Vegan Colcannon Cakes (or colcannon patties) are the perfect snack for St. Patrick’s Day parties. They make a great appetizer or side dish for dinner, too. To create this dish, I’ve taken my favorite colcannon recipe shaped it into bite-sized patties! It’s a fun twist on traditional Irish fare.
St. Patrick’s Day
A few weeks ago, I sat staring at my calendar, brainstorming recipes to share here on the blog for St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve already shared some of my favorites – Soda Bread, Shepherd’s Pie, Stout, Seitan, and Cabbage Casserole, and Irish Stew – so I needed to think of something new. I have a recipe for black bean fritters that I created a few years ago for the Rouxbe Plant-Based Pro course, and it hasn’t been shared here yet. Could I somehow adapt it for St. Paddy’s? What if I use potatoes instead of beans? Sure, it would be a totally different recipe, but it would still be pretty tasty. Then it hit me – what if I combine my Colcannon and Potato Nugget recipes?
Thinking I was being totally originally, I headed over to Google to see if colcannon patties are already a thing. And, sure enough, they are. They’re commonly referred to as colcannon cakes, and they’re usually made with leftover colcannon.
Colcannon
Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes mixed with kale or cabbage. It’s commonly made with milk and butter, but of course, that’s easy to veganize. Onions, leeks, scallions, chives, and sometimes bacon are added. It’s usually served in autumn and winter, as it’s a warming and comforting dish.
Here in the U.S. as we tend to eat it to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, although there’s really no reason why we can’t eat it year-round. A few years ago, I had a green-themed St. Paddy’s potluck, and I veganized a colcannon recipe I found online, adding my own spin on things as I went. I didn’t write down what I did, so when a few guests asked me for the recipe, I had nothing to give. They eyed me suspiciously, as if I didn’t want to give up a well-guarded family secret. I eventually did write it down, sharing it here on my blog.
Vegan Colcannon Cakes
If you have leftover colcannon, mix in a little garlic powder, onion powder, potato or corn starch, and form it into patties. If not, it’s pretty easy to make from scratch.
This is a scaled down version of my vegan colcannon recipe. I’ve omitted a few ingredients to make it easier to put together, and I’ve added potato starch to help hold the patties together.
Unlike other recipes I’ve seen, these vegan colcannon cakes are baked rather than fried. They can be cooked in an air fryer, if you have one. Be careful not to overcrowd your patties in the air fryer basket, though. If you’re air fryer is on the smaller side, you might need to cook them in batches.
Making Vegan Colcannon Cakes
- First, you boil the potatoes.
- While the potatoes are boiling, you cook the scallions, cabbage, and parsley,
- Once the potatoes are done, you mash them up with non-dairy milk and a few spices.
- Then, you mix everything together and form patties with the mixture.
- Finally, you bake the patties.
- In about half an hour, your colcannon cakes will be ready to eat!
Vegan Colcannon Cakes are a great snack for St. Patrick’s Day parties. You don’t need to wait until then to serve them though, as they’re also a terrific appetizer for dinner. They can also be served with sandwiches and veggie burgers as a fun twist on fries. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce for a light meal. I love them with my Maple Mustard Dressing. I also love to serve them alongside tofu scramble in the place of hash browns.
Vegan Colcannon Cakes
Makes approximately 18 patties.
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium-sized potatoes (about 3 heaping cups), any kind,
- 1 teaspoon neutral-flavored oil
- 2 scallions chopped
- 1½ cup finely chopped green cabbage
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon potato starch or corn starch
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
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If you’re using your oven, preheat it to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover them plus an inch. Add a pinch of salt to the water. Bring to a rolling boil and cook the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes.
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While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat. Add the scallions, cabbage, and parsley, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the cabbage softens.
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Drain the potatoes and place them in a large bowl with the non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, potato starch or corn starch, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Mash everything together with a potato masher or large fork until it’s the consistency of mashed potatoes.
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Fold the cabbage mixture into the potatoes. Make sure it’s incorporated well.
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Use a small scoop or spoon to form balls with the mixture that are approximately 1” in diameter. Flatten each to form a small patty, about ½” thick.
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If you’re using your oven, place the patties on the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the nuggets are golden brown. If you’re using your air fryer, cook them for about 15 minutes on 400°. You may need to spray the basket with a little oil to prevent sticking. Whichever cooking method you use, be sure to flip the patties at the halfway point.
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Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.
If you liked these vegan colcannon cakes, other recipes you might enjoy include:
- Buffalo Potato Nuggets
- Shepherd’s Pie Baked Potatoes
- Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Cream
- Spinach Dip Potato Skins
Can these be made the night before and then be reheated before serving? Thx!
(also, I was thinking of adding a little bit of natural green food coloring (which is spirulina) to make them more green… any experience with something like that?)
Hi, Cathy! They can be made ahead of time. They might shrink a little when reheated (I’m not sure why that happens), but they’ll still be tasty. I haven’t tried using spirulina as food coloring. If you do, let me know how it goes.