The Best Fast Food Hash Browns Come From A Truly Unexpected Chain

When you're on the go and want to start your day right, fast food breakfast often comes in clutch. One of the best beloved fast food breakfast items is the crunchy on the outside, smooth on the inside hash brown — the perfect pairing to any breakfast sandwich, pancake, french toast stick, and more. Not every fast food joint has breakfast, but if they do, a hash brown is usually on the menu. This is why we took the time to rank six fast food hash browns make sure that when you're craving a hash brown in the morning, you choose the best one. White Castle was the last on our list, with barely even a crunch. But for our number one spot, Taco Bell came out on top.

For a restaurant that focuses on Mexican-inspired cuisine, it's shocking that they were able to perfect its hash browns, which is an item that's not completely in the chain's wheelhouse. But its hash browns were amazingly crispy and not overly seasoned. That crunch could not be ignored.

Before you dive right in to get yourself a crispy hash brown, make sure your location serves breakfast. As of late 2024, some Taco Bell locations stopped offering it.

Taco Bell's hash browns are a big component of its breakfast menu. This includes its iconic breakfast crunchwrap, which features egg cheese, your choice of sausage or bacon, and a whole hash brown. You can also choose to get your breakfast crunchwrap California style, which boasts guacamole and tomatoes, and would be a great balance between typical breakfast flavors, adding more depth to the starchy item and giving it a more Mexican-inspired vibe. Besides the crunchwrap, you can pair Taco Bell hash browns with any of the chain's breakfast quesadillas and burritos, or just enjoy it on its own. It's that good. 

Other chains can definitely learn from Taco Bell when it comes to their hash brown game. After all, it's only $1.99, which compared to other chains such as McDonald's, is definitely a better price option.