Traditional Colcannon Recipe (2024)

Published | Julia Frey (Vikalinka)

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Mix in a handful of green onions and sliced Savoy cabbage into your buttery mashed potatoes for a serving of the traditional Irish colcannon, then top with our onion gravy! Simple food that is far from plain and is absolutely perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!

Serve this creamy mash on a side of our delicious Ham or Irish Beef Stew.

Traditional Colcannon Recipe (1)

With St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaching I wanted to share an authentic Irish recipe and not simply green-coloured stuff. It’s difficult to separate the Irish from the potatoes. The vegetable so loved by the entire nation.

If I am honest, I can’t imagine not eating potatoes at least a couple of days a week. They are so versatile and I don’t need to sell you on the delicious factor!

Roasted, fried or mashed potatoes will always reign supreme. If you want to take them up a notch, you can always bake them with cream in this delicious gratin recipe or layer them with caramelised onions and mushrooms in a cozy casserole.

Traditional Colcannon Recipe (2)

One of my favourite ways to enjoy spuds is to make Colcannon.

What is Colcannon?

A traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes with milk, butter and most importantly an addition of either cabbage or kale and green onions.

For my recipe I decided to use Savoy cabbage for a couple of reasons. I absolutely love the crinkled texture of the Savoy cabbage leaves. I also find it to be more tender than the white cabbage, which lends itself well to the creamy consistency of the mash.

Some colcannon recipes also feature garlic or bacon. Those are all great additions!

Traditional Colcannon Recipe (3)

Top Recipe Tips

  • For the best fluffy texture use the correct potatoes, which are labeled floury or starchy.Yukon Gold or Russet in the US or Maris Piper, King Edward, Vivaldi and Desiree in the UK.
  • Peel and cut the potatoes in the similar-sized pieces, boil in salted water and drain in a colander.
  • Let the cooked potatoes steam dry!! This step is important in ensuring your potatoes will turn into a fluffy mash and not a glue-like mess.
  • Mash with a potatoes masher, then stir in butter and hot milk infused with green onions. Add in cooked Savoy cabbage last.
  • Season well with salt and black or white pepper.

Traditional Colcannon Recipe

Julia Frey of Vikalinka

Mix in a handful of green onions and sliced Savoy cabbage into your buttery mashed potatoes for a serving of the traditional Irish colcannon.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Irish

Servings 4

Calories 426 kcal

Ingredients

  • 6 medium potatoes see notes on what potatoes to use
  • 50ml/1/4 cup milk
  • 6-8 green onions green parts only
  • 100g/1/2 cup butter unsalted
  • 150g/2 cups Savoy cabbage sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Boil the peeled and quartered potatoes in salted water until very tender.

  • While the potatoes are boiling, add sliced green onions to milk and bring to a boil at low heat, take off the heat and let the green onions infuse the milk.

  • Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter in a deep frying pan and saute the sliced Savoy cabbage over low heat till wilted and tender for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can steam the cabbage instead.

  • Drain the potatoes and steam dry them to get rid of the excess of water. Return them to the pot and add hot milk together with the sliced green onions, start mashing with a potato masher until mostly smooth, then add butter and keep mashing. Stir in the cooked cabbage and season well with salt and pepper.

Notes

For the best fluffy texture use the correct potatoes, which are labeled floury or starchy.Yukon Gold or Russet in the US or Maris Piper, King Edward, Vivaldi and Desiree in the UK.

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 8gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 836mgPotassium: 1612mgFiber: 7gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1222IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 3mg

Keyword colcannon

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Side dishes

  • Irish Potato Farls
  • Irish Mashed Potatoes (Champ Recipe)
  • Miso Butter Roasted Cabbage Wedges
  • Baked Potato Toppings

About Julia Frey (Vikalinka)

Julia Frey is a London based recipe developer and photographer. Julia founded Vikalinka in 2012 with the main mission to provide her readers with delicious and accessible everyday recipes, which could be enjoyed by everyone.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jeanice oehrlein says

    Traditional Colcannon Recipe (12)
    Delicious, love potatoes and cabbage separate but together with onions WOW so comforting served it with a pork shoulder roast perfection. It was fast and easy once my roast was ready.. A real hit even with my very picky husband. Will make this often big bowl of this on a cold winters nite yummy.

    Reply

  2. Jennifer says

    Traditional Colcannon Recipe (13)
    One of my most favorite comfort food recipes ever!!

    Reply

    • Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says

      Mine too, Jennifer!

      Reply

  3. wilhelmina says

    Traditional Colcannon Recipe (14)
    So creamy and delicious! This has got to be the best comfort around for St. Patty’s day, or any day really!

    Reply

  4. Toni says

    Traditional Colcannon Recipe (15)
    I love that it is so easy to make and only uses a few ingredients!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Traditional Colcannon Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the Irish colcannon made of? ›

Colcannon is an Irish dish that's made of mashed potatoes, shredded cabbage or kale, green onions and tons of butter and whole milk. Sometimes crumbled bacon is added for an extra-succulent, salty flavor.

What is the difference between colcannon and champ? ›

What is the difference between Colcannon and Champ? Both Irish dishes, Champ is mashed potatoes with chopped spring onions (scallions) and milk. Colcannon is Champ with the addition of cabbage and sometimes some herbs.

What is the difference between colcannon and bubble and squeak? ›

He comments that although the basic ingredients of bubble and squeak and colcannon are similar, the two are very different dishes, the former being traditionally made from left-overs and fried to give a brown crust, and the latter "a completely separate dish of potato, spring onion and cabbage, served almost as creamed ...

Why is colcannon important to Ireland? ›

An Irish Halloween tradition is to serve colcannon with a ring and a thimble hidden in the dish. Prizes of small coins such as threepenny or sixpenny bits also can be concealed inside the dish. Other items could include a stick indicating an unhappy marriage and a rag denoting a life of poverty.

Why do the Irish eat corned beef and cabbage? ›

The Irish immigrants also realized that cabbage was a more readily available vegetable in America than in Ireland, where it was traditionally a fall and winter vegetable. So they combined the corned beef with cabbage to create a hearty, filling meal that was reminiscent of their homeland.

What did the Irish eat instead of potatoes? ›

Until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century, grains such as oats, wheat and barley, cooked either as porridge or bread, formed the staple of the Irish diet. The most common form of bread consisted of flatbread made from ground oats.

What is Boxty made of? ›

Boxty is a thick pancake of mashed and shredded potatoes, flour, baking soda, and buttermilk fried in butter or lard. These are traditionally formed into a circle and cut into quarters or triangles and are usually served as a side dish or appetizer. These are a great way to use up any leftover mashed potatoes.

What is a boxty in Belfast? ›

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake made with leftover mashed potato and grated raw potato. An old Irish rhyme goes: "Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan; if you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man." Our family has been making this delicious recipe for years!

What do the Irish call spring onions? ›

In Ireland, scallions are chopped and added to mashed potatoes, known as champ or as an added ingredient to Colcannon.

What do they call mashed potatoes in England? ›

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Mashed potato or mashed potatoes (American, Canadian and Australian English), colloquially known as mash (British English), is a dish made by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, usually with added milk, butter, salt and pepper.

What do they call potato cakes in England? ›

It seems the Irish call them Potato bread, the English call them potato cakes (Lancashire), Scottish call them potato scones (tottie scones).

What do the British call bubble and squeak? ›

It's also a popular British appetizer. In Ireland, colcannon is made from mashed potatoes, cabbage or kale, and onion, and it's very similar to bubble and squeak, as is rumbledethumps in Scotland.

Why did the Irish only eat potatoes? ›

Why were potatoes so important to Ireland? The potato plant was hardy, nutritious, calorie-dense, and easy to grow in Irish soil. By the time of the famine, nearly half of Ireland's population relied almost exclusively on potatoes for their diet, and the other half ate potatoes frequently.

Why is colcannon eaten at Halloween? ›

Colcannon is a hearty dish that has been eaten on Halloween night for years. Traditionally, a ring was hidden in the dish, and whoever was to find it would be likely to marry in the upcoming year! Colcannon was even paired with a little poem: Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?

Do Irish people eat mashed potatoes? ›

Mashed potatoes are a staple food in almost every Irish household, but the side dish has a long and storied history that has little to do with Ireland. Where did mashed potatoes originate? Imported from South America in the 16th century, potatoes initially failed to take off in Europe as a delicacy.

What does colcannon taste like? ›

Colcannon is full of flavor. If you like mashed potatoes, you'll most likely love this dish. The mashed potatoes get tons of flavor from the green onions and a nice texture from the chopped kale. We all love butter and milk in our potatoes, so that is also in this colcannon recipe with salt and pepper to taste!

What is a traditional Irish potato basket? ›

Skibs were a traditional basket from the West of Ireland used to strain and then serve potatoes. The skib was placed at the centre of the gathering, in some cases in place of a table, and used as a communal serving plate for potatoes.

What is the Irish word for mashed potatoes? ›

Mashed potatoes, brúitín m. Mashed potatoes, brúitín m, prátaí brúite.

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