Top 10+ classic Irish recipes for St. Patrick's Day—beyond corned beef

Classic Irish dishes and festive favorites to cook this St. Patrick’s Day.

If your idea of what to cook for St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t extend beyond corned beef, here’s a surprising bit of context: The dish isn’t actually all that widely eaten in Ireland. That said, I’m not here to ruin anyone’s fun—I love the salty, tender dish as much as anyone, especially the next day when it’s turned into a hash with a dippy egg on top. And yes, we’ve got recipes for both. But the holiday table doesn’t have to stop there. Alongside corned beef, you’ll find plenty of other dishes worth making, including a richly flavored Guinness beef stew, classic soda bread, a delightful Irish sweet treat, and a newer Dublin fried snack perfect for soaking up all the whiskey you might be drinking on St. Patrick’s Day.

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Spice Bag

This comparatively new addition to Dublin’s culinary landscape features fried chicken and potatoes coated in a fiery, tingly Sichuan sauce. While TikTok virality has brought the dish to America, none of the stateside versions quite compare to the one that’s become a staple in Dublin—peppered with strips of fried onion and sweet pepper and served with a curry sauce that can be poured over the whole affair. This version uses a spice blend that includes Sichuan peppercorns, garlic and onion powder, five-spice, white pepper, and sugar, plus two big umami boosters: MSG and chicken bouillon powder. If you don’t want to tackle deep-frying, you can use store-bought chicken nuggets and fries. It’s the perfect thing to eat after you’ve put away more than a few Guinness.

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Real Irish Soda Bread

When it comes to quick, no-knead breads, Irish soda bread is one of the originals—and often overlooked outside of this holiday. This moist, chewy loaf comes together quickly and deserves a place in your rotation year-round. Bake it in a Dutch oven for a crackling crust that mimics the traditional versions baked over coals.

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Rich and Flavorful Guinness Beef Stew With Potatoes

To ensure the Guinness flavor comes through in this rich, hearty stout-infused stew, coffee and bittersweet chocolate are added—both notes present in the beer that can otherwise get lost amid the other ingredients. Those aren’t the only flavor boosters: An umami trifecta of fish sauce, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce deepens the stew’s savory base. Searing the meat whole before cutting it into chunks for braising ensures plenty of flavor while keeping the beef tender.

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Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes)

Imagine if a pancake, latke, rösti, and hash brown had a baby and you’d have this delightful Irish potato dish. Boxty began as a way to repurpose leftover potatoes, combining freshly grated potatoes with cooked mashed potatoes before pan-frying the mixture in butter. The result is a crisp-edged pancake with a fluffy interior—perfect for sopping up the remnants of the Guinness stew above.

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Classic, Savory Shepherd's Pie (With Beef and/or Lamb)

This version of shepherd’s pie makes the most of every layer. The mashed potato topping gets the same generous treatment of butter and cream you’d give it as a side, while the meat filling beneath is deeply savory and layered with umami. Wine and tomato paste add extra depth, giving the dish a richness you might associate with Italian ragù.

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Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes With Cabbage)

This dish is traditionally enjoyed in Ireland at Halloween but is eaten year-round as well. While it’s best known for combining mashed potatoes and cabbage, it began as a way to bulk up the country’s staple ingredient with whatever vegetables were on hand—so feel free to get creative with kale or collard greens. At its heart, it’s about making something as frugal as it is delicious.

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Spotted Dog Recipe | Cook the Book

This dough is enriched with egg and a little sugar, along with raisins that may give the bread its “spotted” name, setting it apart from regular soda bread. The added fat and sugar produce a deeper brown, crisper crust. Serve it with slices of cheddar for a salty-sweet delight.

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Corned Beef Brisket, Potatoes, Cabbage, and Carrots for St. Patrick's Day

If you really want to go all the way this St. Patrick’s Day, try curing your own corned beef. This method uses a dry brine rather than the more typical wet one, with pink salt, brown sugar, and spices like coriander, allspice, clove, and mustard powder. The meat is then cooked low and slow in a carefully controlled environment—ideally sous vide, though a slow cooker or Dutch oven works well too—allowing the connective tissue to break down while keeping the meat tender and juicy. Instead of boiling the vegetables alongside the beef, they’re cooked separately so each one reaches the plate with its best texture.

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Corned Beef Hash

If you do go the full mile and cure your own corned beef, you’ll need something to do with the leftovers—and corned beef hash is the ultimate answer. A couple of smart techniques make this version stand out: The potatoes are parboiled in a vinegar-water solution, which helps them hold their shape when sautéed, and the fat from the beef is rendered first so the vegetables can cook in that rich, salty goodness. The result is a deeply savory hash with crisp edges and plenty of beefy flavor.

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Fifteens (Northern Irish Digestive Biscuits and Marshmallows With Cherries)

The classic Irish no-bake treat combines crushed digestive biscuits, marshmallows, and glacé cherries bound together with sweetened condensed milk. The mixture is shaped into a log, chilled, then sliced into soft, sticky, chewy rounds that are especially lovely with a cup of tea.