Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
A fast track corned beef dinner made in your pressure cooker! No brine, no fuss. The IP will do all the work for you!
Featured Comment
I had no idea that St. Patrick’s Day was such a big deal here in Chicago. Did you know that the Chicago River has been dyed green on St. Patrick’s Day every year since 1962? I’m not much of a history buff but the dyeing of the river is pretty stinking cool. Butters and I will be sure to check it out, and after we take a peak at the green river, we are going to eat all of the corned beef we possibly can.
reasons to make instant pot corned beef and cabbage
- Made in just a fraction of the time. A complete St. Patrick’s day dinner in just a fraction of the time in 85 minutes? Yes, please! There’s no brine, no fuss, no stress. Everything gets thrown in the Instant Pot®, and you can let the IP take care of all the hard work for you. There’s no searing, no browning, no nothing. Did I mention the no fuss and minimal hands on time?
- So tender and juicy. The brisket comes out perfectly tender and juicy, pairing so beautifully with the potatoes, carrots and cabbage, which are also cooked in the IP in just 4 minutes in all the flavorful corned beef juices.
CORNED BEEF VS. PASTRAMI
What is corned beef?
Corned beef is beef brisket, an inexpensive cut of meat, cured in a salt brine with pickling spices (peppercorns, bay leaf, mustard seeds and coriander seeds) for about 1 week, a process that was used to preserve and tenderize meat before refrigeration.
What is the difference between corned beef and pastrami?
Corned beef and pastrami are both brined cuts of beef, but corned beef is made from leaner flat brisket and is typically boiled after brining whereas pastrami is made from a fattier cut, point brisket, and is smoked and steamed.
tips and tricks for success
- Cook the vegetables after. Add the potatoes, carrots and cabbage to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes after the corned beef has cooked through. Cooking the vegetables with the corned beef will lead to overcooked, mushy veggies.
- Let your meat rest. Let your corned beef rest for at least 10 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Slice across the grain. Corned beef is best when sliced across the grain, perpendicular to the direction of the fibers. This shortens the muscle fibers making the meat more tender. When slicing with the grain, the meat will be chewy.
- Serve with Guinness. For all the St. Patrick’s day holiday feels, serve corned beef and cabbage with Guinness beer. The malty, slightly bitter flavors of Guinness will beautifully contrast the salty, savory flavors of the corned beef, potatoes, carrots and cabbage.
- Repurpose leftovers. The leftovers make for great reuben dips, corned beef sandwiches, and corned beef hash for breakfast (or dinner).
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover corned beef can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 325°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, reaching an internal temperature of 165°F.
more favorited St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can soak the corned beef in cold water for at least 2 hours prior to cooking to help draw out the salt during the curing process.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Yes! Let cool completely; portion the leftover corned beef into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating at 325°F, covered in aluminum foil, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Corned beef leftovers is the gift that keeps on giving. Repurpose the leftovers for reuben sandwiches, nachos, egg rolls, pizzas, quesadillas, mac and cheese, and of course corned beef hash (our favorite!).
No Instant Pot, no problem. You can try this recipe instead.
Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 (3-pound) corned beef brisket, plus pickling spice packet or 1 1/2 tablespoons pickling spice
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 (14.9 ounce) can Guinness beer
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 pound new potatoes
- 3 large carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 head Savoy cabbage, cut into 2-inch wedges
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Rinse brisket with cold water and thoroughly pat dry.
- Place onion, garlic and pickling spice into a 6-qt Instant Pot®. Gently place brisket on top of the onion mixture. Top with beer and beef broth.
- Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 85 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Remove brisket from the Instant Pot®; keep warm. Remove and discard onion mixture, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid in the Instant Pot®.
- Stir in potatoes and carrots; top with cabbage. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 4 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Thinly slice corned beef against the grain and serve with potatoes, carrots and cabbage, garnished with mustard and parsley, if desired.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
It’s very good, but the cooking time doesn’t take into account the time it takes the cooker to build pressure twice. So if you’re trying to put dinner on the table at a specific time, I’d allow another 20 minutes or so.
I love all your recipes, and have your book. Can this recipe be adapted for the crockpot? I don’t have an IP.
This sounds delicious but I only have a crockpot. Do you have a recipe for cooking in a crock pot. I love corn beef but when I made it the corn beef just turned out tough. If you do could you email it to me? Your recipes are great!
You need to cook it about 8 to 10 hours in the crockpot put the veggies in about 30 to 45 minutes, maybe an hour before done – this depends on how big the veggie chunks are. You might want,to tale A chunk of carrot and one of potato, about the,size you were planning to use and drop them in about 2 hours, before and then check for time might need to put one in earlier than the other
Hands down best corned beef I’ve ever made! Irish in-laws were impressed, and I’m Indian!
I first tried this recipe st Patrick’s day 2020 and it’s now my go to. In fact we love it so much we freeze a few corned beefs in March so we can have it throughout the year rather than just once. I usually use a 4-5 pound one and don’t change the time, my family devours it. Kids are now 3,6,9 and love it. The Only other change is that we make a ton more carrots, I more than double the carrots probably triple or quadruple bc everyone in our family loves them and my 6 year old could eat the 3 it calls for alone! I also don’t remove any broth. I just pull out the meat and then add all the veggies to the remaining broth and onions/garlic and cook them. Perfect every time!
What type of corned beef is best for the instant pot? Point or flat cut?
Flat
Flat is leaner and slices better, so I use a flat if sandwiches are in order. But I much prefer the point cut for the standard New England boiled dinner. It is fattier which makes it tastier and moister.
Both cuts cook down in size, but the point will cook down even more. I usually cook two small points to ensure I have enough for leftovers.
The Corned Beef was wonderful. Tender and juicy.
I have had a mixed history with cooking corned beef, in that it often taste kinda like boiled meat more than it should (even with beer and pickling spices). I ended up eating most of it just because it wasn’t ‘that bad’ and I didn’t want it to go to waste. And I finally stopped making it for about 8 years. About this time last year I got an Instant Pot, so I’m used to cooking with it, and so tried this recipe for St. Patrick’s Day.
Again I want to emphasize that I actually made it and in this case I didn’t deviate from the recipe (veggies, Guinness, etc.). The final results were a hit. The meat was flavorful and moist when served, and people went back for seconds and thirds. Within a day or two the veggies were gone and the meat used in sandwiches. I was told I could make this more often. I call that a five star win!
I shouldn’t reply to my own comment, but it was like somebody’s mother or grandmother made it from some secret recipe. So better than my previous attempts.
Fantastic!! we used Daikon radish instead of potatoes because my husband is on keto. Also used Shiner bock beer instead of Guiness and the broth is just delicious. We finished the meat up and there were still a lot of veggies, so I am making another brisket now. This one is a keeper!
Shiner Bock!! Where y’all from?
Sooo good!! Ate 1 1/2 servings! I didn’t follow recipe exactly (left onions in and all the gravy). Dont skip the grain mustard, delicious!
I was unsure of what the flavor was going to be, since I usually just use water and the pickling spice with the corned beef. However, I went ahead with this recipe and wow, I was shocked at how good everything tasted! The veggies were sweeter than they are cooked in just brine and everything was just more well rounded. I will use this recipe again!
I LOVE that the vegetables are cooked separate from the beef! I always hated the soggy veggies. Best recipe I’ve had in 45 St Patty’s Days!
PERFECTION! Like another commenter, I used a 5 pound corn beef from Costco and the 85 minute cook time was still perfect. Easiest and most delicious method I’ve ever used for this meal. Thank you, Chungah —- you’re recipes never disappoint!
Fabulous! Made this as recipe stated except I didn’t have beef broth so used chicken broth (2 cups) + 1 12oz bottle of Stella (beer on hand). Oh and I had a 2 lb corned beef from Wegmans. Delicious! I invited my sister who said the only corned beef she has ever liked was roasted in oven. She had 2 helpings of this. I had some leftover cabbage and potatoes but not much corned beef. Definitely a go to recipe going forward. Thank you!!
This is the best corned beef recipe. I think cooking the vegetables after the best keeps them from getting too mushy. Perfect!
This is my Instant Pot go to recipe for CB&C! Quick and simple, everything turns our so good and tender! If you don’t prefer the Guinness, use 3 cups total of beef broth. Cheers!
I can tell from the ingredients and the reviews this would be a hit with my family. HOWEVER…we don’t have an IP, just a crockpot. Could you give directions for that method? Would increasing the time suffice?
I too only have a crockpot. Sooo I have loved many of Damndelicious, recipes. I was able to change this recipe to crockpot use, all same ingredients but in order for the crockpot. I would be happy to email to you if you would like. Jude
Can you please email me the corned beef recipe for crock pot?
Thank you!!!
I’m going in tomorrow to have my second child and this was such an easy delicious recipe to prepare. Absolutely perfect. We used a Yuengling lager instead but otherwise followed it accordingly.
First time making this recipe and it is a keeper! We rinsed and soaked the meat beforehand to help with the saltiness. It still had a salty flavor, but the potatoes helped that. It was super juicy and tender. Definitely going into rotation. We picked up the meat from Costco and it was just shy of 5lbs. The recommended 85min cook time was perfect. So happy we found this recipe!
A bit salty but great flavor!
I have been making corn beef and cabbage for over 40 years. Hands-down this is the best recipe I have ever tasted. Like other reviewer’s, the timing on the vegetables is accurate. The broth is complex and delicious! From now on this will be my go to recipe!