Colcannon is a traditional Irish mashed potato recipe with kale and scallions. It’s irresistibly delicious and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day too.
Colcannon is a traditional Irish mashed potato recipe, perfect for St. Patrick's Day.
Try it once and you'll be hooked!
With only five ingredients this dish is easy to whip up and a great authentic Irish dish.
It’s a familiar cousin to the iconic American comfort food, mashed potatoes.
What is Colcannon?
Colcannon is a traditional Irish recipe of mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage, scallions and butter.
Some recipes include milk or cream; some do not (this does not).
It also can contain other ingredients in the onion family such as leeks or chives.
Like many traditional recipes, there are family or regional variations, such as including boiled ham or bacon.
It's a hearty, affordable recipe that is particularly satisfying in the cold weather months.
Colcannon Fun Fact
Colcannon is traditionally served in Ireland on Halloween with charms hidden in it!
The charms are simple but with significant meanings foretelling future events!
How to Pronounce 'Colcannon'?
Coal-can-in.
Ingredients in Colcannon
The ingredients are simple. This Colcannon recipe includes:
- Yukon Gold Potatoes
- Curly Kale leaves
- Scallions
- Unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
That's it!
What Type of Potatoes to Use for Colcannon?
In a traditional Irish Colcannon recipe, 'floury' potatoes would be used.
The closest in the United States would be a russet potato.
Though Yukon Gold potatoes may not be an indigenous Irish potato variety, their creamy nature makes this traditional Colcannon recipe perfection.
Colcannon is perfect traditional dish for celebrating St. Patrick's Day.
What Does Colcannon Taste Like?
If you have not enjoyed it before you may imagine a strong taste of kale making it seem like more of a "green vegetable" dish.
It is not!
The curly kale is lightly blanched and processed with the scallions before incorporating into the buttery potatoes.
The heady aroma of the kale and onion when freshly diced coming out of the food processor is truly divine; light, fresh and singing of springtime.
This Colcannon recipe is truly irresistible.
Tip for Removing Kale Stems
There is a trick that makes removing kale leaves from the kale stem a breeze:
- Hold the end of the kale stalk (the stem) in one hand.
- With the other hand, place the thumb and forefinger at the base of the leaves on the stalk.
- Pull the stalk with the first hand (the hand holding the stem), holding the other thumb and forefinger firmly in place.
Leaves will peel off the stalk easily and are ready for chopping.
How to Make Colcannon - Step by Step:
Colcannon is very easy to make. There are four basic steps:
STEP 1: Boiling the potatoes
STEP 2: Blanching the kale (blanching = quickly adding the kale to boiling water then an ice bath to barely cook it)
STEP 3: Processing the kale and scallions in a food processor
STEP 4: Making the Colcannon
Specific recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
STEP 1: Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the potatoes by at least an inch (the potatoes should have plenty of room) and bring to a boil.
STEP 2: Add a large pinch of salt.
STEP 3: Place the potatoes into the boiling water until done (about 20 minutes). Drain and return to the pot.
STEP 4: While the potatoes are cooking….bring a second pot of water to a boil (for blanching the kale).
STEP 5: Set up a large mixing bowl of cold water and ice.
STEP 6: Place the kale into the boiling water for 2 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and place in the ice water for 2 minutes.
STEP 7: Combine the blanched kale and scallions in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely diced.
STEP 8: Add the butter to the potatoes and allow it to melt.
STEP 9: Mash the potatoes and stir in the kale and scallions.
Recommended Tool: Potato Ricer
The Colcannon may be mashed with a traditional potato masher or a potato ricer,which is my preferred method.
If you have not used a potato ricer, it makes quick work of mashing potatoes and gives them a wonderful texture.
Potato Ricers come with a few disks with different sized holes which are fitted into the end of the cylinder.
How Does a Potato Ricer Work?
Add potatoes to the main cavity fitted with disk.
Pull the handles together which depresses a solid metal piece forcing the cooked potatoes through the perforated disk.
Adding Milk
Milk (or cream in some cases) is another variable ingredient in Colcannon.
The type of potatoes used may affect how moist the Colcannon recipe turns out.
If desired to make a lighter, creamier Colcannon, feel free to add a bit of warm milk in the last step.
More Irish and St. Patrick’s Day Recipes You’ll Love!
- Dublin Coddle
- Irish Potato Champ
- Cottage Pie
- Authentic Irish Coffee
- Irish Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Corned Beef Brisket cooked in Guinness
- Irish Chocolate Mousse with Baileys
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Recipe
Authentic Irish Colcannon
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 pinch Kosher Salt
- 4 ounces Curly Kale leaves (about 6 ½ ounces with stem)
- ½ cup Scallions trimmed, white and lower green of stalk rough chopped
- 1 stick (8 TB) Unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Garnish with scallion slices (about ¼ cup needed for whole recipe)
Instructions
Cooking the potatoes
- Fill a large pot of water with enough room to cover the potatoes by 1 inch (with plenty of room for the potatoes). Bring to a boil.
- Add a large pinch of salt to the boiling water.
- Place potatoes in boiling water until done (about 20 minutes; poke a fork in them to ensure they are no longer hard and are cooked through). Drain and return to cooking pot.
Preparing the Kale (blanching)
- While potatoes are boiling, bring a second pot of water to boil for blanching the kale and fill a large mixing bowl of ice and water.
- Place the kale leaves into the boiling water for two minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure they all become submerged.
- Remove from boiling water, and place immediately into ice water bath. Allow them to remain there for two minutes then place them in the bowl of a food processor.
- Add the rough chopped scallions to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse for 10-15 seconds until kale and onions form a finely diced mixture.
Making the Colcannon
- Add the stick of butter to the potatoes; mix together to allow butter to melt.
- Once the butter is melted, mash the potatoes with a masher. NOTE: if using a ricer, rice the potatoes first then add the butter.
- Add the diced kale and scallion; stir to fully combine.
- Serve hot garnished with scallion slices.
Nutrition
Originally published March 8, 2013
Beth Pierce says
I fixed this last weekend! What an amazing combination. This is going to be on our regular rotation!
Kelly Anthony says
I’ve never had colcannon but I love potatoes and kale so this recipe looks like it was made for me.
Rebecca says
Oh my goodness!! Found this on pintrest and is delish!! My 24yr old son is chasing his dream of owning a pub/restaurant that is irish based and we’ve decided this would be fantastic addition to his menu.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
This is such a beautiful and satisfying potato recipe.
Happy Monday!
Angie
Toni Dash says
‘Satisfying’ is the perfect word for this dish Angie. You can’t beat this much butter either! Thanks for popping in!
emma says
My husband is also of Irish descent so Irish dishes are prepared in our household quite frequently. To be honest, I’ve never tried this one but I’ll have a perfect opportunity to do so in the weeks to come either at home or during a course I signed up for a month ago. To put it more precisely, my husband gave me a special gift on this year’s Valentine’s Day – he booked a cooking class organized by Zac’s cooking school in our native Vancouver so we’re now collecting interesting recipes to come up with during that course and this one will definitely be part of our list. 🙂
Toni Dash says
Ironically Emma this is a classic that my local friends in Ireland assured is a traditional St. Patrick’s day dish but I don’t recall having it when in Ireland. Perhaps I did but don’t recall (maybe too much Guinness!). I hope you’ll enjoy your cooking classes! I’ve enjoyed taking them over the years usually when traveling to a region to make special local dishes.
The Suzzzz says
I grew up in a family with no Irish ancestry and no great love of St. Patrick’s day, but then my youngest brother lived in Ireland for a couple years and I followed suit after leaving Uni. I live in Cork for the better part of 1999. Now the whole month of March and all the St. Patzapalooza silliness makes me homesick for authentic Irish food and craic, I shudder every time someone offers me bad American corned beef and cabbage. Give me bangers and mash, sausage rolls, full Irish breakfast, boxties, curry and mushy peas, or real fish and chips any day.
Toni Dash says
Oh you have made me SO hungry with your comment and I see you too are a kindred spirit of Irish food. My friends there would balk at the drunken festivities in the U.S. for St. Patrick’s Day telling me it was really a religious holiday in Ireland. However if you take a peek at the Guest Post I linked to from Aoife who writes The Daily Spud in Dublin, she said things are changing and becoming more frolicking in Ireland too. All the foods you listed sing to my heart and stomach and are exactly what I love about the food scene there. And I had some of the best salmon in my life outside Dundalk. Love Cork. Spent a long weekend in Timoleague once and have been to Cork itself a number of times for business.
Nicole says
This looks great Toni ! Way to Celebrate the Green!
Toni Dash says
Thanks Nicole! It’s such a simple and delicious dish. It never ceases to amaze me how the best Irish food I’ve had is indeed so easy to make.
Caroline Taylor says
Toni this looks amazing. I love using kale in colcannon and it’s even better with a bit of bacon mixed in!
Toni Dash says
That sounds amazing (such an overused word but appropriate whenever ‘bacon’ is mentioned)!
john@kitchenriffs says
I love this dish! In fact I love it so much I made it earlier this week, and will be posting about it next. 🙂 There are a lot of recipes out there that include cabbage instead of kale, and they’re good. But kale is so much better in this dish. Yours looks wonderful — thanks.
Toni Dash says
How fun John I’ll hop over and take a look! This is a recipe from Ireland but I have noticed variations too (have not seen cabbage but it makes sense). I think it’s a bit like variations on how we make mashed potatoes. It’s such a simple, delicious dish. Can’t wait to see yours!
Meeling says
How fun to know we aren’t the only house where milk turns green! 😉 Pancakes have always been a favorite green food here too.
I’ve never made colcannon, even though we usually do a traditional Irish dinner with corned beef, cabbage and boiled potatoes. Definitely going to give this a try – thanks for sharing!
Toni Dash says
You’ll have to give it a go Meeling. It’s a beautiful simple dish. I also made Dublin Coddle last year for a post which is hearty, rustic food (and more traditional to Ireland than corned beef and cabbage; my Irish friends tell me that is the American interpretation of St. Patty’s Day food!).