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Colcannon is a traditional Irish mashed potato side dish, made with spring onions, cabbage, cream, plenty of butter and seasoning, then topped with chives. It’s the ULTIMATE comfort food, and a way to turn your usual mash into something extra.

A bowl filled with creamy colcannon mashed potato with cabbage and spring onion.

What is Colcannon?

This recipe is my take on the traditional Irish Colcannon, a classic Irish mashed potato side dish that has been a staple in the country’s ancestral diet for a few centuries. 

It’s traditionally made with fluffy, light mash mixed with either curly kale or Savoy cabbage and spring onions (scallions).

Often recipes also feature milk, cream and butter, which is added to really elevate that consistency and flavour into something special. 

Colcannon has links to Halloween as an Irish traditional dish as well as St Patrick’s Day, but it’s perfect as an addition to a comfort food meal any time of the year.

This article in the Smithsonian magazine has an interesting delve into the origins of the dish.


Why you’ll love this Colcannon recipe

⭐️ Budget-friendly ingredients

⭐️ Simple but special

⭐️ So easy to make!


Colcannon Ingredients Notes

The ingredients for Colcannon Irish mashed potato laid out on a white counter.
  • Potatoes – I like to use King Edwards or Maris Piper as they seem to give the best and fluffiest mashed potato. These will need to be peeled and cut into large chunks. Find out more about which kind of potato is good for what on the Love Potatoes website
  • Garlic – Fresh or frozen pre-prepared is fine
  • Cabbage – I like Savoy but choose your favourite. Finely slice this up
  • Spring onions – Otherwise known as scallions in other parts of the world! Finely chop these too
  • Single cream – I use this instead of milk to make it extra creamy, but feel free to use milk instead
  • Butter – Use what you have or use up homemade butter from the freezer
  • Extras to taste – Finely chopped fresh chives and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make Colcannon

A pan filled with potatoes for a colcannon recipe.

1. Place the potatoes and garlic in cold water in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked.

A pan filled with green cabbage for step 2 in the recipe for Colcannon.

2. Meanwhile, sauté the cabbage and spring onion in melted butter in another pan.

Potato being mashed for step 3 in the recipe for colcannon.

3. Drain the potatoes and mash.

Mashed potato with cabbage in a pan with a wooden spoon for step 4 in the method for Colcannon recipe.

4. Add the cabbage and spring onion to the potatoes and mix well.

A pan filled with potato and cabbage, with butter and cream on top for step 5 in the recipe for Colcannon.

5. Warm the remaining butter and cream until melted, then add into the potato mixture.

A pan filled with creamy colcannon mashed potato.

6. Add the chives and plenty of salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.

Hint: If you’re not serving this straight away, you can keep it warm in the oven in an ovenproof dish. It will get a nice crispy topping.


How to store Colcannon

In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat fully in the microwave or oven before serving.

Does Colcannon freeze well? Yes! Just wait until it’s totally cold and then put into a freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating.

Leftovers

Colcannon cakes can made with leftovers, shaped into patties or even one large cake to fill a frying pan, and they’re SO GOOD.

How to make them:

Shape the leftover Colcannon, coat in flour and fry until crispy all over.

They are a bit like Bubble and Squeak and are perfect served with crispy bacon and a poached egg.

You could always use any leftovers to top a Cottage Pie, Shepherd’s Pie, Cowboy Pie or Fish Pie too!

TOP Tips

Mashing your potatoes

I sometimes use a potato ricer for mashing my potatoes. I find that this simple piece of kit gives the PERFECT mash every time, as it eliminates the chance of any pesky lumps getting through.

Using a ricer also avoids the risk of that DREADED gluey mash potato which comes from too much beating or mashing. 

This one – Commercial Grade Potato Ricer – looks slightly different to mine (more sturdy in fact!) and is highly rated on Amazon.

Cooking

Always start your potatoes off in cold water and bring them to the boil so that the water starts to make its way through them as it warms up.

This stops the potatoes getting soggy and overcooked on the outside before they’ve had a chance to cook on the inside.

What to serve with Colcannon potatoes

There are SO MANY dishes that this side dish complements. Here are a few suggestions…

FAQs

What type of potatoes should I use for Colcannon?

I like to use King Edwards or Maris Piper as they seem to give the best and fluffiest mashed potato. Find out more about which kind of potato is good for what on the Love Potatoes website.

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.

Is Colcannon gluten free?

Yes! Potatoes, milk, butter, cream and veggies are naturally gluten-free, so go ahead without concern if you need to eat this way.

How many does this recipe serve?

This recipe serves roughly 6 people, so you can either adjust your ingredients accordingly to make more, or if you have fewer people, simply save some for the freezer for another day.

Can you make Colcannon ahead of time?

Yes, you can. Either cook it and refrigerate or freeze, then reheat when it’s time to serve. Or if dinner isn’t too far away, you can keep it warm in the oven in an ovenproof dish. It will get a nice crispy topping.

Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.

Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).

4.85 from 19 votes

Colcannon {PERFECT Irish Mashed Potatoes}

Colcannon is a traditional Irish potato recipe is the ultimate side dish. It's delicious, light and fluffy mashed potatoes with spring onions, cabbage, cream, plenty of butter and seasoning is simply heavenly comfort food.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6 People

Ingredients 

  • 1 kg Potatoes, Peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 4 Garlic cloves, See notes
  • 200 g Butter
  • 300 g Cabbage, Finely sliced
  • 100 g Spring onions, Finely chopped (including the green parts)
  • 100 ml Single cream
  • 20 g Fresh chives, Chopped finely
  • Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, Use plenty

To garnish:

  • A pat of butter and a sprinkling of fresh chives

Instructions 

  • Boil the potatoes with the garlic for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. 
  • While the potatoes are cooking, melt 100g of the butter in a small frying pan and saute the cabbage and spring onions for 3-4 minutes until softened.
  • Drain the potatoes and mash (leave the garlic in).
  • Add the cabbage and spring onions (including the butter they were cooked in) to the potatoes.
  • Meanwhile warm the remaining butter and cream until the butter is melted (I do this in the pan I fried the cabbage in). Add to the potato and cabbage mixture.
  • Add the chives and plenty of salt and pepper and stir until throughly combined. Serve immediately with extra butter and chives to garnish.

Notes

Garlic: If you’re using fresh, peel and chop. Or use 4 tsp of your pre-prepared equivalent
TIP: If you’re not serving this straight away, you can keep it warm in the oven in an ovenproof dish, and it will get a nice crispy topping
Use a ricer: This avoids lumpy mash and stops it from getting too overworked and gloopy
Start with cold water: Boil up your potatoes in a pan with cold water to start with. This makes sure they get evenly cooked
 

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 6gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 272mgPotassium: 861mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1360IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Savoury, Side Dish
Cuisine: Family Food
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4.85 from 19 votes (15 ratings without comment)

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9 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Best recipe I’ve found for this dish. Easy to follow, prepare and make. Great tips on how to use leftovers (if you’re lucky enough to have any). Going to making more just to freeze ready for next time! Definitely want to try the ‘cakes’.
    Thank you for sharing this recipe.

  2. 5 stars
    Such a wonderful dish! This is a weekly meal with sausages, but this week I had some roasted garlic and a bit of bacon leftover so thought why not. I added the roasted garlic while making my mash and sautéed the bacon with the cabbage and onion. I also added some red pepper flakes just to try and I must say, it gave it a whole different flavor! Not for every week, as it has a bit of a kick, but it’s a nice change. I’ve always made with Cabbage, never have I tried Kale, but if I can get the dark green past the hubby’s eye We may try Kale. .

  3. Great recipe but Potatoes Colcannon is definitely not British. The word colcannon in Irish is cál ceannann meaning white headed cabbage. Irish is definitely not British. A technical error but definitely incorrect.

  4. In Dublin this is made with curly kale! My Mother used to top it with a fried egg. Traditionally eaten on Hallowe’en,small gifts of coins were hidden in it too!

  5. 5 stars
    Hello! These potatoes are so incredibly delicious! I’d never had colcannon before, but thought it would make a great topping for our annual St. Patrick’s Day shepherds pie rather than regular mashed potatoes. We were not disappointed. The colcannon worked perfectly and really took the dish to the next level. Thank you so much for sharing!

  6. I am thinking of dating an Irishman who said he had “colcannon and champ” for lunch. It seems to be two separate dishes. Do you think he just put all the ingredients together for both and made it one dish? If you can enlighten me, I would appreciate it.

  7. 5 stars
    I’m Italian, and I’m used to preparing and eating very good food. I liked your receipe of Colcannon, and not only that. I made it and it was delicious indeed! Thank you!