A very popular American grocery chain is Trader Joe’s. They have seasonal and common products you can buy. One of their products are hash browns. Are Trader Joe’s hash browns healthy?
In small quantities, Trader Joe’s hash browns are a savory treat with 6 grams of fat. Per serving, they have 120 calories and 15 grams of carbohydrates. They aren’t a healthy food, but they aren’t unhealthy in this case. If you’re looking for a tasty snack, then Trader Joe’s hash browns are a good choice.
The rest of this article will cover Trader Joe’s hash brown selection, nutrition of Trader Joe’s hash browns, tips for making healthy hash brown choices, and alternatives for hash browns at Trader Joe’s.
Trader Joe’s Hash Brown Selection
Trader Joe’s does not have many selections for hash browns. They have regular hash browns, holiday vegetable hash, and regular shredded hash browns. Since there are only three options, make sure you choose the one that best suits you.
The regular hash browns are simple, classic hash browns that are premade. All you have to do after buying them is heat them up in a skillet. These hash browns come in packs of ten, and since there are ten servings per package, that means one patty equals one serving.
Then there is the holiday vegetable hash, which is a unique type of potato. It’s a mix of pre-seasoned vegetables that comes to Trader Joe’s seasonally. The serving size is about ½ cup, and it serves six people.
Lastly, Trader Joe’s also has the ingredients necessary to make hash browns yourself. They have russet potatoes you can buy to make hash browns out of.
These russet potatoes are fresh. Trader Joe’s recommends grating them to make hash browns out of them.
Nutrition Of Trader Joe’s Hash Browns
There are two premade hash brown options at Trader Joe’s. The regular hash browns are the more common ones.
These hash browns have ten potato patties in them, and one serving size is one patty. The ingredients are Idaho potatoes, salt, vegetable oil, dextrose, and citric acid (for color).
The holiday vegetable hash is the healthier option because it has less fat. It has 0g of fat in it. Along with that, the ingredients are butternut squash, sweet potato, red onion, celery, parsley, sage, and rosemary.
Both options have over 10g of carbs, with the holiday hash having 11g of it, and the regular hash browns having 15g of it. However, both dishes will fill you up and give you the energy needed to start your day.
Tips For Making Healthy Hash Brown Choices
Hash browns aren’t the most unhealthy food in the world, but you can definitely make them healthier while cooking.
Instead of using different oils, try cooking using olive oil. Olive oil is considered a very heart healthy oil, meaning it’s healthier than most other variants.
Potatoes, in general, are very healthy for you. They’re rich in vitamin C, which is great for your body. Making hash browns is a tasty choice, especially for holidays like Christmas.
If you want to keep your hash browns healthy, don’t add too many unnecessary ingredients to them.
For example, there’s no need to add anything other than seasoning. They’re a filling breakfast meal that don’t contain too many calories.
If you keep adding ingredients or other side dishes, then it’ll become less healthy. Try to stick to only the potatoes, some seasoning, and some butter.
Alternatives for Hash Browns at Trader Joe’s
If you can’t find hash browns at Trader Joe’s, no worries, there are plenty of alternatives you can try. For starters, the internet is your best friend.
You can use sites like Amazon to find hash browns. There will be a wider variety of hash browns on these sites thanks to a larger market.
You can also order hash browns from restaurants and certain fast food places by using apps like DoorDash.
These delivery services are more expensive, but you can get hash browns from restaurants all over your local area by using these apps.
If ordering from an app or online site like Amazon doesn’t appeal to you, try going to another grocery store to find what you need.
Most grocery stores, at the very least, carry potatoes that you can grate and make hash browns with.
Lastly, there are farmer’s markets as well. Although it’s unlikely they’ll have premade hash browns, farmers markets will have fresh potatoes you can choose from.
If you like cooking your own hash browns, buying fresh potatoes from a farmers market or grocery store are the best options for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
With hash browns being such a popular meal, there are a few burning questions customers have about them.
How Many Calories in a Trader Joe’s Hash Brown?
Per pack of regular hash browns, there are about 1,200 calories. For the holiday vegetable hash, there are about 270 calories.
How Much Protein Is In Trader Joe’s Hash Browns?
In regular hash browns, there is about one gram of protein per serving. In the holiday vegetable hash, there is less than one gram of protein per serving.
How Many Calories Are in Trader Joe’s Hash Brown Patties?
Per patty, there are 120 calories in the regular hash browns. In the holiday vegetable hash, there are 45 calories per serving. The regular hash browns serve ten and the holiday vegetable hash serves six.
Final Thoughts
Trader Joe’s hash browns are not unhealthy. They aren’t very healthy either, but they aren’t bad for you by any means. They’re a savory snack you can have, especially during the holiday seasons with the Trader Joe’s holiday vegetable hash.
You can make your own healthy hash browns at home by picking up the right ingredients. Try using olive oil instead of any other oils since it’s healthier for your heart.
Along with that, if you can’t find hash browns at Trader Joe’s, try using Amazon, a delivery app, or another grocery store.
