Best St. Patrick’s Day Party Food

Stocking up on green food for St. Patrick’s Day? We get it. While we’re absolutely positive St. Patrick’s Day has a significant cultural meaning in Ireland, here in the U.S., it’s become an excuse to drink lots of beer, pinch friends and coworkers who forget to wear a green shirt, and eat snacks that conjure visions of the dewy, verdant Irish countryside. In the spirit of everyone’s favorite March holiday (c’mon, we need something festive to get us through to the first day of spring), here are some St. Patrick’s Day party food ideas for your friends, fam, and that guy in the office who is wearing a “Kiss Me, I’m Irish Shirt” even though you’re 85% sure he’s Italian.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream is one of those green foods that just tastes better by virtue of being green. We can’t explain it, but it’s true. Plus, you could totally throw this Edy’s/Dreyer’s ice cream in a blender and make at-home Shamrock Shakes for your St. Patrick’s Day party. In their ranking of the best mint chip ice creams, Sporked’s Jordan Myrick raved that this ice cream is “pleasantly minty and has tons of chocolate chips. Plus, it’s bright green!” All true and awesome things. Edy’s mint chocolate chip ice cream is affordable enough to serve to a crowd, but it tastes like some of the higher priced mint ice creams Sporked tried in their taste test. Win-win! —Jessica Block

Read the full ranking of the best mint chocolate chip ice cream

Y’all, this St. Patrick’s Day party food is so green it has green in its name! Casa Sanchez salsa verde is truly one of the best store bought salsas you can buy and it makes a damn good party snack, especially if you pair it with the best tortilla chips. Jordan noted that “big pieces of garlic, springs of cilantro, and whole pepper seeds make it seem homemade,” and praised it for being “bright, garlicky, and tart.” And, if you’re looking for green food for St. Patrick’s day, I can’t stress this enough: It’s green! —Jessica Block

Read the full ranking of the best salsa verde

Now, I know what you are thinking and it goes something like, “Ew. Kale.” And while raw kale may be deserving of your knee-jerk revulsion, these kale chips will make you reconsider the leafy green—especially if you’re on the hunt for green food for St. Patrick’s Day. These. things. are. fire. Not to mention green! Jordan described the taste as “complex, but a little reminiscent of tomato soup. The entire room of tasters was shocked by the amount of flavor a kale chip could hold.” This is not an exaggeration. I would call these a certified flavorsplosion. Plus, they come in satisfying little nuggets and taste absolutely nothing like kale. Brad really came through with these. Dump a bag in a bowl and, voila, you’ve got a St. Patrick’s Day party food that’s packed with vitamins and fiber to offset all of the potatoes and corned beef. —Jessica Block

Read the full ranking of the best kale chips

Vernors Ginger Soda

Vernors Ginger Soda isn’t technically a green St. Patrick’s Day food, but hear us out: It comes in green packaging and there’s a little gnome on the can (named Jerome, actually), who is giving major leprechaun vibes—so, case closed. Not to mention that ginger ale is just kind of a classy drink for a party, especially a St. Patrick’s day party. Dye it green instead of beer, that way the kids can get in on the fun! It’s a little sweeter than some of the dryer ales we taste tested, but that also makes it perfect for ginger ale floats if you really want to have some St. Paddy’s day fun. Just add vanilla ice cream. —Vinz Karl

Read the full ranking of the best ginger ale

TGI Friday’s Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Dip

We’ve already established that sometimes the best green food for St. Patrick’s Day involves actual greens, but this stuff will not be overlooked on the snack table for being too salad-like—trust us. TGI Friday’s Spinach & Artichoke dip is creamy and warm and salty. It’s green. And it’s an amazing thing to absolutely crush when you come back from the bar after drinking a few too many green beers. Hey, you can have your very own St. Patrick’s Day party. —Vinz Karl

Read the full ranking of the best TGI Fridays frozen apps

Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic & Pesto Pizza with Deep Fried Crust

Okay, we don’t condone over-consuming, but if your St. Patrick’s Day party involves having a few, please, we’re begging you, eat a full meal before you go out. A frozen pizza never fails as a perfect way to quickly and easily fill your belly. This Trader Joe’s one has gooey cheesy and glops of pesto—and you know what that means. It’s green food! If you want this to qualify as a St. Patrick’s Day party food, cut this into squares and serve it to guests like a little app. They’ll be grateful when those few bites of greasy pizza stave off a hangover the next day, St. Patrick willing. —Vinz Karl

Read the full ranking of Trader Joe’s frozen pizza

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Don’t ask.

Green Giant Simply Steam Creamed Spinach Sauced

I know, I know. “Creamed Spinach?! What is this, the 1950s?” I assure you it is not the 1950s (thank god, although I did like the era’s dress silhouette). Creamed spinach is good, y’all. And this creamed spinach? Ugh, (green) chef’s kiss. It tastes like wilted spinach in the world’s butteriest alfredo sauce. Or, as Justine put it, “It’s creamy, it’s savory, and there’s actual spinach in there—real leaves with real bite to them. It even has that touch of bitter astringency that spinach has, which helps balance out the richness.” In other words, this stuff is dank. It’s dank and it’s green, but don’t let that fool you—this stuff is legal in all 50 states, and you should absolutely buy some to add to your “green foods for St. Paddy’s Day” shopping list.

Lastly, but certainly not leastly, we’re recommending Casa Sanchez Salsa Verde. Y’all, this one is so green it has green in its name! This is truly one of the best store bought salsas you can buy. Jordan noted that “big pieces of garlic, springs of cilantro, and whole pepper seeds make it seem homemade,” and praised it for being “bright, garlicky, and tart.” It goes well with chips, burritos, or a spoon, and is quite possibly the ideal salsa verde—and you can get this stuff at Walmart! Plus, and I can’t stress this enough, it’s green!