Colcannon Recipe- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Kale and Butter

Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish of extremely creamy and buttery mashed potatoes with ribbons of sauteed kale and onion. This Instant Pot Colcannon recipe makes it SUPER easy to make in one pot!

Stovetop and Instant Pot instructions included

Colcannon Potatoes

I first tried Colcannon at a fancy restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City (read about it here). I had never had mashed potatoes that intentionally had mixins besides bacon and cheese, so I was intrigued!

The potatoes were incredibly smooth and ridiculously creamy, and had ribbons of sauteed onion and kale running throughout. The restaurant served it with their surf and turf and covered it in a reduced sauce of some kind. Delicious!

Colcannon Recipe

Traditional Colcannon is an Irish dish that is basically mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage. I choose to make my Colcannon recipe with kale and onion, but you can add any variation you like!

You can add green onions, leeks, chives, cabbage, kale, herbs, or other hearty green that has been sauteed and will add a nice texture to the smooth potatoes. On the same lines, you can omit the onions if you’re not a huge fan.

The nice thing about this dish is that if some people in your family prefer regular mashed potatoes, you can scoop out their portion first before adding the kale to the rest of the pot, or vice versa.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

I love making these potatoes in my 3 quart Instant Pot Duo. Having a mini 3 quart is SO nice to have to make all the side dishes while my 6 quart Instant Pot makes the main dish! I also almost always have it on the counter making Instant Pot yogurt.

Check out my post on the Best Instant Pot to Buy and the Best Instant Pot Accessories to buy and avoid!

Instant Pot Colcannon vs Instant Pot mashed potatoes

The difference between Instant Pot Colcannon and Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes is the FLAVOR!

There’s a lot more creaminess and flavor to these potatoes than traditional potatoes, so there’s no need for a gravy or sauce. These stand alone as a delicious vegetable side dish. These would also be an amazing addition to any holiday table!

I use seasoned salt, better than bouillon (chicken base), Cream Cheese, and a high quality butter to flavor this Colcannon recipe.

Tips for Making this Colcannon Recipe

• Don’t add too much butter when sauteeing the kale and onions, or it will have a hard time incorporating into the potatoes.
• DO NOT OVERMIX the potatoes, lest you end up with something that resembles wallpaper paste.
• Don’t be modest with the butter and cream. We’ve already decided this is a luxurious dish that does not need any corners cut. Use the cream and butta! Don’t hold back!

Stovetop instructions

If you prefer to make these colcannon potatoes on the stove than the Instant Pot, it’s easy to do as well! Just follow these steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt, potatoes, and the lid. Reduce the temperature to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce through the potatoes.
• While the potatoes are cooking, saute the kale and onions in a separate pan.
• When the potatoes are done, drain them and return to the pot with the cream cheese, cream, butter, and salt and pepper. Close the lid and let the cream cheese and butter melt.
• Carefully mash until smooth.
• Gently fold in the kale and onions.
• Spoon into a serving bowl and top with more melted butter and freshly cracked pepper.