With lots of sweet and a bit of savory flavor, these caramelized sweet potato apple hash browns will be your new favorite side dish for any meal. Using Japanese sweet potatoes plus sweet and tart apples, you get a delicious flavor combination that’s free of refined oils and sugars yet feels like the ultimate comfort food.
Like I said yesterday, it’s apples before pumpkins over here! Plus, I have to finish sharing my favorite stove-top recipes before I start baking everything in my new oven. This is a good one, and look guys – no meat! Not even a bacon bit! I would say it’s pretty rare that I have a recipe on here that’s not a cookie, muffin or fudge yet has not a drop of meat. Or a pound.
I’m talking up my apples but I literally just took a pumpkin recipe out of the oven 5 minutes ago. I’m hoping this one does not break my heart, but whatever happens, happens. I’m getting better at regulating my emotions when faced with a recipe that just wasn’t meant to be. Or one that is purposefully trying to make my life harder. Because cookies will do that to you, this I know.
But really, I guess I finally caught on to the thing about recipe heartbreak that’s much more awesome that actual heartbreak – you can literally just manipulate the recipe, make it again, and, voila, you’re back in love. Magical stuff right? Not like human relationships, where that sort of thing is way frowned upon and doesn’t work anyway. I guess that is my relationship/cooking tip of the week – manipulate your recipe, not your partner.
But getting back to the hash browns, because these you really need to make these and with my recipe, they’re foolproof! I used to burn my sweet potatoes on the stove before I figured out a way to cook them that gets them both soft on the inside and crispy on the outside – something it’s easy for the oven to do, but with the stove it requires a method.
My method involves both steaming and frying and since I started doing this, my hash recipes come out great every time. If you guys follow me on Instagram (and if you don’t, now’s your chance!) you know I’m just a leeetle into hash browns of all kinds for breakfast. It’s sorta been my thing since I started out with paleo. I can’t even remember what inspired me to start making them, since I never ever did prior to paleo, but, it happened and now here we are. With me giving you and your cookies relationship advice. We’re really living the dream now, I’m telling you 🙂
Caramelized Sweet Potato Apple Hash Browns {Paleo & Whole30}
Caramelized Sweet Potato Apple Hash Browns
Ingredients
- 1 very large sweet potato* or 2 medium ones, peeled and diced - about 2 cups diced
- 1 large pink lady or granny smith apple diced (peeling optional)
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp ghee or coconut oil - separated
- 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/4-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp organic coconut sugar** - optional omit for Whole30
Instructions
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Heat a large, seasoned cast iron pan (or any heavy skillet that won't stick) over medium heat and add 2 tbsp of the ghee*
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Once the pan is heated, add the diced sweet potatoes and sprinkle evenly with the sea salt and stir/toss to coat the potatoes cooking fat and salt.
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Cover the pan, using any cover that is large enough, for about 2 minutes. Uncover and stir, lower the heat a bit if the potatoes are starting to brown too much. Recover and cook for another 2-4 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
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Uncover the pan and continue to cook, stirring, until the potatoes are light brown all over.
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Add the diced apples plus the 2 tsp ghee and stir to combine. If adding the coconut sugar*, do this now.
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Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or until the apples and potatoes are brown. Adjust the heat of your stovetop as necessary to avoid burning.
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Once apples and potatoes are toasty, remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon. Let cool a bit and then serve warm. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*I used a Japanese sweet potato with purple skin and white flesh on the inside and their texture is more like a white potato, the flavor is mildly sweet. These are great, but you can use whatever sweet potato you like!**Completely optional (it will be sweet without), omit to keep this recipe Whole30 compliant.
Are you as obsessed with caramelizing things as I am?
What are your favorite apples for cooking? For eating raw?
Hi! I'm Michele. Paleo eater and recipe creator, runner, and mom of 3. Welcome to my blog, where we obsess over all of it and love every minute! (It's way fun over here, promise.) Stay a while to eat, run, and rant with me! 
I have to pick up more Japanese sweet potatoes! So good. You know I love apples – my favorites are right now, the honey crisp which are back in stores, granny smith and pink lady.
Those are our top 3 as well! And yes go get those sweet potatoes 🙂
I’ve still never seen Japanese sweet potatoes in any of the stores I go to! It will be my mission over the next few months to try them and make this recipe because it sounds delicious:) My favorite apples are gala but I love using different kinds of apples in recipes!
You have to find them, they’re really the best!
Oh Em GHee (see what i did there :D) They had Japanese sweet potatoes in the baskets on Chopped not too long ago and I immediately thought of you. Apple and sweet potato are so good together. Definitely an underappreciated combo 😀
Love ghee jokes. And bacon and sausage jokes 🙂 And yes I love that combo, I wish I could eat more apples but for this sort of thing I make an exception and it’s well worth it.
I have never done apples with potatoes. This sounds so very good! I’ve been making a ton of Apple recipes lately and pumpkin. I can’t decide between the two!
A must try- apples and sweet potatoes! They complement each other well. I just made a bunch of pumpkin things today but I like doing both from now through Thanksgiving 🙂
Oh wow. I’ve never thought of having apples in with potatoes like this. It sounds incredible! Can’t wait to get some fresh apples this season. Definitely one of the perks of Fall!
Definitely try it, it’s a great combo 🙂
yay for apples! i bet pears would be awesome too. And yes, pumpkin season will come but first, it’s all about them apples and stove top makes it smell amazing,right?
Yes, pears would fit right in there 🙂 I absolutely love that cinnamon apple smell, totally the best! Okay I love pumpkin spice too, it’s all delicious.
I do that as a snack with plantains, apples and a few sprinkled almonds on top and eat it in a bowl with a little coconut milk– sorta like a cereal. Will be making this Monday evening with my roasted chicken. Have a great weekend!!!
Yum – sounds great! And I had this with chicken thighs and it was yummy 🙂
I LOVE this take on sweet Hashbrowns! Sweet Potatoes and Apples are perfect for fall! Looks so darn yummy 🙂
Love my sweet and savory – really delicious!
Yes we love hash browns, and have them often for dinner with eggs. I never think to use the Japanese sweet potatoes though, they are perfect for this sweeter recipe though!! Hope your cookies turned out amazing!
Japanese sweet potatoes are so good, definitely my favorite!
This looks delicious and would be so good after a long run! Japanese sweet potatoes are so good and a great way to mix it up from regular sweet potatoes. My favorite apples are Fuji and Braeburn, although I really like them all (except red delicious).
I don’t like red delicious either but my kids do – I think only because of the color! And this would be great after a long run with some eggs and bacon too 🙂
I’m all over this. I’ll probably add curry powder because that’s how I roll. I seem to caramelize everything whether I should or not 😀 I like it so no complaints. Happy Friday!
I love to caramelize everything, it’s fun and always tastes good, so why not 🙂 I wouldn’t think to add curry, might have to try!
Girl, I could actually eat this recipe 😉 2 of my favorite foods! Japanese sweets and apples! Glory!
I’d say you should start a relationship/cooking counseling service. You have some true wisdom to share 😉 Haha!
My least favorite apple is the granny smith, not good raw, but cooked is fine! To eat though, pink lady and fuji apples for life!!!! Pink lady rock too!….I love all apples 😉 But you know which one I feel bad for? Golden delicious! They are always forgotten!
Granny smith are great for cooking but I agree they’re too tart to eat raw. I always use them in apple crisp. And you’re right about golden delicious – I never know what to do with them and my kids want their apples to be red, orange, or pink 😉
I love cooking with gala apples, but granny smith are my favorite to just snack on with nut butter 🙂 Have so much fun breaking in your new oven ! Can’t wait for all the new recipes 🙂 Have a fabulous weekend!!
Haven’t tried cooking with gala, granny smith are a bit tart but great for pies and crisps and all that. Breaking in the oven is going well! Have a great weekend!
Yum! What a delicious combo!
Thanks, hope you try it!
I love this recipe! Root vegetables and apples are a match made in heaven! I pretty much love any type of apple I can get my hands on.
Even though I don’t eat bacon often, I think bacon would go great in this 😉
I think it would too – next time 🙂 Or I’ll just make this plus some bacon and eggs – maybe after my long run tomorrow!
I love pink lady apples, as well as NY heirloom varieties. I agree, apples before pumpkins – those are Octobers!
Pink lady’s are great all around. Can’t wait to go apple picking although I don’t think we can squeeze it in until the very end of the month!
Two of my favorites right there – sweet potatoes and pink lady apples. I think we need to go apple picking this weekend so I can make this asap!
I wanted to go today but something came up – I HAVE to go every year although I think it has to wait another two weeks sadly!
Amg now this just -screams- fall — loving it! I just recently picked up some pin ladies after not having them for a while, and I seriously forgot how much I love them. Those and golden delicious are probably my favourites!
The flavor and texture of the Pink Ladies is perfect for anything apple related 🙂 Golden delicious gets neglected over here since the kids want their apples red, or at least an orangey pink!
That recipe looks so good especially for a fall brunch! That reminds me too, I want to do some apple picking. Time to look up some orchards in the area.
Apple picking might be my favorite – such great memories and then of course, the baking afterwards 🙂
Spud love all the way. This looks fantastic and I’m kind of thrilled you skipped the meat so I can make it as is.
Sweet and perfect without the meat 🙂
When I was in the UK, my favourite Apple was a cox or Braeburn… So amazing! Now in Australia my favourite is a pink lady or sundowner. I always find that local apples taste the best 🙂
I haven’t had a sundowner. I agree I love freshly picked local ones 🙂
Made these tonight with regular sweet potatoes, ambrosia apples, onions and no sugar. Delicious!!! Thanks for this great idea.
Awesome! Really doesn’t need the sugar and I’m sure the onions made it amazing!
GREAT recipe! I loved the salty, sweet, tart and savory flavors in this dish. I used regular sweet potatoes. It’s August, and I already have requests to make this with holiday ham at Christmas!
That’s incredible! So happy you all liked it. Now I’m dying to make it for myself today 🙂
I just found this recipe when I was looking for a way to get rid of some regular sweet potatoes that were hanging around on my counter. This recipe was so amazing! My husband raved about it! I added about 1/3 of a big red onion and used coconut oil instead of ghee. This recipe will be a staple in our home from now on! Thank you so much! 🙂
This is one of those simple favorites for me! So thrilled you guys liked it!