22+ Easy Traditional Irish Recipes (2024)

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By Kristie Sawicki 1 Comment

Cooking Traditional Irish Recipes is a great way to connect with your heritage, celebrate Irish culture and history, and enjoy delicious dishes.

Many traditional Irish family meals have been passed down from generation to generation and represent an integral part of the national identity.

From warm soups and potatoes to stews and soups, here are some traditional Irish recipes for you to enjoy.

Below you’ll find several great traditional Irish dishes to make for St. Patrick’s Day!

22+ Easy Traditional Irish Recipes (1)

Irish Stew

A comforting bowl of this Irish Stew is always pleasing; even more so when it’s served with an Indian-style flatbread like naan or chapati, although potatoes work just as well as an accompaniment!

This recipe calls for mutton or lamb stewed until it’s falling off the bone in Guinness beer gravy – perfect for a rainy day!

Be sure to include plenty of carrots, onions, celery root and parsnips for additional depth of flavor.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

The classic dish of is a flavorful combination that has long been popular in Ireland.

The tender beef simmered in a savory broth made with vegetables, spices, beer or wine pairs perfectly with the crunchy cabbage or carrots and potatoes.

This recipe can be cooked on the stovetop, Instant Pot or slow cooker – all three methods yield a hearty dinner that’s full of flavor!

Boxty

Boxty is one of Ireland’s oldest dishes – it dates back as far as 1845!

It gets its name from bácstaidh which means “poor house bread” in Gaelic -a type of potato pancake made with shredded raw potatoes combined with cooked mashed ones, grated onion and flour before they’re fried up into golden patties.

For a heartier version, serve boxty topped with smoked salmon and other fillings.

Coddle

Coddle is a simple layered dish traditionally made from pork sausage links and rashers (bacon) amongst diced onions, potatoes and spices; however nowadays there are all kinds of variations on this recipe.

It’s best eaten freshly made but also works great reheated; making it ideal for busy families who want something filling but relatively quick to prepare after school or work hours.

Colcannon Potatoes

No meal would be complete without Colcannon potatoes – easily recognized by its bright green hue due to added kale or cabbage!

Boil up creamy potatoes then mash them while adding elements like sautéed bacon bits, scallions or parsley along with butter or cream cheese before spooning into oven-proof dishes ready for baking.

Serve these spuds up warm alongside whatever main course you’ve picked out ,and you’ll have a restaurant quality meal on your hands – minus the price tag!

22+ Easy Traditional Irish Recipes (2)

More Irish Recipes

More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

If you like these St. Patrick’s Day recipes, you’ll love these ones too!

  • Original Irish Soda Bread– This authentic quick bread recipe is the best Irish Soda Bread you’ll serve at your kitchen table!
  • Irish Beef Stew– Tender and juicy seasoned beef loaded with a rich and decadent sauce that surrounds the tender beef and all the vegetables.
  • Homemade Shamrock Shakes– Delicious homemade green minty milkshake.
  • Irish Potato Candy– Contrary to the name, these little bite sized sweet treats have no mashed potato in them. That’s right! They get their name because they look like little potatoes.
  • Guinness Bread– This Guinness Bread is the perfect way to start your festivities this year.
  • Green Velvet Cupcakes– If you are looking for a fun St. Patrick’s Day recipe, try these Green Velvet Cupcakes with Baileys Cream Cheese Frosting!
  • Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream– These are a delicious treat to add to your festivities.
  • Shamrock Shake – This copycat recipe tastese even better than the expensive ones from McDonald’s.

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About Kristie Sawicki

I'm the blogger behind Saving Dollars & Sense. I started this website over ten years ago, to share my journey out of debt, while living a simple, frugal lifestyle. You'll find lots of great MONEY SAVING TIPS, DIY PROJECTS, HOMEMADE RECIPES, SIMPLE LIVING IDEAS and MORE!! I'm so glad you're here.

22+ Easy Traditional Irish Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the oldest Irish food? ›

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 the national dish of Ireland? ›

The National Dishes of Ireland

Irish Stew is a thick, hearty dish of mutton, potatoes, and onions and undisputedly the national dish of Ireland.

What do Irish eat for breakfast? ›

A traditional full Irish breakfast comprises bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, beans, soda bread or toast, tomatoes, mushrooms, and white or black pudding. For those wondering, black pudding coagulates the pig's blood into a sausage form. The white pudding is simply a pork sausage, usually flat.

What did old Irish people eat? ›

Besides the focus on oats and dairy (and more dairy), the Irish diet wasn't too different from how we think of it today. They did eat meat, of course, though the reliance on milk meant that beef was a rarity, and most people probably just fried up some bacon during good times, or ate fish they caught themselves.

What is the most eaten vegetable in Ireland? ›

Carrot. After potatoes, carrots are without doubt the best-known and most popular root vegetable of all.

What is Ireland's national drink? ›

Over the last three centuries, Guinness has become a legendary part of Irish culture, celebrated as Ireland's national drink. And with over 8,000 years still left on the original St. James Gate brewery lease, there's still a lot more of 'the black stuff' to make and enjoy.

What is the most popular meat in Ireland? ›

Meat in Ireland Food

Pork tops the list of Irish food. Mutton or lamb is also popular. Coddle is one unique Irish dish you may have never heard of. It is pork sausage, back bacon, potatoes and onions.

What fruit is native to Ireland? ›

Summer Berries: Wild strawberry, raspberry, bilberry, Autumn Sweetness: Rosehips, Elderberries, Hawthorn berries, Hazelnuts. Winter Wonders: Wintercress, Crow garlic, Wood sorrel. Edible Seaweeds: Sea spaghetti, Dulse, Sea lettuce, Serrated wrack and Velvet horn.

What did people in Ireland eat before potatoes? ›

Historical records point out that Irish people didn't eat much meat – they ate salty bacon, peas, beans, butter and cheese [this period pre-dates the widespread use of potatoes in Ireland] but was that based on bias or observation?” shes asks. How children were fed in this period is another area of potential discovery.

What did Irish peasants eat? ›

The pre Famine peasant diet abundant in simple fares such as potatoes, buttermilk, vegetables, milk and fish kept the rural poor of Ireland much healthier than their urban counterparts. Potatoes only accounted for 17% of arable land usage, Ireland then as now was a country that produces large quantities of food.

What kind of bread do the Irish eat? ›

Irish soda bread is prepared without yeast. Traditionally it has just four ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The baking soda and buttermilk react to cause the dough to rise. In Ireland, soda bread is often made from stone-ground whole-wheat flour, though white flour versions are available.

What is Ireland's national sauce? ›

YR sauce is Ireland's original spicy sauce since 1837 and has been in the heart of Irish families for generations.

What is the most popular Irish meat? ›

Meat in Ireland Food

Pork tops the list of Irish food. Mutton or lamb is also popular. Coddle is one unique Irish dish you may have never heard of. It is pork sausage, back bacon, potatoes and onions.

What is a traditional Irish stew called? ›

Irish stew (Irish: Stobhach Gaelach) or Stobhach is a stew native to Ireland that is traditionally made with root vegetables and lamb or mutton, but also commonly with beef. As in all traditional folk dishes, the exact recipe is not consistent from time to time, or place to place.

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.

Why is a reuben considered Irish? ›

While the Reuben sandwich itself doesn't have Irish roots (it was thought to be created in Omaha, Nebraska mid-poker game) the meat inside it – corned beef, does. Well, it kind of does. The Irish-corned beef relationship is considered to be much more Irish-American than it is purely Irish.

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