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Traditional Irish Boxty Recipe

Dinner Recipes· Irish Food· Vegetarian Recipes

Learn how to make traditional Irish potato pancakes.  This easy boxty recipe is as tasty as any in Ireland, perfect for St. Patricks Day or everyday.

Authentic and traditional Irish Boxty, a tasty potato pancake from Ireland. Don't just make this recipe for St. Patricks Day, it's too good!

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The potato is my favorite vegetable.  It’s probably yours too if you are smitten with french fries.  It’s amazing to think about how many different ways we cook potatoes.

We fry them for french fries, latkes, hash browns, and diced with onions.  We boil them for mashed potatoes, soup and served as whole boiled baby potatoes.  We roast them on a sheet pan, bake them in the oven and smother them with butter, sour cream and chives.  I am sold on almost any recipe that includes potatoes, especially if it’s the main ingredient.

This recipe is my new favorite.  Fortunately hubby gave this Irish food two thumbs up because he is going to see this regularly plated out for him.  This potato pancake re-heats really well. I have tried it both in the microwave and throwing it on a hot griddle, it didn’t lose flavor or texture.  I do like reheating in a pan much better though, no need to add oil, there’s plenty still on the boxty from its first go ’round in the pan.

These are great served with eggs in the morning, kinda like a pancake-hashbrown side.  I am going to make a big batch of these and freeze them.  If you do this, be sure to freeze them on a single layer on a sheet pan. Then once frozen solid, place them in a freezer bag.  By freezing Boxty in this manner, you will be sure they aren’t frozen stuck together in a solid block.

Want to go to Ireland?  Check out Planning a Trip to Ireland!

What is Irish Boxty?

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake that uses both cooked mashed potatoes and grated raw potatoes.  It typically consists of flour, eggs and baking soda.  The baking soda gives it that pancake-like rise while the raw grated potatoes imparts a nice ‘bite’ similar to a latke.  The combination of the two is what makes boxty the perfect potato pancake.

Like most Irish cuisine such as coddle, champ, colcannon and Irish soda bread, boxty was developed by the common people, not professional chefs.  It is believed boxty came about in order to make their food stretch a little further and feed more people.  My parents would add more potatoes to stew to stretch a dish.  What tricks did your parents use to make food go a little farther?

How is Boxty served?

Boxty is traditionally served as a side.  Serving this Irish food with pan fried sausages and sautéed greens is common.  Some restaurants are amping up boxty  by filling it with signature ingredients and smothering it with a sauce.  I prefer the taste and texture of this potato dish to stand on its own.

Boxty would also be a great side to traditional Irish Stew.

A non-traditional way of serving boxty is to treat it like a wrap, stuff it and pour some sauce over it.  Some American pubs are stuffing it with sausage and garnishing it with a stout reduction sauce.

This would also be a great side to serve with fish such as salmon.  It is delicious as a quick snack anytime of day.  It’s a vegetable so it’s healthy right?

If you have an inventive way to serve boxty, leave a comment below and share with the community.

Do you know of any other types of pancake recipes from other countries?  What are they called?

Bon Appetit!

Potatoes and green onions on a cutting board.
Shredded and sliced potatoes.
Shredded potatoes draining through a colander.
Liquid extracted from potatoes in a bowl.
Flour, salt and pepper in a bowl with a whisk.
Potatoes and butter in a pan ready to mash.
Potatoes all mashed up with butter.
Potato mixture with added flour and baking soda.
boxty mixture all mixed up and ready to spoon into a hot pan.
golden brown Boxty patties frying in a pan.
Fresh spinach frying in a pan with onions, salt and pepper.
Boxty served with sausage and cooked greens.

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Authentic and traditional Irish Boxty, a tasty potato pancake from Ireland. Don't just make this recipe for St. Patricks Day, it's too good!

Traditional Irish Boxty Recipe

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake that uses both cooked mashed potatoes and grated raw potatoes.  It typically consists of flour, eggs and baking soda.  The baking soda gives it that pancake-like rise while the raw grated potatoes imparts a nice 'bite' similar to a latke.

Ingredients

  • 2 lb russet potatoes, about 3 large, peeled and cut into 1/2 pieces
  • water for boiling
  • 4 Tbs salted butter plus more for frying
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup of diced green onions
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 Tbs cooking oil
  • Optional Garnish: 

Optional Garnish: 

  • sour cream
  • green onions or chives

Instructions

  1. Place half of the potatoes in a large dutch oven pan and cover with water.  Simmer until potatoes are fork tender.
  2. While potatoes are boiling, grate the other half of the potatoes with a large grater.  This can be done in a food processor if you have the grating attachment.  I used a box grater and used the side with the large holes.
  3. Place the grated potatoes in a sieve and place sieve over a bowl.  Toss potatoes with 1 tsp salt and let potatoes rest so the moisture will be drawn out.  Toss the potato water.
  4. Once the boiling potatoes are done, drain off water and return potatoes to pan.  Add butter and milk to pan, mash with a potato masher.  Add eggs and green onion, stir.
  5. In a separate, small bowl add the dry ingredients (salt, pepper, flour, baking powder), stir until well combined, add to the pot.  Add the shredded potatoes.  Mix all ingredients well, you should have a lumpy, thick pancake-like batter.  If it's too thick, add more milk.
  6. In a large skillet, heat up 2 Tbs of oil until it starts to smoke, add 1 Tbs of butter.  Using a measuring cup, scoop batter into pan making 4 inch rounds, tamp down if needed to flatten.
  7. Cook on each side until golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels.  Serve while hot.

Notes

This recipe is best when using leftover mashed potatoes. Next time you make mashed potatoes for dinner, make extra for boxty the next night. The reason is that this recipe takes time when made from scratch. By doubling up on your mashed potato game, you can make boxty easily the next night.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 pancake
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 210Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 477mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g
© Tina
Cuisine: Irish / Category: Side

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing the potato pancake recipe. My mother made these with pinto beans, turnip greens, and cornbread. Yum! They were always cooked fresh.
    My mother-in-law’s version was served with left over homemade mashed potatoes from the previous weekend. It was a rerun, but good! So, it’s my turn to carry on the tradition, so here is how I make them. Cooked mashed potatoes are the way to go, but instant will do after a long day’s work. I doctor up my potato pancakes with butter and sour cream, and then I add cheese to the basic mixture. I don’t add onions. Yummy! The key is to add oil as needed, and not to deep-fry in the pan.

    Reply

    • Hey Roselyn, that sounds yummy, and kid friendly too without the onions. I haven’t tried it with just the mashed potatoes, that would make things easier. I agree with your MIL in that leftover mashed potatoes are best. The starches build up and it doesn’t fall apart but I use instant mashed potatoes too. Thanks for sharing!!!!!

      Reply

    • Hello Fran, yes you can incorporate greens into the boxty mash. It will change the texture a little, what a great idea! Yes, boxty is frequently served with applesauce. Have fun and enjoy!

      Reply

  4. Mom, that limerick is hysterical, I actually laughed out loud? Is this the potato pancakes you made me? That was sooooo good!

    Reply

  8. Yum! I’ve definitely never had this before, but my sister’s birthday is on St. Patty’s day. I’ll have to make it for her!

    Reply

  10. I’ve never heard of irish boxty but these sound great!! I’m always looking for new ways to cook using potatoes and this sounds like a fun one my kiddos will love!!

    Reply

  13. I have never heard of Boxty before but it does remind me of the Ukrainian fried potato dish. They have something similar just that the potato is grated and not mashed. Looks delicious!

    Reply

  15. Love potato pancakes! My mom used to make them all the time. Yours look amazing and the flavors sound delicious! I would serve with apple sauce or a big scoop of sour cream. Oh yum!

    Reply

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