Irish Potato Candy
Irish Potatoes are a festive St. Patrick’s Day candy: sweet coconut cream truffles rolled in cinnamon brown sugar to look like little potatoes.
Irish Potato Candy
Irish potato candy is a fun no-bake treat to make and serve for St. Patrick’s Day! With just a handful of simple ingredients, you can whip up a batch of these melt-in-your-mouth candies that look like little potatoes!
The flavor is similar to the center of a chocolate covered coconut truffle, smooth and creamy. Kids will love how these little bites look like potatoes, but actually contain a sweet surprise!
Is Irish Potato Candy Really Irish?
Like many St. Patrick’s Day recipes, Irish Potato Candy actually has American origins and is not from Ireland at all. Even more interesting, there’s no potato in the recipe!
“Irish Potatoes” are actually a cream cheese and coconut confection that is native to the Philadelphia area. The cinnamon coating gives these candies the look of a potato, hence the name.
While the candy was not originally created for St. Patrick’s Day, over the years it has become associated with the holiday.
While some candy makers have started using a buttercream filling to make their confections more shelf stable, we are sticking with the traditional recipe that is cream cheese based.
Ingredients
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- Filling: Cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, confectioners’ sugar, sweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes
- Coating: light brown sugar, ground cinnamon
Full ingredient amounts and recipe directions are available in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer
- Large Mixing Bowl and Small Bowl
- Spatula
- Baking Sheet lined with Parchment Paper or Silicone Mat
Instructions
You’ll want to give yourself about an hour and a half of total time to prepare this recipe. However, most of that is simply time spent in the fridge chilling the dough. The actually recipe itself is very quick and easy!
- Make the Filling – In a large bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, butter and vanilla, until fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally, then mix in the shredded coconut until evenly distributed. Chill the bowl of coconut candy mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Make the Coating – In a separate small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Form the Potatoes – Remove the coconut mixture from the fridge and scoop into Tablespoon sized portions. Use your hands to form the dough into oblong balls that resemble the shape of potatoes, but smaller.
- Finish and Chill – Roll each piece coconut candy in the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, until the surface is fully coated on all sides. Place on a lined baking sheet and chill for 30 more minutes before serving.
Video Demo:
Prep Tips
- Yield: This recipe makes about 25 candies.
- Mixing the Filling – While you can mix the candy filling by hand, a stand mixer or electric hand mixer will make the job much easier. If you are mixing by hand, you want to make sure that the butter and cream cheese are fully softened (but not melted) so they will incorporate and blend completely.
- Forming the Candy – Use your hands to form each ball of candy into the shape of a potato — there is no “perfect” shape so you can’t really mess up! This is a great recipe to make with kids because they can help every step of the way.
- Chilling the Candy – To speed up the prep time needed for chilling, you can place the tray of finished candies in the freezer. Just be sure not to leave them in too long so they freeze (unless that’s how you plan to store them).
- Storage – Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. The finished truffles can be stored in a freezer bag in the freezer for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, allow them to thaw in the fridge until soft enough to eat.
More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes To Try:
- Copycat McDonald’s Shamrock Shake
- Shamrock Pancakes
- “Pot of Gold” St. Patrick’s Day Cookie Cups
- Stovetop Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Guinness & Honey Glazed Chicken
- Beer Skillet Potatoes with Grilled Chicken
- Leprechaun Bark
- Leprechaun Punch (Lime Sherbet Punch)
- Rainbow Graham Crackers
- Lucky Charms Cake
- Lucky Charms Marshmallow Treats
- Leprechaun Hat Cookies
- Lucky Charms Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Irish Margaritas
Irish Potato Candy Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Irish Potato Candy
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Baking sheet
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 Tablespoons butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, butter and vanilla, until fluffy.
- Mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until smooth.
- Mix in the shredded coconut until evenly distributed.
- Chill the bowl of coconut candy mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Remove the coconut mixture from the fridge and use a tablespoon to portion it into oblong balls that resemble the shape of potatoes, but smaller.
- Roll each piece coconut candy in the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, until the surface is fully coated on all sides.
- Place on a lined baking sheet and chill for 30 more minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Use a mixer for easier blending; fully soften butter and cream cheese first.
- Shape candies by hand into small “potatoes” — kids can help!
- Chill to set; freeze briefly to speed up, but don’t freeze solid unless storing.
- Store in fridge up to 1 week or freeze 2–3 months; thaw in fridge before serving.
Nutrition
Pin our Irish Potatoes recipe on Pinterest:
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Could you brown the coconut vs raw?
I haven’t tried it that way – if you do let me know how it goes!