Instant Pot Colcannon is the best way to make traditional Irish mashed potatoes at home. Ready in less than 30-minutes, our pressure cooker colcannon recipe utilizes homemade mashed potatoes, freshly cooked bacon, and sauteed cabbage to bring you a delicious side dish that will help make your St. Patrick's Day a WHOLE LOTTA YUM.
Colcannon Instant Pot Recipe
So if you're reading this and you're Irish, then you'll already know in Ireland colcannon is actually served at HALLOWEEN. But us Americans love to go full-on Irish for St Patrick's Day and so many popular Irish comfort food recipes are best served over potatoes. This is where colcannon comes in! If I were you, I'd just add it to your regular monthly rotation they are THAT yummy!
While you can certainly serve up your pressure cooker colcannon as a side dish to a wide variety of both Irish recipes as well American recipes that pair well with mashed potatoes, the most common use of colcannon is to serve it with Instant Pot Guinness beef stew and let your cabbage and bacon-infused mashed potatoes soak up all of that delicious stout-flavored broth.
Why You'll Love This!
- Ready in under 30-minutes our pressure cooker colcannon with bacon helps you make creamy Irish mashed potatoes right in your own home.
- Made with butter and cream, our Instant Pot colcannon recipe is rich and creamy.
- Our colcannon instant pot recipe is the best way to make traditional Irish colcannon right at home.
- Irish mashed potatoes is the perfect recipe for those following a gluten-free lifestyle.
- Pressure cooker colcannon is a quick and easy recipe that pairs well with both traditional Irish dishes as well as many American options as well.
Make yourself the luckiest house on the block when you serve your Instant Pot colcannon with bacon alongside other traditional Irish fares including Instant Pot Guinness Beef Stew, Irish Bangers, and Irish soda bread - all of which are leprechaun approved!
Ingredient Notes
Similar to a baked potato, your Instant Pot Colcannon ingredients list read like a classic American side dish.
- Russet potatoes - peeled and cut into 1 ½" chunks
- bacon - chopped
- cabbage or kale
- butter
- salt
- black pepper
- whole milk or cream - heated
- garnish with bacon, green onions, and butter
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Variations
While cabbage is the traditional green used in Colcannon, kale is a terrific alternative.
Equipment
A Pressure Cooker - This is the Instant Pot model that we used, we also have a Ninja Foodi pressure cooker & air fryer combo.
Diet Adaptions
- Vegetarian - Create a vegetarian colcannon by omitting the bacon and replacing the dairy products with approved substitutions.
Step by Step Instructions
To make your Instant Pot colcannon with bacon you are going to start by sauteing both your bacon and spinach, followed by a quick pressure cook of your peeled and prepped potatoes. From there, combine all ingredients and serve.
Making traditional colcannon at home in your Instant Pot is so easy, you just made tempted to also make a batch in the fall, which is when the Irish typically makes this dish.
Prep Ingredients
Peep and chop your Russet potatoes.
Turn the pressure cooker to Saute High, once the pot reads Hot, add the chopped bacon and saute it until browned, which takes about 5-6 minutes. Remove the bacon and set it aside.
Leave 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the bottom of the pot to cook the greens and discard the rest.
Add the sliced cabbage or kale to the Instant Pot and saute it for 2-3 minutes, until it's softened.
Turn the Instant Pot off by pressing the Cancel button.
Add 1 cup of water to the pot to deglaze the pan by using a metal spatula scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any remaining bacon or stuck-on food bits. This will help prevent getting a Burn signal during cooking under pressure.
Pressure Cook
Add the peeled potato chunks to the Instant Pot. Put the lid on your pressure cooker. Using the manual settings, turn your Instant Pot to Manual High for 5 minutes. Some models might call the manual setting Pressure Cook.
Assemble
Do a Natural Release of the remaining pressure in the pot.
Remove the pot from the pressure cooker unit and mash the potatoes with cabbage or kale right in the pot with a fork or potato masher.
Add the butter, salt, and pepper and combine it with the potatoes until the butter is melted.
Microwave the milk or cream for 30 seconds and stir that into the potatoes at well.
Adjust the seasonings and add more salt and pepper if desired.
Serve warm with bacon and green onions sprinkled on top of the colcannon and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Make sure the potatoes are cut into 1 ½" cubes or slightly smaller so they'll be cooked through after 5 minutes of pressure cooking.
- If by chance your potatoes aren't fork tender after pressure cooking, put the lid back on and pressure cook for 1 more minute.
- You can skip cooking the bacon in the Instant Pot but it really does add amazing flavor to the potatoes. If you don't add bacon, add a little olive oil to the pot.
- Warming the cream before adding it to the potatoes helps it to incorporate better.
Common Questions
Colcannon is an Irish version of mashed potatoes that is served with bacon and cabbage, typically in the fall for Halloween. In America you generally find Colcannon being served up for luck and fun during St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
Colcannon is Irish mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale where as champ is Irish mashed potatoes with green onions.
You can store any leftover colcannon in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air-tight container.
More Irish Recipes
Looking for more Irish recipes?
- Instant Pot Guinness Beef Stew
- Irish Bangers and Mash
- Irish Soda Bread (without Buttermilk)
- Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread
- Slow Cooker Cabbage and Bacon
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
Instant Pot Colcannon with Bacon
Ingredients
- 3 lb Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½" chunks
- 5 slices bacon, chopped
- 3 cups cabbage or kale
- ½ cup butter (one stick) + more to garnish
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ C-⅔ C whole milk or cream, heated
- garnish with bacon, green onions, and butter
Instructions
- Turn the pressure cooker to Saute High, once the pot reads Hot, add the chopped bacon and saute it until browned, which takes about 5-6 minutes. Remove the bacon and set it aside. Leave 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the bottom of the pot to cook the greens and discard the rest.
- Add the sliced cabbage or kale to the Instant Pot and saute it for 2-3 minutes, until it's softened. Turn the Instant Pot off by pressing the Cancel button. Add 1 cup of water to the pot to deglaze the pan by using a metal spatula scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any remaining bacon or stuck-on food bits. This will help prevent getting a Burn signal during cooking under pressure.
- Add the peeled potato chunks to the Instant Pot. Put the lid on your pressure cooker. Using the manual settings, turn your Instant Pot to Manual High for 5 minutes. Some models might call the manual setting Pressure Cook.
- Do a Natural Release of the remaining pressure in the pot. Remove the pot from the pressure cooker unit and mash the potatoes with cabbage or kale right in the pot with a fork or potato masher.
- Add the butter, salt, and pepper and combine it with the potatoes until the butter is melted. Microwave the milk or cream for 30 seconds and stir that into the potatoes at well.
- Adjust the seasonings and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve warm with bacon and green onions sprinkled on top of the colcannon and enjoy!
Notes
Make sure the potatoes are cut into 1 ½" cubes or slightly smaller so they'll be cooked through after 5 minutes of pressure cooking. By chance your potatoes aren't fork tender after pressure cooking, put the lid back on and pressure cook for 1 more minute.
You can skip cooking the bacon in the Instant Pot but it really does add amazing flavor to the potatoes. If you don't add bacon, add a little olive oil to the pot.
While cabbage is the traditional green used in Colcannon, kale is a terrific alternative.
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