I know I'm a little late to the St. Patrick's Day party, but here is my Vegan Instant Pot Colcannon recipe than many of you have requested. It's got a ton of greens, it's completely oil-free, and you make it all in just one pot - nothing could be easier.
If you've never heard of Colcannon, it's a traditional Irish comfort food recipe that has been around for centuries.
During the 1700’s, potatoes, cabbages, and leeks were very common in Ireland, so it was just a matter of time before a dish was created that combined all of them. The word colcannon is from the Gaelic term “cal ceannann” which means white-headed cabbage.
So basically, Colcannon is made of 4 simple ingredients.
- Potatoes, in which I chose Yukon Golds because they make super creamy mashed potatoes.
- Cabbage and/or kale - I think Dr. Essesltyn would approve.
- Milk was also a common ingredient, and fortunately for us, we now have a wide variety of plant-milks that will do the job nicely.
- And then there's butter. And while any of our modern plant-based butter brands would do the job, I chose another ingredient that still gives us that same umami flavor - but without all the artery-clogging fat.
Mashed potatoes with cabbage, and a little milk and butter - that's Colcannon. Pure 100% Irish comfort food.
I made it Vegan by eliminating the milk, I made it plant-based by eliminating the vegan butter, and I made it EASY by cooking the entire recipe in one pot - my Instant Pot.
Hope you enjoy.
Vegan Instant Pot Colcannon
For those of you who do not own an Instant Pot, I'm sure you can modify this recipe for your stovetop. Boil your potatoes, steam your greens, mix them together. Easy peasy.
But the Instant Pot is quicker and you'll have less of a mess to clean. If you're interested, I'll add my Amazon Affiliate Links below to both the Instant Pot I use as well as the steamer basket. Note that as an Amazon Affiliate I do earn from your purchases but at no extra cost to you.
We'll start my softening up our greens.
I chopped about 2 cups of green cabbage and added it to my Instant Pot. I bought a head of cabbage weeks ago to make fresh sauerkraut and never did, so I managed to salvage around 2 cups before it went entirely bad - oops.
Next, I bought a 12 oz bundle of Organic Kale from my local Kroger. So I took about half of that and stripped the leaves off of the stems. I then chopped the leaves and weighed them - approximately 3 ounces.
I don't think the amounts will matter much as we all know Kale will wilt down into basically nothing.
So with the cabbage and kale in my Instant Pot, I added ¼ cup of low-sodium vegetable broth and pressed the SAUTE button. I don't saute in oil - ever - so I use Veg Broth or Water instead. When the kale began to wilt I added 4 chopped green onions (scallions) and 3-4 cloves of minced garlic.
Stir for about a minute until the onions begin to soften - and then press CANCEL/KEEP WARM to turn off the heat.
Next, I added ½ cup of water to my Instant Pot along with my steamer basket. I don't add much water here so I won't have to drain any excess later. One-pot - easy peasy.
Then I added my potatoes, about 3 pounds of quartered Yukon Golds (about 8-9 potatoes).
Attach the lid, make sure the vent valve is sealed, press MANUAL, and set your timer for 7 minutes. When it finishes, let it naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes before carefully releasing any remaining pressure yourself.
Now - as Hulk would say - we SMASH - right in the Instant Pot. (Do remove the steamer basket is you used one first)
As you're mashing your potatoes, if they seem a little dry, simple add ¼ cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk. This will make them super creamy.
You may have noticed, up until now we have NOT added any butter or salt or any kind of seasoning. So let's add the secret ingredient now that will replace the butter, give us that Umami flavor we love so much, AND our sodium to season these potatoes.
Add one heaping tablespoon of White Miso.
Stir that in and give it a taste. You can always add more salt (and pepper) here if you need it.
Miso is a salty, fermented soybean paste that adds so much flavor to dishes I'm surprised it's not used more. I have found it in the refrigerated section of my grocery store (near the Tofu) and on the shelves (Asian food section). If your store doesn't carry it, stores like Whole Food, Trader Joes, and New Seasons will surely have it.
That's it. Another recipe to show you how EASY eating this way can be. You get your beloved McDougall Starch AND Esselstyn Greens in one easy recipe that can be made in minutes, and in one 'easy-to-clean' pot.
Hope you enjoy it and please be sure to leave those comments down below.
Until next week, have a Happy and SAFE Independence Day America and remember to wear your masks and keep your distance. This virus is still here and it looks to be gearing up for another wave.
STAY SAFE!
Vegan Instant Pot Colcannon
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 17 min
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Potato, Main
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Irish
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Here is my Vegan Instant Pot Colcannon recipe than many of you have requested. It's got a ton of greens, it's completely oil-free, and you make it all in just one pot - nothing could be easier.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups chopped green cabbage
- 3 ounces chopped kale leaves
- 4 chopped green onions
- 3-4 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup water
- 3 lbs yukon gold potatoes
- 1 Tbs white miso
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk (if needed)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add cabbage and kale to instant pot
- Add broth and SAUTE until the kale is slightly wilted
- Add onions and garlic, SAUTE 1 minute and press CANCEL
- Add water and potatoes
- Attach lid, make sure vent is sealed, press MANUAL 7 minutes
- After it finishes, let it sit for 10 minutes
- CAREFULLY vent any remaining pressure and remove lid
- Add miso and mash, adding almond milk as needed
- Add salt and pepper if needed and serve
Annette Brown
This is so delicious & so healthy, Thank You. I used the bag of cole slaw & followed the rest of your directions & it was the best. Definitely a keeper!
AH
I made this tonight and used brocolli instead of kale. Also used baby red instead of Yukon and didn't add the salt. This still looks delicious. Waiting for it cool for final taste test. It passed the can't wait for it to cool taste test
Brenda V Schnell
Oh my this is going to be another favorite! I had 2 leeks so I used them instead of the green onions and Napa cabbage. I didn't need to add any additional plant milk, there was enough moisture in the pot. I just put the potatoes on top of the steamed veg and it turned out great!!
Mike morgan
Damn fine, a keeper! I'm new to the whole plant thing and was skeptical, but the first recipe I saw on you site was colcannon , and I'd been meaning to make it to try, so I took the plunge. User the Instant-Pot and everything per recipe as I refuse to tinker until I've tried it. A tad more garlic next time, and maybe one more green onion. I did mount not having bacon crumbles and butter, but the miso made an interesting plus, so I'm happy.
Nina
Hi apologies... yet another question ?do you mash the 1/2 cup of liquid into the potatoes? I made this today but made an error... whoops I added a full cup,of water to the bottom of the Cooker. I drained the vegetables but the greens were quite overcooked. I live in the UK and own a Heston slow fast cooker similar I think to Breville. Unfortunately, here in UK there are no Yukon gold potatoes so,I used King Edwards (a starchY variety) I will try the recipe again with the half cup of water, but wasn’t sure if to mash it into the,potatoes, I had a.fridge clear out and used up some Shredded Cavalo Nero cabbage a leek and spring onions. I used the finished mash to top a veggie lentil shepherds pie. It worked well but would appreciate your advice... I put my potatoes in a steamer basket in a trivet over the greens. Is that the way you are meant to cook the recipe?
Maggie
This was so good! I'm lazy so i just put everything in without sauteing first. Still tasted amazing! Will be making again?
VeggieT8r
LOL I did the same thing! Unless you need to really soften or brown certain veggies first, I never notice any difference between doing the water "saute", or just tossing it all in at once and cooking.
Kathy Strom
I made this recipe tonight and it was even more delicious than I imagined it would be! I did not add any salt, but I did add pepper. I had never thought of miso for anything like this. I had some miso on hand so I figured I'd give this a try. Glad I did! ?
Carole Kapsner
Made this today.... Have a hard time with "dry potatoes" -- this is pretty good with some nutritional yeast sprinkled on top.... the cabbage adds some juiciness to potatoes. The addition of something else on my plate would have been a good idea--maybe corn? -,better yet, a salad, --but it's so h0t I didn't feel like making another dish.
Carole
I have to add that I'm a single person and made the whole recipe which I likely should have decreased by half.... HOWEVER, it's even better a day later and a second day and there still is some left. This dish is really good. Thanks Brand New Vegan! Hit the target on this one 🙂
Diane Valentine
This dish has always been a favorite with me. Back in the day I always added bacon to this. I also do not own an instant pot. I make my mashed potatoes with plant milk, nooch and onion powder, then I saute my chopped cabbage with some of your bacon marinade. Mixed together and it gave really good flavor. Try it if you ever run out of miso!
Denise
I loved the recipe! Thank you! I admit I was feeling lazy when I made it. Therefore, I omitted the sauté step, threw everything into the pot at once, and cooked it at pressure right away. It still turned out great.
June
HI Chuck...what Instant Pot do you use?
Nina
Do you remove the cabbage onions etc. Then Discard water and fill instant pot with 1 cup fresh water and then mash altogether at the end or keep the cabbage etc in the instant pot whilst the potatoes are cooking.. in steamer basket on top? thanks
Chuck Underwood
No - leave the greens in. Do not discard the water. Yes I added the steamer basket on top.
Dee Bella
Looks like another winner Chuck! These are my favorite foods. Love me some cabbage with mashed potatoes and greens and I'm loving it. Thank you so much for sharing. I know I will enjoy it, and it will probably become one of my regulars. 🙂
Susan in Salem
This looks great. I appreciate the work you do to save our health and our planet. Kind of an important job, yes? I'm confused by this recipe. Do I just lay the steamer basket over the top of the wilted veg? Or do I take the veg out, cook the potatoes, then return the veg for the mashing,/smashing step? Couldn't I just put the potatoes in the IP on top of the wilted veg? Why couldn't I just put all ingredients in the IP, cook and mash without the saute step? Have I used up all my questions yet?
Chuck Underwood
"Do I just lay the steamer basket over the top of the wilted veg?" Yes
"Couldn’t I just put the potatoes in the IP on top of the wilted veg?" Maybe - probably - try it.
"Why couldn’t I just put all ingredients in the IP, cook and mash without the saute step?" I wanted to saute the greens in the onion/garlic flavored broth first.
"Have I used up all my questions yet?" Ask away 🙂
Annette
This was the most tastiest & easiest recipe I checked out for Colcannon. I didn’t use basket just added potatoes after sautéing veggies. Definitely will be my go to from now on. Thank You so much. Exactly what I was searching for!
Judy
You are so right! A very confusing recipe. If I didn’t read the notes above the recipe I wouldn’t have known to quarter the potatoes because the recipe just says to put the potatoes in the pot. And I, like many others, questioned putting the basket on top of the greens which I have never seen in a recipe before. And I teach at a vegan cooking school!