How to make the best breakfast potatoes? This hearty breakfast plate with zucchini is ready in 25 minutes. It’s a great thing to serve as a holiday breakfast for the whole family. Better than those you get at your favorite breakfast place.
Delicious breakfast doesn’t happen often in my home.
So, when we occasionally put out a breakfast/brunch spread, these skillet breakfast potatoes are always present.
They are so easy to make and they taste so good!
Ingredients
Here is a quick look at the ingredients. It is to understand why these specific ingredients were chosen. To get the full recipe, go to the bottom of this post.
Petite red potatoes – These are the best potatoes to use because they are packed with potassium and magnesium. They are also helpful for the hormone progesterone which is vital for women of all ages. Source: ComposedNutrition.com and RupaHealth.com
Zucchini – This vegetable is one of the best nutritional vegetables to include in your recipes. It’s packed with carotenoids for healthy skin and bones. The carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin in it are crucial for eye health. Source: EatingWell.com and Shape.com. You can add extra veggies like a red bell pepper and green bell peppers.
Za’atar – This spice is an aromatic seasoning from the Middle East where sumac is the base. Za’atar is so easy to make at home or (Affiliate Link) buy. It’s packed with so many healthy herbs and brings a unique flavor to every recipe.
Red pepper flakes – The main attraction of red pepper flakes is the capsaicin in them. It’s been proven to help fight inflammation, great to lower blood pressure and improve the quality of gut bacteria. Source: LiveStrong.com and DrAxe.com.
🥔 Handy Tip: I used US No. 1 Size B potatoes for this recipe. Prepping them correctly helps make them cook perfectly on the stove top grill.
Prepping the potatoes
- For this recipe, I couldn’t find organic petite red potatoes. If you find them in your area, they are the best type of potato to use. If you use basic potatoes like russet potatoes, follow the same steps.
- Peel the skin and place potatoes in a colander.
- Run cold water over these potatoes for 30 seconds or until they are cleaned.
- Thoroughly strain out the water and place them on a tea towel.
- Pat them gently until they are dry so that they are easy to cook.
- I diced each potato into about 12 equal pieces. Make sure they are evenly diced.
👩🍳 Kitchenware tip: I am addicted to my stove-top grill and I love grilled potatoes on it. You can use a cast iron skillet or stainless steel pan.
How to make breakfast potatoes
- Chop the onions, zucchini, and cloves. My resulting quantity was: 3/4 cup zucchini, 1/2 cup red onions (or yellow onions), and 1 Tbsp garlic.
- Heat your stove-top grill (or non-stick skillet) for 30 seconds on medium-high heat. Add the avocado oil (or a little olive oil). Then add onions (or onion powder), garlic (or garlic powder) and potatoes. Top with za’atar, salt, and red pepper flakes
- Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Chop the zucchini into small pieces and add them to the skillet. Be sure to keep them in a single layer. Cook for 5 more minutes on one side of the skillet.
- Cook the potatoes are golden brown, then mix with the zucchini. Garnish with fresh herbs, black pepper, and freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 tsp of lime). Mix well and serve these easy skillet potatoes.
If you are brave, you can add a little bit of cayenne pepper or chili powder for a little kick!
Answering Common Questions
Yes, you can absolutely use sweet potatoes in breakfast potatoes. Try purple sweet potatoes or regular sweet potatoes. Adjust the Za’atar and spice levels to suit the sweetness. I add extra za’atar and pepper flakes. Yukon gold potatoes and Idaho potatoes can be used, but dice them into the same size.
Frozen potatoes will be great in this breakfast potatoes recipe. The key is to not thaw them beforehand. Throw them on the grill right out of the fridge. You want to be careful about frozen potatoes. Some companies add dextrose and use bad seed oils.
You can take that extra step and cook them in boiling water and baking soda. But, I find, when I boil potatoes, that they don’t turn out as crispy. It’s also time-consuming. My recipe’s cooking process is just 25 minutes.
I don’t consider these breakfast red potatoes to be hash since they don’t have any cheese in them. Also, the potatoes are in pieces and not sticking together. Home fries are normally just crispy potatoes without other ingredients.
If you prefer hash browns, try my sweet potato hash.
🔪 “Skin”ny Tip: I peeled the potatoes even though they are normally served with their skin on. I find that the peeled texture works better with unpeeled zucchini.
Make ahead and storage
It’s always better to make these potatoes right when you need them. But, if you can’t, make them the night before.
The only thing I will cook the night before is the potatoes. I cook the diced potatoes in a large skillet and store them. When I am ready to serve, I will heat the grill, and add the cooked potatoes and zucchini. After 5 minutes of cooking, it’s ready to serve.
Leftover potatoes can be stored in (Affiliate Link) glass airtight container with a lid. Refrigerate them and use it up within 2-3 days. Do not freeze these potatoes.
Reheating them should be done stove top or in the mini oven. Place them in a hot skillet and cook for no more than 5 minutes. I don’t recommend microwaving them.
🧂 Salt tip: I use homemade za’atar where I don’t add any salt. If you use store bought za’atar, PLEASE adjust the salt amount mentioned in the recipe. You may need to add a pinch of salt.
How to serve these easy breakfast potatoes
These breakfast potatoes are inspired by Martha Stewart’s recipe. In it, she serves them with sunny-side-up eggs. If you are an octo-vegetarian, eggs would be a great protein to serve with these homemade breakfast potatoes. Can be served with fluffy scrambled eggs or a fried egg on top.
On the other hand, if you are a lacto-vegetarian like me, you eat dairy but no eggs. So, my favorite way to serve these grilled potatoes is with tofu scramble and tempeh crumbles or melted cheese. Serve with a side of quinoa and fresh fruit. It’s a great protein option for breakfast.
They taste great with mushroom salad too. I have even put them on my brunch menu with avocado toast and vegan Caesar salad.
The best part is that it’s a tasty side dish that can be served any time of day! Serve them as a dinner side dish or light lunch.
So, what are some of your favorite breakfast recipes?
🇬🇷 Substitution tip: If you don’t have za’atar, you can use Greek seasoning. It’s a good option for spicing up the potatoes.
Try these potato recipes
- I know that all of you are huge fans of potatoes! So, try some of my favorites like French potato salad which is made with lavender!
- Middle Eastern potatoes like these Lebanese potatoes are incredibly popular on my site. Have you tried them?
- Potato nibbles are little pieces of heaven! I make them in the air fryer.
- Indian food uses a lot of potatoes, especially these Bombay potatoes recipe. They are simply delicious.
- This is not the first time I have paired veggies with potatoes. My broccoli with potatoes is a family favorite because it’s a great combo.
Enjoy sweet potato wedges! Don’t know what to make with za’atar? I have a huge collection of the best za’atar spice recipes.
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Breakfast Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 petite red potatoes I used US No. 1 Size B
- 1/2 zucchini about 3/4 cup when cubed
- 3 cloves garlic about 1 Tbsp when diced
- 1/8 red onion about 1/2 cup when cubed
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 Tbsp za'atar SEE IMPORTANT NOTE BELOW
- 1 tsp pink salt SEE IMPORTANT NOTE BELOW
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional, adjust to taste
- 1 tsp lime juice
Instructions
Prepare the red potatoes
- Peel the skin from the potatoes and place them in a colander.8 petite red potatoes
- Run cold water over these potatoes for 30 seconds or until they are cleaned.
- Thoroughly strain the water and place them on a tea towel.
- Pat them gently until they are dry so that they are easy to cook.
- Dice each potato into about 12 equal pieces. Make sure they are evenly diced.
How to cook breakfast potatoes
- Chop the zucchini, onions and garlic.
- Heat up a stove-top skillet or pan for 30 seconds.
- Add the oil, garlic and onions.3 cloves garlic, 2 Tbsp avocado oil, 1/8 red onion
- Add the chopped potatoes.8 petite red potatoes
- Add the za'atar, salt and pepper flakes.1 Tbsp za'atar, 1 tsp pink salt, 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- Cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the zucchini and mix well.1/2 zucchini
- Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Turn off the heat and add the lime juice1 tsp lime juice
- Mix well and serve.
Rini, this was so well seasoned and delicious! It was a real treat.
Oh, thank you so much, Ksenia. I am so happy to hear that.
I LOVED the za’atar on these potatoes! I’ll be making them that way from now on. Delicious, thank you!
Thank you, Gen
I would have never thought about adding zucchini along with the breakfast potato. This was delicious and a great way to add more vegetables. And the Za’atar spice is a brilliant idea.
Thank you, Sandhya. I love adding veggies to different recipes.
I love potatoes so much, and these breakfast potatoes were no exception. The zucchini was a really nice addition, and the za’atar seasoning made them special. Will make these again!
Thank you, Sue.
I loved the zucchini in these breakfast potatoes – the kids didn’t even notice the sneaky veg and gobbled it all up!
Thank you, Jenn
This turned out to be the perfect combination of flavors. I love red potatoes and zucchini, with the added spices and lime – delicious!
Thank you, Tammy
These were perfect with my eggs for breakfast! Adding the zucchini was a such smart way to sneak more veggies in.
Thank you, Sharon. I am so glad that you liked it.
I love breakfast potatoes. They are so delicious. I tried your recipe especially loved the use of zaa’tar. It tasted so good.
Thank you, Rachna. I am obsessed with Za’atar, lol
These were the perfect breakfast potatoes. The touch of za’atar was amazing! The whole family enjoyed it. 🙂
Thank you, Kris.
This is so tasty! I never thought to include zucchini in my breakfast potatoes.
Thank you, Anne