Despite the name, this beloved treat contains no potatoes at all.
These adorable little “potatoes” are creamy coconut confections rolled in cinnamon to resemble tiny Irish spuds.
They’re soft, rich, melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and incredibly easy to make plus there is no baking required!
This old-fashioned candy is especially popular around St. Patrick’s Day, but honestly, once you try it, you’ll want to make it all year long.
The candy reminds me very much of an old-fashioned bonbon from the early 1960s, and it was love for me at first bite.
I love easy candy recipes like Easy Chocolate Fudge done in a few minutes on the stovetop or No-Bake Buckeye Bars that just require melted chocolate. Those are two other family favorite candies.
If you follow some traditional foods for St. Patrick's Day you may also like to try our delicious assortment of recipes.
Just scroll down the recipe card for these easy printable recipe cards at the end of this post, and if you're in a hurry, hit print for easy viewing.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- No baking required, Perfect for kids and beginner cooks
- Only a handful of ingredients
- Ready in under 30 minutes
- Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day dessert tables
- Rich, creamy coconut flavor with a hint of warm cinnamon
- Fun to shape and decorate
A Little History on Irish Potato Candy
Irish Potato Candy actually has roots in Philadelphia, not Ireland.It became popular among Irish-American communities in the early 20th century as a festive St. Patrick’s Day treat.
Confectioners in the city created these cinnamon-dusted coconut candies to resemble small new potatoes as a playful nod to Irish heritage.
One of the most well-known places famous for selling them is Oh Ryan’s Irish Potatoes, a seasonal favorite that helped make these candies iconic in the region.
Even though you’ll find them in candy shops around March, they’re incredibly simple to make right at home with just a few pantry ingredients.
Serving Irish Potato Candy:
- On a festive St. Patrick’s Day dessert tray
- In mini cupcake liners for a pretty presentation
- Packaged in clear treat bags for party favors
- Alongside Irish coffee or hot tea
- As part of a cookie and candy platter
- They pair beautifully with coffee and make a charming homemade gift.
Tips for Making Irish Potato Candy:
- Bring the cream cheese and butter to room temperature. Soften, but do not melt it
- Only use full-fat cream cheese and real butter, not margarine
- The melon ball scooper will make them uniformly the same size, or you can roll them by hand
- Finely chopping the coconut resulted in a better-textured candy howeve,r you can leave it just shredded if you prefer
- This candy can be dipped in melted chocolate
- Refrigerate after making
- I split this in half to roll in cocoa powder and cinnamon to make two kinds or you can mix cocoa and cinnamon together for another flavor
Other Suggestions to Roll The Irish Potato Candy into:
- Dip in melted white or milk chocolate
- Roll in colorful sprinkles
- Roll in crushed cookie crumbs
- Roll in mini chocolate chips
- Roll in any kind of crushed nuts
- Add almond extract in place of vanilla, or other flavors you like
Mixing and Storing
- Since this is so thick, it's much easier if you use a hand mixer to blend the butter and cream cheese
- The powdered sugar needs to go in slowly, so it doesn't go all over the place at a lower speed.
- If your hand mixer goes too fast, it surely will create a mess. Stir the sugar in with a heavy wooden spoon by hand
- The easiest way to get the coconutto a fine consistency is to put it through the food processor
- It is very easy to roll these by hand into marble-sized balls; however, I find it easier to use a melon ball scooper
- The candy will keep fresh and delicious for up to 1 week and needs to be stored covered in the refrigerator
- This candy can be frozen uncoated on cookie sheets and stored in bags without the coating on the outside
- Thaw first in the refrigerator if frozen, and roll into cinnamon or cocoa powder
- Store in airtight containers
Other Candy You May Like To Try
Salted Caramel Toffee BitesOreo Truffles
Peanut Butter Krispies Eggs
Rum Balls
Buckeye Bars
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Easy Recipe
The recipe is super simple with just a few ingredients.
It's perfect for parties and anyone who has a sweet tooth.
If you don't have some of the equipment stated in the recipe, just do this all by hand and make sure you use a heavy spoon to whisk all ingredients together evenly.
Cinnamon or Cocoa Covered Irish Potato Candy
Yield: 35
Prep time: 13 MCook time: Total time: 13 M
These are much like a bonbon and a no-cook candy treat. There is no potato in this recipe although it's in the name of these. The candy is a coconut confection found and famous in Philadephia and a favorite for all coconut candy lovers. The original recipe rolls these in cinnamon and I also roll them in cocoa powder for those who are cinnamon fans. Either way, these are addicting and delicious!
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup softened butter (do not use margarine)
- 2 1/4 cups coconut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- Garnish to roll them in:
- cinnamon powder
- optional: unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions:
How to cook Cinnamon or Cocoa Covered Irish Potato Candy
- Place the coconut in a food processor on high until the flakes are a fine consistency usually around 2 to 3 minutes.
- In a heavy-duty mixer add the vanilla, softened butter, and cream cheese whipping on medium speed until well combined around 1 minute.
- Slowly add the 4 cups of powdered sugar and then the coconut.
- Using a small melon ball scooper make balls and place them on wax paper.
- I refrigerate these to dry them out a little for around 35 minutes.
- Place cinnamon on one plate (and another one for the cocoa powder if using).
- Roll the balls in cinnamon which is the original Irish Potato Candy method or if you're not big on cinnamon, just roll them in unsweetened cocoa powder.
- I usually roll mine twice if the candy starts to absorb the powder and white shows through.
- After you have coated them completely, place them back in the refrigerator however these are ready to eat immediately.
- These will keep up to 1 week in a covered container.
Calories
100
100
Fat (grams)
2
2
Sat. Fat (grams)
1
1
Carbs (grams)
22
22
Sugar (grams)
22
22
Protein (grams)
0
0
Sodium (milligrams)
15
15
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