The $3 Trader Joe's Breakfast Staple I Always Stock Up On

The key to shopping at Trader Joe's is knowing what to buy. In a sea of seasonal snacks and frozen foods, it's hard to differentiate the good from the great. Lucky for you, our editors take the guesswork out of shopping at TJ's, summarizing the best items as rated by customers, and by our team.

A few months back I shared my favorite cheap lunchtime staple from Trader Joe's, and just last week another writer on the team gushed about her go-to $2 dinner shortcut from the store. So that's lunch and dinner covered—but what about breakfast?!

There's an item in the freezer aisle that the food writers on our team truly could not live without. In fact, some of us even go out of our way to hit Trader Joe's just for this breakfast staple. Oh, and it costs under $3. The only problem we have with this product is that it's so popular, it's constantly selling out. Okay, okay enough with the fanfare! Behold, the Trader Joe's Hashbrowns.

Why I Love Trader Joe's Hash Brown Patties

First of all, they're delicious, but you already knew that from looking at them. But, they're also super quick in the morning when I don't have a lot of time to spare. Just pop these babies in the air fryer for about 12 minutes, or toast them in your toaster oven and they come out perfectly crisp and ready to eat.

One of our editors loves to put them in her pop-up toaster (toasted twice to make them extra crispy!) for an easy, gluten-free bread alternative. Which brings me to the next reason I love these shredded potato patties so much: they're seriously versatile.

I love to use these—like my coworker—in place of bread for toast. Hash brown toasts blew up on social media last year, and since then they've become a staple in my morning routine. I regularly top them with mashed avocado, a fried egg, or even a little cottage cheese (blended, of course!) or cream cheese and jam for a sweet and savory masterpiece. Or make a breakfast sandwich with them as buns, as so many did when the TJ's Hashbrowns went viral on TikTok back in the spring of 2020.

If I'm craving a more decadent breakfast (read: perhaps a little hungover), a hash brown patty makes for an incredible layer inside a breakfast sandwich, alongside scrambled eggs, cheese, and bacon on a roll or bagel. The same goes for a breakfast burrito or as the crunchy layer in a homemade Crunchwrap Supreme.

Cooking for a crowd? These make for the ideal base layer in breakfast casseroles like this Breakfast Pizza or the trending Hash Brown "Lasagna" which features layers of hash brown patties, sausage or bacon, favorite veggies, and cheese—all set in an egg custard. Thawed hash brown patties can even be molded into a "crust" of sorts for a gluten-free crust-less quiche (did we mention they're a godsend for the GF members on our team?).

And finally, they're light on my wallet! At just $2.49 for 10 patties, the TJ's Hashbrowns are an easy way to keep my breakfast routine fresh without breaking my budget. Like I said, the biggest issue I have with the product is that it's too popular, frequently selling out during Trader Joe's' rush hours. All this to say, if you see them in the freezer of your local store, I implore you to try them out. You won't be disappointed, and you certainly won't run out of ways to enjoy them.

Related: This Genius Breakfast Lasagna Is the Best Use of Hash Brown Patties We've Ever Seen