Irish Potato Farls

Have you heard of Irish Potato Farls? No? Well, if you love potato pancakes, you’ll love potato farls. They’re easy to make with fresh or left over potatoes.

When I was working on this recipe I once again consulted my Irish mom. I asked if she’d heard of potato farls and she said she hadn’t. But that’s not surprising since “farl” is more of an Ulster term and my mom is from Limerick.

But as soon as I described the recipe she said, “Oh, my mother used to make something like that”. She went on to describe all the different potato pancakes and potato breads her mother made, almost always starting with leftover potatoes.

Potato Farl Ingredients

  • Russet potatoes 
  • Salt
  • Irish Butter 
  • All purpose flour 
  • Baking powder
  • Black pepper
  • Scallions 

How to make Irish Potato Farls:

Image one shows chopped potatoes and water in a pot. Image 2 shows all th ingredients for potato farls assembled on a white countertop.
  • Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender.
  • Assemble the ingredients and mix the dough while the potatoes are warm.
Photo 1 shows riced potatoes in a pot with butter. Photo 2 shows flour being added to the potatoes. Photo 3 shows the shaggy dough on a work surface ready for kneading.
  • Rice or mash the potatoes and add the butter.
  • Stir the flour into the mashed potatoes.
  • Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and knead in the scallions.
Photo 1 shows a ball of potato farl dough on a white surface. Photo 2 shows the dough patted to an 8" round and cut into 4 pieces.
  • Knead the dough into a ball and divide in half.
  • Pat each piece of dough to an 8″ round and cut into fourths (farls).
Photo 1 shows uncooked potato farls frying in butter in a pan. Photo two shows golden brown potato farls in a pan.
  • Fry the farls in butter.
  • Flip the farls and continue cooking until they’re golden brown and the center springs back when pressed.

FAQs Irish Potato Farls aka Irish Potato Pancakes

What’s the best type of potato to use for making Farls?

Russets are a high starch potato. You want to use the same sort of potato you’d use for making fluffy mashed potatoes. Yukon Golds would also work well.

Can I use left over mashed potatoes to make farls?

Yes, you’ll just need to make adjustments for any added butter, milk and salt in the left overs.

Can I use left over boiled potatoes?

Yes. Be sure to melt the butter before adding it to the cold potatoes.

Can I use left over baked potatoes to make farls?

Yes, just scoop the potato out of the skin and add melted butter.

Can potato farls be made ahead?

Yes, you can hold the uncooked farls in the refrigerator for several hours before frying. Uncooked farls can be frozen for several weeks. Defrost before frying. They are best eaten hot from the pan.

Can I reheat left over farls?

I doubt they’ll be any leftovers! But you can refrigerate left over farls for a day or two. Then reheat in the microwave briefly, or even better, reheat them in a little butter over low heat in a skillet.

What’s the best way to serve potato farls?

Farls are traditionally served with an Irish breakfast of bacon and eggs. But they’d also be nice along side Corned Beef on St. Patrick’s day or all by themselves for a hearty snack.

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4.89 from 9 reviews

Irish Potato Farls Recipe

Have you heard of Irish Potato Farls? No? Well, if you love potato pancakes, you'll love potato farls. They're easy to make with fresh or left over potatoes.
Prep Time30 minutes
Bake Time10 minutes
8 pieces
Save Recipe

Ingredients

  • 24 oz russet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1" cubes.)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt (divided)
  • 2 oz Irish Butter (room temperature, divided)
  • 3.75 oz all purpose flour (3/4 cup, see note)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 scallions (chopped fine)

Instructions

  • Place the potatoes in a pot of water with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Boil until the potatoes are tender. Drain.
    24 oz russet potatoes, 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
  • Pass the potatoes through a ricer back into the pot, or use a potato masher. Add 1 oz (2 tablespoons) of the butter and the remaining salt mix until the butter is melted. Add the flour, baking powder and pepper and stir until most of the flour is mixed in.
    1 1/2 teaspoons table salt, 2 oz Irish Butter, 3.75 oz all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in the chopped scallions then form the dough into a ball. Divide the dough in half.
    2 scallions
  • Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. While the pan is heating, pat each half of the dough to an 8" round, 1/4”thick. Use flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut the rounds into quarters. You'll have a total of 8 farls. (See Note)
  • Melt 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter in the pan. Fry half the farls in the butter until golden brown, then flip and fry the other side. Cook until both sides are golden brown and the farl springs back when pressed in the center. About 4 minutes per side.
    2 oz Irish Butter
  • Repeat with the remaining butter and farls. Serve immediately.
    2 oz Irish Butter

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Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.
At this point the farls can be covered and refrigerated or frozen to cook later. If frozen, defrost before cooking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 519mg | Potassium: 375mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 179IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
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7 Comments

  1. My Irish mum used to make these. She was from Belfast. She used self raising flour for everything – so no extra raising agents. She used cold potato and mixed in enough flour till it felt ‘right’ nothing else. Then dry fried in a frying pan, till there was a lovely skin with dark spots. Left to cool and either eaten cold with lots of Irish butter or then fried as part of an Irish breakfast. Delicious either way. Worth making extra mash just for this lovely left over dish. It was usually a round. Not cut they were called potato bread. Falrls were alway soda bread – not made in the oven but dry fried again. Eaten cold sliced open with butter or fried with
    breakfast. Sometimes made with raisins like scones.

    1. Well, truth be told, the recipes I came across in my research didn’t have scallions in them. I added them because the only thing better than a potato is a potato with some onion!

  2. I am German and I remember my mother making something like this when we had leftover potatoes as well. I thought she added an egg, which led me to the usual search. We called them Kartoffelkuechle. Looks like there are a variety of versions out there with more or less things added. Definetely comfort food.
    Do you wait a while to let the potatoes cool before adding the flour?

    1. Yes, I’m sure every culture has a version of this using left over potatoes. My mother recalled several versions her own mother made. I don’t wait for the potatoes to cool. By the time I run them through the ricer and melt the butter into them, the potatoes are cool enough to handle.