By transforming boring ol’ shredded hashbrowns into a pizza crust, we are going to make the absolute BEST breakfast pizza.
This recipe will require about an hour of your time, but I promise it’s worth it. Throw this together on a Sunday morning and impress everyone in your family!
How to make the hashbrown breakfast pizza crust
We can’t just cook up shredded hashbrowns and form them into a breakfast pizza- the entire pizza would just fall apart if we were to do that.
Don’t worry, we only need to go through a few steps to make some magic happen.
First thing’s first, we need to start with frozen shredded hashbrowns. Most bags will be 28-30 ounces, and either size will work just the same in this recipe.
The above photo is the shredded hashbrowns that were in stock when I went shopping. Note that these are already seasoned, but we’re going to go through the recipe as if they were just plain. If you do happen to buy seasoned shredded hashbrowns, still follow the recipe as is, but just scale back the seasoning a tiny bit.
To make the breakfast pizza crust, we don’t need to thaw the shredded hashbrowns at all. Simply take them out of the freezer and throw them into a large microwave-safe bowl, then microwave for 5 to 6 minutes.
Microwaving the hashbrowns allows them to not only thaw, but soften up and cook a tiny bit.
Then, we pour them into a bowl lined with a towel, then squeeze out as much water as possible.
Why do we need this step?
Squeezing out the water helps the breakfast pizza crust to get nice and crispy. If you skip this step, too much moisture is going to be retained in the breakfast pizza crust and it will not crisp up very well. And, nobody wants soggy hashbrowns.
Once you squeeze the water out, it will resemble a ball of mashed potatoes with some shreds still left.
At this point, we just need to add our egg, egg whites, and seasonings to the bowl.
Then it’s time to get messy. Get your hands in there and work it out until everything is fully mixed.
Why the crust needs eggs
Our breakfast pizza crust needs a binder. In other words, something needs to hold the potatoes together, or else we’re just going to have flimsy mashed potatoes.
The first time I tried this recipe, I used only egg whites. The crust held together okay, but the lack of fat in the egg really affected the final texture and it was not nearly as crispy as I would have liked.
By using 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites, we knock the calories down a tiny bit, but we still incorporate an egg yolk to help the binding and baking process.
For an even better result, you can use 2-3 eggs and no additional egg whites. This will increase the calories a tiny bit, but really not much, and the final breakfast pizza will be even better!
Forming the pizza and getting it crispy
This is where you have room to play with the recipe a bit…
Once we have our pizza dough, we’re going to add it to a nonstick pan or parchment paper. Use your hands to form it into a circular shape, leaving a thicker crust around the edge.
My pizza ended up being around 12″, but you can make the pizza as large as you’d like.
Note that overall, the pizza was pretty thin. If you go too thick on it, it won’t cook up as well.
We’re going to blast the breakfast pizza crust in the oven at 500 degrees F for about 25 minutes or so, but this is where you can play around a bit.
We want the crust to be almost done, but not quite. We’re going to be adding the toppings and baking for another 10 minutes after this.
However, everyone likes their hashbrowns at different doneness levels. If you like them very well done, check on the crust after 25 minutes. If it still seems too underdone for you, let it go for another 10-15 minutes or so to insure your breakfast pizza will be very crispy.
A note on pans and parchment paper
The first time I made this pizza, I thought I screwed it up majorly.
When it was done, the bottom of the pizza was still SO soft, even though the top was nice and crispy. I realized I made two crucial mistakes:
- I did not squeeze the moisture out of the potatoes after microwaving, so there was too much water in the crust
- I baked the pizza on a “pizza tin” which is basically a tin that doesn’t get hot. So, while the pizza cooked through, the pan underneath was not hot, so the bottom did not crisp up. Whoops.
The second time around, I used the proper pan, and I lined it with parchment paper.
However, when my pizza was done, it was still stuck on the parchment paper.
Another failed attempt, I thought. But there was actually a very easy fix.
If you try to remove the pizza right out of the oven, you may find it sticking to the parchment paper. Let it cool for a few minutes and see if that does the trick. If it doesn’t, don’t worry!
I ended up cutting the pizza anyway, slicing right through the parchment paper. When I removed a slice, I was able to peel the parchment paper off the bottom of the slice without any issue.
If you’re worried about your pizza sticking, I recommend spraying your parchment paper with nonstick spray beforehand. That should save you!
Topping your breakfast pizza
After we bake the crust and get it browned up nicely, it’s time for topping.
The toppings (and amounts) are totally up to you for your breakfast pizza! I kept it simple with cheese, eggs, bacon, and some diced pepper/onion.
Whatever you go with, you’ll have plenty of time to prep them! While my crust was baking, I cooked up my bacon & eggs to have them ready to go for topping. Note that I slightly undercooked the eggs so they wouldn’t get too dry, since we’re going to bake for another 10 minutes.
I added the mozzarella cheese first, but you can certainly add it on top if you prefer. I’m not a huge cheese fan, so I always stick with mozzarella due to its mild flavor. Any other cheese will work great here, though.
I scrambled up 4 eggs with a splash of milk, pulled them about one minute before I normally would, and added them right on top of the cheese.
Then came the bacon and veggies!
When it comes to bacon, I highly recommend center-cut bacon. It’s only 50 calories for 2 slices, and significantly better than opting for something like turkey bacon. Bleh.
I happened to have leftover pepper & onion from a previous meal, so that’s what I used for some veggies. You can get creative here and add different veggies like spinach or broccoli, or throw on some sausage!
Once all the toppings have been added, we’re just going to bake the breakfast pizza for an extra 10 minutes to get everything melted and have those flavors blend a little bit.
And there you have it!
Slice the pizza up into 8 slices and dig right in!
I recommend some hot sauce on top as well, but if you’re serving others, I like keeping the sauces on the side so everyone can choose their own.
Looking for more breakfast ideas?
There is nothing better than breakfast food. I have quite a few savory breakfast options on this blog, with many more to come!
- Healthy Everything Bagel Pull Apart Bread
- Breakfast Bagel Bombs
- French Toast Pigs in a Blanket
- Soft Pretzel Biscuits
PS: If you’re looking for a simple breakfast pizza recipe that you can whip up in about half the time, check out my friend Mason Woodruff’s Air Fryer Breakfast Pizza!
Hashbrown Crust Breakfast Pizza
A 12 inch pizza the entire family can enjoy! The crust is a combination of hashbrowns, eggs, and spices, making it perfect as a breakfast pizza, even if you're gluten-free!
Ingredients
Hashbrown Pizza Crust
- 1 Bag (28-30oz) Frozen Shredded Hashbrowns
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 Egg Whites
- 2 Tsp Onion Powder
- 2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Pepper
Breakfast Pizza Toppings
- 4 Large Eggs (Scrambled)
- 6 Slices Center Cut Bacon
- 70g Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Diced Pepper & Onion (or any vegetables of choice)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Empty the shredded hashbrowns into a large bowl and microwave for 5-6 minutes.
- Wrap the microwaved hashbrowns in a towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible (if you do not do this, your pizza crust will not crisp up). Then add back to your bowl. At this stage, it should resemble a large ball of mashed potatoes, with some loose shreds still in there as well.
- Add one whole egg, 2 egg whites, and seasoning to the bowl with the hashbrowns, and use your hands to mix it all up well into a dough. (If calories are not a concern, you can use 3 whole eggs during this step instead)
- Empty the bowl onto a nonstick pan, or use parchment paper if you do not have anything nonstick (see my notes below on parchment paper). Use your hands to shape the dough into a pizza, roughly 12" in diameter, leaving the edges a little bit thicker to form a crust.
- Bake the pizza crust for 25 minutes. Depending on your oven and the type of pan used, your crust may cook differently. If you prefer extra crispy, you can leave it in for an extra 5-10 minutes, but check on the crust after 25 minutes to see where it is at.
- While the crust cooks, prep your toppings. I diced up 6 slices of bacon and cooked them in a pan, scrambled 4 eggs, and diced up some additional pepper & onion. You are free to prepare any toppings you'd like!
- Remove the crust from the oven and lower the oven temp to 375 degrees F.
- Add your mozzarella cheese, and then your toppings on top of that, and add back to the oven for 10 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven, slice, and serve!
Notes
- I attempted this crust with only egg whites, but the whole egg in the crust really helps hold it all together. You can leave out the whole egg and use 3 egg whites, but the pizza will not have as much structure. If calories are not a concern, you can use 3 whole eggs instead for an even better end product.
- If you love extra crispy hashbrowns, be sure to leave the crust in the oven longer before topping. The final 10 minutes of bake time is just to melt & cook the toppings, so you want the crust almost done before that stage. Use your best judgment!
- When I used parchment paper, my pizza seemed to stick to it and I could not get it off. This was partly due to my undercooking the crust a bit. If you find your pizza stuck to your parchment paper, this is what I did: when I removed the finished product from the oven, I used a pizza cutter to slice the pizza up normally, cutting right through the parchment paper. Once I had slices, I was able to peel the parchment paper off the bottom with no problem.
- Note that the nutrition will change depending on the toppings you use, so I recommend calculating it on your own to get the most accurate numbers.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Slices Serving Size 1 SliceAmount Per Serving Calories 160Total Fat 6.5gCarbohydrates 15.5gFiber 2gSugar 0.5gProtein 11g
Teresa Hagan
Sunday 7th of March 2021
Any thoughts on how to scale this down to an individual 6 in. pizza?