St Patrick’s Day has a reputation as a roaring celebratory holiday – thousands of pints of stout will be poured and street parties will buzz all over the world. If you’re raising a toast to the patron saint of Ireland, do so with our favourite Irish-inspired celebratory recipes.
Find more inspiration in our St Patrick’s Day menu and St Patrick’s Day recipe collection.
What is St Patrick’s Day
St Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Northern Ireland and Ireland which celebrates Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. The holiday, sometimes known as the Feast of Saint Patrick, also celebrates Irish heritage and culture in general.
When is St Patrick’s Day?
St Patrick’s Day takes place annually on March 17, which in 2026 is a Tuesday.
How is St Patrick’s Day celebrated
- Street parties and parades – Countries around the world celebrate St Patrick’s Day by throwing parades full of Irish dancing, music and food. Dublin’s five-day festival culminates with a large parade on March 17.
- Dancing – Dancing is a key feature of St Patrick’s Day celebrations, more precisely the lively and folky Irish jig.
- Food and drink – Eating and drinking is an integral part of festivities, with those celebrating enjoying traditional Irish dishes such as colcannon and Irish soda bread.
- Wearing green – Those celebrating St Patrick’s Day often wear green as a sign of luck, as well as a nod to Irish heritage and culture.
What drinks to serve for St Patrick’s Day
Stout
Three million pints of Guinness are brewed at the company’s Dublin base every day, in order to satisfy an annual global thirst for 1.8 billion glasses. Beyond large-scale producers such as Guinness and Murphy’s, smaller craft breweries are currently experimenting with traditional stout recipes. Old methods using milk, oatmeal or coffee are being adapted for contemporary palates, with demand also rising for stronger imperial stout.
What to pair with stout
Whichever version you plump for, try matching stout with food – we recommend it with shellfish, game or chocolate. You could also try cooking with stout. These black velvet baby cakes even mimic the aesthetic beauty of a glass of the black stuff.
Stout also works perfectly in marinades, batter and soup. If you prefer an elegant flute to a tankard, combine stout with champagne to create a black velvet cocktail. We also have five quick and easy Guinness cocktails that can be mixed up in minutes.
Whiskey
Not to be confused with Scotch or bourbon, Irish whiskey (don’t forget to add the ‘e’) can be more accessible in flavour than its peatier relatives on the other side of the Irish Sea. There are only a handful of distilleries operating in Ireland, but their spirits are widely available – popular brands include Bushmills and Jameson, and the Irish craft whiskey scene is thriving.
Irish whiskey is the star of this brown derby cocktail, blended with pink grapefruit and honey – a refreshing tipple to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Fans of an old fashioned will like this revised recipe, which uses elderflower cordial in place of the usual orange. Or, for a non-alcoholic option, try our non-alcoholic Irish cream liqueur, boasting all the indulgence of the classic, minus the booze.
If you’re looking for the perfect bottle to help you celebrate St Patrick’s Day, check out our tried-and-tested review of the best whiskies from Ireland and beyond. Whiskey can be served at room temperature, with ice or in cocktails. We also like to cook with it – try adding a dash to creamy desserts or in a sticky glaze for meat.
Irish coffee
Celebrations would not be complete without a glass of classic Irish coffee at the end. Made with Irish whiskey, cream and coffee, this warming brew is great served after a St Patrick’s Day dinner party for a decadent ending. For more of a kick, make a round of coffee-flavoured shots using Irish cream and coffee liqueur to create cocktails that look just like mini pints of Guinness.
Top 10 recipes for St Patrick’s Day
Irish stew
The basic components of an Irish stew are a lamb or mutton base with carrots, onion and potatoes. Irish chef Richard Corrigan’s version is big on flavour, with a homemade lamb stock adding a delicious depth, while Barney Desmazery’s take on the one-pot classic offers a way to stretch the budget without compromising on taste.
Mussels steamed with cider and bacon
Ireland’s many miles of coastline guarantees a decent seafood haul. Native oysters, Dublin Bay prawns and Atlantic salmon are just some of the top catches you can expect to see glistening in the windows of Irish fishmongers. Perhaps most famed are the “cockles and mussels” from the Molly Malone shanty. Pay homage to these black-shelled beauties by steaming them with leeks, thyme and bacon as a St Patrick’s Day starter.
Soda bread
Soda bread, in its various forms, can be found alongside loaves of sliced white on supermarket shelves across Ireland. At its most rustic it comes as a craggy cob, its rocky surface and rough texture a result of the bicarbonate of soda added to the dough in place of yeast.
Our soda bread recipe adds buttermilk and oats to the mix, and we also created a sweet soda bread with mixed spice and dried fruits. Common in Ireland but rare elsewhere are soda farls, where the dough is flattened into a circle and divided into four triangular ‘farl’ segments. Soda farls have a smooth surface and texture not dissimilar to English muffins.
Salmon & potato cakes
Falling somewhere between spongy bread and potato patties, these Irish ‘cakes’ have a pancake-like quality. They’re also a great way of using up mashed potatoes. Similar to Scottish tattie scones, the cakes are fried in a dry pan until golden. Top them with cheese, bacon and tomatoes for a take on the traditional fry-up, or serve with Irish smoked salmon and soft cheese for a starter or brunch.
Irish cider
It’s worth seeking out smaller cider producers, some of whom have been in operation for more than 100 years. This coddled pork dish is ideal for showcasing Irish cider of any kind – it’s best served with a generous portion of colcannon or champ. Discover more ways to cook with cider.
Irish cheese
Acres of rural land make for some excellent farmhouse cheeses. Some of the more widely available varieties include strong Cashel blue and hard, cheddar-like Dubliner. We like St Gall, similar to mountain cheeses like Swiss gruyère; it’s nutty, velvety and great to cook with. Try it in a dauphinoise-style potato bake with parsnips, onions and rich double cream (pictured above).
Champ, or colcannon
The Irish excel in the field of mashed potato, and there are two well-known versions ideal for serving as a side dish. Champ is made from spring onions and butter, while colcannon has cabbage and bacon folded into the fluffy pillow of potatoes. Try our deluxe ham hock colcannon, topped with a brunch-friendly fried egg.
Chocolate Guinness cake
Round off your St Patrick’s Day menu with this Guinness-infused chocolate sponge cake, made with sour cream and finished with a tangy cream cheese frosting. Or consider using ingredients like beetroot to take your stout bakes to the next level. Alternatively, bring these easily shareable (and bright green) rainbow cupcakes to your St Patrick’s Day party.
Coffee & Irish cream semifreddo wreath
Complete your St Patrick’s Day celebrations with this elegant semifreddo wreath. This Irish cream-flavoured frozen pud can be made up to two days ahead, leaving you with more time to celebrate with your guests.
For the morning after: boxty brunch
Continue the party with a hangover-busting breakfast of Irish boxty. These potato pancakes are a little like hash browns, making them ideal morning-after fodder. Serve with grilled vine tomatoes, protein-packed eggs and bacon. Discover more boxty-inspired dishes including these potato & spring onion breakfast pancakes and brown butter blinis.
Discover more Irish recipes in our St Patrick’s Day collection. We’d love to hear how you celebrate Ireland on 17 March – share your recipe ideas and party tips in the comments below.
