4.9 from 42 votes
Traditional Irish Boxty
Boxty are tasty, fluffy Irish potato cakes that are pan-fried like pancakes and served at breakfast. This is my family’s traditional recipe.
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 287 kcal
Course:
Breakfast
Cuisine:
Irish
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) mashed potato freshly made or leftovers
- 1 cup (250g) peeled and grated raw potato
- 1 ½ cups (220g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb of soda)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (250ml) buttermilk (or 250ml milk with 2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice stirred in and left for 5 mins)
- butter or oil for frying
Instructions
- Wring the grated potato out in a clean tea towel to dry it out a little. Discard the starchy water.
- Add all ingredients except the buttermilk to a mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
- Stir in the buttermilk to make a thick batter.
- Heat a little oil or butter in a frying pan over a medium/low heat, then add tablespoonfuls of the boxty batter and fry until golden and cooked though, about 5 minutes per side. Flip and cook the other side.
- If making batches, keep them warm in the oven.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- Variations
- You can use leftover mashed potatoes.
- If you don't have buttermilk, just sour regular milk with lemon juice or vinegar.
- Instead of buttermilk, you could also use watered down plain yogurt.
- Boxty take longer to cook than pancakes, since you need to cook the grated potato. Keep the heat to medium/low and let them cook until golden.
- Don't leave out the baking soda. It reacts with the buttermilk to make the pancakes light and fluffy.
- Add a handful of chopped scallions into the mixture.
- Try it with double the raw grated potatoes and leave out the mashed potatoes.
- Add some grated cheese into the batter for a cheesy boxty recipe.
- Add some seasoning into the batter. Try some ground cumin, Old Bay Seasoning, Baharat spice blend or some mixed herbs.
- Add chopped chives, rosemary, thyme or other fresh herbs.
- Make it sweet by swapping out the salt and adding a tablespoon of sugar.
- Add sauteed onions.
Nutrition Information
Calories
287kcal
(14%)
Carbohydrates
60g
(20%)
Protein
9g
(18%)
Fat
1g
(2%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Cholesterol
1mg
(0%)
Sodium
929mg
(39%)
Potassium
436mg
(12%)
Fiber
3g
(12%)
Sugar
4g
(8%)
Vitamin A
3IU
(0%)
Vitamin C
23mg
(26%)
Calcium
25mg
(3%)
Iron
3mg
(17%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 287
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 287kcal | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 60g | 20% |
| Protein | 9g | 18% |
| Fat | 1g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 1mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 929mg | 39% |
| Potassium | 436mg | 9% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 3IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 23mg | 26% |
| Calcium | 25mg | 3% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.