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33 Easy Irish-Inspired Recipes to Try at Home

easy Irish recipes: corned beef and cabbage
Foodie Crush

Your St. Patrick’s Day menu has the same usual suspects every year: corned beef, red potatoes and boiled cabbage. While we’re always down for that classic combo, there are plenty of easy, Irish-inspired recipes to try in its place. Whisk your taste buds away with 33 festive ideas that are just right for March 17.

1. Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

  • Time Commitment: 6 hours, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser

OK, if you're going to stick with the classic, make this hands-off version that practically cooks itself. It's served with a decadent horseradish sauce for dipping.

2. Corned Beef Hash

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, high protein

These potatoes are crispy, comforting and coated in thyme, oregano and basil. The leftovers are destined for Sunday brunch.

3. Kale Colcannon

  • Time Commitment:
  • Why We Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients

Behold: one of the most old-school Irish dishes of all time. This take on mashed spuds with greens calls for tangy sour cream and cream cheese.

4. Irish Boxty

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: vegetarian, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients

Think potato latkes, but made with mashed potatoes instead of shredded and fried in butter. You likely have all the ingredients you need in your kitchen right now.

5. Simple Irish Stew

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 50 minutes
  • Why We Love It: one pot, crowd-pleaser

This recipe honors the O.G. by using lamb shoulder instead of beef. Even better, by the end, you'll only have your Dutch oven to clean.

6. Whiskey Mocha Chocolate Mousse

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours, 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser

BRB, drooling. Don’t skip the Baileys whipped cream—it's laced with loose-leaf Earl Grey tea.

7. Roasted Cabbage Steaks

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, sheet pan recipe

So much more elegant than a mushy mound of boiled cabbage, no? The caraway seeds on top are such a nice touch.

8. Dublin Coddle

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours, 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients

This dish of pork sausage, potatoes, onion and back bacon was a traditional Thursday night meal for Irish Catholics back in the day.

9. Shepherd’s Pie Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein

The definition of crowd-pleasing comfort food. No one says “no” to mashed potatoes (especially when they’re made with goat cheese).

easy Irish recipes: jameson whiskey blue cheesee burger with guinness cheese sauce and crispy onions
Half Baked Harvest

10. Jameson Whiskey Blue Cheese Burger with Guinness Cheese Sauce and Crispy Onions

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why We Love It: high protein, special occasion–worthy

The sticky whiskey glaze is equal parts zingy and sweet, while the cheese sauce is hearty and sharp. Good luck not devouring all the crispy onions before finishing the burgers.

11. Corned Beef Grilled Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <500 calories, beginner-friendly

Aka the best way to repurpose St. Patrick's Day leftovers. Serve the sammy Reuben-style with a side of Thousand Island dressing.

12. Irish Soda Bread

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

Just like Grandma used to make (or somebody’s grandma, anyway). Each slice is dense, soft, packed with raisins and begging to be slathered in butter.

13. Irish Apple Cake

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients

Apples were a crucial part of Samhain, the Gaelic holiday that inspired Halloween. And once you try this cake, apples will become just as pivotal to dessert at your place.

14. St. Patrick’s Day Pot of Gold Pasta

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes

This eight-ingredient dish stars yellow tomato sauce and pearl mozz. Even picky eaters will ask for a second helping.

15. Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours
  • Why We Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser

This soul-soother is best paired with a bottle of pale ale. (A second one, that is, since it's already the first ingredient in the broth.)

16. Irish Soda Bread Scones

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead

Studded with dried fruit, walnuts and caraway seeds, but that's not all: These 40-minute scones also contain currants, which are plumped with a few tablespoons of whiskey.

17. Irish Nachos

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <500 calories, <10 ingredients

Who needs tortilla chips when you've got crispy, thin-sliced potatoes? Pile the bacon, sour cream and cheddar cheese on to your heart's content.

18. Baileys Chocolate Truffles

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

Bring on the sprinkles, lads and lassies. These dangerously poppable treats are only five indulgent ingredients away.

19. Fish Chowder

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, one pot

This Irish staple boasts chunks of white fish and pairs best with buttery soda bread. (Oh, and it'll only take you 35 minutes from start to finish.)

20. Corned Beef Tacos with Beer-Battered Fries

  • Time Commitment: 8 hours, 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead

Yup, this is now our happy place. Make the filling ahead and finish each handheld with lime-yogurt crema and sharp Irish cheddar.

21. Dublin-Style Irish Coffee

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients

Want to make it like the pros? Pour the whiskey and sugar into the coffee and stir to dissolve. Then, pour the cream over the back of a spoon so it floats.

22. Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, one pan

This stick-to-your-ribs main is just as popular in Ireland as it is in England. Make it from scratch once and you'll never use packet gravy mix again.

23. Beef and Guinness Pie

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy

All aboard the Comfort Food Express. This hearty stew is nestled under a blanket of store-bought puff pastry for maximum indulgence.

24. Baileys Chocolate Mousse

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion–worthy

This dinner party-ready dessert only takes about 30 minutes and seven ingredients to prepare, plus it's a breeze to make ahead.

25. Green Cabbage Gratin

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser

You only *think* cabbage is boring, likely because you've never tried it doused in white wine, heavy cream and a thyme-kissed trio of cheeses. (Did we mention the breadcrumbs?)

26. Instant Pot Irish Cheddar-Bacon Mac and Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Instant Pot recipe, <30 minutes

Thanks to the pressure cooker, this creamy mac is only 20 minutes away. In addition to butter, cheese and bacon, it also contains shredded Brussels sprouts, because balance.

27. Shortbread Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly

Sure, the Scots invented them. But shortbread was a lot different pre-Irish butter. Dunk ’em in coffee, tea or hot cocoa to make them even tastier.

28. Irish Beef and Guinness Stew

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

Unlike its lamb-laden predecessor, Irish stew made with cubed beef is actually called brown stew. Whichever you decide to cook, it'll be sure to satisfy.

29. Irish Potatoes, Turkey Sausage and Cabbage Supper

  • Time Commitment: 6 hours, 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: slow cooker recipe, make ahead

Bust out the slow cooker for this hearty peasant meal. You can freeze the leftovers for up to three months (if there are any, that is).

30. Fried Cabbage with Noodles and Bacon

Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why We Love It: <15 minutes, one pan

Way more exciting than the plain boiled kind, this cabbage side boasts angel hair pasta, salty bacon and Parmesan cheese. Need we say more?

31. Baileys Coffee Cupcakes

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours
  • Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser

Espresso powder and black coffee give these sprinkle-topped cuties the jolt they need. (The Irish cream helps, too.)

32. Irish Potato Candy

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients

We'd be remiss to not suggest this Philadelphia confection for St. Patrick’s Day. These potato-free candies are made with cream cheese and shredded coconut, then rolled in cinnamon.

33. Guinness Chocolate Cake

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser

This stout cake is super moist, thanks to sour cream and stout beer in the batter. The generous layer of vanilla-cream cheese frosting is just a bonus.


taryn pire

Food Editor

Taryn Pire is PureWow’s food editor and has been writing about all things delicious since 2016. She’s developed recipes, reviewed restaurants and investigated food trends at...