Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (2024)

Irish Recipes | RECIPES | St. Patrick's Day

ByStephanie Wilson

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read ourdisclosure policy.

Authentic, classic Irish recipes from the Emerald Isle, are comfort food at their very best.

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (1)

We rounded up authentic Irish recipes — from corned beef and cabbage to colcannon, lamb stew and cream of potato soup, Irish soda bread, and scones… traditional recipes you’ll want to explore.

Ireland is filled with natural ingredients and generations of recipes and great cooks. Their traditional foods are filled with hearty vegetables and meat, accented with their famous butter.

RELATED: View more 31Daily St. Patrick’s Day recipes here→

Classic Irish Recipes

So go beyond the green cupcakes, and try some of these delicious classic Irish recipes the Emerald Isle has to offer.

Classic Irish Recipes, Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best

1

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (2)

Full Irish Breakfast Blaa

Photo Credit:donalskehan.com

"The full Irish breakfast is up there with Irish stew, colcannon and barmbrack and rightly so. We have some of the best sausage and rasher producers in the world so why shouldn’t we find joy in them sandwiched together in a light floury bap with a squidge of ketchup. This breakfast blaa is messy business but an instantly memorable breakfast."

2

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (3)

Mutton Casserole Recipe with Champ

Photo Credit:www.greatbritishchefs.com

"Hayden Groves shares a delicious mutton casserole recipe served with comforting champ potatoes, the perfect slow-cooking dish for the winter months."

3

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (4)

Bean and Sausage Stew

Photo Credit:www.saveur.com

“At Gubbeen Farm, a 250-acre plot of land in West Cork, an Irish twist on French cassoulet results in a flavorful, brothy stew of lima beans and thin Irish pork sausages.”

4

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (5)

Beef Stew And Dumplings Recipe

Photo Credit:www.greatbritishchefs.com

“There’s nothing quite like a comforting bowl of beef stew, especially when topped off with fluffy little dumpling pillows. Dominic Chapman makes sure the meat is meltingly tender in his recipe by braising it for several hours, and adds flavour with salty pancetta, star anise and plenty of hearty veg.”

5

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (6)

Irish Soda Bread with Buttermilk and Raisins

Irish Soda Bread, a national heritage… and a Wilson family favorite. Whether it be St. Patrick’s Day or any spring day. A delicious twist on thetraditional Irish Soda Bread.

6

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (7)

Traditional Irish Colcannon Recipe

A dreamy concoctionof potatoes, cabbage or kale, and cream. A favorite comfort food — any day of the year!

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (8)

Potato Topped Shepherd's Pie Recipe: Deliciously Irish

An easy comfort food, this Shepherd's Pie recipe is a delicious potato-topped ground lamb or beef casserole. Which is steeped in a flavorful sauce with vegetables that will bring to mind the beauty of Ireland.

8

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (9)

Irish Onion Soup with Reuben Cheese Toasties

Photo Credit:donalskehan.com

"An Irish twist on a classic French onion soup with an open faced reuben sandwich on the side would easily make a delicious meal on a cold dark night."

9

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (10)

Smoked Haddock and Cheddar Mash

Photo Credit:www.saveur.com

“The haddock and cheddar mash at Dublin’s The Winding Stair restaurant represents the best of Ireland: sea, dairy, and spud.”

10

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (11)

Perfect Comfort Food: Cream of Potato Soup

Easy to prepare in under 30 minutes, warm and creamy soup is a perfect antidote for cold, wintry nights, brisk fall afternoons, rainy spring days… or any other day as well.

11

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (12)

A Traditional Irish Lamb Stew

An all-time favorite Irish comfort food — this stew has bubbled over Irish fires for generations. Hearty and delicious!

12

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (13)

Irish Barmbrack

Photo Credit:donalskehan.com

"Barmbrack is a traditional Irish fruitcake which is also known as Irish Tea Cake depending on the time of year that you’re eating it! This recipe makes a really moist, fruit loaf which is packed with flavour from mixed spice and dried fruit."

13

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (14)

Easy Irish Cottage Pie

This Irish Cottage Pie recipe is an easy and tasty comfort food meal everyone loves. This family favorite is made with ground beef (mince) and vegetables baked in a delicious gravy filling topped with pastry and baked until perfectly golden brown.

14

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (15)

IRISH SHORTBREAD

Photo Credit:www.thekitchykitchen.com

Ireland is famous for its butter, which makes buttery shortbread a perfect Irish comfort food. This recipe gets its lovely texture and subtle nuttiness from corn flour, which is just finely ground cornmeal.

15

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (16)

Ultra-Buttery Irish Scones

Photo Credit:www.epicurious.com

“These tender, flaky scones are all about the butter. And since the flavor of the butter really shines through, this is a good time to splurge on a high-quality Irish butter like Kerrygold. The extra flaky, buttery texture is achieved by using a technique borrowed from puff pastry—spreading butter onto the rolled-out dough and folding it in layers.”

Classic Irish Recipes: Emerald Isle Comfort Food at its Best (2024)

FAQs

What is Ireland's traditional food? ›

Representative dishes include Irish stew, bacon and cabbage, boxty, brown bread (as it is referred to in the South) or soda bread (predominantly used in Ulster), coddle, and colcannon.

What is the most eaten dish in Ireland? ›

One of the most popular and iconic Irish foods is undoubtedly the traditional Irish stew. This hearty dish typically consists of tender chunks of meat (such as lamb or beef), potatoes, onions, carrots, and sometimes other vegetables like celery or parsnips.

What is the national dish of Ireland? ›

Irish Stew is a thick, hearty dish of mutton, potatoes, and onions and undisputedly the national dish of Ireland. Within the dish are many of the ingredients synonymous with the island, potatoes being one of the most recognized.

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 a uniquely Irish food? ›

5 Unique Irish Dishes You May Not Have Heard Of
  • Irish Chicken Farmhouse Soup
  • 5-Ingredient Irish Jambons
  • Traditional Irish Boxty
  • Irish Apple Cake
  • Irish Potato Candy
Jan 1, 1970

What do Irish eat for breakfast? ›

All full Irish breakfasts include some or all of the following: Bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and perhaps some cooked leftover potatoes made into a hash or a bubble and squeak. There will also be toast, butter, marmalade, and lots of tea to drink.

What is the Irish special meal? ›

Colcannon. Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish made of creamy mashed potatoes and some green veggie. Most typically you'll find cabbage or kale, paired with some green aromatics like leeks and chives. Here, we opt for a scallion and kale combo for vibrant color and deeper, nuttier flavors.

What is a true Irish dinner? ›

For starters or to start off your day, there's the Full Irish. This is sometimes referred to as a heart attack on a plate. It usually consists of sausage, rashers, egg, beans, toast, black pudding, white pudding, tomato and maybe a hash brown and/or mushrooms.

What is the most iconic Irish food? ›

Traditional Irish Foods
  • Shepherd's Pie. A classic found on dinner tables throughout Ireland, shepherd's pie combines beef and vegetables in a crust of mashed potatoes. ...
  • Colcannon. ...
  • Irish Soda Bread. ...
  • Irish Stew. ...
  • Guinness Pie. ...
  • Irish Coffee. ...
  • Bangers and Mash. ...
  • Irish Bacon.
Feb 15, 2024

What is the best food to eat in Ireland? ›

Oysters: Purists suckle oysters straight from the shell, with just a squeeze of lemon. Smoked salmon: Salmon is native to North Atlantic waters and is therefore a long-time favorite with Irish diners. Irish stew: This stew is traditionally made with lamb but can also be prepared with beef.

Which meal is known as the full Irish? ›

Irish dishes
English nameIrish name
Full breakfast Also known as "full Irish", "Irish fry" or "Ulster fry"Bricfeasta friochta
Garlic cheese chipsSceallóga le cáis agus gairleog
GoodyGudaí
Gur cakeCáca gur
32 more rows

What is the oldest Irish food? ›

Ancient Irish Cuisine: Oats. The oat has been around in Irish diets for a long, long time. Oats were easier to grow in colder climates than wheat. Oats were seen as poverty food, for the peasants, and wheat was a treat.

What is traditional celtic food? ›

From Scotland's distinctive haggis, down through Manx kippers, Irish stew, Welsh cakes, Cornish pasties and on to the Breton galette crêpe, you'll find food here unlike any other in Western Europe. And the same goes for drinks. The most iconic is probably Scotch whisky (whiskey with an 'e' if you're in Ireland).

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Virgilio Hermann JD

Last Updated:

Views: 5795

Rating: 4 / 5 (61 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Virgilio Hermann JD

Birthday: 1997-12-21

Address: 6946 Schoen Cove, Sipesshire, MO 55944

Phone: +3763365785260

Job: Accounting Engineer

Hobby: Web surfing, Rafting, Dowsing, Stand-up comedy, Ghost hunting, Swimming, Amateur radio

Introduction: My name is Virgilio Hermann JD, I am a fine, gifted, beautiful, encouraging, kind, talented, zealous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.