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10 St. Patrick’s Day Desserts You Must Try

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a selection of tasty Irish desserts. Discover mouthwatering recipes for Irish apple cake, Guinness cake, bread pudding with whiskey sauce, and more treats!

First posted on February 21, 2023. Last updated on March 7, 2024 with new recipes.


St. Patrick’s Day is great if you are someone who loves to go out for a pint of beer or if you’re like me and love to indulge in a boozy dessert. Every March 17th is a wonderful opportunity to watch a parade and head to your local Irish pub.

Of course, St. Patrick’s Day has much greater significance than eating and drinking (or wearing something green). Like for example, did you know St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland was actually British?

Every good celebration however is always better with good food and drink so in that spirit, I’ve scoured the internet to find 10 of the most drool-worthy desserts. Don’t worry, there are plenty of non-alcoholic options and colorful, fun sweets for the kids too.

Read on to discover your most delicious pot of gold!

10 St. Patrick’s Day Desserts

1. Mint Chocolate Cupcakes from Barley and Sage

The flavors of mint and chocolate aren’t necessarily Irish but are very popular among Irish-Americans. These soft, fluffy chocolate cupcakes flavored with mint extract are topped with white chocolate and mint buttercream. Garnish with Thin Mint cookies (or Andes mints), chocolate shavings and fresh mint leaves.

Four chocolate cupcakes topped with green frosting, a mint leaf, chocolate shavings and a thin mint cookie.
Image by Barley and Sage

2. Cheesecake Stuffed Irish Cream Bundt Cake from My Kitchen Little

This subtly chocolate butter cake has a creamy layer of cheesecake baked right in the middle. The cheesecake filling is simply sandwiched between two layers of cake batter then baked. Baileys Irish cream goes in the cake, the filling, and the glaze! One slice is pure heaven. 

A chocolate bundt cake with a piece removed topped with white glaze sitting on a cake stand.
Image from My Kitchen Little

3. Lucky Charms Cookies from Broken Oven Baking

Rich vanilla cookies with Lucky Charms marshmallow rainbows and clovers baked right in. The popular kid’s cereal makes these cookies sweet and super cute. Go the extra mile and turn these into ice cream sandwiches or with a layer of vanilla buttercream in the middle. FYI, you don’t have to buy the box of cereal and pick out the marshmallows, they sell bags of Lucky Charms marshmallows for just this occasion.

4. Gluten-Free “Guinness” Cake With Bailey’s Buttercream from A Girl Defloured

Dark, rich chocolate cake with an added boost of richness from gluten-free stout beer. This decadent treat is deliciously over the top with luxurious Bailey’s Irish Cream frosting.

5. Homemade Shamrock Shake by Nibbles and Feasts

If you are a child of the 80’s there was nothing more exciting than when the Shamrock Shakes hit McDonalds every spring. Now we can just make our own (better) version at home! Brilliantly green (thanks to food coloring), frosty and minty, topped with whipped cream and everything.  

6. Pistachio Ice Cream from What Great Grandma Ate

This easy (dare I say, healthy?) ice cream recipe might be my new favorite St. Patrick’s Day dessert. One bite of this rich and creamy pistachio ice cream you would never guess it is vegan, paleo and made from only 4 ingredients! Top with green sprinkles to be extra festive. 

7. Gluten Free Irish Apple Cake from A Girl Defloured

I’m pretty sure this cake is what is at the end of the rainbow. The batter is filled with sweet apples and warm cinnamon. The crust on top is a wonderful crumbly topping, plus bonus–gluten free!

8. Irish Potato Candy from Host the Toast

Green foods abound for St. Patrick’s Day but cute candy potatoes steal the show. This is a no-cook treat made from cream cheese, coconut, and cinnamon. They are a popular confection around the Philadelphia area and are super adorable dusted with cinnamon to give them a potato-like appearance.

A white ramekin filled with potato-looking candies.
Image by Host the Toast

9. Irish Bread Pudding with Whiskey Carmel Sauce from The Cookie Rookie

Love these individual bread puddings with vanilla, cinnamon, and Irish whiskey. The raisins are traditional but you could swap them for chocolate chips if you like. The Irish whiskey caramel sauce however, is not optional but must be spooned in large amounts over the top. Serve warm with big scoops of ice cream.

10. Soft Lime Sugar Cookies from ¡Hola! Jalapeño

I’m not sure where along the way lime-flavored things got tossed into the mix of St. Patrick’s Day desserts, but I guess all green things count. These cookies are simply unforgettable, chewy with a crackly top and full of bright lime flavor.

A stack of lime sugar cookies on a white and blue napkin on a white counter.
Image by ¡Hola! Jalapeño

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