42 St. Patrick’s Day Recipes & Drinks

Shamrock Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Whether for teatime, lunchtime, or any time, these shamrock cucumber tea sandwiches are a cute and tasty St. Patty’s Day dessert. Use the cucumber slices as a guide to shape English muffins into shamrocks, and the rest is as easy as mixing the ingredients together. Cream cheese, Monterrey jack cheese, green pepper, and a pinch of fresh parsley make it a delightfully tasty snack or appetizer at your St. Patty’s Day party.

Irish Colcannon

St. Patrick’s Day is a great time to try out a traditional Irish feast, and Irish colcannon makes an excellent side dish. Colcannon is an Irish (and also Scottish) dish that’s typically made with kale and potatoes. It may sound foreign, but it looks and tastes delicious, so give it a go on St. Patrick’s Day and you might just find it’s a new favorite.

Irish Soda Muffins

These Irish soda muffins make an equally great treat for children and adults, so pack them in your kids’ lunches and bring them to the office for everyone to enjoy at the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. They also make a great side dish if you’re planning on serving a traditional Irish entrée.

Sweet Shamrock Pretzels

These sweet and hearty shamrock pretzels make a great addition to your St. Patrick’s Day menu. Canned refrigerator bread stick dough can be easily formed into a shamrock shape, and then decorate it with cinnamon and colored sugar to your liking. Bake according to the directions on the package, and enjoy your sweet and lucky treat.

Irish Brown Soda Bread

Serve up a batch of homemade Irish brown soda bread just like Mom used to make (if she’s Irish, that is). Get the kids to help out with this old-fashioned recipe and make it a learning experience the whole family can enjoy. Irish soda bread makes a great appetizer before a hearty St. Patrick’s Day dinner.

Mini Reubens with Hot Dip Spread

Many people aren’t sure whether they’ll enjoy a Reuben sandwich. If you’re one of them, these mini Rebuens are a great way to test the waters while keeping your menu nice and festive for St. Patrick’s Day. Serve them on pumpernickel rye bread to keep with tradition, and don’t forget the sauerkraut!

Green Deviled Eggs

Green is the theme for St. Patrick’s Day, and it’s fun to find new ways to add vibrant green hues to all your favorite foods. For green deviled eggs, use green gel food coloring to turn the egg yolks from bright yellow to beautiful green. They’re easy to make, and they’re a big hit with kids and adults alike.

Double Rainbow Pancakes

Delicious double rainbow pancakes are a hit with the kids. They’re a perfect start to St. Patrick’s Day, getting your kids right into the spirit of the holiday. Plus, they’re easier to make than you might think. Start making your morning pancakes as usual, and divide the batter into six bowls. You can then use food coloring to dye each batch of batter into all the colors of the rainbow. The colorful fruit accents at the top form the second rainbow. Finally, your kids will actually want to eat their fruits.

Green Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is often seen as a kids’ dish, but this recipe will be a hit with the whole family, especially on St. Patrick’s Day. Plus, it’s a great way to sneak some healthy stuff into your kids’ diet, because the festive green color in this dish comes from spinach. Cook some up as an entree for lunch or dinner, or pair it as a side to some other Irish-inspired dishes for a St. Patrick’s Day meal.

Split Pea Soup

Split pea soup is a yummy dish found on many tables in Ireland, so add some to your family’s menu on St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy some of that good old-fashioned Irish tradition. It’s hearty enough to serve as an entrée, but it also makes a great lunch or side dish.

Shepherd’s Pie

There are plenty of fun and colorful treats to serve on St. Patrick’s Day, but dinnertime is a great opportunity to enjoy something a little more traditional, like a shepherd’s pie. It’s a hearty and versatile meal, so feel free to tailor the ingredients to your family’s tastes. Serve it with some traditional side dishes for a delicious Irish feast to celebrate the holiday.

Bangers and Mash

Bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) are a classic in British and Irish pubs, so add some to your table this St. Patrick’s Day and get into the spirit of the holiday. You can make your own bangers and mash using precooked sausages, creamy mashed potatoes, parsley, and a dab of olive oil. Easy and delicious!

Shamrock Eggs

A festive St. Patrick’s Day can begin first thing in the morning. Serve these shamrock eggs to your family at breakfast to get them right into the spirit of the day. Sliced green bell peppers make the shamrock shape, and it’s as easy as cooking the eggs inside each bell pepper slice. Then, simply season each egg the way you normally do.

Irish Mash

This hearty Irish mash works equally well as a main dish or a side item, so feel free to pair it with another Irish dish for a festive meal on St. Patrick’s Day. Traditional ingredients such as potatoes, cabbage, and onions come together with delicious accents such as pine nuts, pepper, and sesame seeds.

Shamrock Shake

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with a green, minty chocolaty shake? Make a shamrock shake for kids and adults to enjoy during the festivities. All you need is some vanilla ice cream, milk, mint extract, and some green food coloring. Add chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and green sugar to make it extra festive and delicious.

Green Smoothie

If you want a healthier version of the popular shamrock shake, but you still want something that gets you in the mood for St. Patrick’s Day, a nutritious and delicious green smoothie is an excellent alternative. Blend a banana, milk, vanilla and mint extracts, dark greens (kale is a great option) and a couple of ice cubes. It has a smooth green color for St. Patty’s Day, a great flavor your taste buds crave, and the nutrition your body needs.

Homemade Irish Cream

This homemade Irish cream will be a hit at the adults’ St. Patrick’s Day party. Give a toast with milk, cream, espresso powder, vanilla extract, and your favorite Irish whiskey. Serve your homemade Irish cream over ice or mixed into a coffee drink, and raise your glass to a happy holiday.

Irish Mojito

A mojito is a Cuban drink, but you can put an Irish spin on it in for St. Patrick’s Day. A little bit of lime juice, some fresh mint, a pinch of sugar, and a splash of club soda (plus Crème de Menthe and Bacardi Limon for the adults) give it a refreshing flavor and a vibrant green color to match the holiday.

Shamrock Juice

Turn some sparking juices into a delightful drink that’s both kid- and adult-friendly. It’s a fun and fancy drink, but you can find all the ingredients you need at the grocery store: all it takes is some pineapple juice, sparkling lemonade, sparkling white grape juice, some lime-flavored popsicles, and some green apples.

Green and White Bundt Cake

A Bundt cake is a classic treat for any occasion. For St. Patrick’s Day, add a little color and celebrate the holiday by making it green and white. Simply add some green food coloring to the batter (use a few shades of green for some unique results), and you’ll get a nice marbled effect when the cake is finished baking. Add green and white frosting and sprinkles to top it off.

Shamrock Marshmallow Pops

These shamrock marshmallow pops are a cute treat for kids and adults alike this St. Patrick’s Day. Hand them out as party favors in class or at your St. Patty’s Day party. To make the shamrock shape, use heart-shaped marshmallows and dip them into green candy melts and white or green sprinkles.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

For a sweet treat for the adults at your St. Patrick’s Day party, try these Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. It all boils down to chocolate cupcakes with a whiskey ganache filling and Baileys frosting. They’re easy to make, and your party guests will love the tasty surprise filling inside each cupcake.

Green Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are other, tastier ways to make your food green than by simply adding food coloring. In this case, adding some healthful avocado to your chocolate chip cookie batter (in place of the butter) turns it a pretty shade of green. And if you like avocado, you’ll love the subtle flavor it adds to the cookies.

Shamrock Rice Krispy Treats

When whipping up your next batch of Rice Krispy treats, make a few creative changes and you’ll have a tasty treat that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Add some green food coloring to the bowl, and use a shamrock shaped cookie cutter. It’s a perfect idea for the kids’ classroom or St. Patty’s party.

Green Popcorn and Pretzel Party Mix

Put together a delightfully festive treat that with satisfy any sweet tooth. Use pretzels, popcorn, candy melts, chocolate chips, peanuts, M&Ms, sprinkles, and a few baking basics to create this tasty party mix. Set it out at the St. Patrick’s Day party, or wrap it up in individual serving sizes for guests to take home as a party favor.

Shamrock Drops

These shamrock drop cookies have a beautiful shade of green that’s perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. A little bit of green food coloring gives them their shade, and some mint extract gives them a great flavor to complement the color. If you want some variety, you can add vanilla or almond extract in place of the mint.

St. Patty’s Day Cake

This cake may look sweet and harmless on the outside, but once you cut into it, you’ll reveal a fantastic array of green hues to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Use different amounts of green food coloring for each layer, or take it a different direction by making a rainbow cake. This is a great opportunity to get the kids involved. They’ll love helping out with the mixing and coloring.

Irish Cream Push Pops

Kids love the delicious Push Pop treats you can get at the store, but why buy them when you can make them yourself? These St. Patrick’s Day inspired push pops are a fun dessert idea for kids, and they look elegant enough to serve to adults. The “layers” consist of brownies, Irish creamer, chopped candies or chocolate chips, and Cool Whip, plus sprinkles on top. If you don’t have any push pop containers, you can serve this treat in a glass or a small bowl.

Rainbow Jell-O

If you have a little extra time and patience, a rainbow Jell-O treat is a big hit with kids and adults alike. Grab a box of Jell-O for each color of the rainbow, plus a few extra ingredients for the white in-between layers. It takes some dedication, but the colorful end result is worth the extra effort.