot see why they could not be baked. Might take a bit longer though but still taste as yummy!