Boxty: the Best Ever Irish Potato Pancakes Recipe
Boxty are the holy grail of pancakes for potato lovers and they’re so easy to make with this boxty recipe! Combining mashed and raw potato with buttermilk makes a dreamy, yet simple meal. Also called Irish potato cakes, they are often made for St. Patrick’s Day here in the US.
If you’ve never tasted an Irish boxty, you are in for a treat.
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This Irish pancake recipe is simple and truly delicious.
When I visited Dublin a few years ago, I saw these on pub and restaurant menus, and couldn’t believe how expensive they were.
Updated 2023: I was in Dublin in October and took a photo of the famous Gallagher’s Boxty House restaurant.
Especially given the fact that this is one of the least expensive (but tastiest) meals you can make at home. I bet there will be no complaints from anyone, even the pickiest of your family members!
What are Irish Boxty?
Boxty is a potato pancake made from mashed potatoes and grated raw potato. It’s like Irish potato bread and a hash brown/latke type pancake got together and had a baby–what’s not to love?
Serve these Irish potato pancakes in the morning with eggs and bacon for a lovely breakfast or brunch, or add a salad for lunch. The contemporary way of serving them includes using them as one would a tortilla or flatbread. Just fill the Irish boxty and serve them like a “wrap” type entree.
My favorite way to eat them is as part of a British breakfast. However, I’ve also made miniature Irish boxty and served them as a luxurious appetizer! They’re so versatile.
Furthermore, you can add this Irish boxty recipe to your list of Irish foods to make when St. Patrick’s day arrives!
How to Make Boxty
A combination of raw and cooked potato is what sets boxty apart from other types of potato pancakes or scones. Once the batter is mixed, they are cooked on a pan or griddle” like normal pancakes. Just follow the step-by-step directions below for perfect results.
Need a St. Patrick’s Day dessert idea? Try this Irish” Whiskey Cake!
How to Serve These Irish Potato Pancakes
Boxty are very versatile and can be served in many savory ways. In the US, think of how biscuits and rolls accompany meals. Here is the boxty menu from the Boxty House restaurant in Dublin.
Want a foolproof soft-boiled egg recipe? Perfect” Soft Boiled Eggs with Soldiers!
My favorite way to serve Irish boxty is with a traditional Irish breakfast: eggs, bacon, and if available, black and white pudding. Don’t forget a piping hot cup of tea!
“Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan, if you can’t make boxty, you’ll never get your man!”
Try” Irish Bangers and Mash for another great Irish meal.
Boxty Recipe
Recipe adapted from Faith Magazine – makes about 12
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
- mashed potatoes
- potato (raw)
- buttermilk
- butter
Directions
NOTE: for the best boxty, squeeze the grated raw potato in a clean tea towel until all the water runs out; discard the water.
In a small bowl, place the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
Using a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with the grated raw potato, then add the flour and mix well.
Next, slowly add the buttermilk and stir gently with a wooden spoon (do not over mix).
The mixture should turn into a batter, so add more buttermilk if needed. You can make them as thick or runny as you prefer.
Heat a nonstick frying pan or cast iron pan over medium-high heat, and add a pat of butter, just before scooping out some of the boxy batter onto the pan. You are now cooking Irish potato cakes!
Flatten and shape into a nice, round pancake shape and fry until golden brown on the bottom.
Turn the potato pancakes and continue to cook until golden brown on top, too. Turn the heat down if they are browning too quickly (remember there are raw potatoes which need to cook).
Continue to add a little butter and fry the boxty until all the batter is finished.
Serve the pancakes hot, as desired, with or without toppings. I love them with HP Sauce!
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Boxty: the Best Ever Potato Pancakes
Special Equipment
- 1 griddle
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp Kosher or sea salt
- 1 cup mashed potatoes Russets boiled in salted water
- 1 ½ cups potato raw Russets, grated,
- 1 cup buttermilk (or more if needed)
- 2 Tbsp butter more or less as needed, for the griddle
Instructions
- NOTE: for the best boxty, squeeze the grated raw potato in a clean tea towel until all the water runs out; discard the water.
- In a small bowl, place the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with the grated raw potato, then add the flour and mix well.
- Slowly add the buttermilk and stir gently (do not over mix).
- The mixture should be a batter; so add more buttermilk if needed. Make as thick or as runny as desired.
- Heat a griddle or nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, and add a pat of butter, just before scooping out some of the boxty batter onto the pan.
- Flatten and shape into a nice, round pancake shape and fry until golden brown on the bottom.
- Turn and continue to cook until golden brown on top too, turning the heat down if they are browning too quickly (remember there are raw potatoes which need to cook).
- Continue to add a little butter and fry the boxty until all the batter is finished. Serve hot.
Notes
- It’s important not to over mix the batter for best results.
- NOTE: for the best boxty, squeeze the grated raw potato in a clean tea towel until all the water runs out; discard the water.
Nutrition
I’ve been dying to try these pudding cakes from Cynthia at What a Girl Eats Guinness stout dark chocolate pudding cakes with salted caramel sauce.
Here’s my Guinness Chocolate cake, too!
And this old Irish rarebit recipe which is another perfect menu idea for St Patrick’s Day!
If you enjoyed this boxty recipe, you may like these potato goat cheese cakes with European salad and balsamic vinaigrette.
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I’ll be honest I didn’t read all the comments, so apologies if you’ve covered this. . . When you say 1 cup mashed potatoes, boiled in salt water is that just boiled potatoes that are mashed, or I cup of “leftover” mashed potatoes with everything that might be added to them?
Hi Lara, no worries (there are too many comments to read all of them)! The former is the correct method to make the boxty (just boiled, mashed potatoes), but to be honest, as long as your leftover mashed potatoes aren’t too soft, you could use those too. I bet boxty were invented to use up leftovers! Enjoy. :)
Thanks, this is going to be part of Sunday dinner with a roast chicken. My best friend said, do something interesting/different with potatoes & this looks like a winner.
Wonderful! Let me know what you think!
On a visit to Ireland, I was taken to Gallagher‘s Boxty House in Dublin for a delightful meal! I’m so happy to have found this recipe. Thanks!
That’s lovely, Laura! I do love to taste the local fare wherever I travel. Enjoy the boxty, and let me know how they stack up against the authentic version!
Yes Gallaghers we went there in 05 and fell in love the boxtys
Lovely, Thomas!
Use less flour & pour larger thinner pans; about 12” diameter & 1/4” thick. I come from the county where boxtie originated & as kids we’d sneak downstairs in the middle of the night to make pans of boxtie :)
That’s so cool that you did that, Chris! You can’t yell at your kids if they do the same, now :)
Made these last night for the first time. This recipe made 9 five inch round boxties that were about 3/4 inch thick. Loved them and plan to make them every St. Patty’s (even though my husband has asked for them more frequently).
Wonderful, Lia! Yes, no reason to keep them for only once a year! Thanks for letting me know! CC
I’ve made these for a few years now and this year my family complained. After reviewing other recipes, I know why….this recipe calls for way too much flour. Most of the other recipes call for 1/3cup or less to the same amount of potatoes, not 2 cups.
I find it strange that you’ve made the same recipe year after year with no review on using my recipe, and all of a sudden your family complains and you come here to leave a bad review?
Your research is also erroneous. Gallagher’s Boxty House which is the standard in Dublin for boxty has a ratio almost exactly the same as this recipe. I’m also wondering why you don’t just make another recipe, but feel the need to leave a one star review on my recipe which has so many 5 stars and not one that is less than 4? (Also, many people have told me they try to leave 5 star reviews but are only able to leave a 4 star rating.)
If you ask me, something’s rotten in Denmark.
Sorry if I missed this somewhere in the post. About how many boxty does this make? I want to make them for my daughter’s school St. Patrick’s Day party and infuse a little authentic Irish cuisine in with all that green stuff they’ll be eating 😁.
Good for you! Actually, I have no idea how many it makes because it truly depends on how thick you make them and how large or small in diameter. I’d recommend making 1.5 time the recipe and making it a little less thick so that you can make them a little thinner. I’m sure you’ll have more than enough that way. (I’m assuming your making for about 30 children.) Hope this helps! CC
I recently made this. I made 3 rather large (10” diameter roughly) Boxtys and had some leftover batter for probably a 4th large one. If you make small-sized ones like that in the pic, I’m sure you can squeeze out 8-10.