Countless weekend breakfast trials didn’t stick until one autumn weekend when I grabbed sweet potato hash because our usual russets had spoiled. I tossed them in the skillet, curious to see what would happen. Emma peeked over my shoulder and asked, “Are those supposed to be orange, Mom?” One bite of those caramelized sweet potato cubes crispy on the outside, meltingly soft inside and he was sold. Now each Saturday morning, he’s excited for “Mom’s orange hash,” and it’s our favorite way to kick off the weekend.
Why You'll Love This Sweet Potato Hash
Emma loves helping me make this because he gets to use the big spatula to flip everything around in the pan. "I'm the flipper!" he always says. But beyond being fun to make, this sweet potato hash just works for our family. It's filling enough to keep us going until lunch, but not so heavy that we feel gross afterward. The sweet potatoes have this natural sweetness that makes everything taste better, and they get these crispy edges that regular potatoes never quite get.
The best part is how you can change it up. Got leftover vegetables from dinner? Throw them in. Need to use up that cheese before it goes bad? Perfect. Want to add some protein? Bacon, sausage, or even just a fried egg on top makes it a complete meal. It's one of those recipes where you can't really mess it up, and Emma has learned that trying different add-ins usually turns out great.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Sweet Potato Hash
- Ingredients for Sweet Potato Hash
- How To Make Sweet Potato Hash Step By Step
- Smart Swaps for Sweet Potato Hash
- How to Store Your Sweet Potato Hash
- Sweet Potato Hash Recipe Variations
- Equipment For Sweet Potato Hash Recipe
- Why This Sweet Potato Hash Recipe Works
- Top Tip
- The Dish My Grandmother Taught Me to Love
- FAQ
- Related
- Weekend Breakfast Made Better!
- Pairing
- Sweet Potato Hash
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Hash
The Base:
- Sweet potatoes
- Cooking oil or butter
- Salt and pepper
- Onion
The Flavor Makers:
- Garlic powder or fresh garlic
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Fresh or dried herbs
Optional Add-Ins:
- Bell peppers
- Mushrooms
- Spinach or kale
- Cheese (any kind)
- Bacon or sausage
- Eggs for on top
For Serving:
- Avocado slices
- Hot sauce
- Sour cream
- Green onions
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Sweet Potato Hash Step By Step
Get Everything Ready:
- Peel and dice sweet potatoes into small cubes
- Chop up your onion
- Have all your seasonings ready
- Heat oil in a big skillet over medium heat
Start Cooking:
- Throw the sweet potatoes in the hot pan
- Don't stir them right away - let them get crispy
- Season with salt, pepper, and paprika
- Cook for about 5-7 minutes until they start browning
Add the Good Stuff:
- Add onions and any other vegetables
- Sprinkle in garlic powder and cumin
- Keep cooking and stirring occasionally
- Takes about 10-15 minutes total
Finish It Off:
- Serve hot with whatever toppings you want
- Add cheese if you're using it
- Let it melt for a minute
- Taste and add more seasoning if needed
Smart Swaps for Sweet Potato Hash
Sweet Potato Changes:
- No sweet potatoes → Regular potatoes work fine
- Fresh sweet potatoes → Frozen sweet potato cubes (thaw first)
- Orange sweet potatoes → White sweet potatoes taste good too
- Big sweet potatoes → Small ones, just use more
Oil Switches:
- No cooking oil → Butter works great
- Vegetable oil → Olive oil, coconut oil, whatever
- Low on oil → Just use less, add more if it sticks
Spice Swaps:
- No paprika → Chili powder works
- Fresh garlic → Garlic powder is fine
- No cumin → Skip it or use any other spice
- Fresh herbs → Dried herbs, just use less
Vegetable Mix-ups:
- No mushrooms → Leave them out
- No onions → Skip them or use green onions
- Bell peppers → Any color, any pepper
- Fresh spinach → Frozen spinach (squeeze out water first)
How to Store Your Sweet Potato Hash
Right After Cooking:
- Let it cool down completely first
- Don't put hot hash in the fridge
- Takes about 30 minutes to cool
In the Fridge:
- Keep in a covered container
- Stays good for 3-4 days
- Reheat in a skillet to get it crispy again
- Microwave makes it mushy
Reheating Tips:
- Use a skillet with a little oil
- Don't microwave if you want it crispy
- Add a splash of water if it seems dry
- Takes about 5 minutes to heat through
Make Ahead:
- You can prep the sweet potatoes the night before
- Keep chopped potatoes in water so they don't turn brown
- Drain and dry before cooking
- Don't cook it ahead - it gets soggy
Freezing:
- Better to just make smaller batches
- Doesn't freeze great
- Gets mushy when you thaw it
Sweet Potato Hash Recipe Variations
The Breakfast Version:
- Add crumbled bacon or sausage
- Crack eggs right into the pan
- Top with cheese and green onions
- Emma calls this "the full breakfast one"
Mexican Style:
- Add black beans and corn
- Use jalapeños instead of regular peppers
- Top with avocado and salsa
- Sprinkle with cilantro
The Veggie-Packed:
- Throw in whatever vegetables need to be used up
- Zucchini, carrots, broccoli all work
- Add extra garlic and herbs
- Good for cleaning out the fridge
Protein Power:
- Mix in leftover chicken or turkey
- Add some nuts or seeds
- Top with a fried egg
- Makes it a real meal
Sweet and Savory:
- Add dried cranberries or raisins
- Sprinkle with cinnamon
- Top with Greek yogurt
- Emma loves this weird combo
Spicy Version:
- Add hot peppers or hot sauce
- Use spicy sausage
- Top with spicy cheese
- Emma won't eat this one but I love it
Equipment For Sweet Potato Hash Recipe
- Large skillet or cast iron pan
- Sharp knife for chopping
- Cutting board
- Spatula for flipping and stirring
Why This Sweet Potato Hash Recipe Works
I've made probably fifty batches of sweet potato hash and screwed up plenty of them, so I finally get what makes this one actually work. It's not some big secret - it's just doing a few things that most people skip because they seem like extra work. Cutting the sweet potatoes small and letting them get crispy before you stir them is what makes all the difference. And using medium heat instead of high heat means they cook through without burning on the outside.
My son always asks why we can't just throw everything in the pan at once and cook it fast. I tried that once when I was in a hurry - what a mess. The sweet potatoes were burned on the outside and raw in the middle, the onions were either mushy or crunchy, and nothing tasted right. This recipe works because each step fixes something that goes wrong. The right size pieces cook evenly, the right temperature keeps things from burning, and adding ingredients at the right time means everything finishes cooking together.
Top Tip
- From years of making this and teaching it to other parents, I've learned that the biggest mistake people make is moving the sweet potatoes around too much in the pan. You throw them in the hot oil and then immediately start stirring and flipping, thinking you're helping them cook evenly. But what you're actually doing is stopping them from getting those crispy, caramelized edges that make sweet potato hash so good.
- Here's what I do now: once the sweet potatoes hit the pan, I literally set a timer for 5 minutes and don't touch them. No stirring, no peeking underneath, nothing. Just let them sit there and get golden brown on one side before you move them. It feels wrong at first - like you should be doing something - but that's when the good stuff happens. Those crispy edges are what separate okay sweet potato hash from really good sweet potato hash.
The Dish My Grandmother Taught Me to Love
My grandmother had this way of making sweet potato hash that I never got until I started cooking for my own family. She'd always make it on Sunday mornings when we visited, and she'd let me help by stirring the pan with a big wooden spoon. "Don't move them too much," she'd always say, "let them get happy first." I thought that was just her funny way of talking, but now I know she was teaching me to let the sweet potatoes get crispy before stirring.
Her secret was adding a tiny bit of brown sugar right at the end - just a pinch - which brought out the natural sweetness of the potatoes without making it taste like dessert. She'd also save the bacon grease from breakfast and use that instead of oil. "Waste not, want not," she'd say, and that bacon flavor made everything taste so much better. Now when I make this for my son, I use her tricks, and he always asks why it tastes different from other people's hash.
FAQ
What is the best seasoning for sweet potato hash?
Salt, pepper, and paprika are the basics that work every time. Cumin adds a warm, earthy flavor that goes great with sweet potatoes. Garlic powder is always good, and fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary make it taste fancy. Don't be afraid to try whatever you have in your spice cabinet.
How to make sweet potato flakes?
This isn't about making flakes - this recipe uses fresh sweet potatoes diced into small cubes. If you want to use instant sweet potato flakes for something else, just follow the package directions. Fresh sweet potatoes give you way better texture and flavor for hash though.
How to make the best sweet potato mash?
For mashed sweet potatoes, you'd boil or roast them until soft, then mash with butter and seasonings. But for hash, you want them diced small and cooked until crispy on the outside and tender inside. Two totally different cooking methods for different results.
How to make traditional potato hash?
Traditional potato hash uses regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes, and usually includes corned beef. The cooking method is similar - dice everything small, cook in a hot pan until crispy, and don't stir too much. Sweet potato hash is just a healthier, more flavorful twist on the classic.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Weekend Breakfast Made Better!
Now you've got all the tricks to make sweet potato hash that actually works - from my grandmother's brown sugar secret to the 5-minute no-stirring rule. This recipe proves that sometimes the best breakfast foods are the ones that let you get creative with whatever's in your fridge.
Want more weekend breakfast ideas? Try our The Best Egg Drop Soup Recipe for something warm and comforting on cold mornings. Need something you can grab and go? Our The Best Sausage Pancake Muffins Recipe combines breakfast favorites in one easy bite. Or make our Easy Sausage Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls that taste like they came from a fancy brunch place!
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Sweet Potato Hash
Sweet Potato Hash
Equipment
- 1 Large skillet (Preferably nonstick or cast iron)
- 1 Sharp knife (For dicing)
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Spatula (For turning hash)
- 1 Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 2 large Sweet potatoes - Peeled and diced into ½″ cubes
- 2 tablespoon Cooking oil - Or melted butter
- 1 large Onion - Diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt - Or to taste
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper - Freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon Paprika - Smoked or sweet
- ½ teaspoon Cumin - Optional
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder - Or 1 clove fresh garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Fresh herbs - Thyme or parsley chopped (optional)
- Optional add‑ins - Bell pepper mushrooms, cheese, bacon, etc.
Instructions
- Peel and dice sweet potatoes; chop onion and any add‑ins.
- Warm oil or butter in skillet over medium heat.
- Add sweet potatoes; let sit undisturbed 5 mins for browning.
- Stir in onion, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper.
- Cook until tender, toss in herbs/add‑ins, then plate.
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