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One of my favorite comfort foods from Ireland is colcannon – creamy mashed potatoes folded with buttery cabbage and green onions. It is incredibly easy to make and basically my definition of comfort food – even my picky kids love colcannon!
Potatoes, kale or cabbage, butter, and a little cream come together to create a rich, comforting side dish that pairs perfectly with roasted meats, sausages, or a simple weeknight dinner. If you love mashed potatoes, my Irish colcannon is going to be your new favorite – try this dish with Garlic Roasted Rack of Lamb or The Best Easy Roast Chicken!
How to Make Classic Irish Colcannon (Buttery Mashed Potatoes with Greens)
Easy Irish colcannon is a classic comfort food made with creamy mashed potatoes, buttery cabbage or kale, garlic, and plenty of butter. This traditional Irish side dish is rich, simple, and packed with flavor—perfect for St. Patrick’s Day dinners, roast meats, or cozy family meals. Ready in about 30 minutes, colcannon is one of the easiest ways to turn humble ingredients into a delicious, comforting dish.
Colcannon is simply a traditional Irish dish with mashed potatoes and cabbage. It’s so easy to make, but seriously delicious. Even if you aren’t a skilled cook, you can successfully make this dish with confidence.
What You Need to Make Traditional Colcannon
This delicious dish comes together quickly and easily with no complicated techniques or ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- Potatoes– I used russet potatoes, but you could use Yukon Gold potatoes as well. Peel and cut them into large chunks.
- Unsalted butter– You will need butter for frying the cabbage as well as more for serving.
- Salt and pepper– You’ll need salt to add to the potatoes while they cook as well as salt and pepper to season the dish.
- Kale or Cabbage– Traditionally, cabbage or kale is used in this recipe, but you can also use chard or another leafy green. Pack the cabbage in your measuring cup.
- Green onions– Mince about 3 green onions to add to your cabbage. It should make about ½ a cup.
- Milk– You can use milk or cream in this recipe. This helps to blend the potatoes and cabbage into a delicious dish.
Step-by-Step Guide to Perfect Colcannon
With simple ingredients and no complicated techniques, you can whip this Irish dish up like a pro. Follow the steps below!
Boil Potatoes and Prep
Place potatoes in a pot with about an inch of water over them and boil until soft.
Rinse and chop kale or cabbage.
Add Butter
Melt some butter to the bottom of a pot, pour in drained potatoes and additional butter. Mix well.
Add Cream
Turn heat off when adding cream to potatoes. Stir in cabbage or kale and green onions and cook, stirring constantly, just until wilted.
Season
Season generously with salt and pepper. Taste for preferred seasoning.
Top with Butter
Add additional butter to the top, serve, and enjoy!
How to Get Perfect Irish Colcannon
Use starchy potatoes. Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes work best because they mash easily and create a creamy texture.
Don’t overwork the potatoes. Over-mixing mashed potatoes can make them gluey. Mash gently until smooth.
Cook the greens in butter. Sautéing cabbage or kale in butter adds extra flavor and prevents the greens from tasting bitter.
Warm the dairy first. Adding warm milk or cream helps keep the mashed potatoes smooth and fluffy.
Finish with extra butter. Traditional colcannon often has a small pool of melted butter on top—this is part of what makes it so delicious.
Use enough water. For best results, cover the potatoes with water that is at least an inch higher than potatoes.
Stir to wilt. Stir the cabbage or other greens continuously. You don’t want them to burn. Only cook them until they have wilted.
What Is Colcannon?
Colcannon is a traditional Irish comfort food made from creamy mashed potatoes mixed with buttery greens, usually cabbage or kale. The dish dates back centuries in Ireland and was traditionally made with simple, affordable ingredients that were widely available – potatoes, cabbage, milk, and butter.
Creamy potatoes combine with tender greens and plenty of butter to create a dish that is both hearty and comforting. I usually serve it with roast meats, sausages, or corned beef, but it’s just as good as a cozy side dish for any weeknight dinner.
Colcannon is especially popular around St. Patrick’s Day, but it deserves a place on the table all year long!
Colcannon vs Champ (Irish Potato Dishes Explained)
Colcannon and champ are two classic Irish potato dishes that are often confused because they both start with creamy mashed potatoes. The main difference comes down to the greens that are mixed into the potatoes.
Colcannon traditionally includes:
- cabbage or kale
- butter
- sometimes scallions or leeks
Champ is simpler and usually includes:
- scallions (green onions)
- milk or cream
- butter
Both dishes are rich, comforting, and incredibly simple, but colcannon tends to have a heartier texture and deeper flavor because of the cabbage or kale. Champ, on the other hand, has a lighter onion flavor from the scallions.
Best Potatoes for Colcannon
The best colcannon starts with the right type of potatoes. Since this dish is essentially a variation of mashed potatoes, choosing potatoes that mash easily and turn creamy is important.
The best potatoes for colcannon include:
Yukon Gold potatoes
These are often the top choice because they have a naturally buttery flavor and create smooth, creamy mashed potatoes.
Russet potatoes
Russets are very starchy, which makes them fluffy when mashed. They’re great for colcannon if you prefer a lighter texture.
Red potatoes
These work well if you like a slightly chunkier texture, though they are less fluffy than Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes.
For the creamiest colcannon, Yukon Gold potatoes are usually the best balance of flavor, texture, and creaminess.
How to Store and Reheat Colcannon
Colcannon stores well, making it a great dish to prepare ahead of time or enjoy as leftovers.
- Refrigerator storage: Store leftover colcannon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
- Freezing: Colcannon can be frozen, though the texture may soften slightly when thawed. Freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 months.
- Reheating on the stove: Add the colcannon to a saucepan with a splash of milk or cream and warm gently over low heat, stirring occasionally until heated through.
- Reheating in the microwave: Heat in short intervals, stirring between each, and add a little butter or milk if needed to restore the creamy texture.
A final pat of butter on top after reheating helps bring back that rich, traditional colcannon flavor.
Common Questions About Colcannon
Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish made with mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage or kale, butter, and sometimes scallions. It’s a classic comfort food often served with roasted meats or sausages.
Yes. Colcannon can be made ahead and reheated gently on the stove or in the oven with a little extra butter or milk.
Starchy potatoes like Russet or Yukon Gold work best because they create fluffy, creamy mashed potatoes.
Traditional recipes use cabbage or kale, but you can also use leeks, scallions, or even spinach.
Not long at all! You will need 10-minutes of prep time and about 10-15 minutes of cooking time. So, these easy Irish colcannon should be ready to go in about 20-25 minutes.
Irish colcannon can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator. It’s best eaten within 3-days. If you are using leftover mashed potatoes, I would not recommend keeping the leftovers longer than a day.
Traditional Irish colcannon recipes use “floury” potatoes. However, the closest potato to the true Irish recipe in the United States would be the russet potato. However, the creamy nature of the Yukon Gold potatoes make this dish just as delicious. Other varieties of potatoes may not work for this recipe.
Colcannon is a Gaelic term called “Cal ceannann”. It means white-headed cabbage. Since this recipe mixes fried cabbage mixed with potatoes, it’s called Irish colcannon which means Irish cabbage.
What To Serve With Colcannon
Irish colcannon is traditionally served with boiled ham, Irish bacon, slices of salted pork, corned beef and cabbage, Fried Cabbage and Sausage, or hearty lamb stew. But, you can pair this delicious side dish with anything you would eat mashed potatoes with such as Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks, Pan Fried Ribeye Steaks, Easy Baked Pork Chops, or Prime Rib.
For more St. Patricks Day recipes, click here.
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Easy Irish Colcannon
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes, 2 to 2 1/2 pounds, peeled and cut into large chunks
- Celtic sea Salt and pepper, to taste
- 5 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for serving
- 3 lightly packed cups chopped kale, cabbage, chard, or other leafy green
- 3 green onions, minced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup milk or cream
Instructions
- Boil peeled, chopped potatoes in a medium pot – you don't need to measure out water, just make sure your water covers over your potatoes. Be sure to cut potatoes into large chunks to help them cook faster. You can also skip this step and use frozen peeled potatoes and microwave or boil until soft.
- Add a pinch of salt to the water, and bring to a boil.
- When potatoes are soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork, they are done. Drain in a colander, let sit for a moment while melting butter.
- Add butter to a pan and heat until light and foamy. Stir in greens, and let wilt and cook down, stirring to prevent burning.
- Add green onions and cook an additional minute.
- Pour in milk slowly, stirring as you pour it in, and mix well. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add in potatoes, and use a masher or a hand mixer to start mixing potatoes and mash them with greens, don't overwork potatoes but mash to soft.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste – I like to add a bit of garlic powder too sometimes, though it is not strictly traditional.
- Add a pat of butter in the center when serving, and a crack of fresh pepper on top!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
