41 Best St. Patrick's Day Food Ideas for 2025

For foodies in the know, mid-March is a great time of year thanks to the plethora of St. Patrick’s Day foods available. With the coming of St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, we all have a once-a-year excuse to sample Irish specialties, drink some Guinness (or order a Shamrock shake if that’s your thing) and see how many different foods we can turn green.

Though it’s sometimes overlooked, falling awkwardly between Valentine’s Day and Easter, St. Patrick’s Day has plenty of top-notch culinary experiences to offer. Read on to find out what St. Patrick’s Day foods — traditional, green, and everything in between — you should think about adding to your table this year. 

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• What Food Is Eaten on St. Patrick's Day?
• The 41 Best St. Paddy's Food Ideas
• Learn To Cook St. Patrick's Day Party Food

What Food Is Eaten on St. Patrick's Day? 

St. Patrick’s Day originated as a Catholic feast day celebrating St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Today, the holiday is one of the most popular in Ireland and is just as widely celebrated in the United States thanks to the long history of Irish immigration to the U.S.

As with most celebrations, food and drink are a major part of St. Patrick’s Day. But what kinds of St. Patrick’s Day foods are most common? The answer to that question varies depending on where you are. In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day has developed a whole food culture of its own, but St. Patrick’s Day food looks a little different back in Ireland. 

Irish families often celebrate with a home-cooked feast consisting of traditional Irish foods like lamb or beef stews, colcannon and soda bread. And you’ll almost never see corned beef and cabbage, a dish invented by Irish immigrants to the United States which is rarely eaten in Ireland.

Yup, you read that right! The prototypical Irish dinner didn’t actually originate in the Emerald Isle. It’s one of the many examples of St. Patrick’s Day foods that were created in the U.S.

Americans associate the holiday most strongly with corned beef and cabbage or green-colored foods, leading to a distinct St. Patrick’s Day food culture. But no matter how much St. Patrick’s Day foods differ, there’s one thing our celebrations stateside have in common with those in Ireland: beer. Granted, the Irish kind won’t be green, but no matter where you are, St. Patrick’s Day means breaking out the Guinness. 

The 41 Best St. Paddy's Food Ideas

1. Corned Beef and Cabbage

Okay, fine. We just went on and on about how this dish is actually American, but with Irish Americans having a unique culture of their own, it makes sense that not every St. Patrick’s Day food will be totally traditional. And it’s so beloved in the States that any list of St. Patrick’s Day foods would feel incomplete without it.

Corned beef and cabbage is a simple dish of sliced, salt-cured beef served with boiled cabbage, ubiquitous at both pubs and St. Patrick’s Day parties. You’re bound to see it this time of year, so instead of getting hung up on its origins, why not sample the dish and see how you like it? 

2. Boiled Cabbage

Cabbage is an Irish staple even if it’s not served with corned beef, so you’re very likely to see a side of cabbage on any table of traditional St. Patrick’s Day foods. Though there are many ways to prepare it, the cabbage is very commonly boiled with butter and black pepper to create a rich and flavorful side dish.

You might not think of cabbage as something you’d want to eat on its own, but you’d be surprised by how appetizing this classic St. Patrick’s Day food can be.

3. Irish Stew

This list won’t be all corned beef and cabbage, don’t you worry: for all you sticklers for tradition, this St. Patrick’s Day food is bonafide Irish. Typical variations on this hugely popular comfort food use lamb or beef with root vegetables in a thick broth.

Regional variations of this St. Patrick’s Day food abound, leaving you free to experiment. If your hometown is having a chilly March this year, you would do well to show up to a gathering with this most comforting of St. Patrick’s Day foods. 

4. Irish Apple Tart 

Apple pie gets all the limelight in the U.S., but on St. Patrick’s Day, try the Irish answer: apple tart. The ingredients for this St. Patrick’s Day food aren’t significantly different than those you’ll find in any apple pie recipe, but most recipes call for a thick, buttery top crust that covers the whole tart rather than the typical crumble or lattice topping on apple pie.

The result looks kind of like a pot pie, but it conceals a tart filling of green (festive!) apples. Who says that apple desserts are only for autumn? An apple tart is one of the fancier St. Patrick’s Day foods you could try, but like all the best ones, it’s still simple and unpretentious.

5. Soda Bread

There are very few Irish foods more ubiquitous than soda bread. It’s a very simple bread with only four major ingredients: flour, baking soda, buttermilk and salt. The baking soda reacts with the acid in buttermilk, causing the bread to rise without yeast.

And this results in a hearty bread that is a staple of Irish cuisine. The finished product is crusty and dense, and its flavor is slightly tangy thanks to the buttermilk. 

It’s the perfect vessel for delicious Irish butter and can also be used to soak up gravy from Irish stew. If you’re looking for an easy and accessible but truly Irish St. Patrick’s Day food to try, look no further than a quick and delicious loaf of soda bread. 

6. Irish Brown Bread 

If the classic soda bread isn’t for you, never fear: there’s another Irish bread out there. Irish brown bread is crumblier and sweeter than soda bread, making it perfect for sandwiching or buttering.

While recipes can vary, common ingredients that give this St. Patrick’s Day food its unique flavor include molasses, dark brown sugar and Guinness. Oats are often added as well, including to the main bread mix and sprinkled over top.

Often made in a rectangular loaf pan, Irish brown bread lends itself better to the role of sandwich bread than soda bread might. So, are you looking for a vessel for all that leftover St. Patrick’s Day party food? Look no further. 

7. Leek and Potato Soup

One of the best things about Irish cuisine is its simplicity: many of the best dishes are made with only a few accessible ingredients. This St. Patrick’s Day food is a perfect example of that — all you need are potatoes, leeks, broth and butter or cream.

The resulting soup is creamy and smooth, with a sharp kick from the leeks that balances out the butter (you can use cream, but Irish butter is best). This St. Patrick’s Day food is warm and filling, and on top of that, leeks are in season come early spring.

8. Dingle Pie

Oftentimes, traditional St. Patrick’s Day foods owe their popularity to being made with ingredients that are in season in mid-March. These herby lamb pies are one such dish; in Ireland, fresh lamb meat is most popular and widely available in springtime.

There are many St. Patrick’s Day foods that incorporate lamb in some way, but these ones — think chicken pot pies, but with lamb — are especially popular. And after the party’s over, a batch of dingle pies makes a great meal prep item for the week ahead, too. 

9. Shamrock Shake

Might as well address the elephant in the room first: there is nothing Irish about this beloved American St. Patrick’s Day food. Like… literally, nothing. But it’s so much fun that it warrants a place on this list anyway.

The original Shamrock Shake was created as a seasonal novelty item at McDonald’s in 1967. Decades later, the mint-flavored green milkshake is one of America’s favorite St. Patrick’s Day foods.

It couldn’t be easier to recreate this St. Patrick’s Day food in your own kitchen: all you need is mint-flavored ice cream, milk and a blender. Top with whipped cream and some St. Patrick’s Day sprinkles for an added treat.

10. Guinness and Irish Cheddar Fondue

This St. Patrick’s Day dish isn’t too traditional, either, but it blends two of the best-known Irish flavors: beer (technically a stout if using Guinness) and cheddar. A beer-and-cheddar fondue dip is rich, creamy and versatile while retaining an unmistakably Irish character, making it an unbeatable St. Patrick’s Day party food.

Serve it with fresh bread or soft pretzels and watch it quickly disappear from your table of St. Patrick’s Day foods. While you’re not likely to find it on any Irish grandma’s table, it recalls two of Ireland’s proudest exports — we think that’s good enough! 

11. Irish Fish Pie

Ireland is surrounded by the ocean, so it seems only natural that seafood would play a part in many traditional St. Patrick’s Day foods. This hearty casserole-like dish is made with cod and scallops, plus a topping of potato pureé. It’s a salute to the sea that hits the spot on a chilly spring night.

This St. Patrick’s Day food is also versatile and easy to tweak. It’s just as delicious with different kinds of seafood if you can’t find cod or scallops or simply prefer different types of seafood. Fish might not be what we tend to associate with St. Patrick’s Day, but why shouldn’t it be? 

12. Ulster Fry 

Whether you’re getting ready for a long day of celebrations or nursing a green beer-induced hangover the morning after, one can’t-miss St. Patrick’s Day food is the Ulster fry, a traditional Irish breakfast.

As its name indicates, Ulster fry is associated most strongly with the part of the island that’s now Northern Ireland, making it a famous Belfast food. 

But the whole of Ireland enjoys a big breakfast, which usually comes with eggs, bacon, sausage and grilled tomatoes. Less common ingredients in the U.S. like black pudding, Irish soda bread and potato bread are often included as well. It isn’t quite a dinner centerpiece, but an Irish breakfast is a St. Patrick’s food worth trying all the same! 

13. Beer-Battered Fish

Popularly associated with England, beer-battered fish is a beloved dish in Ireland, too, where the batter is made with Irish beer for a hint of national pride.

This St. Patrick’s Day food pairs well with beer, naturally, and you should use cod for the most authentic recreation of this St. Patrick’s Day food. Haddock is a good second choice if cod isn’t available. Serve it up with some chunky chips (aka thick-cut or steak fries) and tartar sauce for the ultimate experience. 

14. Parsnip Soup

We all think of potatoes when we think of Ireland, but parsnips are also native to Ireland and they deserve just as much spotlight. This St. Patrick’s Day food utilizes Ireland’s lesser-known tuber along with apples, curry powder and lots of butter to make a truly unique soup, beloved for its smooth texture and slightly spicy kick.

If you’d like to try something new but still pretty accessible this St. Patrick’s Day, the humble parsnip would do nicely. You could even swap potato with parsnip purée when making other St. Patrick’s foods, such as shepherd’s pie, for a unique twist.

15. Irish Salmon

Did you know that Ireland produces some of the world’s best salmon? While it may not be popularly associated with Irish cuisine, salmon has long been a staple food in Ireland.

Share that fun fact with the other guests at the party when you show up with salmon, no matter how you’ve prepared it. Options include serving it smoked on toast, making an easy Instant Pot salmon, incorporating the fish into a seafood chowder or keeping it simple with a salmon with dill sauce dish.

16. Pot Roast

Pot roast is neither a uniquely Irish dish nor specifically a St. Patrick’s Day food, but it’s one of the most popular things to eat on St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland all the same. The meat used varies, but often includes in-season lamb. You could also try an Instant Pot pork roast  — one of the easiest ways to whip up this comforting St. Patrick’s Day food.

Irish pot roast is also sometimes made with beer, which makes for a moist, tender roast. Serve the roast with potatoes and other Irish vegetables, such as cabbage, roasted leeks or parsnips.

No matter what meat and cooking method you go for, you’ll end up with a flavorful roast and plenty of delicious leftovers for the rest of the week. Labor-intensive, perhaps, but always worth it!

17. Guinness Ice Cream

If there’s one thing you’ve learned from this list, it ought to be that you can do pretty much anything with Guinness. Given its popularity, it’s no surprise that so many St. Patrick’s Day foods incorporate it, but this one features its flavor more than most. If you’re up to the adventurous task of making ice cream, consider making this sweet treat that gives a nod to the holiday’s most famous beverage. 

18. Bread and Butter Pudding

There are many ways to make bread pudding into a St. Patrick’s Day food like cooking it with Irish whiskey or dousing the bread in Irish cream liqueur. However, the truly traditional preparation is much simpler, using only raisins, cinnamon and Irish butter.

You could definitely dress this sweet St. Patrick’s Day food up with some Irish booze or even a hot whiskey caramel sauce if you’re feeling ambitious. But simple is best, and if you stick to the traditional recipe, you’ll have a perfectly warm and cozy dessert.

19. Irish Cider

There might be more beverages associated with St. Patrick’s Day than foods, but this is one you might not see as often. While not as well-known as beer, whiskey or Irish cream liqueur, you can’t go wrong with tart Irish cider.

Unlike American cider, which is usually non-alcoholic and brewed with spices like cinnamon, the Irish variant is sparkling and alcoholic (think sparkling apple juice with a grown-up boozy kick). This fresh beverage’s fruity taste is the perfect hint of the coming spring. 

20. Dublin Coddle  

Since March is usually a chilly time of year in Ireland, hearty soups and stews are some of the best and most popular St. Patrick’s Day food ideas. This one, loved nationwide but especially well-known as a classic Dublin food, is made with sausage, potatoes and onion, among other things. 

Dublin coddle is most often made as a way to use up leftovers, but it’s beloved enough to be a purpose-made holiday food in many households. A brothier but no less hearty alternative to Irish stew. 

21. Potato Farl

If you’re looking for an easy-to-cook St. Patrick’s Day food, this is a top pick. There isn’t much to this beloved Irish breakfast classic — you’ll only need potatoes, flour, salt, pepper and butter to make these potato cakes.

While they’re most typically eaten at breakfast, you may find yourself wanting to snack on this St. Paddy’s Day food all day. Include them in an Irish breakfast or make them as a midday snack — who’s watching? 

22. Corned Beef Melts

If you’ve decided to make corned beef and cabbage as the centerpiece of your St. Patrick’s Day dinner, you’ll probably end up with leftovers. Solve that problem the Thanksgiving way by making sandwiches loaded with what you have left! 

Simply grab your corned beef and cabbage leftovers, then butter your bread thoroughly (with Irish butter, of course) and top it all with creamy Irish cheddar. Cook in a pan in the same way you would a grilled cheese or place open sandwiches under the grill until the cheese is melted and golden. 

Though less traditional than some dishes on this list, corned beef melts will give you a new way to enjoy classic St. Patrick’s Day food. 

23. Green Beer

Okay, so maybe this novelty drink is as American as St. Patrick’s Day food and drink gets, but it’s still a fun way to pay tribute to the Emerald Isle. The best part? You don’t even have to buy anything special to make it. 

If you have light-colored beer on your hands, you need only to add a drop or two of green food dye to turn the whole bottle a festive shade of green. If you’re in a city where the holiday is very popular, such as Boston or Chicago, you’ll likely find green beer on tap at many local bars as well. 

24. Crown Roast of Lamb

If you’re looking for St. Patrick’s Day food ideas to impress, a lamb crown roast is an easy pick. Getting a rack of lamb to resemble a crown is no small feat, but if you can manage, you’ll have one of the most showstopping table centerpieces imaginable — and it tastes just as great. 

The secret to the flavor is adding a herby butter rub to the meat before you cook it. If a crown of lamb sounds a little intimidating, try making herb-crusted lamb lollipops instead for a similarly flavorful dish. 

25. Seafood Chowder 

A St. Paddy’s Day comfort food bar none, seafood chowder utilizes the bounty of the Irish coast in a hearty, creamy soup made with sea bass, salmon or haddock. Although you might be used to chowder recipes that use clam, we’re pretty confident you’ll love this version, too. 

26. Bacon and Cabbage

If there were a traditional predecessor of corned beef and cabbage, this would be it. This classic Irish dish is a favorite year-round, so you’re likely to see it served as a St. Patrick’s Day food, and for good reason! 

Frying up cabbage with bacon fat and garlic and mixing in the crispy leftover chunks of bacon raises the humble vegetable to heights that you never dreamed possible. 

27. Bangers and Mash

You might hear the name of this dish and think of an English pub, but don’t get it twisted: few St. Patrick’s Day foods are more beloved in Ireland than roasted pork sausage with creamy mashed potatoes. Top it with homemade gravy for the ultimate comfort food. 

28. Black Pudding

Feeling brave? Then this beloved Irish blood sausage might be the St. Patrick’s Day food for you. Not everyone can stomach the thought of eating something that was made with pig’s blood, but this sausage has fervent fans and a lot of preparation options: boiled, baked, fried, you name it. Fans of the stuff say it’s rich and nutty, with a texture somewhat similar to that of salami.

29. Colcannon

No list of favorite St. Patrick’s Day foods would be complete without colcannon, Ireland’s answer to mashed potatoes. Buttery mashed potatoes are combined with either cabbage or kale and sometimes bacon for what may be the richest mashed potato experience you’ll ever have. It pairs well with many other dishes, too, making it a quintessential St. Patrick’s Day food as well as a much-loved dish year-round. 

30. Sausage, Potato and Cabbage Soup

When winter is overstaying its welcome, this Irish soup is a perfect St. Patrick’s Day food. Its primary ingredients are in the name, and they make for a healthy, filling dinner food idea that’s easy to reheat the next day. 

It’s also a welcome alternative to many of the richer cream-based St. Patrick’s Day foods on this list, which tend to be heavy on butter — while it’s still very filling, it’s more nourishing than rich. Why not make a pot on St. Patrick’s Day to enjoy all week long? 

31. Irish Cheddar Mac and Cheese

Irish cheddar is some of the best in the world, but it doesn’t feature too heavily in traditional St. Patrick’s Day foods. If you’d rather it did, why not combine it with a favorite American comfort food? 

Irish cheddar makes a mean mac and cheese, and whether you make it for party guests or for your own enjoyment, a dish of Irish cheddar mac is an indulgent St. Patrick’s Day treat. Cheddar is one of the best cheeses for grilled cheese as well, so why not also whip up some Irish cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches? 

32. Champ  

You would be forgiven for wondering if this potato dish is the same as colcannon —they do have a lot of ingredients in common — but the key difference is that instead of the relatively flavor-neutral kale or cabbage used in colcannon, champ is made with scallions for a little kick. 

This St. Patrick’s Day food is a little simpler than colcannon, too, with only four main ingredients, but it’s no less rich or indulgent. Still, those scallions make a big difference in flavor, so choose champ over colcannon when you want a sharper flavor to cut the richness of your other dishes. 

33. Shepherd’s Pie

Potatoes feature heavily in Irish cuisine, as in this favorite St. Patrick’s Day food where they are pretty much solely responsible for the dish’s structural integrity. Shepherd’s pie is typically made of minced meat and vegetables topped with a thick layer of mashed potato. 

Shepherd’s pie, as the name indicates, is made of lamb while using beef makes it a near-identical dish called cottage pie. Similarly to a casserole, it’s easy to make for a big group, so why not choose this St. Patrick’s Day food if you’re searching for the perfect potluck ideas. You could also make a vegan shepherd’s pie to ensure all guests can have a taste, no matter their dietary preferences. 

34. Lamb Chops 

As we mentioned earlier, lamb is a popular ingredient in many St. Patrick’s Day foods because it’s widely available in the springtime. Lamb chops are another recipe that makes use of this in-season ingredient. 

You’ll often find this simple but flavorful dish, cooked (in true Irish culinary fashion) with either whiskey or stout at St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. You could also opt to make sous vide lamb chops with fresh rosemary and garlic if you want to scale back on the beer a bit. 

35. Potato Boxty 

Fried potatoes: is there a single situation in which those words don’t make your mouth water? A crispy fried potato is truly one of life’s great joys, and in Ireland, that takes the form of a boxty (fried potato pancake). 

It’s a simple St. Patrick’s Day food consisting of only flour, grated potato and oil, making it easy to prepare. Best of all, it can be eaten at any meal, from breakfast to snack time to dinner. 

36. Buttered Carrots 

Ever thought about cooking carrots in butter? There couldn’t be a simpler way to get your kids to eat their vegetables. Maybe that’s the origin of this St. Patrick’s Day dish or maybe it’s not — whatever the reason somebody came up with the idea to boil carrots in a bath of milk, Irish butter, herbs and garlic, it was pretty genius. You can make this dish with baby carrots or the full-sized kind, and if you’ve had enough of potatoes, it makes a perfect side dish. 

37. Smashed Potato

Mashed potatoes feature prominently on this list of St. Patrick’s Day foods. If you’d rather have your potatoes crispy, try this fun variation. Simply season small potatoes with herbs and garlic, smush ‘em, cover in olive oil and bake. 

The result is crispy, zesty and addictive. While not a traditional Irish snack, smashed potatoes pay homage to the importance of the potato to Irish cooking, which makes them a worthy St. Patrick’s Day food in our book. 

38. Dublin Lawyer 

There are few foods more indulgent than lobster, and this Irish version cooked in whiskey, cream and lemon juice is one of the most drool-worthy preparations anywhere. 

It gets its name from the cost of its ingredients, which it was said only a wealthy lawyer could afford. These days, the name also has a connection to the use of whiskey, which is said to be hugely popular among actual Dublin lawyers! 

As far as lobster dishes go, Dublin Lawyer is creamier than most of the ones you might be used to, and it’s served over rice so that none of the rich whiskey cream sauce goes to waste. Not many people in the U.S. think of lobster as a St. Patrick’s Day food, so be a trendsetter! Anyone who tries it will wonder how they ever ate lobster any other way. 

39. Barmbrack

This sweet Irish yeast bread was originally made for Halloween, but nowadays it’s a year-round special occasion food — and often a St. Patrick’s Day food, too. Barmbrack is usually made with dried fruits, and traditionally, the baker would hide small objects inside the dough — whoever found them was considered to be lucky. 

You might forego the tradition of hiding trinkets in your loaf, but barmbrack is a sweeter and slightly more flavorful answer to soda bread you might try this St. Patrick’s Day. 

40. Irish Whiskey Cake  

You’ve probably heard of rum cake and maybe even Champagne cake, but those better-known booze cakes had better move aside on March 17th to give this St. Patrick’s Day food its due. 

Irish whiskey cake has a moist, dense crumb and a sharp whiskey flavor, and whether you make this sweet St. Patrick’s Day food in a bundt pan or stack it for an impressive layer cake, it’s sure to be a hit. After all, making whiskey is just as proud an Irish tradition as brewing beer — why not celebrate that in your dessert course? 

41. Irish Coffee 

While technically another drink rather than a St. Patrick’s Day food, Irish coffee is a favorite when you need to warm up — and though it comes from Ireland, it’s a fairly modern addition to the St. Patrick’s Day menu. 

This hot drink consists of hot coffee, whiskey, sugar and cream, and it was invented in 1943 by the chef at an airport restaurant when passengers were stranded due to bad weather and needed to warm up. 

Since then, it’s become a beloved beverage worldwide, and if you’re looking for a warmer alternative to a cold beer this St. Patrick’s Day, it might be just the thing. Prefer iced coffee drinks? No problem! You can enjoy the flavors of a classic Irish coffee with a decadent Irish cream cold brew. 

Learn To Cook St. Patrick's Day Party Food 

If you’ve never made Irish food before, cooking these St. Patrick’s Day foods might seem like an intimidating prospect. If you’d like to sample some of these dishes but don’t know where to start, why not let an expert guide you? 

Whether you find cooking classes near you or opt for online cooking classes in your own kitchen, taking a cooking class means you won’t have to figure out how to corn that side of beef alone.

From time-tested traditional dishes to green everything, indulging in St. Patrick’s Day food is one of the best ways to explore and celebrate Irish (and Irish-American) culture.

And though it’s an unsung holiday in some parts of the U.S., why not do as the Irish do and invite your loved ones for a celebratory meal? After all, St. Patrick’s Day foods were meant to bring people together. 

For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.