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!
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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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I made this yesterday for 6 of us and it was OUTSTANDING!!! I didn’t have fancy beer so I used a can of Bud Light and increased the beef broth to 1 1/2 cups. I also used more garlic and added more potatoes as my husband loves them!
Thank you for having such a wonderful recipe!
This recipe is amazing.
Have done it several times.
According g to FDA, the temperature of corn beef being done is 145°F.
I am certain that instant pots vary as far as their temperature, we have less than the cooking time, finding that if we did 85 minutes, the temperature of the corn beef would be close or over 200°F.
We have been cooking it for a little shorter period of time, using a temperature probe, making sure it’s 145°F.
The meat comes out more tender, and more enjoyable.
Don’t sacrifice safety for taste. Get a meat thermometer, adjust your times accordingly, and enjoy.
Thanks ED, for your tip about temperature! I love Damn Delicious recipes, and also love the comments. 🙂
Ed- how long do you cook it for? Mine was a little dry!
Absolute perfection. I used “Kilt Lifter” as my beer of choice, threw in a few extra bay leaves and a bit of garlic paste, and upped the beef stock just a bit. I also added a few extra peppercorns. My husband loves corned beef but for me, it’s meh. This was the best recipe I’ve ever tried. Mwwwwwwwwwwwwah to the red potatoes, baby carrots, and cabbage with fresh dairy butter. I will absolutely make it again.
Why wait until St. Patricks day to enjoy this absolutely amazing dish… we have it at least 3 Times a year…love love love it, by far the best. I come from Boston where corn beef and cabbage(and Guinness) is a staple food for St Patrick’s day…yummy..
I wait for St.Patrick’s because that’s the only time it goes on sale for a reasonable price. I would have it much more often if it was less expensive. Perhaps we could convince the supermarkets to put it on sale for September 17th (St. Pat’s + 1/2 year).
P.S. I’m from Boston also. I’m 67, not Irish, but I have loved Corned Beef for most of my life. I have also had some that been horribly malcooked, usually in a private home.
I believe I tried this recipe last year, but I cannot 100% remember. If I see Damn Delicious pop up, I will take a look because I have always had a recipe win with DD!
I second Carl in Boston’s suggestion- great idea on the sale for the half birthday date! I am tempted to buy one after St Pat’s day because they are often on sale then. It’s a bit much, though because I’m the only family member that truly loves it.
I’m going to do a hybrid version right now- I plan on cooking the meat in IP now then adding the potatoes and cabbage and setting it as a slow cooker till dinner time. I can always IP it for a bit if the potatoes need more time. I’m not Irish, but hope to steal some luck!
Hi Carl. I agree about the price so during the spring when it’s on sale, I buy several (like 6, LOL because I’m addicted) and freeze them to use in later months.
Most outstanding corned beef I ever had. Didn’t have guiness so used 12oz. lager and increased beef broth to 1 1/2 cups. We finished the entire corned beef in one sitting (2 people). The beef literally melted in your mouth.
I wonder if you can stack 2 corned beef briskets in the same pot. Has anyone tried it?
Made this for dinner and it was super delicious! Thank you. All I had was India Ale Pale. Used about 3/4 of the bottle and added a little bit more beef broth. Also added bay leaf. Mmm, I’ll make this in the instant pot from now on. Hubby loves it too.
This is the GREATEST recipe ever! We made it several times and each time my 76yo mom dances at the table singing it’s praise!! We’ve made it using Dos Equis Amber Ale and it is killer good! Thank you for publishing this recipe. Blessings to you and your family.
Made it with a different beer since I didn’t have Guinness… Best cornbeef I’ve made ever.
Thank you
Very easy recipe and delicious!
Best corned beef I’ve ever cooked and better that most we’ve eaten out. So tender and delicious. 3.85 lb was cooked perfectly in the IP after 85 minutes. Definite keeper.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It was absolutely delicious! During these tough times it was a welcome relief to have such a delicious easy meal to eat. I have cooked it twice now in the past three weeks. Once on St. Paddy’s Day and again last night. I’m loving the leftovers! Thanks again for such a wonderful idea!
Damn Delicious is kinda my “go to” site for tasty recipes. I had a Ledbetters corned beef I picked up the other day and wanted to try cooking it in my IP and this recipe with the Guinness sounded delicious. The only modifications I made to this recipe was I used brussel sprouts rather than cabbage. The Guinness gave the meat a wonderful, rich flavor. As expected the meat was fork tender and it did NOT shrink. The carrots, brussel sprouts were also cooked just perfectly. I half expected them to turn to mush in the IP but both the carrots and the sprouts were almost al dente. Thanks for this recipe. Will be using it again.
Thank you for mentioning the texture of the veggies! I’m always worried the cabbage cooks too quickly in IP recipes.
This looks really tasty
Loved this recipe. I had a smaller corned beef but that wasn’t a problem. Followed the directions exactly. I was amazed that the vegetables cooked so fast. This was a good way to do this dinner, and I’ll use it again.
This was the first time I used my Black Friday Instant Pot and it was great. The corned beef didn’t shrink and tasted delicious. I thought 2 cups of liquid was going to be so, however, it was fine. I put the corned beef in some of the liquid in a Corning casserole and put it in the oven at warm temperature while the vegetables cooked and it was perfect. I will certainly use this recipe again. Wonderful!
The package stated to use the juice because it was part of the beef. Otherwise, this is a very good recipe. The brisket was tender and the vegetables tasty.
Total yum ! I didn’t use Guinness but I used an orange Shandy. I also used an uncured corned beef from Wegmans … My husband said it was the best meat he ever had! And he doesn’t even usually like corned beef! Thank you so much for fabulous instapot recipe !!!!
This is amazing, we made it twice in 5 days. Thank you!
Hi, I don’t have an IP can I use a crock pot? If so how long do I cook this?
Thank you,
Jackie
Winner Winner Corn Beef Dinner! I love my Instapot for a variety of things, but it has occasionally let me down in the flavor department. This recipe did not disappoint! I followed the recipe for the most part, except I added an additional TBP of pickling spice (forgot the garlic – boo – I love garlic), and coated the top exterior of the meat with dijon mustard. Many reviews stated recipe was too salty, so I only salt and peppered the veggies. Everything was #DamnDelicious. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow.
Should I adjust the time if we have a 5lb brisket?
I got a small corned beef and it was an excellent cut of meat. I usually get the meat in the meat department, but happened to see this one in the deli section. It was Boar’s Head brand. I will look for it next time I want corned beef!!! One suggestion on the cooking instructions. Next time, I think I will cook the meat 5 minutes less. Then rather than taking the meat out and putting the veggies in—just leave the meat and put the veggies on top. Then cook the 4 minutes as suggested. That way, the meat will still be hot.
Ended perfectly at 85 minutes. Easily sliced juicy and delicious. Cold weight was 3.38 pounds