Easy Corned Beef and Cabbage Latkes

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These Corned Beef and Cabbage Latkes are the answer to your St. Patrick’s Day menu… and a great way to use leftover roast.

Because I love entertaining, I am always looking for ways to serve up new, interesting, seasonal happy hour bites. When a full meal seams too fussy or over-the-top, but your guests are coming around right before the dinner hour, something hearty and easy to nibble alongside a cold beverage is sure to be a hit!

What makes this the perfect St. Patrick’s Day appetizer?

If you’re anything like me, corned beef isn’t standard on the weekly dinner menu. It’s a dish that we enjoy once (maybe twice) a year and often enough we have a tough time using up all the leftovers. It had me thinking, what if we took all the salty, briny goodness of this classic Irish-American meal and created a bite-sized appetizer perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!? I’m both a dreamer AND a doer, so I decided to bring it to life.

The layers of classic ingredients paired with a zippy horseradish aioli make this an appetizer your guests are unlikely to forget. And that crispy, savory latke? Unbelievably good.

How to make the best Corned Beef and Cabbage Latkes

Here’s how you make the best Corned Beef and Cabbage Latkes:

  • Make the quick-pickled cabbage: Add shredded cabbage, vinegar, sugar, and mustard to a small sauce pan on medium heat. Simmer and stir until the cabbage becomes a bit translucent and is about half way to being kraut-like, about 5 minutes. Chill before assembling the latkes. *You can substitute your favorite sauerkraut for the slaw, if you like. Just know the end product will be on the saltier side.
  • Make the horseradish aioli: Add the mayo, horseradish, mustard, lemon juice, and black pepper to a small bowl and stir until well combined. Set aside.
  • Assemble the Latkes: Once all components are prepared, corned beef and latkes should still be warm, the cabbage and aioli chilled. Layer the components in a stack with the latke as the base: Latke, aioli, corned beef, and quick-pickled cabbage. Repeat until you have a platter of appetizer-sized bites. Plan on about 2-3 per person.

Tips and Tricks for Corned Beef and Cabbage Latkes

Timing matters. I attempted to buy a corned beef roast at the market in January and struck out at three common grocery stores. Apparently this is not a year-round item found at most butcher counters! I learned that if I’ll be using this particular specialty beef in any recipes or content leading up to the St. Patrick’s Day season, keeping one in the freezer from the year prior is the way to go. Don’t worry, I’m all stocked up now! Phew.

For my version of this scrumptious appetizer, I decided to quick-pickle some green cabbage instead of using a store-bought kraut or similar. You can also use steamed or stewed cabbage (more like the traditional corned beef and cabbage roast experience). My goal using the quick-pickling method was to introduce some acidity and balance to the bite. Play with different options and make it your own!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Latkes

A bite-sized twist on an Irish-American classic, these Corned Beef and Cabbage Latkes are simple to make and a crowd-pleasing seasonal appetizer. This is the quick, delicious route but feel free to use scratch-made components if you feel inspired! These are perfect for a St. Patrick's Day happy hour, washed down with a cold brewski.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine American, Irish
Servings 16 latkes

Equipment

  • Small saucepan

Ingredients
  

  • 2 boxes Frozen latkes prepared
  • 2 lbs Corned beef fully cooked

For the quick-pickled cabbage:

  • 3 cups Green cabbage finely shredded
  • 2 Tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Stone ground mustard

For the horseradish aioli:

  • 6 Tablespoon Mayo
  • 2 Tablespoon Horseradish or horseradish cream
  • 1 teaspoon Stone ground mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
  • Black pepper to your heart’s content

Instructions
 

Make the quick-pickled cabbage:

  • Add shredded cabbage, vinegar, sugar, and mustard to a small sauce pan on medium heat. Simmer and stir until the cabbage becomes a bit translucent and is about half way to being kraut-like, about 5 minutes. Chill before assembling the latkes.
  • *You can substitute your favorite sauerkraut for the slaw, if you like. Just know the end product will be on the saltier side.

For the horseradish aioli:

  • Add the mayo, horseradish, mustard, lemon juice, and black pepper to a small bowl and stir until well combined. Set aside.

Assemble the Latkes:

  • Once all components are prepared, corned beef and latkes should still be warm, the cabbage and aioli chilled.
  • Layer the components in a stack with the latke as the base: Latke, aioli, corned beef, and quick-pickled cabbage. Repeat until you have a platter of appetizer-sized bites. Plan on about 2-3 per person. They are hearty and so delicious your guests will be returning for seconds. Enjoy!

Notes

These appetizers are great for the American St. Patrick’s Day holiday and can serve as a stand-alone dish for a casual gathering.
Each latke is 2-3 bites, can be messily eaten with your hands when in good company. Some folks may enjoy having a small plate and a fork and knife as they are more than a single bite.
For smaller bites, try swapping the latke with smaller, home-made versions of the potato pancake OR use tater tots. Go wild!
Does it need to be said that these can be served any time throughout the year? If you can find a good corned beef, that is.
Keyword Cabbage, Corned Beef, Finger Food, Latke, St. Patrick’s Day

I am a contributing writer for Snohomish City Lifestyle where you can find some of my seasonal recipes. The Irish-American Classic article features this Easy Corned Beef and Latkes recipe in the March 2025 issue, both in print and on their website.

Amber Dawn

Fresh Mango Salsa

Amber Dawn | The Host Notes
This pico-style salsa is sweet and savory which means it has depth in flavor that plays well with your favorite grilled seafood or tacos, or maybe even a lovely addition to a 7-layer-dip. Spice it up or tone it down - it's versatile and delectable however you serve it up. The best part? Even the mango naysayers seem to love it. Take along as a side dish to your next cookout or bunko night and add some color and zip to the table.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Cutting board or butcher block
  • Chef's knife
  • Paring knife
  • Microplane or zester
  • Handheld juicer
  • Bench scraper
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Wooden spoon or rubber spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Mango large, ripe
  • 3-4 Tomatoes Roma
  • 1 Red onion medium
  • 1 Serrano OR jalapeno pepper for less spice remove seeds to decrease spice level
  • 1 Cup Cilantro chopped
  • 1 Clove Garlic grated
  • 3-4 Limes medium, juiced (about ½ cup)
  • 1 teaspoon Chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash your produce well and set aside to dry, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel to speed up the process.
  • Using your chef’s knife, hold the mango carefully with the stem up on the cutting board. Apply enough pressure to hold it steady while you slice into the mango on all sides, removing as much fruit as possible while avoiding the pit. Keep the peel on for now and focus on getting all the mango you can get.
  • Using your paring knife, take the pieces of mango w/ peel on and slice them in to ½ inch strips. Then, score them into cubes, slicing the fruit but without slicing through the skin. Using your paring knife, carefully remove the skin from the mango, salvaging as much of the fruit as you can and discarding the skin. Add the cubes to your bowl.
  • Quarter your Roma tomatoes and remove the juicy pockets and seeds. This will make your salsa less watered down and allow the flavors to shine.
  • Dice the tomatoes into ¼ inch cubes and add to the large mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Dice the onion into ¼ inch cubes and add to your bowl.
  • Wearing gloves, slice your serrano or jalapeno in half lengthwise. At this point, you can remove the seeds by using a small spoon to scrape them out. If you’d like a spicy salsa, leave the seeds in. Half the peppers once more so you are left with four long strips. Line them up and dice into ¼ inch pieces. Add to your bowl.
  • Rough chop the cilantro to the consistency you like. It can be fine or super rough and using the stems is fine, if you like them.
  • Peel and grate the garlic and add to the bowl.
  • Juice the limes until you have about ½ cup of fresh lime juice. Add to your bowl.
  • Add the chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt.
  • Give the salsa a good stir, incorporating all the ingredients until well combined.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature with tortilla chips, over grilled fish or meat, or on your favorite tacos.
  • Mango Salsa will store in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Notes

Mango is a pretty fibrous fruit and requires sharp knives to avoid smashing the fruit when chopping. It can also be difficult to get into tiny pieces without smashing, so I’m flexible on the size of the chop.
Grating garlic: This produces a fine paste-like result that opens up the essence of the garlic and lets the flavor really come through. I find I need less garlic in recipes when I use this method. You can use pre-pressed garlic or store-bought paste but it won’t yield the same pure garlic flavor.
Up the pepper ratio (red pepper flakes, serrano peppers) if you want to take this salsa up a few levels on the spicy front. Omit all three if you’d like to keep it mild.
Try serving this over grilled fish or combined with your favorite ceviche for a sweet and savory dish.
Or… try it on your carne asada or chicken adobo tacos.
Keyword Dip, Salsa

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