Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
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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.
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Did you make this recipe?
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I love it! I couldn’t find pickling spice at the grocery store so I used mine (with a lot of substitutions) and it still turned out delish! However, I believe that if I used less substitution and followed the recipe to the brim, it would have been better! Nevertheless, this recipes is a keeper. Super easy and delicious!
I’m giving it a five without having tried it yet, but I love the use of the beer and beef stock. One question: Here in Canada, corned beef brisket is very salty, and usually we have to boil it a couple times to get rid of some of the salt. Are you saying, this is not necessary? I have made a ton of your recipes, so I am confident enough to give you the rating in advance. Cheers!
Hi there. Can you suggest a substitute to the don’t pickling spice packet because it’s not available in the philippines
This is the best corned beef recipe. I have made it for the past three years. Not a fan of cabbage but this turns out delicious . Used small red potatoes. Plus added carrots. Instead of beer this year I used wine, can use what you have on hand but not to dry. I didn’t remove some of the liquid after corned beef was done, put the vegetables right in the pot. So damn delicious.
Wonderful recipe – followed it as written and it turned out great! My whole family loved it and it was eaten all up!
Your Name says it all Damn Delicious ❣️❣️The Very Best
Corn Beef I ever made – full of flavor and so tender.
In fact I am making it again tonight for dinner. Was
So good plus the Veggies cooked perfect. I followed
Your Recipe completely.
Thank You❣️
Diane
Delicious. Made it for Saint Paddy’s Day and we loved it
Really delicious! I did “wash” the meat—covered with cold water, brought to a boil, dumped water, repeat which helps remove salt from curing. Also, set time to 75 minutes. This will be my new go to recipe! Couldn’t buy a single small bottle of Guinness so bought a quart bottle and used leftover to make a beer bread. Surprised that four minutes was long enough to cook potatoes, carrots and cabbage but it was perfect.
I made this recipe exactly as written, and it was perfect! I have made corned beef in the past, many times, and it has never turned out this delicious. It was tender without falling apart and had so much flavor. The vegetables were so good also. The last time I made corned beef the roast shrunk so much, this time it did not. I will make it like this from now on. Thank you for this great recipe!
I made this last night for St. Patrick’s Day, and it was fabulous! The meat was cooked perfectly, and the flavor was great! This will be my go-to recipe from now on. Thank you!
This is just a fantastic recipe! I followed it with one exception: I left the onions/garlic in when I added the cabbage (I used 3/4 of a regular head of cabbage), potatoes and carrots. It was fall-apart tender, and the vegetables were cooked perfectly. Husband and daughter raved about it. Will never make corned beef without my InstaPot and your recipe! Thanks!
Just finished up our St Patrick’s day dinner. Followed directions exactly and this was by far the best corned beef dinner I have ever eaten. So simple, so tender and extremely tasty. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Great flavor and done in 1/4 of the time from oven or crockpot
This was so good. Corned beef was tender and didn’t shrink at all. Also, there was no fat. I didn’t rinse it off first because it already had the seasonings on it. I didn’t discard the onions and garlic either, I just added the carrots, potatoes and cabbage to the liquid after I took out the meat.
I like e recipe very much but I don’t nderstand one thing. If the brisket is already “corned”, I. E. Brained and pickled, why the need for the pickling SPICE? Secondly, why not the need to cook and drain the corned beef several times to get the brine out of it? Just asking for clarity, not trying to complain or make an issue. Cheers.
I have never cooked and drained brine out of corned beef or turkey or chicken…It is part of the flavor for us?? I guess we like things salty. Same with adding the pickling spice, it adds more flavor.
This is my go-to recipe for corned beef. Tried it last year and fell in love. Thank you #damndelicious !
If I want to do more potatoes do I need to add more liquid, when I get to that part of the recipe?
Corned beef came out TENDER and not too salty at ALL!!! It was PERFECT!!! 5/5!!!
How would you convert recipe if you don’t have a insta pot?
Thanks
I’ve made this recipe several times now and it’s a winner! So quick and easy. The onion-garlic bed gives the meat a wonderful flavor. I didn’t use beer, instead I bumped the beef broth up to 3 cups. And add more carrots of course! Perfect every time, and my family loves this!
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