We use cauliflower ALL THE TIME. Of all our low-carb cauliflower recipes, these Cauliflower Hash Browns might just be our favorite!
They’re the perfect combination of simplicity and deliciousness. So if you’ve been looking for an easy low-carb hash brown recipe, look no further.
Due to the popularity of this recipe, we decided to record a recipe video! Check it out, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos from us:
What Makes These Hash Browns Low Carb?
Before I moved to San Francisco I had no idea how huge the brunching trend was. All the new friends I made always suggested brunch, and who was I to say no to one of the best meals ever created? You could have pancakes and a burger in the same meal for gosh sake!
And so, after moving back to Philadelphia I wasn’t going to let the Sunday brunch tradition die just because I now lead a keto lifestyle. I had to reinvent brunch because it’s just that worth it!
So I present to you my Cauliflower Hash Browns, which are not only super easy to make, but are a great bed for eggs, bacon and avocado.
On the other hand, they could also just as easily be topped with ground beef, sour cream, guacamole and cheese!
Our Cauliflower Hash Brown Recipe
What I love most about these healthy Cauliflower Hash Browns, besides the low net carb count, is how easy they are to make. With only three ingredients you’ve got yourself a stand-alone meal or a delicious side that unites several different foods!
You can have them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Another awesome feature of these is that they are cauliflower hash brown patties. So you can toss them in the fridge and reheat them at your leisure!
When I first made these Matt was overwhelmed with many different emotions. He had an excited look in his eye as he went to grab one and when it didn’t fall apart in his hand he giddily laughed and bit into it. “It’s like a real hash brown!” he exclaimed. At the time I was just experimenting, but I could tell from his reaction – as I usually can – that this was a low-carb recipe I needed to share.
How to Make Keto Hash Browns
Your regular potato-filled hash brown is essentially a delicious rectangle of carbs – not exactly keto-friendly!
Luckily, we’ve made some crucial swaps that keep the carbs low without compromising on the true hash browns experience. You’ll never be tempted by an early morning drive-thru again thanks to this Cauliflower Hash Browns recipe.
Egg
Eggs aren’t just a staple of any great savory breakfast, but are one of the main ingredients in any traditional hash browns recipe. So of course, I had to keep them in!
I love using eggs in cooking. Along with being a great, keto-friendly combo of fat and protein, they’re essential for binding all the ingredients together so you end up with nice deck-of-card-shaped hash brown instead of, well, a mess. Never underestimate the humble egg.
Cheese
They say the best part about the keto diet is the cheese, and this recipe has plenty. Like egg, the cheese helps to hold everything together. This is definitely useful without the glue-like starch that can be found in potato.
The cheese also adds extra fat, which can help to bump up your fat macros for the day and keep you full all the way to lunch. Not to mention it’s super delicious!
Cauliflower
While there are lower-carb vegetables that can be used as potato substitutes – such as rutabaga – these can often still be a little too high in carbs to be “worth it”. Even rutabaga has around 8 grams of net carbs per 100 grams.
Enter our unlikely hero: cauliflower! I love using cauliflower to make keto and gluten-free versions of my favorite recipes, from mac and cheese to a loaded cauliflower casserole.
Can I Use Pre-Riced Cauliflower?
Yes! Feel free to save yourself some time by using pre-riced cauliflower, or even frozen cauliflower rice from the store. Make sure it only contains cauliflower rice and nothing else added, like sneaky carbs.
Keep in mind that you still need to remove the water first – see the instructions in the recipe. Otherwise, your mixture may not stick together like true hash browns.
If you use frozen riced cauliflower, there will be quite a lot of water, so make sure to really wring it out.
I personally like to rice cauliflower myself, as I find it’s much cheaper than buying pre-made cauliflower rice. But you do you.
Nutritional Breakdown
Let’s be real: you’re probably seeking out this Cauliflower Hash Browns recipe because you wanted a low-carb alternative version that fulfills a high-carb craving – not because you want a nutritious breakfast option. The good news? You’re about to get both!
These Cauliflower Hash Browns have:
- 164 calories per servings
- 3.2 grams net carbs
- 2 grams fiber
- 11.25 grams fat
- 7 grams protein
Not only are these hash browns free from high-carb potato, but they’re also not deep-fried in potentially inflammatory vegetable oils such as canola and soybean.
Feel free to drizzle your baking tray with a little olive oil for a healthier option. You could also use a baking sheet.
And yes, these Cauliflower Hash Browns are gluten-free!
How to Make This Recipe Even Better
I love this recipe as is, but you can totally feel free to experiment and make it perfect for your personal cooking style.
That doesn’t just mean changing up the end result, but making this recipe even easier to make!
Use a Food Processor
I know, grating cauliflower can be tiresome, time-consuming and downright messy. You just know you’re going to end up with flecks of cauliflower absolutely everywhere. But if you ask me, this great recipe makes it so worth it.
If you have a food processor, feel free to pulverize the cauliflower in there and save yourself some time (and potential wrist pain!).
Use an Air Fryer
These Cauliflower Hash Browns turn out super crispy and golden brown in the oven, so I can only imagine how amazing they’d be in the air fryer!
Air fryer drawers tend to be small, so you may not be able to make all six servings at once. You do have the option of portioning and freezing single servings of the mixture, then defrosting and cooking one to two hash browns as needed in the air fryer.
What are keto hash browns made of?
There are different recipes for keto hash browns but the most popular version is made using cauliflower in place of potatoes. Cauliflower has a similar texture and flavor to potatoes with a fraction of the carbs.
Are Cauliflower Hash Browns good for you?
Yes! Cauliflower hash browns are a great way to add some veggies to your diet. Cauliflower is high in fiber, which has been shown to have many health benefits.
Serving Suggestions
Anyone who’s ever had a McDonald’s breakfast knows the best way to serve a hash brown – right out of a little paper sleeve!
Jokes aside, these Cauliflower Hash Browns are more versatile than you might think. Try adding fried or scrambled eggs on top for a delicious, crunchy pillow. Who needs bread?
Of course you could pair these hash browns with a big pile of keto ketchup. That’s always a safe bet.
Don’t be afraid to go all out and create a multiple-course breakfast, with Cauliflower Hash Browns as a side dish. Think sausage, avocado, mushrooms, eggs, wilted spinach and bacon. Now that’s a fry-up.
You could also try adding different seasonings and flavors into your cauliflower mixture, such as dried or fresh chopped herbs, garlic powder and maybe even a little parmesan.
Cauliflower Hash Browns Recipe – 3 Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 small head grated cauliflower(about 3 cups)
- 1 large Egg
- 3/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
- Grate entire head of cauliflower into a bowl using a cheese grater or food processor.
- Microwave for 3 minutes and let cool. Place in paper towels or cheese cloth and ring out all the excess water.
- Place rung out cauliflower in a bowl, add rest of ingredients and combine well.
- Form into six square shaped hash browns on a greased baking tray.
- Place in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 minutes and hash browns will firm up. Serve warm Enjoy!
Notes
Written by
Megha Barot
Megha has always been a passionate cook, but she took this to a new level after starting her keo journey in 2015. She loves creating new recipes and producing educational content for KetoConnect, which she co-founded in 2016 with Matt. Her passion for healthy eating and personal development continues to thrive. She's the proud mom of two awesome kids.
Shelby says
Yours looked so amazing, I decided to make a hand held meal. I added diced hard salami and asparagus to the mix and what I got was a delicious meal on the go….and keto friendly!
Keto Connect (Shannon) says
YESSSS, Sounds great!
Kat says
Thank you! I am anaphylactic to nightshade (esp potatoes). These recipes are a huge help to me.
Jasna Roy says
Hi. Do you think the cheese could be replaced with maybe Psyllium husks or flax seed? I have a 15 yo who has high cholesterol and dibetes and I’m loving keto lifr style, but can’t hwlp but worry about fats, especially cause he woul only eat some meals keto
Keto Connect (Shannon) says
Sure!
Betsy says
would it be possible to fry these?
Keto Connect (Shannon) says
Maybe? The water content could be problematic, but in a shallow pan it might be possible
Joanne says
I don’t have a mirowave…any suggestions.
Keto Connect (Shannon) says
Steaming should be fine!
Kymberley says
Can riced cauliflower be used in place of grated (i.e. Trader Joe’s packaged riced cauliflower)?
Keto Connect (Shannon) says
You could definitely try, but it may need a bit more time to cook since it’s a bit thicker. You also will want to dry it a LOT because after cooking, there’s gonna be a lot of water in it. Good luck!
Mary Veit says
These were excellent! They make a great base for lots of different toppings. Thanks for the delicious & well written directions.
Andrew says
Deep fry em?
Susie says
I found them at Heartland foods which is our small group store. If they have them you should be able to get them almost everywhere.
Natalie says
Can you freeze them raw or cooked?
Keto Connect (Shannon) says
Hey Natalie! Because these are cauliflower, they inherently should freeze well cooked. You may have to re-crisp them up in the waffle iron to get that crunchy mouthfeel. Try it with one and let us know how it turns out!
Dove says
Do you steam the cauliflower covered or uncovered? It seems like 3 minutes is a very short amount time so I’m a bit cautious. Is there a way to tell if it’s done?
Lynnetta says
Thank you, for sharing this recipe. I enjoyed them with an egg. I did make a slight change add three pieces of low sodium bacon and about a quarter of a onion
Michelle Mooney says
Hi guys! I absolutely love your videos. Thank you so much for all you share with us. We appreciate you So much!
VIRGINIA YEATON says
I had leftover steamed cabbage so I coarsely chopped it, mixed with an egg, some cheese and some sauteed onion and bell pepper with some garlic salt.
I baked it at 400 for about 20 minutes. It was scrumptious.
Matt Gaedke says
Sounds delicious!
Liz says
Are the carbs listed net carbs? Thanks, they look awesome! Going to make some tonight for tomorrow’s breakfast!
Matt Gaedke says
Carbs and net carbs are listed.
Elidia Schryver says
This is the correct blog for anyone who desires to find out about this topic. You realize so much its nearly exhausting to argue with you (not that I really would want…HaHa). You undoubtedly put a new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just nice!
John B. Boyd says
Questions- Why does this recipe list 6 servings, but nutrition information is for 2 hashbrown??
Thanks
Megha Barot says
Just so people can know that we made 6 hashbrowns from our mixture, but if you want to make more or less you can and the nutrition will vary!
Chelsea Toland says
Hi! This may show up twice, idk where my original comment went. Recipes are great, and have helped me on my keto journey! I’m new to it, so it’s been kinda difficult. Anyway. I put this recipe in myfitnesspal app, and it told me it was 15g carbs per serving, in a serving of 6. Any idea on why the discrepancy?
Megha Barot says
Sometimes the foods in my fitness pal have the wrong nutrition so it’s always key to check that. Also, are you subtracting the fiber?
Lynn says
I’m embarking on my third time making this recipe. Yah, it’s that good. The trick for me is making sure the cheese is really sharp and adding cilantro. I won’t eat anything else for breakfast! I’ll try adding some oil to the recipe to make them crisper.
Megha Barot says
Cilantro is a GREAT addition!!
Sandra Johnson says
I have a meat grinder on my kitchen aide and it works wonderfully to rice the cauliflower.
Megha Barot says
We have so many appliances to buy, and now we have just added Kitchen adie meat grinder to the list haha. Thank you for sharing!