When a McDonald's Egg McMuffin breakfast combo will run you almost $10, but a 20-pack of Aldi hash browns only costs about $5, there's a pretty good reason to consider making breakfast at home. However, this argument only stands if the bargain Aldi option actually delivers the same distinct golden-arched flavor. You might be thinking, "Well, there's hundreds of brands of hash browns on the market.
What makes Aldi's the closest dupe?" According to former McDonald's corporate chef and current TikTok creator Mike Haracz, Aldi's Season's Choice-brand hash browns have the closest match of listed ingredients to McDonald's recipe for its hash browns. Despite the two hash browns' ingredients lists matching up, though, McDonald's might have one special twist that just can't be duplicated. With the McDonald's app locked and loaded in one hand and a reusable Aldi grocery bag in the other, I set out to see if the bargain grocery version stacks up to the drive-thru icon.
What's the difference between Aldi's hash browns and McDonald's? As Mike Haracz notes in his , Aldi's ingredients for its hash browns are almost identical to McDonald's. Both hash browns contain the following ingredients: potatoes, vegetable oil that includes canola oil and soybean oil, salt, corn flour, dehydrated potato or potato flakes, dextrose, and sodium acid pyrophosphate, aka disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, to maintain color. However, Haracz notes that a key aspect missing from Aldi's hash browns is a crucial s.