This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.
Hi Bold Bakers!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: My hearty Boxty Recipe (Irish Potato Pancakes) delivers irresistibly pillowy potato pancakes with crispy, lacy edges. Move over, hash browns, home fries, and roasted spuds— boxty pancakes have it all!
- Soft and fluffy: Mashed potatoes—fresh or leftover—create a creamy interior.
- Crispy and golden brown: Shredded potatoes create delicately crunchy edges.
- Budget-friendly, simple ingredients: Made with potatoes and a few kitchen staples.
- Ready in under 45 minutes! A quick and comforting meal any time of day.
- Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dinner! Serve with a traditional Irish fry-up, including eggs, sausage, bacon, and tomato, or as a main dish topped with sour cream and smoked salmon.
Boxty, hot from the frying pan, with its fluffy middle and crispy crust, is irresistible. While boxty is most associated with Ireland’s northwest, these Irish potato pancakes are enjoyed and beloved throughout the country. Unlike Potato Farls, which I grew up with and are more like a potato flatbread, boxty is like a cross between a soft potato pancake and a crispy hash brown, with a tender interior and crunchy, golden edges.
My top tip here is to mix the potato gently. Too much stirring will activate the potato starches, making the interior gluey instead of light and fluffy. So use a light hand and mix until just combined. For more tempting recipes featuring potatoes, check out my Mashed Potato Rolls, Potato Rosemary Souffle, and Loaded Potato Bread.
Table of Contents
- What is Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes)?
- Tools You Need
- Key Ingredients and Substitutes
- How to Make Irish Potato Pancakes
- Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
- Make-Ahead and Store Tips
- FAQs
- More Breakfast Recipes
What is Boxty Recipe (Irish Potato Pancakes)?
Boxty Recipe (Irish Potato Pancakes) is a traditional Irish potato pancake made with a mixture of mashed potatoes and grated potatoes. This combination creates boxty’s signature texture, both soft and fluffy and crispy and golden. Variations include pan boxty, which is baked and sliced, and dumpling boxty (boiled boxty). Boxty is traditional in northwest Ireland, specifically in the counties of Mayo, Leitrim, Sligo, Fermanagh, and Cavan, where resourceful home cooks first transformed humble potatoes into this satisfying meal. Boxty, a thrifty meal created out of necessity, remains one of the country’s most beloved dishes.
Tools You Need
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Glass measuring jug
- Kitchen scale (optional)
- Peeler
- Large Pot
- Steamer basket
- Potato masher
- Tea towel
- Spatula
- Frying pan
- Pancake turner
Key Ingredients and Substitutes
Russet potatoes
- Russet potatoes are floury (starchy) potatoes, giving boxty its iconic light, fluffy interior and crisp exterior. Using both mashed and grated russet potatoes gives boxty Irish pancakes their signature contrasting textures.
- Substitutes: Yukon potatoes can be used here, but note that the boxty will be creamier (less fluffy).
- I do not recommend using red potatoes because they’re waxy and don’t have enough starch so that they won’t create the same texture.
All-purpose flour
- All-purpose flour acts as a binder, giving the pancakes structure and keeping them together while cooking.
- Substitute: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend instead.
Baking powder
- Baking powder gives the pancakes lift, which makes the interior lighter and fluffier.
Salt
- Salt seasons the potato and keeps the boxty from tasting bland.
Freshly ground pepper
- Pepper gives the Irish boxty savory flavor and zippy warmth.
Buttermilk
- Buttermilk contributes moisture and creates tender potato pancakes.
- Additionally, buttermilk adds a delightful tang.
- You can easily make your own buttermilk substitute with my recipe.
- You can also use the same amount of yogurt thinned with milk in place of the buttermilk.
Vegetable oil
- Cooking the boxty in vegetable oil creates a golden, crispy exterior.
- Vegetable oil’s high smoke point helps the boxty develop a crisp golden crust without burning.
- Substitute: Use the same amount of sunflower oil, canola oil, or avocado oil.
How to Make Irish Potato Pancakes
Prepare the Potatoes
- Chop one potato: Peel and roughly chop one of the potatoes. Place in a steamer basket inside a pot filled 2 inches (5 cm) deep with water. Put on a lid and bring to a simmer.
- Steam and mash: Steam the potato until tender (about 10 minutes), then transfer it to a large mixing bowl and mash while still hot.
- Grate one potato: Peel the remaining potato and coarsely grate it onto a clean kitchen towel.
- Remove liquid from grated potato: Wring the grated potato in a towel to extract as much liquid as possible, then add it to the bowl of mashed potatoes and toss to combine.
Make and Cook the Boxty
- Mix dry ingredients: Fold in the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper into the mashed potato until evenly distributed.
- Add buttermilk: Stir in the buttermilk to make a thick batter.
- Prepare to cook: Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add 1 generous tablespoon of oil to the pan.
- Make pancakes: Scoop about ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) of batter into the pan and spread into roughly a 4 inch (10 cm) circle. Cook 2 – 3 boxty at a time.
- Fry boxty: Cook gently for 4–5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Finish cooking: Transfer to a plate and keep warm while cooking the remaining batter.
- Serve and enjoy: Enjoy warm alongside a traditional Irish fry or with sour cream and smoked salmon.
FULL (PRINTABLE) RECIPE BELOW!
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
- Squeeze the grated potatoes well. Excess moisture will make the boxty heavy.
- Mash the potatoes while they’re still hot. If they sit too long, they’ll become gluey.
- Use leftover mashed potatoes if you have them. Use 1 cup (8 oz / 225 g) mashed potatoes and add an equal amount by weight of grated potatoes.
- Measure the flour carefully. Too much flour will make the boxty heavy.
- Cook over gentle heat. This will ensure that the inside cooks before the outside browns.
- Oil is best for cooking, since butter can burn. If you prefer the flavor of butter, use a mix of butter and oil.
- Adjust batter for the proper consistency. The boxty batter should be thick and spoonable, but not pourable. If it’s too thick to scoop and spread easily, add a splash of buttermilk. If it’s thin or runny, add a little flour.
- Use a cast-iron or non-stick pan. Either type of pan will work, but a cast iron skillet or griddle will create a crispier crust.
- Keep cooked pancakes warm. Put them in a sheet pan or oven-safe plate in a warm oven while you finish cooking.
- Use my substitute if you don’t have buttermilk. You can use my homemade buttermilk substitute for this recipe.
- Mix gently. Do not overmix the batter, or your boxty will end up being gummy.
- Add flavors:
- Herbed Boxty: These potatoes serve as a neutral base for more flavorful toppings, but you can also add finely minced scallions to the batter for an extra layer of flavor.
- Spicy Boxty: Mix in 1 teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce for a spicy twist on the potato pancake.
- Cheddar Boxty: Fold 1 cup (4 oz/115 g) of grated Irish cheddar cheese into the potato mixture to make a savory, cheesy potato pancake.
Make-Ahead and Store Tips
Make-ahead tips:
- You can cook, cool, and refrigerate boxty in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Reheat the boxty in the pan for a few minutes to crisp it up, or reheat in the microwave.
How to store leftovers:
- Store leftover boxty well-wrapped or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- For longer storage, you can freeze the boxty in a single layer, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag for up to two months.
- Reheat (in a pan or in the microwave) from frozen or thaw overnight in the fridge.
FAQs
Is it ok to use leftover mashed potatoes in this Irish boxty recipe?
- Yes, you can use leftover mashed potatoes in this Irish boxty recipe.
- For the best texture, I recommend using simply-made mashed potatoes that don’t contain cheese, sour cream, or excess amounts of butter or cream.
Why do I need to squeeze the grated potato?
- It’s necessary to squeeze the grated potato to drain as much liquid as possible. Wet grated potato will make the boxty gummy and could cause the pancakes to fall apart.
- The grated potato might have more liquid than you expect, so be sure to take a few minutes to wring them out well and get them as dry as possible.
Can I make these Irish potato pancakes gluten-free?
- Yes, you can make these Irish potato pancakes gluten-free.
- Simply replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend or another gluten-free flour.
- Note that gluten-free pancakes may be more delicate than those made with all-purpose flour.
What are some serving ideas for the boxty?
- In addition to serving boxty as part of a traditional fry-up with eggs, bacon, sausage, and fried tomatoes and mushrooms.
- Use a base for Eggs Benedict.
- Make a delicious breakfast sandwich by using boxty in place of toast or an English muffin.
- Enjoy with soup or salad.
- Top with sliced avocado and greens.
- Serve as a side dish with barbecue or pulled pork.
More Breakfast Recipes
- Breakfast Casserole
- Healthy Breakfast Crisp
- Complete Breakfast Tart
- Breakfast Muffins
- Bacon and Cheese Breakfast Strata
Watch The Recipe Video!
Boxty Recipe (Irish Potato Pancakes)
My Boxty Recipe makes traditional Irish potato pancakes with crispy edges, fluffy centers, and simple pantry ingredients in under 45 minutes.
Servings: 8 boxty
My Boxty Recipe makes traditional Irish potato pancakes with crispy edges, fluffy centers, and simple pantry ingredients in under 45 minutes.
Servings: 8 boxty
Ingredients
- 2 large russet potatoes (about 1 lb 4 oz/568 g)
- 1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ oz/177 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoons freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/240 ml) plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- Vegetable oil , for cooking
Instructions
To Prepare the Potatoes
- Peel and roughly chop one of the potatoes. Place in a steamer basket inside a pot filled 2-inches (5 cm) deep with water. Put on a lid and bring to a simmer.
- Steam the potato until tender (about 10 minutes), then transfer them to a large bowl and mash while still hot.
- Peel the remaining potato and coarsely grate it onto a clean tea towel.
- Wring the potato in the towel, trying to extract as much liquid as possible, then add them to the bowl of mashed potatoes and toss to combine.
To Make the Boxty Batter
- Fold in the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper until evenly distributed.
- Stir in the buttermilk to make a thick batter.
To Cook the Boxty
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add 1 generous tablespoon of oil to the pan.
- Scoop about ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) of batter into the pan and spread into roughly a 4 inch (10 cm) circle. Cook 2 - 3 boxty at a time.
- Cook gently for 4–5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Transfer to a plate and keep warm while cooking the remaining batter.
To Serve and Store the Boxty
- Enjoy warm alongside a traditional Irish fry or sour cream and smoked salmon. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Recipe Notes
- Squeeze the grated potatoes well. Excess moisture will make the boxty heavy.
- Mash the potatoes while they're still hot. If they sit too long, they'll become gluey.
- Use leftover mashed potatoes if you have them. Use 1 cup (8 oz / 225 g) mashed potatoes and add an equal amount by weight of grated potatoes.
- Measure the flour carefully. Too much flour will make the boxty heavy.
- Cook over gentle heat. This will ensure that the inside cooks before the outside browns.
- Oil is best for cooking, since butter can burn. If you prefer the flavor of butter, use a mix of butter and oil.
- Adjust batter for the proper thickness. If the batter feels too thick, add a splash of buttermilk; if too loose, add a little flour.
- Use a cast-iron or non-stick pan. Either type of pan will work, but a cast iron skillet or griddle will create a crispier crust.
- Keep cooked pancakes warm. Put them in a sheet pan or oven-safe plate in a warm oven while you finish cooking.
- Use my substitute if you don't have buttermilk. You can use my homemade buttermilk substitute for this recipe.
- Mix gently. Do not overmix the batter, or your boxty will end up being gummy.
- Add flavors:
- Herbed Boxty: These potatoes serve as a neutral base for more flavorful toppings, but you can also add finely minced scallions to the batter for an extra layer of flavor.
- Spicy Boxty: Mix in 1 teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce for a spicy twist on the potato pancake.
- Cheddar Boxty: Fold 1 cup (4 oz/115 g) of grated Irish cheddar cheese into the potato mixture to make a savory, cheesy potato pancake.
