Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Whether making it for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration or just because you love it, this recipe lets you enjoy the juiciest, most flavorful corned beef that doesn’t take hours to cook. With this easy recipe, I can have it ready in under two hours, and I will also show you how to cook the cabbage and potatoes in the instant pot without making them too mushy.
Instant Pot Corned Beef is incredibly tender and delicious, and it’s one of the best ways to cook it. I always serve it with traditional Irish colcannon and Irish soda bread on the side. Since it’s so easy to make, I cook an extra brisket and use the leftovers to make sandwiches or corned beef hashbrowns.
Table of contents
I like to make my own brine and pickling seasoning, which you will find in the expert tip section below. My corned beef brine recipe is the ultimate guide to making your corned beef from scratch.
I recommend making this dish with a decent amount of liquid. Usually, I use at least 1 1/2 cups of broth with an equal amount of beer or water added. Corned beef can be very salty, and without adding enough liquid to reach the sides of the brisket, you won’t draw enough of that salt out of the meat. Therefore, it is essential to use enough liquid when cooking it.
Why you will love this recipe
- It’s so easy and fast: With just a few steps, it cooks in less than one and a half hours.
- Juicy and tender: No need to cook it for hours to be tender. The instant pot locks all the juices and tenderness in.
- One pot to clean: The instant pot is the only thing you have to clean.
- A whole meal: With this recipe, you get corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes.
What you will need
- Corned beef – A whole brisket between two and four pounds, rinsed well.
- Beef broth – Low-sodium organic beef broth is what I always use. You could also use cold water.
- Beer – Your favorite beer or water.
- Onion – I prefer a sweet yellow onion, peeled and quartered.
- Garlic – For the most intense garlic taste, peel and crush fresh garlic cloves.
- Bay leaves – Three bay leaves are what I use.
- Corned beef seasoning – I make my own. The recipe and instructions are in the expert tip section below.
- Potatoes – I prefer and recommend baby red potatoes cut in half.
- Carrots—You will need six medium carrots, peeled and cut into two and a half-inch sticks. You can also use baby carrots.
- Cabbage – I just use half of a green cabbage, cut into four wedges.
How to make it
- Put it all in the pot: Place your corned beef in the pot and pour in the liquids with the seasoning, garlic, and onion. The liquid should cover the brisket. If not, add more, but do not go over the fill line. Stir gently, and then add the bay leaves.
- Cook the meat: Now, close the lid and set the timer for 75 minutes for a two-pound brisket, 80 for a three-pounder, or 85 for a four-pound brisket. When the timer is up, let it release the steam naturally for 15 minutes before carefully releasing the remaining pressure by turning the vent to the venting position. However, add five minutes for every half inch if your meat is thicker than 1.5 inches. Set it aside and add one and a half cups of the liquid with it.
- Cook the vegetables: Next, add the veggies to a steamer basket and place them in the pot with the remaining cooking liquid. Close the lid and cook for three minutes with a quick release.
- Cut and serve: Remove the veggies and strain the cooking liquid. Then, slice the meat against the grain before serving.
How long to cook Corned Beef in Instant Pot?
- I cook this dish in the pressure cooker for about 1.5 hours, but it also depends on the size of the meat. For a 4-pound corned beef (flat or pointcut), I recommend cooking it at high pressure for 90 minutes, with a 20-minute natural pressure release. As a result, you will end up with fork-tender meat, but still sliceable against the grain without falling apart. However, if you make a much smaller brisket, it will need a shorter cooking time. I would recommend reducing the cooking time to about 75 minutes for a 2-pound brisket, with an abbreviated natural release.
- If you want to make it in the crockpot, the cooking time will be about 8-10 hours on LOW or 4-5 hours on HIGH.
- In the oven it will take about 4-6 hours, it depends on how big is the brisket.
Expert tip
Making your corned beef seasoning
I usually make my corned beef seasoning because I pick my whole organic brisket from the butcher shop, and it does not come with any. With this recipe, I make the seasoning for a whole brisket of about three or four pounds.
Pickling spices:
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
- 3-5 whole cloves
- 5 bay leaves
Recipe variations and add-ins:
- Other vegetables: I add potatoes and carrots to this dish, but you can also add turnips, bell peppers, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and celery.
- No heat: If you do not like it as spicy, use fewer black peppercorns or leave it out entirely and use white.
- More heat: For those who love spicy food, toss some poblano peppers or add cayenne pepper.
- Toasty: Toasting the spices before grinding them gives them a delicious smoky taste, but you can skip that if you do not like that flavor profile.
- Crockpot: If you don’t have a pressure cooker, check my recipe for Slow Cooker Corned Beef.
Serving suggestions:
Instant pot corned beef and cabbage goes great with all side dishes. Here are some ideas my family loves:
- Get some rye bread, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing, and make some Reuben sandwiches for dinner.
- Serve it over homemade creamy mashed potatoes.
- Another way to serve corned beef is diced with potatoes, bell peppers, and onions browned in a skillet for corned beef hash.
- St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays and I love cooking traditional Irish dishes. For this occasion, you can also try Bacon Fried Cabbage, Shepherd’s Pie, and Mint Chocolate Chip Truffles.
Frequently asked questions
If you do not rinse your corned beef before you cook it, you will have a much saltier dinner than expected, especially if you bake or broil it. Because corned beef is brined in saltwater, you must rinse it several times to get it all off, or you will end up with a lot of salt in your meat. I rinse mine under cold water for several minutes to ensure I get it all. But don’t worry; the seasoning is still inside the meat.
There are three traditional cuts of corned beef. One is the flat cut, the larger and leaner one with a flat and consistent thickness. Since it is flat and relatively thin, it absorbs the spices evenly and gives a tender and flavorful meat suitable for slicing.
The point is the thick end of the brisket, which is fattier and has muscular marbling. Because of the fat, it has a richer flavor and is more tender. The whole brisket, which is both of them together, is the best choice and is what I use for this recipe.
The “flat” cut – leaner and features a more consistent thickness.
The “point” – it is the thicker end of the brisket, fattier, with inter-muscular fat or marbling.
A whole brisket, which includes both the flat and the point, is the best choice.
It could be that it was not cooked long enough. First, use a meat thermometer and check the thickest part of the meat. It should be at least 145 degrees F. If not, cook it for another five minutes. Then, do a quick release and recheck the temperature. If it is still not tender, check the liquid. Add more if needed, let it cook for another five or ten minutes, and let the pressure release naturally. That should do the trick.
How to store leftovers:
- Refrigerate: Corned beef and cabbage can be kept in the fridge for up to four days in an airtight container.
- Freezing: To freeze, ensure the container is freezer-safe and will stay fresh for up to four months.
- Defrost: Thaw overnight in the fridge for the best taste.
- Reheating: Put in the microwave for one to two minutes to reheat.
More instant pot Irish recipes:
Recipe tips:
- Always rinse your corned beef to eliminate the brine, or it will be too salty.
- If your corned beef did not come with pickling seasoning, you can make your own with my pickling seasoning recipe in the Expert Tip section.
- I made this in a 6-quart instant pot. If you have a smaller pot, you may have to get a more minor cut of meat or cut it to fit. Just remember not to go over the fill line when you pour in the water, or it may overflow or clog up the vent, causing it not to cook properly.
- Cook your corned beef fat side up in your instant pot and pour the water over it.
- If your meat is more than one and a half inches thick, add five minutes of cooking time for each additional half inch.
- Remember to slice your corned beef against the grain to get the most tender meat.
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Instant Pot Corned Beef
Ingredients
Corned Beef:
- 2-4 pounds corned beef brisket rinsed
- 2 cups beef broth or cold water
- 2 cups beer of your choice water or broth
- 1 large sweet onion quartered
- 6-8 garlic cloves crushed
- pickling spices
- 3 bay leaves
Vegetables:
- 6 medium carrots peeled and cut into 2.5 inches ling sticks or use baby carrots
- 6-8 red potatoes quartered
- 1/2 cabbage cut into 4 wedges
Instructions
- Add corned beef to the pressure cooker pot. (I used a 6 QT pot)
- Add the quartered onion, crushed garlic cloves, pickling spices, and the liquid. The liquid should cover the brisket. If needed, add one more cup of water. Make sure you stay within the Max fill line.
- Gently stir and add the bay leaves.
- Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 75 minutes for a 2-pound brisket, 80 minutes for 3 pounds, and 85 minutes for 4 pounds. Followed by a Natural Release of 15-20 minutes. Release the remaining pressure by turning the venting knob from the sealing position to the venting position.
- Note: If your brisket is thicker than 1.5 inches, adjust the pressure cooking time by adding 5 – 6 minutes for every additional 1/2 inch.
- Set aside cooked brisket in a deep dish or container, and add about 1 1/2 cups of the liquid to it.
Vegetables:
- Add quartered red potatoes and carrots into the pressure cooker's remaining liquid. Add the cabbage wedges. The veggies can be added with a steamer basket for easier removal later.
- Close the lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes, followed by a Quick Release.
- Open the lid carefully and remove the vegetables using a spider strain.
- Cut the Corned Beef against the grain into slices and serve with the veggies.
- Strain the cooking liquid and pour some over the beef before serving. Store the remaining meat in the cooking sauce in an airtight container.