This Irish Colcannon is made oil and dairy free for a lightened up version of a traditional dish! Packed with flavors of roasted garlic and leeks, you'll find yourself craving this homey side dish all year long!
Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish that is packed with cabbage, mashed potatoes and usually lots of cream and butter.
I'm a fan of chunky mashed potatoes. If you like your mashed potatoes pulverized into a borderline smoothie bowl texture, these may not be your potatoes. But really. All potatoes are my potatoes, no matter their texture. Let's be honest here. Potatoes are LIFE.
Irish Colcannon is rustic, homey and just the perfect comfort dish for any day of the week. Although, it's more popular in the US as a St. Patty's Day side dish. Pair it with some Vegan Corned Beef and a Shamrock Shake and you've got the most festive meal out there.
Anywhooooo, Colcannon. We're here to talk about Colcannon.
Why make a Healthy Colcannon?
This recipe puts a simple twist on a classic recipe. You'll find a ton of recipes online for traditional colcannon are loaded to the brim with cream and butter. But we're vegan here and we also like to try to keep things on the less artery clogging side.
So we're skipping the dairy. And we're skipping the vegan butter too, it's just not needed. (But if butter is your thing... topping this colcannon with a nice pat of vegan butter is 👌)
your heart thanks you.
I promise. You won't miss it. This Vegan Colcannon recipe is loaded with flavor from the creamy, oven roasted garlic and oniony sautéed leeks! Add in some seasonings, cabbage (of course!) and mix it all together and you've got yourself a winner.
I love to pair this on St. Patty's Day with my Vegan Corned Beef! The Au Jus from that recipe is an absolutely MOUTH-WATERING addition to spoon lightly over your Colcannon. (You'll thank me for that tip later, promise).
Substitutions & Variations
Here's a few swaps and variations that you could make for Irish Colcannon
- Cabbage- You can swap the cabbage for another hearty green, like kale or savory cabbage.
- Roasted Garlic- the roasted garlic is a huge flavor booster in this recipe, but if you're short on time you can make a substitution. You could either saute some minced garlic in with your leeks OR add in garlic powder when mashing, about 1-2 teaspoons to taste.
- Russet Potatoes- I have found the best results with russet potatoes, however you could substitute another variety of your choice.
- Better with Butter- If you feel like you need to add some butter to this recipe. Don't let me stop you! You could top them off when finished with a pat of vegan butter OR add in 2 tablespoons when you go to mash it up.
This Colcannon recipe is vegan, gluten free, dairy and nut free as written. 💜
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! Take a picture and tag me on Instagram @samcookskindness !
Recipe
Irish Colcannon with Roasted Garlic
Ingredients
- 1-2 heads of garlic left whole, unpeeled
- 2 lbs russet potatoes peeled & roughly chopped
- 1½ cup plant based milk unsweetened
- 1 large leek, white & pale-green parts only
- 3 cups thinly sliced white or savoy cabbage about ½ cabbage
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roast Garlic - Set oven to 400°. Slice unpeeled bulb of garlic in half right through the middle of the head. Wrap in foil with cut sides facing up. Roast for 40-50 minutes then set aside to cool.
- Cook Potatoes - In a large pot add potatoes and cover them with cold water. Cover pot and bring to a boil for about 10 minute. Carefully pour out most of the water, leaving a couple inches in the bottom of the pot. Cover and steam over medium heat for about 20 minutes until potatoes are cooked through.
- To prepare leek, slice in half lengthwise and wash well. Thinly sliced crosswise into half moons. Add leeks to a large sauté pan with a ¼ cup of water (or vegetable broth). Sauté for about 10 minutes until softened
- Quarter cabbage and thinly slice. Add to skillet with leeks and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until wilted. Add plant based milk to skillet and bring to a low simmer
- Remove roasted garlic from skin, add to potatoes and roughly mash. Stir in cabbage, leek & milk mixture until combined. Season to taste with salt & pepper.Top with flaky salt or vegan butter. Enjoy!
KEVIN FOODIE says
This is a very interesting side dish. I personally prefer vegetables added to my mashed potato. Never thought of mashing potatoes with cabbage. Will definitely be trying this recipe. thanks for sharing.
Sam says
I hope you love it! I'm a huge fan of mixing things in my mashed potatoes so Colcannon was a fast favorite of mine!