Taco Hash Brown Waffles

Taco waffles on a plate.

Convenience reigns supreme for these easy Taco Hash Brown Waffles. Yes. Taco waffles! Think of them as dinner waffles minus the maple syrup. It’s a quick and easy recipe made with ground beef, frozen hash browns and a few other pantry staples.

A big thanks to the sponsor of this post, Sprouts Farmers Market, where I purchased all of the ingredients for this recipe. All opinions are my own. #SproutsPartner #lovesprouts

Ingredients from Sprouts Market to make dinner waffles.

Everything I needed for these easy, tasty dinner waffles came from my local Sprouts Farmers Market. I’ve been singing the praises of Sprouts for a while now and if you haven’t checked them out yet, put it on your to-do list. Why will you love it?

4 reasons to love Sprouts Farmers Market

  • Sprouts is a healthy grocery store offering fresh, natural and organic foods at great prices
  • Sprouts offers a complete shopping experience that includes fresh produce, meat and seafood, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, packaged groceries, baked goods, dairy products, frozen foods, natural body care and household items catering to consumers’ growing interest in health and wellness.  
  • Sprouts makes healthy eating affordable from coast to coast and now has more than 320 locations, including my local market in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
  • They have over 19,000 products (90% of which are NATURAL or ORGANIC).

Plus, I found everything I needed for this loaded frozen hash brown recipe in one pass through the store, including the frozen organic hash browns. I’m telling you, CONVENIENT. Now about those taco waffles…

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frozen hash brown recipes require wringing out the excess moisture.

You’ll love this dinner waffles recipe because it only takes 10 ingredients and feeds a hungry group of four. Plus, with the ease of the pre-shredded frozen hash browns, the prep time is minimal. Bonus.

Ingredients for taco waffles

  • Frozen Hash Browns (I used Sprouts Organic Frozen Hash Browns)
  • Butter
  • 1 Packet Taco Seasoning Mix (or make your own)
  • Grated Cheddar Cheese (also try Pepper Jack)
  • Green Onions
  • Yellow Onions
  • Ground Beef
  • Hatch Chiles (or other canned green chiles)
  • Sour Cream
  • Cilantro

Prepping frozen hash browns

Thaw the frozen hash browns before starting the recipe. I usually transfer the package from the freezer to the refrigerator in the morning. By dinner time they’re perfectly thawed. Before you start cooking the hash brown waffles, it’s important to remove the excess liquid from them. They make look dry, but you’d be surprised. Lay a clean dish towel on the counter and spread the hash browns over it. Roll up the dish towel tightly and wring it out over the sink to remove as much excess moisture as possible. You don’t want to skip this step otherwise the hash browns might stick to your waffle maker.

add cheese and seasonings to frozen hash browns.

Heat up your waffle maker before you start assembling the hash brown waffles, that way it’s ready to go as soon as you are.

Making hash brown waffles

  1. Combine the potatoes, taco seasoning, melted butter, cheese and green onions in a bowl.
  2. Toss to combine the ingredients.
  3. Spray upper and lower waffle iron grates with vegetable spray to prevent sticking.
  4. Add heaping 1/2 cup portions to each slot of the waffle maker and close the lid.
  5. Cook the waffles for 12-15 minutes or until crispy and golden.
making taco waffles in a waffle iron.

How crispy are hash brown waffles?

SUPER-CRISPY. Seriously. One of my husband’s pet peeves is mushy hash browns. To him, if they don’t crackle in your mouth, they’re not worth the calories. These hash brown waffles are UBER-CRUNCHY. I even found him sneaking errant shreds of crispy potato from the edges as I was pulling them off the waffle iron. He found them as addictive as I did. The cheese and bit of taco seasoning added to the potatoes give these dinner waffles a hint of Mexican flavor without over-powering the crispy spuds.

hash browns on the waffle iron.

What makes them taco waffles?

I’m glad you asked. Beyond the seasoning in the potatoes, I pile these hash brown waffles with a generous serving of taco seasoned ground beef with onions and chiles. Try to use real New Mexico Hatch chiles for this (you can find them in a 4 ounce can at Sprout’s), but other canned green chiles will do in a pinch. The ground beef mixture takes less than 10 minutes to assemble and it smells so good while it cooks.

Assembling taco filling.

Serving taco hash brown waffles

Pile the hash brown waffles on a platter with the ground beef and taco toppings on the side for your diners to help themselves. This is a family style meal and great for casual, unfussy weeknight dinners.

crispy hash browns on a platter. Perfect for family dinners.

Toppings for taco hash brown waffles

You can go as spare or as decadent as you like for topping your Mexican inspired dinner waffles. For this batch, I kept it simple with just a bit of extra cheddar cheese, scallions, cilantro and sour cream crowning the chile-spiked beef. However, feel free to crown them with whatever else you deem delicious.

Optional taco waffle toppings:

Making taco waffles by adding seasoned ground beef and cheese.

More taco recipes:

Serving dinner with extra cheese, green onions and sour cream.

More quick & easy dinners

Serving Taco Waffles with extra cheese and sour cream.

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Print Pin
5 from 10 votes

Taco Hash Brown Waffles

Crispy waffled hashbrowns are the base for this tasty waffle stacker. Makes a great weeknight dinner. While the waffles cook, assemble the taco meat filling. Easy peasy.
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword ground beef, hash browns, tacos, waffles
Dietary Restrictions Gluten-Free
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

  • waffle maker

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE HASHBROWN WAFFLES:

  • 1 16 ounce package Sprouts Organic Frozen Hashbrowns thawed
  • 2 tablespoons butter divided
  • 1 ounce packet taco seasoning mix or blend your own
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese divided
  • 1 bunch green onions divided, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 pound ground beef preferably 85/15 grass fed
  • 4 ounces green chiles or hatch chiles
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • sour cream
  • cilantro chopped

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL TOPPINGS:

  • salsa
  • avocado diced
  • tomatoes diced
  • black olives sliced

DIRECTIONS:

  • Heat the oven to 300°.
  • Lay a clean dish towel on a flat surface. Spread the hashbrown down the middle of the towel and spread out with your fingers. Roll the dish towel up (longer side first) with the hashbrowns inside, into a tight cylinder. Twist the ends of the towel over the sink to ring as much liquid from the hash browns as possible.
  • Transfer hash browns to a bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning and butter. Toss to combine. Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup of sliced green onions. Toss to combine.
  • Heat the waffle iron. Spray the grates with vegetable spray to prevent sticking. Mound a heaping half cup of potatoes into each waffle slot. Close the lid and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the waffles are very crispy and browned. Remove waffles to a platter and keep warm in the oven. Continue with the remaining potatoes.
  • While the waffle hash browns are cooking, heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Spray with vegetable spray and add the onions, cooking for 3-4 minutes or until the onions are softened and translucent. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, stirring occaasionally.
  • Add the hatch chiles, remainder of the taco seasoning and water. Cook until the meat is well seasoned and fragrant.

ASSEMBLE THE HASHBROWN WAFFLE TACOS

  • Place 1-2 hashbrowns on a plate, depending on your appetite. Top with a scoop of taco meat mixture. Sprinkle with extra cheddar cheese, sour cream and green onions — and any of the other optional toppings as desired..

NUTRITION:

Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 745mg | Potassium: 450mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1012IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 449mg | Iron: 3mg

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8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These are a dream! I’ve been thinking about getting a waffle iron for ages now and I think this is the recipe that is going to make me do it. Anything taco-inspired is a win. These are so so crispy and flavorful!

  2. 5 stars
    Oh my gosh my daughter was JUST asking for breakfast for dinner! Then I came across this recipe and it’s absolutely perfect. You’re so right – it is CRISPY – because there isn’t anything worse than mushy hash browns! WE LOVE this. Thank you so much!

  3. 5 stars
    Well isn’t this a delicious twist on waffles? We love Mexican food. What a fun dinner for the weekend. Sounds like a great place to shop too.

  4. 5 stars
    This is the best idea! Such a fun and delicious dinner.

  5. 5 stars
    Why have I not made hash brown waffles before?! These look delicious! Also, Sprouts is my go-to store too! it’s such a great place

  6. Kelly Anthony says:

    5 stars
    Oh my, these Mexican style hash brown waffles look amazing! I love how versatile this recipe is and how it can be changed depending on what I have on hand.

  7. 5 stars
    Thanks for sharing the tip for taking the excess liquid out of the potatoes. Worked like a charm. This is a great alternative to a sweet waffle. Thanks for sharing!

  8. ali randall says:

    5 stars
    You make this look so easy. Time for me to break out the waffle iron for something other than breakfast waffles. Love this idea for Cinco de Mayo. This recipe is a winner!