Irish Potato Candy
Irish potato candy is a sweet, creamy coconut candy made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and coconut, then rolled into little potato shapes and dusted with cinnamon. It’s no-bake, it makes about 50 pieces, and it’s one of the easiest candies you can make for St. Patrick’s Day.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Irish Potato Candy
- Serves: 50 candies
- Main Ingredients: cream cheese, at room temperature, unsalted butter, at room temperature, vanilla extract, pinch salt, powdered sugar, sweetened coconut flakes, ground cinnamon (or cocoa powder)
- Why You'll Love It: For fans of Mounds candy bars, Irish potato candy is made from a sweet and sugary combination of cream cheese and coconut rolled in cinnamon.
If you like Mounds bars or coconut cream eggs, you’re going to love these, and they come together with just a mixer, a baking sheet, and a little time in the fridge. Coconut fans should also try my coconut meringue pie.
What Is Irish Potato Candy?
The name is a little confusing, because these candies don’t come from Ireland and there’s no potato in them. Irish potato candy is a traditional candy from 19th-century Philadelphia, and around there you’ll often hear them called Irish potatoes. The cinnamon coating makes each little ball look like a tiny potato, which is where the name comes from.
Some folks call them coconut truffles, and that’s not far off. The filling is soft, sweet, and creamy with plenty of coconut texture, and the cinnamon on the outside adds just a little warmth.
This is a different candy from Southern old-fashioned potato candy, which really is made with mashed potato and rolled up with peanut butter. Both are delicious, but they’re not the same thing.
Ingredients for Irish Potato Candy
- Cream cheese and butter: Both need to be softened to room temperature so they whip up smooth and fluffy. You can even use my homemade cream cheese.
- Powdered sugar: This sweetens the candy and gives it enough body to hold its shape. Adding it slowly keeps it from flying out of the bowl.
- Sweetened coconut flakes: The coconut is what makes these taste like the inside of a Mounds bar. Finely shredded coconut makes a smoother candy.
- Ground cinnamon: Rolling the candies in cinnamon is what makes them look like little potatoes. Cocoa powder works too if you want a chocolate coating.
- Vanilla and a pinch of salt: These round out the sweetness. If you only have salted butter, just skip the pinch of salt.
You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.
Helpful Tips Before You Start
- Soften the cream cheese and butter. Cold cream cheese leaves little lumps, so let both sit out until they’re easy to press with a finger.
- Scrape the bowl often. A quick scrape after each addition makes sure everything gets mixed in evenly.
- Don’t skip the chill. Thirty minutes in the fridge firms up the mixture so it’s much easier to shape.
- Dampen your hands if it sticks. If the mixture gets sticky while you’re rolling, slightly damp hands help it shape smoothly.
- Keep them cold. Because they’re made with cream cheese, these candies need to stay refrigerated, just like cream cheese mints.
How to Make Irish Potato Candy
1. Beat the Cream Cheese and Butter
Combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt in a mixing bowl.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until it’s fluffy and smooth, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
2. Add the Powdered Sugar
With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar slowly.
Turn the speed back up to medium and mix for about 1 minute until smooth, then scrape down the bowl again.
3. Mix In the Coconut
Add the coconut and mix on low until it’s well combined.
4. Scoop and Chill
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it lightly with vegetable oil.
Scoop the coconut mixture onto the baking sheet by the tablespoon. They can sit close together, but don’t let them touch. Once you’ve used all the mixture, refrigerate the tray for 30 minutes, which is just enough time to stir up a batch of no-bake chocolate cookies if you’re making a candy tray.
5. Shape and Roll in Cinnamon
Put the cinnamon in a small bowl or on a plate. Roll each coconut ball into a little potato shape.
Gently roll each one in the cinnamon to coat it, then set it back on the tray. Keep the candies in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them.
Variations and Mix-Ins
- Chocolate Irish potatoes: Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the coconut mixture and roll the candies in cocoa instead of cinnamon.
- Peanut butter: Mix a spoonful of smooth peanut butter into the filling and dip them in chocolate, like a cross between these and homemade peanut butter cups.
- Nutty: Stir in about 1/2 cup of chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts.
- Cinnamon sugar: Mix the cinnamon with a tablespoon of granulated sugar for a sweeter coating.
- Mint: Swap the vanilla for peppermint extract.
- Bonbons: Skip the potato shape and roll them into round balls instead, a little like Grandmama’s bonbons.
Serving Irish Potato Candy for St. Patrick’s Day
These candies are a fun addition to a St. Patrick’s Day spread, and they look especially cute piled into a little bowl or a basket lined with green tissue paper. I like to set them out with a few other St. Patrick’s Day recipes, like a plate of mint chocolate chip cookies, after a pot of crock pot corned beef and cabbage.
They also make a sweet homemade gift. Pack them in a small tin or candy box lined with wax paper and keep them in the fridge until you hand them off.
Storage
Store Irish potato candy in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them in a container or freezer bag for up to 3 months, then thaw them in the fridge or at room temperature before serving. If you’re building a candy tray, they keep right alongside homemade caramels in the fridge.
Irish Potato Candy FAQs
What is Irish potato candy made of?
It’s made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and coconut, rolled in cinnamon.
Is Irish potato candy really Irish?
No. It’s a traditional candy from 19th-century Philadelphia, and it doesn’t contain any potatoes.
Why is it called Irish potato candy?
The cinnamon-dusted candies look like little potatoes, and they’re traditionally made around St. Patrick’s Day. It’s believed an Irish immigrant made the first ones.
Does Irish potato candy need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Because of the cream cheese, keep them in the fridge, where they’ll last up to 5 days.
Can I make them ahead?
Absolutely. They keep for up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer, so you can make them well before a party or tuck them into a box of homemade food gifts.
Irish Potato Candy
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2.5 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- 1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon (or cocoa powder)
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt in a mixing bowl. Use a mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer. Mix on medium speed until nice and fluffy and smooth (takes about 2-3 minutes). When done, make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt
- Then mix at low speed while adding the powdered sugar really slowly. Then increase the speed back up to medium and mix for about 1 minute until smooth. Scrape down those sides again with the spatula.4 cups powdered sugar
- Then add the coconut and mix on low speed until it’s well combined.2.5 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or spray the baking sheet with vegetable oil. Scoop the coconut mixture out with a tablespoon onto the baking sheet. They can be close together but don’t let them get too friendly and touch each other.
- When you have used up all the mixture, put the sheets in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Put the cinnamon in a small bowl or plate. Roll the coconut balls into potatoes. Coat in the cinnamon by gently rolling those little beauties in the powder. Put each candy back on the sheet and repeat.1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon (or cocoa powder)
- Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.