Irish Potato Candy
Despite what they’re name suggests, Irish potato candies aren’t made from potatoes at all. They’re actually sweet confections made with cream cheese and coconut, coated in cinnamon to replicate the look of potatoes. They’re easy to make dairy free and a perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Irish potato candies aren’t from Ireland.
Irish potato candies originated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania among Irish immigrants, and they have turned into a St. Patrick’s Day tradition there. Even though I consider myself a true Wisconsin girl, I was my family is actually from in Philadelphia and we’ve been making these candies for as long as I can remember.
The candies are pretty simple to make. You’ll be completely finished in under an hour, which (in my opinion) isn’t too long for such an amazing confection. Just mix up the cream cheese and coconut filling and roll it in some cinnamon. Rolling them into potato shapes is totally optional, but really does add to the cuteness. Serve them in a brown paper bag – a.k.a. a potato sack.
If you need more recipes for your St. Patrick’s Day menu, try my baked corned beef, homemade Irish sausage or Irish beef stew. Don’t forget to make some sauteéd cabbage or Irish champ for your sides.
We also love these not-very-traditional St. Patrick’s Day desserts: Lucky Charms cookies, Guinness cake, pistachio cake.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Cream cheese – Since we are making this recipe dairy free, I used vegan cream cheese. If you are working with dairy, just a regular block of cream cheese works. I don’t recommend the reduced fat. For dairy free, I tested the recipe with both Violife and Wayfare brands.
- Butter – To replace dairy butter, I used 1/2 stick of Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks for this recipe.
- Powdered sugar – You want store bought powdered sugar that has added cornstarch to it.
- Coconut – You will want sweetened, shredded coconut for this recipe. I don’t recommend replacing it with unsweetened as it contributes to the flavor and sweetness of the candy.
- Cinnamon – This is for coating the outside of the candy.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make this Irish potato candy
Make the filling. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla together until fluffy and smooth. Then, slowly add the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time, until it’s fully incorporated. Next, mix in the shredded coconut until it’s evenly distributed.
Shape the candy. Roll the filling into tablespoon-sized balls and dip each of them in a bowl of cinnamon to coat. Transfer them to a wax or parchment-lined baking sheet and pop them in the fridge. Once they’re cooled, you should be able to store them in a container where they’re touching.
Pro tip: I like to roll all of my filling out before starting with the cinnamon to keep the cinnamon off my hands and prevent it from getting into the center of the candies. Once I roll them in the cinnamon, I roll them back and forth in the palms of my hands to make a more oval, potato-like shape.
More St. Patrick’s Day recipes: corned beef and cabbage tacos / Guinness braised beef / vegan Irish soda bread / Irish shepherd’s pie
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter softened*
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened (1/2 package)*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla.
- Slowly add powdered sugar and continue mixing to incorporate – scraping sides when necessary.
- Add coconut and continue to mix until combined.
- Roll mixture into tablespoon-size balls.
- Roll each piece cinnamon to coat.
- Once coated, roll candies into a potato shape – if desired.
- Set on a parchment or foil lined cookie sheet and chill until set.
- Store candies in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Oh my goodness.. These are simply adorable! I can’t believe I’d never seen or heard of them before! They look quite tasty also.. If it has cream cheese in it, it’s guaranteed delicious in my opinion!
Thanks! They’re really regional to the Philly area (at least I think). You totally have to try them. Do you think you could vegan-ize them? That would be really cool.
You definitely could veganize these by using Tofutti non dairy cream cheese and something like earth balance non dairy butter. I make easter eggs similar to this recipe using those ingredients. \
Yes! This post is so old, but I was planning to do that for St. Patrick’s Day this year.
I made these and since it was for saint Patrick’s day bi made a double batch. I have never been so disappointed and heartbroken after making anything in my life. Not sure if the measurements are wrong in this recipe or what but might work as a frosting for a child’s birthday cake but not for anything else. Just eat spoons of powdered sugar, less time consuming for the same eesult
How big are the irish potatoes supposed to be? I am making a batch and need to know how many I need to make.
Ha, I already thought about that! I do think I could, and pretty simply, too, with some Tofutti cream cheese! Yummmm.. I just can’t get over how much they look like little potatoes. I’d love for O to come home while I’m sitting on the couch with a bowl of them.. freak him out!
These look SO good and will be a must try!!! yUM!!!!
I made these last night, and WOW they are so good! I’m from Philadelphia and these are the best Irish potatoes that I have tried. I found that chilling the “filling” between the mixing and rolling steps made things go much smoother lol. thank you so much for the recipe!
Just made these yesterday and they’re delicious! They’re a big hit with my husband, who tends to be a bit picky. I only used two cups of coconut and chilled them before rolling them in cocoa rather than cinnamon. I’d definitely make these again! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I will have to try the cocoa next time! I have heard that mixing the cinnamon and cocoa is good as well. I’m happy to hear that you liked them!
i’m gonna make these for a project in school they look delicious i must try them!! do they need to Be cooked?
No they don’t. Just chill them.
heads up, the link from realsimple.com is broken. this item piqued my interest and i went hunting…. but, you’re not making any cash when it doesn’t work.
Thanks for letting me know! I just checked and it seems that there’s two links on their posting. One goes to my home page and one goes to the recipe page!
I followed the recipe and the filling had no taste no one in the family and friends liked them the only thing they could taste was the cinnamon I ground up the coconut would that change the taste of the candy they were also dry they look just like they should but the taste was not good
thank you
What do you mean you ground up the coconut? If you ground up fresh coconut, that would definitely affect the flavor because the recipe calls for sweetened coconut. If you mean you just ground up your sweetened flaked coconut, I’m not really sure why the flavor didn’t turn out. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy them. 🙁
These were really yummy! I might reduce the amount of powdered sugar next time but the consistency was so yummy. I reduced the coconut a bit & it was perfect for our tastes. Thanks for sharing!
These were fantastic! What fun to make and I can’t wait to give them to co-workers tomorrow. Thanks for this will have to make these a tradition. I did make a change and made my cinnamon coat with brown sugar and white sugar with tons of cinnamon. Next time I’ll use dark brown sugar to get a darker color.
These were delicious and easy to make! People really liked them!
ah, memories of Philadelphia… am making these today!
thank you ♥ for the recipe 🙂
I cut it to 3 cups of powdered sugar and these were still too sweet for my family to enjoy. Cute idea though…
They are definitely a sweet treat, and I’ve made them to be like the ones you can buy around St. Patrick’s Day in Philadelphia. We don’t eat a ton of sugar in our house either so that are a bit much sometimes. Definitely not a everyday indulgence. You may be able to balance the sweetness out with a good pinch of salt, but they might just not be for you either. I’m sorry you didn’t like them!
How big are the irish potatoes supposed to be? I am making a batch and need to know how many I need to make.
They should be about 1 inch.
My Irish Grandmother, from Philly, used to make these and always used about 1/4 cup of cooked potato in them. You would never taste but they are delicious!
Is there a sugar substitute we could make so they would be Keto friendly?
I don’t know anything about sugar substitutes. I’m sorry.