St. Patrick’s Day is synonymous with beer, but don’t forget about the food—especially if you’re planning to put away a pint or two. Whether you want a St. Patty’s specialty, traditional Irish fare, an Irish-American meal, or just something festive and fun, you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with one (or more!) of these 20 Irish-themed recipes.
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Bailey’s fudge
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Let’s start it off with a bang: Bailey’s fudge. This version from Amanda’s Cookin’ requires just four ingredients—chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and Bailey’s—and no baking.
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Bangers and mash
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Popular in both England and Ireland, bangers and mash is shorthand for a dish consisting of sausages and mashed potatoes. It is traditionally served with onion gravy, like in this “true” version from AllRecipes.
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Barmbrack
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Barmbrack (also called “bairín breac” or simply “brack”) is a quick bread made with dried fruit like grapes or raisins. It’s not related to St. Patrick’s Day—it’s actually a Halloween tradition—but in our book, March 17 is a day for all things Irish. This recipe from The Fiery Vegetarian includes an optional half-cup of whiskey!
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Boxty
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Traditional Irish potato pancakes are known as boxty. They are similar to latkes but creamier due to the addition of mashed potatoes and buttermilk, like in this recipe from Christina’s Cucina.
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Champ
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If you want to make your mashed potatoes in a traditional Irish way, you’ll need this recipe for champ from The Spruce Eats. In addition to potatoes, champ includes green onions, butter, milk, sea salt, and ground black pepper.
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Colcannon
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Of course, there are actually numerous ways to make mashed potatoes in a traditional Irish fashion, with another variety being colcannon. Colcannon translates to “white-headed cabbage” because you mix cabbage (or kale) into the mashed potatoes. Simply Recipes has a simple recipe for you to follow.
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Corned beef and hash
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Finely chopped corned beef is tossed with diced potatoes, onion, butter, parsley, and salt & pepper to make this classic Irish-American immigrant meal. Simply Recipes can show you how it’s done.
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Dublin coddle
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Don’t look now, because we’ve got another potato recipe for you. This traditional Irish recipe is known as Dublin coddle, and it’s sort of like the stew version of bangers and mash. As Boulder Locavore will tell you, it combines pork sausage, fatty bacon, potatoes, and onions in chicken broth.
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Farls
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Farls can be made of potatoes—sort of like a potato scone—but the most popular variety is the Irish soda bread version, which is simply made of flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt. As AllRecipes will tell you, it’s best served fried or with butter and jam.
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Full Irish breakfast
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What better way to start the day than a full Irish breakfast? A number of foods make up this meal, so start with this one from Mashed, which includes bacon, eggs, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans, black pudding, and hash browns.
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Guinness & Bailey’s cupcakes
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Another fun, just-for-St.-Patrick’s treat, these cupcakes consist of a Guinness chocolate base topped with from-scratch Bailey’s frosting. You can thank Food.com for this brilliant boozy treat.
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Irish apple cake
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How about a little dessert? And the good news: this one doesn’t contain any potatoes. Instead, it’s the apple that’s featured in this cake topped with crackly sugar and a custard sauce, and you can get the recipe from House of Nash Eats.
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Irish coffee
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If you start your St. Patrick’s celebrations early in the day, you might want to begin with an Irish coffee. As the Food Network explains, you’ll need coffee, brown sugar, heavy cream, and, of course, Irish Whiskey.
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Irish oatmeal
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Steel-cut oats, which are acclaimed for their chewier texture and nutty flavor, also go by the name Irish oats. After cooking them, try adding cinnamon, brown sugar, and banana (or blueberry), like in this recipe from Food.com.
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Irish scones
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Irish scones may sound similar to farls, but unlike farls, they contain sugar and raisins/sultanas and are baked instead of prepared in a skillet or griddle. Try Gemma's Best Ever Irish Scones from Bigger Bolder Baking, and try them with butter, jam, and/or cream.
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Irish soda bread
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Irish soda bread was a must when making this list, as it’s a certified classic. It’s known as soda bread because all the rising comes courtesy of baking soda and buttermilk, with no yeast at all. Sally’s Baking Addiction has the rest of the info.
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Irish stew
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Beef, carrots, potatoes, and parsley make up the bulk of traditional Irish stew. However, this hearty recipe from Dinner at the Zoo goes one step further and includes a bit of Irish stout, too.
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Shamrock cookies
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The key to making the best shamrock cookies? Buy a shamrock cookie cutter. Also, make these darling desserts from Taste of Home, which are dyed green and sprinkled with green sugar crystals.
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Shamrock shake
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McDonald’s has turned their annual shamrock shake into a global sensation, even though it’s really just a mint milkshake. Now you can make it at home with this copycat recipe from Dinner Then Dessertbecause let’s face it: the ice cream machine at your local McDonald’s is probably broken anyway.
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Shepherd’s pie
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Also known as pióg an aoire, Shepherd’s pie is a dish that consists of meat, onions, and gravy with a layer of mashed potatoes on top. Cheese and vegetables are often added, too, as in this version from Self-Proclaimed Foodie.
