Real Irish Colcannon
Real Irish Colcannon is made with Irish butter and cheddar cheese, cabbage and spring onion. It doesn’t get more Celtic than this. This is naturally green comfort food and a St Patrick’s Day favorite.
I can’t think of anything more comforting than a big bowl of mashed potato with heaps of Irish cheddar cheese and good Irish creamy butter. This is why I I call it ‘real Irish’.
The butter and cheese are really the best there is out there. The Irish are very proud of their dairy and so they should be. I’m not being paid to say this, this is just my opinion and if you try them, you’ll agree and are available in most grocery stores here in the U.S.
The name is derived from the word cál ceannann which is Celtic for ‘head cabbage’.
The colcannon can be made 2 days ahead of time. You can simply reheat in a the microwave for a few minutes, or to a pan over low heat. Add a small amount of milk so it doesn’t dry out and burn on the bottom, stirring often.
What do you serve with colcannon?
Anything Irish of course and what is better than Irish Guinness Stew. This can be a complete St Patrick’s Day meal.
I also have Irish dessert ideas too. Irish Chocolate Cake with Baileys Buttercream Frosting or Irish coffee Milkshake Shooters.
If you’ve made this Real Irish Colcannon, or any other recipe, please leave a comment below. I love to hear from my readers.
Irish Colcannon
A creamy and easy side dish with cabbage, spring onion, Irish butter and Irish cheddar.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907 grams) potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 6 tablespoons Irish butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 10 ounces (283 grams) green cabbage, finely shredded
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) whole milk, warm
- 2 cups (160 grams) Irish cheddar cheese, grated
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large pan, 3/4 way full with water and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until tender.
- While the potatoes boil, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the cabbage and cook until softened Stir in the spring onions, remove from the heat.
- Drain the potatoes, add to a large bowl and mash. Stir in the cabbage and onion mix, milk and cheese into the hot potatoes. Season with salt to taste. Serve warm.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 330Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 63mgSodium 429mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 7gSugar 12gProtein 10g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
22 Comments on “Real Irish Colcannon”
I’ve been making mine like this but without the cheese for over 50 years. Sometimes I add bacon; (and use the bacon fat for cooking the cabbage) sometimes I add cubes of ham; usually I just make plain colcannon. Having my kids and grands for dinner Saturday and they love cheese, so will try it with cheese. Thank you.
I love the idea of the bacon and will give it a try. I hope the kids enjoy it with the cheese 🙂
I’ve never had colcannon with cheese in it before, I’ll have to give this a try!
Irish cheddar, just like my mum used to make. Enjoy 😁
Can I just say amazing. The cheese and butter really makes it taste so good
You can, and thank you 🙂
Great recipe. Brought back lots of memories. Try this as a topping for Cottage (Shepherds ) Pie. or with a side of mashed turnip and carrot.
Thank you for the feedback. I love the idea of a shepherd’s/cottage pie topping.
I had a huge head of cabbage for St. Paddy’s Day, so saved half. Made this yesterday, with a few changes. I fried bacon and used the grease to sauté the cabbage and some green onions, which I folded in to the mashed potatoes, along with the butter and cheese. Crumbled the bacon in as well. Sumptuous!
This sounds delicious, thank you for sharing your cooking tips.
So happy to find this recipe. I can honestly say that I really look forward to trying it and I hope I can find authentic ingredients to use. Just in time for St Patrick’s day menu planning.
Thank you so much Carol, this is one of my most popular recipes.
What is Irish cheese?
Hello Sam, Irish cheese is cheese made in Ireland.
Delicious!! Made this for Christmas dinner and ii’s a keeper!
Thank you so much for the great feedback Linda, glad you enjoyed it
Oh man, just made some to go with beef stew for lunches tomorrow, and boy is it delicious! So glad I have plenty leftover so I can just eat a few spoonfuls before saving the rest for later. Ive been missing out!
I’m glad you liked it, thank you for the feedback Ashley.
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Hi, Jannette, What a great recipe, it looks like it will be a big hit with my family. Honestly, I have never heard of this dish before…I am not sure how I missed out on such deliciousness.
This looks delicious, Janette! This is definitely going on my St. Patrick’s Day recipe list! And I totally agree, KerryGold is gold! 🙂
This is the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! And the addition of KerryGold makes it even better! Yum! Thanks for sharing your recipe. I love this!