This Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe is not only the fastest way to prepare an Irish-American classic, but also happens to be the tastiest! Made with tender corned beef braised in a rich and tangy liquid and perfectly cooked potatoes and cabbage, Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage delivers a soul-satisfying meal with ease.
From Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkraut on New Year's Day to Instant Pot Ham on Easter to Instant Pot Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving to Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick's Day, the Instant Pot speeds up the process of making classic holiday dishes without sacrificing any flavor.
In fact, not only is using the Instant Pot to make holiday classics, like Corned Beef and Cabbage, the fast and easy method, but the Instant Pot delivers the most amazing results!
Reasons to Love Instant Pot Corned Beef
- Time-Saver. Instead of braising the corned beef in the oven or the slow cooker for hours and hours, the Instant Pot delivers tender corned beef in under 2 hours.
- Superior Flavor. 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 moisture of the rich braising liquid, resulting in the most tender, flavorful corned beef ever.
- Perfectly Cooked Vegetables. Using a simple two-step process, as I do for Instant Pot Pot Roast, ensures perfectly cooked beef and potatoes, carrots, and cabbage that are perfectly cooked and not mushy.
- St. Patrick's Day Must-Make. Corned beef is easy to find (and often on sale) around St. Patrick's Day as it, along with Irish Stew, Irish Nachos, Colcannon, and Reuben Dip, is a classic Irish-American favorite.
Notes on Ingredients
- Corned Beef: This recipe works with both a flat cut or point cut, and no changes to time need to be made. I 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 you don't cook with alcohol or you need a gluten-free version of Instant Pot Corned Beef.
- 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.
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.
How To Make Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Pressure Cook Corned Beef. Cooking the corned beef in the Instant Pot is an incredibly simple process. Layer the onions, corned beef, pickling spices, garlic, and brown sugar in the inner pot. Add the beef broth and beer. Pressure cook on HIGH pressure for 85 minutes with a full natural pressure release.
Step Two: Rest the Corned Beef. Once the corned beef has been pressure-cooked, remove it from the inner pot and tent with foil, giving the beef time to rest.
Step Three: Pressure Cook the Vegetables. Strain off all but two cups of the liquid, add in the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, and cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. It won't take long for the Instant Pot to come back to pressure, as the liquid is warm.
Step Four: Serve. Slice the rested beef into thin strips against the grain and serve with the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. I love to add a side of whole-grain mustard for dipping, but that is completely optional.
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.
Leftover Corned Beef
Leftover Corned Beef can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. 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.
More Favorite Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Ribs
- Instant Pot Meatballs
- Instant Pot Italian Beef
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
If you enjoyed this Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage, please be sure to leave a comment and review below.
Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 3 pound corned beef brisket
- 1 Seasoning Packet or 1 tablespoon pickling spices
- 1 large onion sliced
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 cup stout beer such as Guinness
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 pound small red potatoes cut in half
- 1 pound baby carrots
- ½ head green cabbage cut into 2-inch wedges
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the corned beef with cold water and thoroughly pat dry. This removes the brine from the brisket, preventing the dish from being too salty.
- Place onion slices into a 6 or 8-quart Instant Pot. Place the brisket on top of the onion mixture. Sprinkle with brown sugar, garlic, and pickling spices. Pour in beer and beef broth around the corned beef.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker and be sure the vent knob is sealed. Select the manual or pressure cook setting and set the cooking time for 85 minutes on high pressure.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Then do a quick release of any remaining pressure.
- Remove the corned beef from the Instant Pot and place it on a serving platter. Cover with foil to keep warm and let the meat rest. Remove the onions from the pressure cooker using a slotted spoon. Drain off all but 2 cups of the cooking liquid in the Instant Pot.
- To the inner pot, add the potatoes and carrots and top with cabbage. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place the lid back on the pressure cooker, be sure the vent knob is sealed, and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes then do a quick release of any remaining pressure.
- Thinly slice corned beef against the grain and serve with potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2023.
Cindy Lewis
This recipe is so easy to make. Made without the beer, still alot of flavor 😋. Only took 1/4 of the time it takes in crackpot or oven. Love it!!!!!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this method for Corned Beef, Cindy 🙂
Paula Wood
Amazing! Put fat side up and trimmed off fat without any difficulty after cooking. Think it added a little more flavor but wouldn’t change a thing. Great recipe. Will now use Instant pot for this as my go to!
Kristen Chidsey
Fabulous! I love hearing you enjoyed so much, Paula! Thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth H
Great recipe, I love to use Killian's Irish Red for the beer.
K mamma
I love your recipes! I usually have all the ingredients and they are always yummy! Made this for for St. Patrick's and everyone loved it - including the picky ones! My instant pot is tied up with yogurt right now, how long would you recommend if using a slow cooker?
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing you enjoy and trust my recipes! For slow cooking, I would recommend 12 hours on low.
Milia
Totally awesome (yes, I was a high-schooler in the 80s 😁)!!! The entire family loved it and wants it again. My only complaint is that it took longer than I had expected for the pot to come to pressure again for the vegetables (about 15 minutes or so). There was no lag time between the vegetables going in and the meat coming out; I did unplug it for a few seconds when I did that exchange b/c sometimes the pot thinks I'm continuing what I was doing and an unexpected time/temperature will pop up while I'm trying to reconfigure for the next thing I'm putting in the pot. But it was only unplugged for the amount of time it took to pop the meat out, scoop out some of the liquid, and put in the vegetables. Everything was still super-hot inside. Maybe it's because it's the big 8-quart pot 🤔? Anyway, I can't thank you enough for this super-easy, FANTABULOUS dinner 😘!!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Milia! I love hearing you enjoyed so much! As for the timing coming back to pressure, that does seem a bit long to me as well. I have not had it take that long for me using the 8-quart, but every model can be a bit different (like ovens). Sorry you had to wait for the veggies so long, but happy to hear you enjoyed the overall meal.
Claudia
Cooking this week end. If adding one cup of beer and one cup of beef broth - how do you drain off 2 cups liquid before adding veggies? Will there be liquid left to cook the remaining ingredients, does the meat give off liquid during cooking? Thx for clarifying.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Claudia! The meat will give off liquid as it cooks, but you drain off up to 2 cups, meaning you cook the veggies using 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Feel free to not drain anything off if that is easier for you. Enjoy!
Christie
Easy and yummy! Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
You are very welcome Christie!
Christina
Love this recipe! Didn’t use onion because family member has allergy to onions. used a madero brown stout beer and water which really enhanced the flavor. Will use this recipe again hopefully not wait until next year. ☘️☘️❤️
Rhonda L Carrillo
Won't be waiting for St. Patrick's day to make this again. Wonderful dish.
Kristen Chidsey
It really deserves to be enjoyed year-round.
Kathy Shepard
This was soooo good! What is the best way to reheat the leftovers so as not to dry them out?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kathy! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed. I would place the meat in a shallow dish and cover it with the cooking liquid. Cover the dish with a paper towel and heat for 1-minutes intervals until heated through. The liquid will help keep the meat moist.
Janay Murphy
I made this last night & it was amazing! Even using all beef broth & no beer!
Dee Gee
I have tried every way to Sunday making corned beef and cabbage and hands down this is the absolute best. I used Irish Death stout because that's what I had on hand and it turned out so good my husband asked me to make this ALL the time. Since it is just the two of us and my instant pot is a small 3 quart I halved the ingredients and again perfection. Thank you.
Kristen Chidsey
This makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing Dee Gee!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Janay! I love hearing you enjoyed (even without the beer.)
Dianne Wright
If you go to print command, you can adjust the recipe by # of servings which will then change the recipe by the pounds. Avoids lots of questions and it really great. Making tonight so I'll come back and post again.