St. Patrick's Day Menu with Recipes: The Plant-Based Roots of Irish Cuisine

From Stews and Soda Bread to Potatoes and Whiskey Crumble: Traditional Irish Dishes without Animal Products

🇮🇪 Irish cuisine is hearty and comforting — thick soups, chunky stews, creamy sides, and warming drinks. And that’s what we’re featuring today—menu ideas, food history, and recipes for Traditional Irish Stew, Colcannon (Mashed Potatoes with Greens), Boxty (Potato Pancakes), Whiskey Apple Crumble, and more. Today, we’re diving into the rich culinary heritage of the country of my ancestors, celebrating the delicious traditional foods passed down for generations—but without the animal products.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY HISTORY

The history of St. Patrick’s Day dates back to the 17th century, when it was first observed as a religious feast day by the Catholic Church in Ireland. St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was a fifth-century Christian missionary who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.

He is also known for using the shamrock, a three-leafed plant, to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity to the Irish people.

Over time, St. Patrick’s Day became a public holiday in Ireland, and it was celebrated with religious ceremonies and feasts. It was also a day when people would wear green, which is now a symbol of Ireland and a nod to the country’s lush green landscape.

In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day became popular among Irish immigrants in the late 19th century. These immigrants organized parades and other celebrations to celebrate their heritage and culture. Today, St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland and is celebrated around the world.

However, it must be said that today, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations differ between Ireland and the U.S. In Ireland, the holiday remains more rooted in cultural and religious traditions, with parades, festivals, and gatherings focused on national pride. In contrast, the U.S. has embraced a larger, more commercialized version of the holiday, often emphasizing green-themed festivities, pub culture, and Americanized interpretations of Irish food.

This difference extends to the dishes themselves—while hearty stews, soda bread, and potatoes are staples in both countries, corned beef and cabbage, widely associated with St. Patrick’s Day in the U.S., is actually an Irish-American adaptation rather than a traditional dish from Ireland. Many of these changes reflect the experiences of Irish immigrants who adapted their cuisine based on available ingredients in their new home.

Main Dishes and Sides

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE (AMERICAN): One of the most popular St. Patrick’s Day food traditions is corned beef and cabbage, and I have memories of my mother cooking this in the slow cooker every March. However, this dish is not actually a traditional Irish meal. It is believed to have originated in the United States in the mid-19th century, when Irish immigrants substituted corned beef for bacon, which was more expensive in America. You can convert any recipe to a plant-based version by finding a suitable plant-based meat to replace the animal meat.

TRADITIONAL STEW (IRISH): In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is more commonly celebrated with a traditional Irish meal of a thick, hearty stew with potatoes, carrots, and onions. For my version, I use plant-based meat, though you can just leave that out and just feature seasonal root vegetables. You can use store-bought seitan, sausage, or any favorite vegan meat. To avoid extra packaging and cost, I make my own seitan, which is much more economical and ecological. RECIPE FOR TRADITIONAL IRISH STEW BELOW.

COLCANNON (IRISH): Another traditional Irish dish is colcannon, a delicious and creamy mixture of mashed potatoes and kale or cabbage. This simple yet satisfying dish would be served with a dollop of (nondairy) butter, and it’s a great accompaniment to any main dish.

GREEN: Colcannon is a perfect way to get some St. Patrick’s Day green in your menu, and of course you can take that further by making a side of:

• kale chips

• sauteed collard greens

• pea soup

• spinach or arugula salad

Kale Chips with Maldon Salt Flakes

BOXTY (IRISH): An alternative to colcannon is boxty, a traditional Irish potato pancake. There are different regional variations of boxty throughout Ireland, with some recipes including other ingredients like onions, garlic, or herbs. Boxty has been a staple of Irish cuisine for centuries and is still popular today, particularly in rural areas of the country. RECIPE FOR BOXTY BELOW!

SODA BREAD (IRISH): Another traditional item for this holiday is soda bread, which has been a staple in Irish cuisine for many years, and it’s still enjoyed today for a few reasons. One of the main reasons is that it’s a simple bread to make using basic ingredients that were readily available to the Irish people throughout history, including flour, salt, baking soda, and soured milk (or buttermilk).

Using plant-based milk instead of animal milk is an easy vegan switcheroo for a bread that is otherwise plant-based. Enjoy my recipe for FIND MY IRISH SODA BREAD RECIPE BELOW!

Desserts and Drinks

For dessert, the Irish often enjoy traditional dishes like apple cake, bread pudding, or trifle. They may also indulge in Guinness beer (now vegan!), Bailey’s Irish Cream (a vegan version now available!), or Irish whiskey (always been vegan, thank goodness!). 😇 These iconic Irish beverages have been enjoyed for centuries, and their rich flavors are the perfect complement to any traditional Irish meal. SEE MY WHISKEY APPLE CAKE RECIPE BELOW!

ST. PATRICK’S DAY MENU

So let’s celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in true Irish style with delicious, nutritious, compassionate plant-based recipes!

• Traditional Irish Stew

• Boxty (Potato Pancakes)

• Irish Soda Bread

• Whiskey Apple Cake

For the full menu, shopping list, and step-by-step recipes, join our community of paid subscribers and enjoy delicious, exclusive access!