Whether you're craving haggis but can't find it, or are vaguely tempted to try it but a little unsure, this simplified recipe is for you. All the flavors of the classic Scottish dish with easier to find (and more familiar) ingredients.
This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.
Haggis is one of those things that many have heard of, but in a semi-mystical way. Unless you are Scottish or have visited Scotland, you probably haven't tried it. Being Scottish, I tend to find the first question people ask when you get on to the topic is "what's in it?"
Sadly the answer often means there's very little chance of them trying it. I have tended, over time, to change my response to being more vague. I reply more along the lines of you might not like the sound of the answer, but that goes for a lot of things, if you really knew, like some fast foods.
However with haggis, while it might sound a bit weird it's actually all pretty good for you and tasty too.
What's in haggis?
For clarity's sake, haggis is generally lamb heart, lungs and often liver and/or trimmings mixed with onions, oatmeal and spices. The mixture is then traditionally cooked in a lamb's stomach, which is probably what is most offputting for a lot of people.
Haggis has a fairly rich flavor but you balance out the taste with the traditional sides of mashed potatoes ("tatties") and mashed rutabaga/swede ("neeps").
These days haggis as a stuffing is also common, as we in fact had at our wedding. And there was a pretty good clearing of plates, despite very few having had it before. True, there was wine and we may have more adventurous friends than average, but it goes to show it really is tasty.
When is haggis served?
Haggis is most traditionally eaten for Burns' night on January 25th. Robert Burns is the national poet of Scotland. If nothing else, you probably know him for 'Auld Lang Syne'. Scots far and wide celebrate his birthday with a typical peasant dinner of haggis, neeps and tatties. Along with a dram or two of whisky, naturally.
It probably helps that Burns' wrote a poem called 'To a haggis', now traditionally recited as part of the dinner. The haggis may even by brought in to the room with bagpipes playing.
We don't always keep the tradition up, at least not in a grand way, but did host smaller Burns' night suppers a few times when we lived in London.
The US laws ban some of the ingredients of a traditional haggis so you can't get a truly authentic one. Even those ingredients you are allowed can be hard to come by if you try to make it yourself.
So, I decided to make a simpler version with ingredients that are easier to find. Plus hopefully less off-putting for those who might not quite be up for trying the real thing. The result is really tasty, retaining the essence of the traditional haggis but a little less strong and gamey.
How to make this simplified version
This version is pretty easy to make. Yes, it takes a little time, but very little of that is active. You simply pre-cook the onion, meat and spices, simmer it in the stock, mix in the oatmeal and bake.
I haven't pre-roasted the oatmeal as some do as I figured it's going in the oven which will slightly crisp the top anyway. When you put it in your dish for the oven, it may look like it has a little too much liquid (as in photo below) but don't worry, the oatmeal will absorb it and take on the flavor.
I originally subtitled this "my heart's in the Highlands", partly in honor of one of Burns' poems. The first time I made this, I also brought the 'heart' to life thanks to a slight mistake. I picked up some potatoes which I thought were just red-skinned but in fact were pale pink inside.
But they gave me an idea. When I was little, I found haggis too peppery on its own so made a 'sandwich' by layering swede mash, haggis and potato together. I figured with some pink potatoes, why not do the same here and make it in a heart mould. Valentine's day isn't so long after Burns' Night, after all.
In case you are wondering, the swede in the above is also not quite 'normal' color either. It's what is known here as a Gilfeather swede which is a lot paler. It's normally more of a yellowy-orange (as in the other photos). But the taste is virtually the same.
You can also use this take on haggis in other dishes, just as you would the original, such as haggis stuffed chicken (chicken Balmoral) and haggis bon bons (where you bread and fry balls of it).
I hope you might give this simplified haggis a go - it has won over many people who are either existing haggis fans or newcomers. The flavors really are so close to the 'original' but it's certainly easier (though do try the 'real thing' on a trip to Scotland some time if you can, too!).
Try these other classic Scottish recipes:
- Cranachan (cream, oat, whisky & raspberry dessert)
- Oatcakes (oat crackers)
- Cullen skink (smoked haddock chowder)
- Smoked salmon pate
- Plus get more British recipes in the archives.
Simplified haggis
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon butter approx, or a little more as needed
- 1 onion
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper or more, if you prefer a stronger pepper flavor
- ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or fresh, slightly chopped if fresh
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 lb ground lamb lamb mince
- ½ lb chicken livers
- 1 cup stock eg beef, chicken
- 4 oz pinhead oatmeal (steel cut oats)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.
- Warm the butter in a pan. Finely dice the onion and cook over a medium heat in the butter until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile remove any fatty or tough pieces off the chicken livers and roughly chop the rest.
- Add the various spices and thyme to the onion and cook a minute then add the lamb and chicken livers.
- Brown the meat then once it is all cooked, add the stock and cover. Allow to simmer for around 20mins.
- Then add the oatmeal, mix well and transfer to an oven dish (unless you started with a dish that can transfer).
- Cover the dish and put in the oven for 30mins.
- Remove the lid and cook another 10 mins.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and mashed rutabaga/swede.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
Remember to pin for later!
Sonia says
Absolutely brilliant. Hassle free, minimum effort, and tastes out of this world. The hardest part was finding chicken livers - I used half a pound in the recipe, and gave the other half to my dogs. We were ALL very satisfied!
Caroline says
So glad you enjoyed it! Yes chicken livers can sometimes be a little tricky to find. But I have also found them in many supermarkets once I actually looked for them, I just hadn't noticed before.
Mark Platta says
I didn't have any ground coriander, and it was $11 for a small bottle at the grocery store - so I substituted ground cumin. I also added 1 tsp of ground cloves. I loved it! I do believe that the next time I make it I will also switch out the steel cut oats with barley for a bit more of a chew. Thank you for making this recipe available.
Caroline says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Shazmo says
so easy and tasty I doubled up on the spices though and it was fabulous
Caroline says
So glad you enjoyed it, and indeed a little more spice can be great, too.
Deborah Kuhnen says
Just made this today for Rabbie Burns night. Realized I didn't have steel cut oats (could've sworn I did) and it's a huge snowstorm outside so I had to settle for quick oats. Worked like a charm! My husband said it tasted just like haggis. Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe!
Caroline says
Snow storm here too, so understand! But indeed while texture slightly different quick oats make a good alternative when that's what you have. Glad you both enjoyed!
Sharon says
Excellent thank you. Missed Haggis as expat.
Caroline says
So glad you enjoyed, and indeed, that's exactly why I created the recipe - I missed it too!
Christina Clark says
Thank you so much for posting this! I was trying to make modified haggis by using lamb in place of the sheep offal in a regular haggis recipe and just cooking it in a pot. But I was unsure about the proportions, and the recipe in my cookbook includes no seasonings! Plus it said to cook for way longer than seemed necessary. I stumbled across this, and it answered all my questions and validated my modifications. And it's delicious! Thank you!!
Caroline says
I'm so glad you came across it and it worked out well for you!
Richard says
This tasted really good. I adjusted the recipe to use just lamb mince as the meat ingredient because some of my guests don’t like liver. I substituted with a half can of red kidney beans (crushed them and used the liquid to supplement the stock) and substituted mace for nutmeg and omitted the cinnamon. I wanted to try your recipe because in the past I’ve tried to make a haggis shape using clingfilm or tin foil (and one year even a vegetarian casing and seal) but it’s all too much extra effort compared to the easily presented oven dish recipe. Everyone commented on how good it tasted. Because one of our guests was vegetarian, we did have an actual haggis in a casing to make the traditional address over (my party piece). I suppose if I wanted to I could cool the mixture down instead of putting it in the oven and “wrap up” in cling film.
Caroline says
Im glad to hear all enjoyed! And yes, serving from the oven is definitely easier.
David Younger says
So, a number of replies are suggesting cooking and letting sit in the fridge overnight. What would be the recommended reheating method the next day?
Caroline says
My recommendation would be to heat in the oven - I'd suggest maybe cooking less time in the oven initially (if, indeed, you do that part at all - you could just transfer to an oven dish, cool then cover and refrigerate overnight). Then heat in the oven until it is warmed through, which is likely around 20 minutes or so. You might want to cover for all or part of the time to save it getting too dry.
AliceK says
This was great! It was better than the haggis we had in Scotland. I brought a tinned haggis back from our trip, and cooked it at the same time, for comparison. While the tinned haggis had an earthier, beefier, more peppery taste, your recipe was lighter, fresher, and more herbal. Neither one tasted particularly like liver. Our whole family enjoyed it, and asked me to make it again!
Caroline says
So glad to hear everyone enjoyed it! If you like, you can add in more pepper to taste, this is more of a starting point - I know some prefer haggis to have a more peppery taste.