These easy corned beef fritters make a hearty breakfast of potatoes and corned beef. This old-fashioned dish doesn't use a flour batter, but instead just uses some cornstarch and egg to make very crispy fritters.
They are rich, salty, meaty fritters that are soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. If you like corned beef hash, you will love this extra crispy version!
Corned beef fritters make a delicious breakfast with a poached or fried egg on top, and are a great way to use up leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day! Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce such as hollandaise, Thousand Island, honey mustard, or ketchup.
These crispy bites freeze and reheat really well. Pop the frozen patties in an air fryer or oven until they are warmed through and re-crisped for a quick breakfast or snack.
For more St. Patrick's Day-inspired recipes, try these Reuben pies, cheesy Reuben dip, Irish stout beef stew, or shepherd's pie stuffed potatoes!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Crispy - I am a big fan of corned beef hash, especially the crunchy bits, and these fritters deliver on that extra crunch! Corn starch is used to bind the potatoes and corned beef, making these fritters extra crispy and crunchy.
Corned Beef - The great thing about this recipe is that you can use leftover corned beef or corned beef from your local deli. The beef is already heavily seasoned and thoroughly cooked through, so it lends amazing flavor without a lot of extra work.
Potatoes - For savory breakfast, nothing beats a potato. They are filling and get both soft and creamy and crunchy all in one. The potatoes are the perfect base to add substance, texture, and take on the delicious flavors of the other ingredients.
Ingredients
- Potatoes. The best variety of potatoes to use are russet potatoes, as they aren't very waxy and have a high starch content. This helps the patties to stick together and fry up best.
- Corned beef. These fritters are great to use with leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day. Chunk it up into bite-sized pieces so you really get that classic flavor!
- Scallions. This mild onion is the perfect accompaniment to give extra flavor, without being overpowering.
- Garlic. Fresh cloves of garlic are finely minced and folded into the mixture.
- Cornstarch. This ingredient is used instead of flour to hold the fritters together and make them extra crispy.
- Egg. One large egg is whisked and used to just hold the patties together. These fritters are all ingredients, and little filling.
- Fats. The fritters are fried in olive oil and salted butter for maximum flavor.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap out the corned beef for ham, spam or other leftover beef.
- Use canned corned beef or deli sliced corned beef.
- Make the fritters with 1 cup of leftover mashed potatoes for a creamier version.
- Add ½ cup of your favorite shredded cheese to the potato and beef mixture before frying.
- Use red or yellow onion in place of scallions.
- Shred the potatoes with a food processor if you don't want to use a box grater.
- Shape the fritters as big or as small as you want.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Peel and shred the potatoes, then add them to a clean dish towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. This step is crucial!
Two: Add the potatoes, scallions, garlic, egg, and salt and pepper to a large bowl and mix to combine.
Three: Sprinkle over the cornstarch and corned beef and fold it all together until you see no cornstarch remaining.
Four: Scoop out ¼ cup of mixture and form it into a patty as best as possible (it's not supposed to hold together tightly), then transfer to the hot pan.
Tip #1: As soon as the mixture is folded together, heat up the skillet, add the fat, and form and add the patties as you go.
Tip #2: After adding the first batch, pull the filling over to one side of the bowl and add a paper towel to the bottom. Liquid will continue leeching from the potatoes, and this helps to absorb the excess.
Five: Fry the patties on one side for 3-5 minutes until very golden and crispy.
Six: Flip the fritters and cook for the same amount of time on the other side. Transfer to a wire rack and top with flaky sea salt. Repeat with the remaining fritter batter.
Tip #3: Add additional oil and butter in between batches, if necessary. The pan should always be generously coated in fat while frying.
Tip #4: Add the cooked corned beef fritters to a 200℉ oven to keep warm while you fry the additional batches.
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How to Make Fritters Ahead
The batter needs to be made, assmebled, and fried right away or else the potatoes will turn brown and leech out water.
It's best to completely assemble and fry the fritters (up to one day in advance) to make them ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
When ready to reheat, add them to a 350℉ oven (on a wire rack, if available) or 325℉ air fryer and heat for 5-7 minutes until crispy and warmed through.
Expert Tips
- Squeeze as much water as possible out of the shredded potatoes to ensure the fritters get crisp.
- The salt in the mixture will continue to pull water out of the potatoes. Slide the mixture to one side, and add a paper towel to the bottom to soak up the extra liquid.
- For extra crispy fritters, don't crowd the pan while frying.
- Keep the heat on medium low. If the oil gets too hot, the outsides of the fritters will brown before the potatoes fully cook on the inside.
Recipe FAQs
This could be because not enough water was squeezed out of the potatoes and too much moisture was left in the patties. Also, the oil and pan needs to be appropriately hot. If the fritters crowd the pan, it will bring down the oil temperature and cause the patties to be less crisp.
I like to use a mix of olive oil and butter which adds extra flavor, but any neutral oil will also work.
If you've ever had corned beef hash, it tastes just like that but in a different form. I'd also say these are crispier, which adds another layer of flavor and texture.
These fritters are meant to be a rather loose patty and shouldn't stick together easily. Form a patty as best as possible, and immediately slide it into the pan. The heat will do the work to hold them together.
Storage
Store the corned beef hash patties in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can also be wrapped individually in plastic wrap, added to a zip top bag, and frozen for up to two months.
When ready to reheat, add them to a 350℉ oven (on a wire rack, if available) or 325℉ air fryer and heat for 5-7 minutes until crispy and warmed through.
If cooking from frozen, they will need a few additional minutes. Flip them at the halfway mark for even heating.
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What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
- If you'd like to make the recipe in a different pan, use the pan size converter.
📖Recipe
Corned Beef Fritters
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Box grater
- cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb russet potatoes peeled and shredded (about 3 medium sized potatoes
- ½ cup green onions sliced (greens and whites)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg whisked
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 2 cups corned beef roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Flaky sea salt to finish
Instructions
- Peel and shred (larger shred) the potatoes on a box grater or using a shredding attachment in a food processor.1 lb russet potatoes
- Add the potatoes to a clean dish towel and wring out as much water as possible.
- Add the green onions, garlic, potatoes, salt and pepper, and egg to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the cornstarch and corned beef and use a rubber spatula to fold it all together. Sprinkle the cornstarch all over the top to evenly disperse it.½ cup green onions, 2 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 large egg, ⅓ cup cornstarch, 2 cups corned beef
- Heat a large frying pan over medium low heat until hot. Add the butter and oil and swirl until the butter melts.2 tablespoons salted butter, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Scoop out ¼ cup of fritter batter and form it into a patty with your hands (it won't stick together, just make it round) and add to the pan. Repeat with 3-4 fritters, making sure not to crowd the pan or allow them to touch.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes until nicely golden brown, then flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked fritters to a wire rack and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Place in a 200℉ oven to keep warm, if needed.Flaky sea salt
- Repeat with the remaining fritter batter. If the fat is all gone, add a bit more oil and butter and allow it to heat back up before adding more fritters.
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Notes
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Heather says
Easy and delicious recipe! Thanks!
Callan Wenner says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it!