The McDonald's Breakfast Dupe You Can Find At Trader Joe's

McDonald's breakfast has a long and storied history, starting in the 1970s, when morning meal items first appeared on the menu. Since then, it has become a beloved Saturday treat or pre-work stop — but despite the drive-thru's ease, it's not always the most convenient option, as the breakfast hours can get busy. So you might opt instead to make breakfast sandwiches at home, but there's something missing — aha! A crispy side in the form of a hash brown. And rather than make them from scratch (because seriously, who has time for that?), you can buy a solid dupe for these potato patties from Trader Joe's.

Yes, that's right, the store with the iconic canvas totes and beloved frozen food aisle carries fully cooked frozen hash browns (stylized as "Hashbrowns" by the chain) in packages of 10 for $2.99. Even better, they're a store staple, so you don't have to worry about seasonality, just their constant popularity, which can cause sellouts. Customers adore these breakfast patties, often comparing them to McDonald's version, which they tend to rate favorably in terms of taste, but especially price. After all, you can get these hash browns for about 30 cents each, whereas a McDonald's hash brown costs around $2.70 for just one (though prices may vary).

One of the best parts about making these Trader Joe's Hashbrowns at home versus ordering from McDonald's is that you can control how crispy and dark they get, instead of having to order them "well-done" at the restaurant. And happy customers on the internet are pretty much unanimous: The absolute best way to cook the patties is not in a skillet or the oven, as the packaging suggests, but rather in an air fryer — just make sure to flip them over at the halfway point so they get nice and golden on both sides. However, if you don't have an air fryer, they'll also cook well in a toaster!

As for ways to use them (beyond just squirting them with ketchup and eating them, which is fantastic in its own right), you can get pretty creative. Substitute one of these crisp potato patties for bread in a super crunchy and satisfying avocado toast, piled high with avocado (of course), bacon, an over-easy fried egg, and a drizzle of something yummy, like chili oil or sriracha. Or you can lay them down in a baking dish as the base for a breakfast casserole, or flatten them out in a pie pan and use them as the crust for a quiche.