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With the holiday festivities behind us and the temperatures outside dropping, I am so ready for some healthy comfort food. Cauliflower has always been an epitome of that for me. It’s no surprise that it came to mind again. This cauliflower hash browns recipe turned out to be a wonderful addition to a low carb breakfast. Can you think of a more perfect way to start your weekend morning?
This was my first (partial) week back to work after taking some time off around the holidays. It was refreshing to spend time with family and take a break from my software day job. A couple of my fondest memories are the simple little moments. Decorating the New Year’s tree (another one of those Russian things) with my daughter for the first time, taking her to the playground on the swings, and of course, gathering around the holiday table with our family.
I have to be honest, though. For the most part, “taking time off” really meant working on the blog. I added a Shop section to share my favorite products with you, got started on a Resources section that will be ready in the coming months, and best of all, queued up tons of new, healthy recipes for you! And, what better timing to be sharing them than January? At this time of year, we’re all ready for a fresh start after all those holiday treats.
These cauliflower hash browns turned out to be one of my favorite low carb recipes to emerge from this time off. Perfect with some fluffy coconut flour pancakes!
The funny thing is, they started out as a way to use up random ingredients I had on hand. Cauliflower, onions, eggs, golden flaxseed meal, and garlic salt. Something tells me this isn’t the last time I’ll have this simple combination around the house. And, I’ll definitely be making these low carb hash browns again.
Just goes to show how many versatile uses cauliflower has in replacing comfort foods. For example, you can swap it in sweet potato breakfast hash to make it low carb, or try cauliflower mac and cheese.
Some of my most popular recipes are those with just a few ingredients (like my 3-ingredient bacon wrapped asparagus, 5-ingredient broccoli cheese soup, and 3-ingredient coconut flour tortillas – to name a few). I have an inkling that these cauliflower hash browns will be another one to add to this collection. Everyone loves easy recipes they can make with what they already have. I can’t be the only one that thinks they’re even better when they’re comfort food turned healthy.
As an added bonus, this easy recipe happens to be paleo, gluten-free, and nut-free, so it’s suitable for plenty of food allergies. Yes, you can certainly make paleo hash browns or gluten-free hash browns with regular potatoes, but using cauliflower is a more nutritious option. Of course, if you’re looking for keto or low carb hash browns, then cauliflower is definitely the way to go.
If you are egg-free, that can be an option, too. Hop on over to Beaming Baker to how to make a flax egg, and you can use those in your recipe. You’ll want half of a flax “egg” for each egg white and a full one for each egg.
I was pleased to find that you can still get those yummy crispy edges even with cauliflower hash browns! Those are totally the best part about hash browns, don’t you agree?
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RECIPE CARD
6-Ingredient Cauliflower Hash Browns (Low Carb, Paleo)
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- 1 head Cauliflower (shredded/riced using a food processor or grater)
- 1/2 large Onion (shredded using a food processor or grater)
- 2 tbsp Golden flax seed meal
- 1/2 tsp Garlic salt (or sea salt)
- 1 large Egg
- 1-2 large Egg white (see instructions)
- Oil for frying
Instructions
RECIPE TIPS + VIDEO in the post above, nutrition info + recipe notes below!
- Microwave the riced cauliflower for 2-3 minutes, until tender. (Alternatively, you can steam it.) Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the shredded onion, golden flaxseed meal, garlic salt, egg, and one egg white in a large bowl.
- When the riced cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it in a cheesecloth or towel. Squeeze tightly over the sink to drain as much moisture as possible. (I drained more than a cup of liquid.)
- Stir the cauliflower into the bowl with the other ingredients. If it doesn't stick together well when trying to form a patty (i.e. if your head of cauliflower was very large), add another egg white.
Heat a generously oiled skillet over medium heat. Drop tablespoonfuls of the cauliflower mixture onto the pan and press down with a spatula to form hash brown patties. Cook for 2-4 minutes, until the bottom is browned, then flip and repeat for 2-4 minutes on the other side. Repeat with the remaining cauliflower mixture.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size is 1/4 of the recipe. The number of hash browns will depend on how big you make them. I got about 20 small hash browns for the whole recipe.
Serving size:Â 1/4 of entire recipe
NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. You can find individual ingredient carb counts we use in the Low Carb & Keto Food List. Carb count excludes sugar alcohols. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.
More Low Carb & Keto Support!
If you want to know more about how to start a low carb diet, want to substitute sweeteners, need a food list, or need support, check these guides:
Low Carb & Keto Diet Plan
Starter Guide 
Sweetener Conversion Calculator 
Keto Low Carb Macro Calculator 
Low Carb Keto Food List + Printable PDF
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38 Comments
Marcelle
Can these be frozen before cooking?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Marcelle, The raw cauliflower rice will deteriorate when frozen, so you’d need to blanch it first if you want to freeze them raw.
Carolyn Jester
I use cubed radishes for hash browns. Cook in bacon grease. I add onions. Radish loses its bitter “radishy” taste when cooked this way. I have also used spaghetti squash. To me it’s works better as hash browns than pasta.
M.w Paper
People with type A blood should not eat cauliflower according to most homeopathic nutrientionalists.
Kelly
I love me some hashbrowns and what a fun way to mix it up!! Love this recipe 🙂
Suzanne
This looks yummy. Can you used pre riced cauliflower?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Suzanne! Yes, you can!
Kari
If I wanted to use pre-frozen cauliflower rice, how many cups would I use? Can you email me the answer, please? 🙂 Thank you!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Kari, A head of cauliflower would be about 4 cups riced.
Susan
Hi Maya! These look great. Do you think it would be possible to bake them instead of fry them?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Susan, Yes, but they probably wouldn’t get crispy.
Debbie
Can I use xanthan gum instead of flax seed meal?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Debbie, I haven’t tried that. It might not work due to the volume difference, but I’m not sure. Let me know how it goes if you make them that way.
Karina
What is the green color in the finished photo? Are you using scallions or a regular onion? Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Karina, Those are chives. Scallions sound good, too!
Caryn
Can you use egg substitute since they are all egg whites?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Caryn, Yes, you can! Use 2 tablespoons of egg substitute per egg white.
megunprocessed
Such a creative idea!
Maria
This looks fantastic.
Beth Radcliffe
Anything I can do instead of the egg? My daughter cannot have eggs right now.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Beth, I haven’t tried it but flax “eggs” might work (they are not actually eggs). For each egg, stir together a tablespoon of flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons of water, then refrigerate for 15 minutes. In theory the mixture should be able to be used as an egg replacement. I haven’t tried it for this particular recipe, but it should work since it acts similarly as a binder.
amindfullmom
We are definetly making these! YUM!
LaurenKellyNutrition
What an amazing recipe!
GiGi Eats Celebrities
These look insanely delicious!!
Deb
Can whole egg be substituted for the egg whites?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Deb, You could, but the egg whites would work better. The result with more eggs might taste more “egg-y”. Also, the number of egg whites needed would vary depending on how large your cauliflower head is (see step 4 where you may or may not need to add another egg white). So if you need only one egg white (from step 2 only), that would convert to about 1/2 an egg, which is an odd amount; if you need two (adding the second one in step 4), then replacing both with one egg would be easier.
Noline
I am always looking for new ideas with cauliflower and I miss the crunch from baked potatoes.
So, I am definitely trying these. Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Shaksita
Hi, Can you freeze these?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Shaksita, I haven’t tried freezing them. I think it might work, but they probably wouldn’t be crispy when you thaw them. Frying them again may help, but you’d have to be careful not to burn them. If you want to cut down on the prep time, another option would be to just freeze the cauliflower rice. If you do try freezing them, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Dita MacDonald
Maya, approximately how many cups of riced cauli was your 1 head of cauliflower please??
Sarah
What an awesome idea for cauliflower! I can’t wait to make these!
Alex Blake
Any substitutions for flaxseed meal? Or can it be omitted if I don’t have it?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Alex, The flaxseed meal helps the hash browns stay together and absorbs moisture. You can try substituting almond flour or almond meal instead.
Katrin Nuernberger
What a great and simple recipe. I’ll have to give it a go!
Kelvin Saul
Completely agree Katrin! Absolutely delicious!
Stacey Crawford
These look awesome! A great low carb alternative for hash browns.
Georgina
These look absolutely delish!
Keri B
These look and sound amazing. I will be making these some time this next week!