Irish Potato Candy Recipe fans love how fun this sweet treat is to roll and coat before it ever hits the table. This old-fashioned favorite is an Irish Potato Candy Recipe without potato, made with easy, simple ingredients like cream cheese and coconut that come together fast. It's a great choice when you need easy St. Patrick's Day food that works as St. Patrick's Day treats, snacks, and desserts, without extra stress. Pin this now so you can pull it out whenever a festive craving hits.
Why this is the best Irish potato candy recipe
This easy Irish potato candy recipe is absolutely delicious! Sweet vanilla-flavored cream cheese is mixed with sweetened coconut flakes and rolled in brown sugar and spiced cinnamon. It's a delicious, nostalgic dessert!
This recipe makes the best Irish candy anytime! It's super easy to make and quick enough for last-minute holiday plans. It's an old-fashioned, delicious treat that everyone will love!
This is an easy recipe for Irish potato candy. Cream butter and cream cheese together using a mixer, add vanilla and powdered sugar, mix in the shredded coconut. Roll the "potatoes" in a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon. That's it!
The ingredients for the dish are common and easy to find. You likely already have most of the simple ingredients for this easy Irish candy recipe in your pantry. If you need an ingredient or two, you can easily find them in most local grocery stores or on Amazon!
This Irish potato candy recipe tastes amazing! These bite-sized Irish candies are delicious on their own and divine when you add them to a traditional Irish corned beef and cabbage meal!
What you'll need to make Irish candy
Equipment
- Electric mixer - You can use a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer, but you really need one or the other to mix the cream cheese and butter evenly and create a smooth texture.
- Baking sheet to place the candies on in the fridge.
- Parchment paper makes for easy cleanup
Ingredients
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.
- Softened butter - This cannot be not melted. It doesn't matter whether you use salted or unsalted butter.
- Softened cream cheese - This needs to be really soft with no hard spots. The best way to achieve that is to leave the cream cheese and butter on the counter for a few hours before making the candy.
- vanilla bean paste - I prefer vanilla bean paste to vanilla extract because the paste has a much stronger and richer vanilla flavor. Vanilla extract is made by soaking vanilla beans in alcohol and then removing the beans. Vanilla bean paste is made by mixing crushed vanilla beans into concentrated vanilla extract. You can use them interchangeably in equal amounts.
- powdered sugar - You must have the smooth consistency of confectioners sugar for this recipe. If you try to make it with granulated sugar, your potato candy will be grainy and gritty and unpleasant.
- flaked coconut - I recently had the opportunity to taste a dried coconut at a fruit farm in St. Lucia, and it had a completely different flavor than what you buy in the store. (No surprise, I suppose, since anything fresh tastes different than store-bought foods.) Anyway, you can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut. Experiment to see which you like better. I use sweetened.
- ground cinnamon - You'll use cinnamon and brown sugar to make the white candies look like potatoes. This step is necessary because the "potatoes" are sticky on the outside if you don't coat them in something.
- brown sugar - You can use white sugar if you need to, but then your "potatoes" will be white and won't look much like actual potatoes.
How to make old-fashioned Irish potato candy
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla and sugar; beat until smooth.
- Add in the coconut, using your hands to mix thoroughly.
- Cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easier clean-up.
- Scoop out spoonfuls of the candy and roll them into slightly lumpy balls or potato shapes about 1-1½ inches long. Place candies on the baking sheet.
- Whisk together cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll the candy in the cinnamon mixture.
- Serve chilled and store in the refrigerator.
Substitutions & variations
The traditional flavor is cinnamon sugar, but if you want to try something different, you can swap the cinnamon with cocoa powder, crushed graham crackers, or instant espresso. As mentioned above, you have to coat the candies in something or they will be very sticky.
Adding a few tablespoons of peanut butter, orange zest, a pinch of ground cloves or ground nutmeg, would change the flavor and make these a whole new creation.
Toasting your coconut flakes will give the candies a deeper flavor and a darker brown appearance.
Storing leftovers
Place candies in a single layer in an airtight container. Separate layers with parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking. Candies will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks. Let them sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Freeze in a single layer first, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag. Store up to 2 months. Thaw in fridge or at room temperature.
Check out more delicious candy recipes
- Dark Chocolate Cherry Fudge
- Maple Syrup Snow Candy
- Easter Egg Cake Pops
- Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
- Pretzel Toffee Bark
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fudge
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
- Homemade Cracker Jacks
- Candy-Filled Chocolate Donuts
Recipe
Irish Potato Candy
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter softened but not melted
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2½ cups flaked coconut
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla and sugar; beat until smooth.
- Add in the coconut, using your hands to mix thoroughly.
- Cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easier clean-up.
- Scoop out spoonfuls of the candy and roll them into slightly lumpy balls or potato shapes about 1-1½ inches long. Place candies on the baking sheet.
- Whisk together cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll the candy in the cinnamon mixture.
- Serve chilled and store in the refrigerator.
thegrasshoppa says
Adorable! And yummy looking. I have never actually tried corned beef...I am a little scared. What a trooper you are 🙂
Roni says
I LOVE the green milk idea! Too cute! Grace is so precious!
Michele says
These are so cute (both the candy and the girl, lol!). I'll have to put it into my holiday folder for next year.
Olivia says
Sounds pretty yummy! It sounds like you guys celebrated in high style!
Alison says
I'm Irish and St. Patrick's Day never really was a big deal for me either. Other than wearing a green shirt, I never really celebrated. I also HATE corned beef and cabbage!
I've been trying to get into the habit of doing something special for the holidays now that we have a daughter. Her name is also Grace. She's only 10 months old and doesn't "get" the holidays yet, but this year is practice for me!
Yesterday, we were out shopping at dinner time, so we had our St. Patty's Day dinner tonight instead of last night. I just did some diced ham steak with potatoes, carrots and cabbage in a skillet. It was a good compromise since I'm not into the normal boiled ham and cabbage dinner.
I love that you shared your recipe for Irish Potatoes! I love them but have never made them! Turns out I have all the ingredients in the house too! Uh oh! There goes the diet!
I love the green milk and green bath ideas too! I'll have to remember them for next year!!!
Melissa Smallwood says
That looks good and I something my kids would enjoy making. Thanks for the recipe!
Mrs. Jen B says
First, what a totally cool idea about the green food coloring! I will have to remember that one for the day I can do that for my own kids!
Second...oh my gosh, someone brought this candy in to work the other day and I was dying to know how they made it - this is it for sure! THANK YOU!
SnoWhite says
that's a fun idea! thanks for sharing.
Cecily R says
A green bath? You are SO rockin that holiday!!! My kids got nothing like that!
I've never heard of potato candy, but I do love taters...I must try this one!
Run DMT says
How fun! My girls ate Lucky Charms for breakfast on St. Patty's Day, one of the treats left by the leprechaun. I never even thought of adding green food coloring! What a great idea!
I'm a lot like you. Every holiday is a special day around here. We celebrate them all, big or small.
Did you see my girl's leprechaun traps?
http://deniseisrundmt.com/2010/03/18/still-no-luck-with-leprechauns/
.-= Run DMT´s last blog ..Simone and Matt's Wedding =-.
lizhoosierhomemade says
Those look really good! And your little one looks like she had a blast! What fun!
We would love for you to join in the Spring Blog Hop!
http://hoosierhomemade.com/spring-blog-hop-marc...
~Liz
FeelsLikeHomeBlog says
Thanks for stopping by! I think all of the holidays have become more important to me now. Somewhere between 18 months and 2 years, Grace really started "getting" things. We talk about the holiday - Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Christmas, Epiphany, St. Patrick's Day, Easter - you name it. It's wonderful to have family traditions. 🙂
Write them down! A blog is a great place to do it, but you won't want to forget anything for next year. 🙂
FeelsLikeHomeBlog says
Totally. The messy hands would be a big draw, I bet.
FeelsLikeHomeBlog says
It's my pleasure to share the calories around the blogosphere. 🙂
It takes A LOT of food coloring to make the bath that green, just so you know. It's totally worth it, but it took most of a squeezy bottle of color.
FeelsLikeHomeBlog says
The candy is nothing at all like potatoes - it just looks like potatoes. Cream cheese, sugar, and coconut. You can't go wrong.
I was worried that the green bath would dye her, but it didn't. I even used the bath water to wash and rinse her hair. No ill effects at all.
Nancy says
When I saw your link on The Finer Things in Life I had to check it out to see just what Irish Potato candy was...it sounds delicious and very belly ache worthy! They're cute little spuds! I'll try them for sure!
Sherry says
That is really cute. They do look like potatoes and you had me at cream cheese!
Amy @ Finer Things says
What fun traditions! We skipped St. Patrick's Day this year. Not a mention of it!
carriekeiser says
Way to be a good example and enjoy St Patty's Day for her sake! I happen to really like St Patty's day, but it could be that I'm Irish! (nope don't drink, so no green beer here) I love the green milk idea and the green under the cereal, how fun! I've got one that wouldn't touch it though just cause it would be the wrong color! He wouldn't eat cookies we dyed green!
Designs by Gollum says
Love the memories you are making! I lost my recipe for Irish potato candy--a million thanks for joining us at FoodieFriday.
carriekeiser says
Way to be a good example and enjoy St Patty's Day for her sake! I happen to really like St Patty's day, but it could be that I'm Irish! (nope don't drink, so no green beer here) I love the green milk idea and the green under the cereal, how fun! I've got one that wouldn't touch it though just cause it would be the wrong color! He wouldn't eat cookies we dyed green!
Designs by Gollum says
Love the memories you are making! I lost my recipe for Irish potato candy--a million thanks for joining us at FoodieFriday.