Put some Irish in your eggs benedict with a little corned beef and Irish cheddar cheese sauce! Irish Eggs Benedict is the perfect breakfast or brunch on the day after St. Patrick’s Day, or any day you are looking to spiff up your breakfast.
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Why we love this recipe
This is probably…no DEFINITELY our favorite way to use up leftover corned beef. It is SO addictively scrumptious that when we don’t have leftover corned beef we buy some at the deli counter just to have the wonder that is this version of the classic Eggs Benedict.
It is a speedy, hearty breakfast, brunch and/or dinner recipe, and if you add some Boxty potatoes and/or some carrots on the side, you are pretty much in Irsh heaven.
What Is Irish Eggs Benedict?
Traditional Eggs Benedict (which we also love around these parts) is a classic breakfast or brunch dish, made with an English muffin, topped with Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce.
So for the Irish version, I takesome leftover corned beef, shred it up and heat it in a little chicken broth, spoon it over an English muffin (I know, I know, and if you want to use soda bread instead that is fine…we just never have any left over), topped with a poached egg and a cheese sauce made from lovely Irish cheddar.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Corned Beef: If you don’t have any leftovers of corned beef, ask for a half pound slice at your deli counter (and if they don’t have corned beef, pastrami will do).
- English Muffin: You can swap out soda bread or Irish brown bread if you prefer.
- Cheddar Cheese: We always look for Irish cheddar for this recipe, but any shredded cheddar will work.
- Eggs: Poached eggs are our favorite, but fried eggs or soft boiled eggs will also be just fine.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
Here’s how you make this recipe
STEP 1: Poach, soft boil or gently fry two eggs and set them aside.
STEP 2: Make the cheese sauce: Melt two tablespoons of butter in a small pot over medium high heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk in a cup of milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Stir in a cup for shredded cheddar cheese until melted.
PRO TIP: Here is my sure fire method for making perfect poached eggs!
STEP 3: Place a toasted and torn up English muffin or piece of soda bread on a plate. (The reason for the tearing? I don’t like struggling to cut through an English muffin when I eat eggs benedict. If you don’t mind, you don’t have to tear it.)
STEP 4: Put a generous amount of shredded corned beef on top of the muffin. Top with a poached egg, and pour the cheese sauce over all. Garnish with parsley and serve at once.
It’s the perfect day-after use of that corned beef, and if you didn’t make your own corned beef, it’s well worth nabbing some leftovers from somebody who did. (Hi mama!).
Recipe FAQs
It took me forever to figure how to do this anyway other than asking my mom to make one for me, but this method for making the perfect poached eggs always works! (And if you just want to fry your eggs sunnyside up or over easy or soft boil them, you be you.)
If your deli doesn’t have corned beef, I bet they have pastrami, which is pretty close to the taste and will work just fine in this recipe.
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Now please go try the Irish version of eggs Benedict, and one way or the other, may your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.
Want to round out your meal?
We love some Colcannon (otherwise known as Irish mashed potatoes) or some Boxty (otherwise known as Irish potato pancakes) with our Irish Eggs Benedict.
And for dessert, how about a cream scone slathered with banana jam?
Other Irish recipes we love
Looking for more Irish cooking inspiration? Here is our complete collection of Irish recipes!
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Irish Eggs Benedict
Put some Irish in your eggs Benedict with a little corned beef and Irish cheddar cheese sauce!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2 – can be increased as needed. 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup of cooked corned beef, shredded and at room temperature or warmed
- 1 English muffin, toasted and torn into bite sized pieces (or a slice of soda bread!)
- Parsley for garnish
Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar (Irish cheddar if possible!)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Poach or soft boil the eggs and set aside.
- Make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a small pot over medium high heat and whisk in the flour. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Stir in the cheese until melted.
- Place the torn English muffin or soda bread on a plate. (The reason for the tearing? I don’t like struggling to cut through an English muffin when I eat eggs benedict. If you don’t mind, you don’t have to tear it.)
- Put a generous amount of corned beef on top of the muffin. Top with poached egg, and pour the cheese sauce over all. Garnish with parsley and serve at once.
Paul says
In the latest Spencer novel he dines on Irish eggs Benedict at Jimmy’s in Burlington which means I had to find a recipe. Thanks!!
Hi Paul – now I am going to have to read that book! Hope you love these eggs as much as we do. :)
Theresa Murphy says
I frankly like the idea of the English muffin being torn here. That way I can dig right in and eat up all that deliciousness without having to take the time to cut it while eating. Great time-saver, Kate! ?
Thanks Theresa – I love a fellow muffin tearer! xoxo!
Adam says
How pretentious are you that you can’t “cut” through an English Muffin? It’s a fluffy muffin, drenched in egg yolk and sauce, not a New York strip!!
Hi Adam, and Happy New Year! I find that the English muffins I get around these parts are chewy rather than fluffy (which is lovely when you are biting into them), and even more so when toasted, which is why I like to tear mine up ahead of time for this recipe. And eggs with a NY strip is fabulous! Check out my recipe for the best steak and eggs – I do use a tenderloin for that one, but even so you do need a knife and fork. Hope you have a delicious Sunday!
ruthie says
What a great idea! But leftover corned beef bashing??? Say it isn’t so! Leftover corned beef can only be a good thing — hash, as you mentioned, sandwiches, plain and Reuben! And chunks on toothpicks (maybe sharing space with a nice Irish cheddar) to be dunked in some hot mustard…Oh, man, am I glad when I have leftover corned beef. ;)
And this recipe is definitely going to get a try, but I’ll make soda bread just for this one. Leftover soda bread is also a good thing! Thanks, Kate.
Winnie says
I will give this a try with my leftover corned beef. I do make some with Irish Bacon. I love that, and mailorder it. I am smiling at your picture, I took one on my 21st birthday may years ago (I wanted to go to a pub for my first beer in Ireland, and went by myself for a week!) What a fabulous memory you brought back to me… Happy St. Paddy’s Day!