Hash Browns are an American breakfast food. Hash Browns are usually made from shredded potatoes and onions then pan fried. If hash browns are deep fat fried or made with too much oil or butter, they will be very high in fat and therefore an unhealthy food option. Most frozen pre-made hash browns are deep fried then frozen adding to a high fat content.
Hash browns are considered vegan. Hash Browns typically include potatoes, oil, spices, and dextrose, none of which contain animal products. Top frozen hash brown brands include Alexia Organic Hashed Browns, Ore-Ida Shredded Hash Brown Frozen Potatoes, Cascadian Farm Organic Hash Brown, and McCain Shredded Hash Browns. The best healthier alternative to traditional hash browns is Strong Roots Cauliflower Hash Browns.
In this article, we will go over the nutrition facts for all the listed hash brown brands. As well as the best vegan alternatives to hash browns. Get your pans cranking on some heat and let’s get cookin’!
Contents
Ingredients Found in Hash Browns
Is Dextrose Vegan?
The most widely used dextrose in food production is made from corn. There are a few companies such as Danisco and MicroGARD who do have animal by-product traces in their dextrose. This is due to the use of cow’s milk in making their dextrose, which is usually referred to on labels as Cultured Dextrose.
Is Calcium Sterol Lactylate Vegan?
Calcium Sterol Lactylate Vegan or CSL is made from lactic acid, stearic acid and calcium hydroxide. Stearic acid is derived from a vegetable source of soy oil. The calcium in this chemical emulsifier should be vegan as it is the salt from lactic acid. Cornstarch is often hydrolyzed as the lactic acid medium in American made products. When CSL is or lactic acid is included in European made food items the source in unknown. USA produced CSL should be vegan.
Top Hash Brown Brands
The good news is that all of these brands of Hash Browns are vegan.
- Alexia Organic Hashed Browns
- Ore-Ida Shredded Hash Brown Frozen Potatoes
- Cascadian Farm Organic Hash Brown
- McCain Shredded Hash Browns
- Idahoan Fresh Cut Premium Hash Browns
- Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns
- Praeger’s Sweet Potato Hash Browns
Alexia Organic Hashed Browns
Alexia Foods prides itself in being an Organic and non-GMO brand. A big downside of this product could be the use of MSG otherwise known as “Autolyzed Yeast”. The other downside is the high sodium content.
Here is the list of ingredients for Alexia Organic Hashed Browns:
- Organic Select Yukon Potatoes
- Sea salt
- Organic Dehydrated Onion
- Organic Dehydrated Garlic
- Organic White Pepper
- Organic Autolyzed Yeast
- Organic Sunflower Oil
Nutrition Facts (per 2/3 cup):
- Calories 60
- Fat 0g
- Carbs 13g
- Protein 2g
- Fiber 2g
- Sodium 310mg
Ore-Ida Shredded Hash Brown Frozen Potatoes
Ore-Ida’s hash browns are vegan. This potato hash browns are free of: eggs, seafood, gluten, soy, dairy, nuts, and legumes. The potatoes for these hash browns are grown in the USA. With extremely low sodium and less calories than the Alexia brand the Ore-Ida Shredded Hash Brown Frozen Potatoes aren’t looking nutritionally that bad.
The ingredient list for Ore-Ida Shredded Hash Brown Frozen Potatoes is:
- Potatoes
- Dextrose
- Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (deters oxidation)
Nutrition Facts (per 1.25 cup):
- Calories 60
- Fat 0g
- Carbs 15g
- Protein 2g
- Fiber 1g
- Sodium 15mg
Cascadian Farm Organic Hash Brown
Cascadian Farm Organic Hash Browns are a non-GMO product. The single ingredient of these hash browns makes them clearly a plant-based food and vegan. Low in sodium and containing zero trans fat makes these potato hash browns a healthy option.
Here is the ingredient list for Cascadian Farm Organic Hash Brown:
- Organic Potatoes
Nutrition Facts (per ¾ cup):
- Calories 50
- Fat 0g
- Carbs 12g
- Protein 1g
- Fiber 1g
- Sodium 15mg
McCain Shredded Hash Browns
Nutritionally, McCain Shredded Hash Browns are higher in carbohydrates than the prior listed brands. Low in calories, devoid of artificial additives, and made with real potatoes. McCain Hash Browns are vegan. McCain Hash Browns are a frozen product.
The ingredients for McCain Shredded Hash Browns:
- Potatoes
- Dextrose (less than 2%)
- Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (deters oxidation)
Nutrition Facts (per 3 oz. or 1 cup):
- Calories 70
- Fat 0g
- Carbs 18g
- Protein 1g
- Fiber 2g
- Sodium 20mg
Idahoan Fresh Cut Premium Hash Browns
Idahoan Fresh Cut Premium Hash Browns are a gluten free product. These hash browns are a dehydrated shelf stable product. This product says it is vegetarian. The only concerning ingredient is calcium sterol lactylate, which will discus further in this article. The long list of ingredients and chemical components, makes this hash brown option our least favorite.
The ingredients in Idahoan Fresh Cut Premium Hash Browns are:
- Idaho Potatoes
- Vegetable Oil (soy, corn, cottonseed, and sunflower)
- Salt
- Dextrose
- Onion Powder
- Monoglycerides
- Calcium Sterol Lactylate
- Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
- Sodium Bisulfite
Nutrition Facts (per 1/3 cup or 16 g):
- Calories 60
- Fat 0g
- Carbs 13g
- Protein 1g
- Fiber 2g
- Sodium 95mg
Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns
Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns are vegan. These shredded potatoes are found in the freezer section of your local market. The additions of preservatives put this hash brown package lower on our list of good options. Although vegan, the sodium is middle range, and the calories are high in proportion to the portion size.
The ingredients in Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns are:
- Potatoes
- Dextrose
- Disodium Pyrophosphate
- Potassium Sorbate
- Sodium Bisulfite
Nutrition Facts (per ½ cup):
- Calories 70
- Fat 0g
- Carbs 15g
- Protein 2g
- Fiber 2g
- Sodium 55mg
Dr. Praeger’s Sweet Potato Hash Browns
These hash browns are the highest in fat but low in calories and carbohydrates for their serving size. Dr. Praeger’s Sweet Potato Hash Browns are a fully prepared hash brown patty that is ready to heat without added oil. Sweet potatoes are high in the antioxidant beta-carotene. They can also be easier on the digestive system than regular white potatoes. These sweet potato hash browns are vegan.
The ingredients for Dr. Praeger’s Sweet Potato Hash Browns are:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Potato Flakes
- Expeller Pressed Canola Oil
- Light Brown Sugar
- Arrowroot Powder
- Flaxseed Meal
- Sea Salt
Nutrition Facts (per 96g):
- Calories 170
- Fat 7g
- Carbs 25g
- Protein 2g
- Fiber 1g
- Sodium 190mg
Best Non-Potato Based Hash Brown
Strong Roots Cauliflower Hash Browns
Strong Roots Cauliflower Hash Browns contains 13% of potato. With straight forward ingredients and less sugar and carbs than typical all potato hash browns these cauliflower-based hash browns are a great vegan alternative.
The ingredients for Strong Roots Cauliflower Hash Browns are:
- Cauliflower 42%
- Potatoes 13%
- Potato flakes
- Sunflower oil
- Water
- Corn starch
- Onion
- Salt
- Black pepper
Nutrition Facts (per 80g):
- Calories 162
- Fat 9g
- Carbs 16g
- Protein 5g
- Fiber 2g
- Sodium 66mg
Final Thoughts
Hash Browns are a potato-based breakfast item that is usually pan or deep fried. Finding the healthiest vegan hash browns can be difficult. The good news is that even with unfamiliar ingredients all of the hash brown brands we covered are vegan.
Depending on what your nutritional goals are for buying hash browns you can choose from low sodium to fat free. Surprisingly the lowest sodium hash browns we listed are Ore-Ida Shredded Hash Brown Frozen Potatoes with 15mg per 1 ¼ cups. All the hash browns except Dr. Praeger’s Sweet Potato Hash Browns and the Strong Roots Cauliflower Hash Browns are fat free.
Both the Strong Roots and Dr. Praeger’s hash browns are pre-made patties whereas most others are loose shredded meaning you would need to prepare them in oil or possibly an air fryer before serving. And only the Dr. Praeger’s hash browns have sugar added to their recipe.
We hope this article was informative about whether hash browns are vegan. Although not the healthiest breakfast option, potatoes do offer fiber and iron. If basic shredded potatoes are prepared without the use of oil or fat, they can be a much healthier option. Choosing an organic shredded potato without any additives is your best bet for a healthy vegan hash brown.
Related Questions
Are Hash Browns Gluten Free?
All of our researched hash brown are gluten free. Most use potato or cornstarch as a thickening agent rather than wheat flour.
Are Hash Browns Healthy for you?
Hash Browns are usually made from shredded potatoes and onions then pan fried. If hash browns are deep fat fried or made with too much oil or butter, they will be very high in fat and therefore an unhealthy food option. Most frozen pre-made hash browns are deep fried then frozen adding to a high fat content. High fat foods increase inflammation of the body.
Are McDonald’s Hash Browns Vegan?
No! McDonald’s Hash Browns are not vegan. McDonald’s hash browns contain natural flavoring that is derived from an animal source, namely beef. Rendering their hash browns not vegan friendly.