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Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

March 8, 2023 | By Kristen Chidsey | 222 Comments | *This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage is a soul-satisfying meal made with tender corned beef and perfectly cooked potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.

While Corned Beef and Cabbage, along with Irish Stew, Colcannon, and Reuben Dip, are classic Irish-American dishes typically served for the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, this easy recipe for Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage deserves to be enjoyed year-round!

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes, and Carrots next to Instant Pot.

This Irish girl was raised on Corned Beef and Cabbage, as it was one of my mom's favorite meals. It reminded her of her childhood and of her family that came to America straight from Ireland.

And while I share my mom's love of Corned Beef and Cabbage, I have found a better way to prepare this Irish-American classic recipe.

Instead of braising the corned beef in the oven or in the slow cooker for hours and hours, I now prepare corned beef and cabbage using an electric pressure cooker.

Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage is not only a faster process, but I have found the flavor to be superior. The pressure cooker seals in the flavor and moisture, resulting in the most tender, flavorful corned beef.

After one bite of the perfectly cooked corned beef and tender cabbage, you too will realize this recipe for Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage is the absolute best way to prepare this Irish-American dish!

What is Corned Beef?

Corned beef is a brisket that has been brined and cured. It typically is sold with a pickling mixture that is made from mustard seeds, peppercorns, dill, allspice, cloves, and a few other spices. It is earthy and tangy and flavors the cured brisket perfectly.

You can purchase corned beef year-round, but it is much easier to find around St. Patrick's Day, as Corned Beef, is a classic St. Patrick's Day recipe.

Notes on Ingredients

Ingredients for corned beef and cabbage on white board: corned beef, cabbage, onion, red potatoes, carrots, and beer.

Corned Beef: This recipe works with both a flat cut or point cut, and no changes to time need to be made. I personally prefer the flat cut, as it is leaner but a lot of people like the marbling found in the point cut.
Pickling Spices: Most packaged corned beef brisket comes with a pickling spice blend. If yours does not, you can use 1 tablespoon of pickling spices.
Guinness Beer: The dark rich stout beer adds so much flavor to this meal. You can use any brand you like, or you can use beef stock in place of the beer if desired.
Brown Sugar: This may seem like an odd addition but just a little bit of brown sugar balances out this meal perfectly.
Potatoes: You can use red potatoes, russet potatoes, or new potatoes. Cut your potatoes into 2-inch chunks or leave whole if using baby potatoes.
Carrots: Use whole baby carrots or 2-inch chunks of peeled large carrots.
Cabbage: Green cabbage is best for this recipe and you will only need ½ head of cabbage. Use the remaining half to make coleslaw or add to fried rice.

How To Make Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

This recipe for Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage, just like my recipe for Instant Pot Pot Roast, uses a two-step cooking process to ensure both tender beef and perfectly cooked vegetables that are not mushy.

And even though two steps may seem complicated, this recipe is still incredibly easy to make, and the results are absolute perfection.

Step One: Pressure Cook Corned Beef

Rinse the corned beef and pat dry. This removes the brine from the brisket, preventing the end result from being too salty.
Place onion slices into the bottom of the inner pot of a 6 or 8-quart Instant Pot.

Place the rinsed corned beef on top of the onion slices.
Sprinkle brisket evenly with seasoning packet, garlic, and brown sugar.

Brisket inside pressure cooker on top of onions.

Pour the beer and beef broth into the inner pot.
Select the manual/pressure cook setting and adjust the pressure to high. Set Cook time for 85 minutes.
Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes, then do a quick release of any remaining pressure.

Remove the brisket from the Instant Pot and place it on a serving platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Step Two: Pressure Cook the Vegetables

Remove the onion with a slotted spoon and discard.
Drain off all but 2 cups of the cooking liquid. You can also strain the cooking liquid if desired to remove the pickling spices, but I do not find that necessary.
Add the potatoes and carrots to the cooking liquid in the inner pot.
Top with cabbage wedges that are still intact.

Potatoes, Carrots, and Cabbage in Pressure Cooker.

Set to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
After the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 5 minutes before doing a quick release of any remaining pressure.

Serving Suggestions

Once your corned beef and vegetables are cooked, it is time to enjoy your fabulous meal.

Slice the rested beef into thin strips against the grain and serve with the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. I personally love to add a side of whole-grain mustard for dipping, but that is completely optional.

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots in white serving platter.

gluten-free modification

In order to make Instant Pot Corned Beef gluten-free, you will need to make a couple of modifications. First, be sure to carefully look at the ingredients added to both your brisket or corned beef and the seasoning packet. Secondly, replace the beer with additional beef broth, for a total of 2 cups of beef broth.

Leftover Corned Beef

Leftover Corned Beef can keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. And the meat itself can be frozen for up to 3 months. While delicious when simply reheated, it can also be used in a variety of recipes.

My favorite way to enjoy leftover Instant Pot Corned Beef is to make a creamy, cheesy Reuben Dip.
You also can't go wrong with a classic Reuben Sandwich. Add sliced corned beef to rye bread, top with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing, and pan fry in a bit of butter to toast.
Make a Corned Beef Hash using potatoes, corned beef, and scrambled eggs.
Make Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup.

Video Tutorial

If you learn better through visual videos, be sure to check out my YouTube video where I will walk you through how to make this perfect Instant Pot Corned Beef with Cabbage, Potatoes, and Carrots in detail.

Corned beef and Cabbage on white platter with instant pot overlay.

More Instant Pot Recipes

If you enjoyed this Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage, please be sure to leave a comment and review below.

This post was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2023.

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About Kristen Chidsey

Hi, I am Kristen, creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. I believe that making a wholesome family meal does not need to be hard or expensive! I love nothing more than to share with you delicious solutions for your hungry family.