Irish Potato Candy By Kelly Miller • February8,2021 • Updated March 1, 2022 • 33 Comments 8.8K 341 Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Irish Potato Candy recipe made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, coconut, and cinnamon. Such a fun treat to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! Irish Potato Candy is a traditional candy made in Philadelphia and sold in most stores around St. Patrick’s Day every year. I was born and raised in the city and remember enjoying Irish Potatoes and also making them as fundraisers as a kid! This is such nostalgic treat for me and my family. Irish Potatoes are best kept in a plastic container in the refrigerator. These are SO GOOD ice cold with a glass of milk! One batch makes about 2 dozen, so plenty to share with friends. Is there real potatoes in Irish Potato Candy? No! It’s just a candy treat made to look like a potato. Traditional Irish Potato Candy is made with cream cheese, butter, sugar, and coconut. What’s in this recipe? Be sure to leave the cream cheese and the butter out on the counter to soften at room temperature before making these. It’ll blend much easier that way! How to make this recipe? Blend cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer. 2. Add more powdered sugar, and vanilla, and blend well. 3. Add coconut and stir well. 4. Using a one tablespoon scoop, roll candy into balls. Then roll in ground cinnamon, shaking off excess. 5. Repeat for remaining candy mixture. Refrigerate until firm and ready to serve. Can these be frozen? Yes! Just thaw and store in the refrigerator. Can sugar alternatives be used in this recipe? Because powdered sugar makes the bulk of the candy in the Irish Potatoes, sugar alternatives aren’t recommended. You could experiment, though! Recipe pro tips: This recipe doubles and triples wonderfully as needed For parties, display Irish Potatoes in festive paper cupcake liners Be sure to shake off the excess cinnamon well! For gift giving, line paper fudge boxes with wax paper and fill with Irish Potatoes More recipes you’ll love: Irish Soda Bread Irish Soda Bread Muffins Irish Oatmeal Amish Baked Oatmeal Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies If you liked this recipe, leave a rating and a comment below this post! Irish Potato Candy Irish Potato Candy recipe made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, coconut, and cinnamon. 5 from 1 vote Print Pin Rate Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanKeyword: recipe for Irish Potato candy Prep Time: 10 minutes minutesRefrigerate: 1 hour hour Servings: 24 servings Calories: 151kcal Author: Kelly Miller Ingredients▢ 1/4 cup butter room temperature▢ 4 oz cream cheese room temperature▢ 16 oz powdered sugar (2 cups) divided▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract▢ 7 oz shredded coconut▢ 3 tbsp cinnamon InstructionsBeat butter and cream cheese with an electric hand mixer.Add one cup powdered sugar and beat.Add vanilla extract and remaining one cup powdered sugar and continue beating until creamy.Stir in coconut.Pour cinnamon into a shallow bowl.Using a one tablespoon scoop, form one inch balls and roll in cinnamon.Place candies on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm.Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Video NutritionCalories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg Tried this recipe?Follow me @mostlyhomemademom or tag #MostlyHomemadeMom! 8.8K 341
Leslie says February 18, 2013 at 8:21 pm These are adorable for St. Patrick's day, and they sound delicious with cream cheese and coconut! Yummy. 🙂 I can't believe it's around the corner…where is this year going?Blessings,Leslie Reply
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says February 19, 2013 at 2:58 pm I have wanted to try this candy forever! It looks SO GOOD. Reply
Rachael Cleveland says February 19, 2013 at 3:00 pm Interesting! I thought these would have potato in them, which I've been searching for. I love seeing unusual ingredients incorporated into dessert. These look delicious, and I think I just might try them one of these days. Found you through Pint Sized Baker's Two Cup Tuesdays, and I'm so glad I did! Reply
Judi says February 19, 2013 at 6:34 pm I've had these, but never rolled in cinnamon. They were dipped in chocolate! And that was yummy! Reply
Sharon Caulineau says February 20, 2013 at 2:51 pm This is a recipe we loved as children when we could convince Mom to make this instead of potato patties with the left over mashed potatoes! Potato Peanut Butter Candy½ cup mashed potatoes, mashed really well5 cups powdered sugar1 tsp. vanilla¼ tsp. salt4 Tbs. peanut butter Mix mashed potatoes, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time, kneading into a dough like consistency. Divide mixture in half and place each dough ball onto a piece of wax paper. Roll out dough into a semi-thin layer; spread a thin layer of creamy peanut butter onto dough. Very gently roll dough up into a loaf and wrap in wax paper Let roll sit in the refrigerator for about an hour or two. Unwrap and cut into 1 inch slices.PS Also ships really well if you have a soldier with a sweet tooth pining for some yummies from home.Have a blessed day,Cher from Tennessee Reply
Kelly Miller says February 20, 2013 at 3:09 pm That sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing your family's recipe with us. 🙂 Reply
lori marks says March 4, 2013 at 6:04 pm This is my grandmothers recipe as well. Thanx for sharing. I always thought it was German. Reply
lori marks says March 4, 2013 at 6:06 pm Although she just started off with 2 med sized boiled potatoes. 🙂 Reply
Self Sagacity says February 20, 2013 at 7:47 pm I never knew potatoes can be candies…well, kind of. Have a great day! New follower. Reply
J. Rae says February 21, 2013 at 12:32 am I would LOVE it if you shared this in my Spring/Easter Linky Party! You can find it here: http://littlemomprairie.blogspot.com/p/blog-round-up.html Reply
Deirdre says February 22, 2013 at 12:49 am That is so fun- my kids would get such a kick out of this! Reply
Sheryl Thompson says February 22, 2013 at 1:02 pm You had me going for a moment! LOL When I saw this link I was thinking, "leave it to the Irish, they even make candy out of potatoes". Then I was reading the comments and I saw a comment with a recipe that was sweet and sounded yummy….enjoyed your post. Reply
Organized Island says February 22, 2013 at 5:19 pm I have never heard of these before! Sound so tasty! Reply
Emily Thompson says February 23, 2013 at 8:31 am HI! I'm featuring this on a St. Patricks Day round up on the blog today :o) Thanks SO much for linking up to Tasteful Tuesdays and I would be SO pleased if you would put my featured button on this post! Emily@!nap-timecreations.com Reply
Pint Sized Baker says February 23, 2013 at 3:36 pm This is GREAT! I bet it would also be a fun April Fools treat. Pinned! Thanks for sharing at Two Cup Tuesday at Pint Sized Baker! Hope to see you there again on Monday night! Reply
Betsy Pool says February 24, 2013 at 4:23 pm I've never even heard of this before!! Sounds really good. Thanks for sharing this at Romance on a dime!! Reply
Snap says February 25, 2013 at 11:56 am Perfect for St. Paddy's day! They look and sound delicious. I love coconut! Reply
Miz Helen says February 25, 2013 at 6:27 pm What a great recipe! Have a great week and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.Come Back Soon!Miz Helen Reply
Lady Behind The Curtain says February 26, 2013 at 3:35 am Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipe with us at Cast Party Wednesday. I hope you are having a GREAT week! ~Sheryl @ Lady Behind The Curtain~ Reply
Janine LaTulippe says February 26, 2013 at 5:01 am Those look rich and Delicious. Can't wait to make a special Irish treat for my family. Thanks! Reply
Kadie says February 27, 2013 at 3:28 pm I have never heard of these! They look so fun and yummy! You are being featured on Link It Up Thursday, thank you for sharing with us. Can't wait to see what you link up this week.:) Reply
Ginger says February 28, 2013 at 8:40 pm Featuring YOU today! Thank you so much for linking up to {wow me} wednesday! Ginger @ GingerSnapCrafts.com http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2013/02/15-green-crafts-recipes-fonts-ideas.html Reply
Julie says March 2, 2013 at 12:24 am This is a very interesting sweet treat. In fact, I love it and can't wait to try it out! Thank you so much for sharing on Marvelous Mondays. This was the most viewed link at this week's party so Carrie and I will be featuring it at Sunday's party. Have a fabulous weekend! 🙂 Julie @ This Gal Cooks Reply
Frank Dixon says March 2, 2013 at 1:23 am This is absolutely brilliant. These strike me as a perfect snack-dessert for a party. I may have to give these a spin next weekend!Frank @ Tales From A Middle Class Kitchen Reply
Amber D. Mcnabb says March 5, 2013 at 4:43 pm I love love LOVE this dessert! Great photos. Now excuse me while go make some Irish candies! Reply
Susie Buetow says March 13, 2013 at 5:53 pm We craft with ribbons and others craft with FOOD! Thank you for creating such a crafty recipe! We are featuring you and 15 of our other favorite Foodie Post today in our Crafty St. Patrick's Day Food Art projects from some of our favorite Bowdabra Friends! Congrats! Susie @Bowdabrahttp://bowdabrablog.com/2013/03/13/16-st-patricks-day-crafty-recipes/# Reply
Janet says March 14, 2013 at 12:25 pm I made these once to bring to work and now it’s expected of me every year! They are really a big hit. But I do have a question I’m hoping you can help me with. When I first take them out of the fridge, they are the perfect consistency, but as they sit out and get to room temperature, they become pretty mushy. Do you know of an ingredient that might help they stay more firm? Reply
BurntApple says March 17, 2013 at 3:04 am Such a great idea. I've never even heard of this type of candy, so this will be fun to make. 🙂 Reply
Amara Ryder says March 18, 2013 at 12:52 am I just made these, so good 🙂 They didn't last long at all. I just started a blog and linked back to your site, thank you for sharing such a good recipe! Reply
carol s ecker says March 14, 2019 at 7:48 pm these are excellent little wee bit candies! I roll in mixture of half cocoa powder and half cinnamon to give more of a “potato” look and make intents like a potato, not a complete “ball” shape Reply