Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage is the BEST way to prepare this Irish-American classic. Made with tender corned beef braised in a rich and tangy liquid and perfectly cooked potatoes and cabbage, this Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe delivers the classic flavors you know and love in record time.
From Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkraut for New Year’s Day to Instant Pot Ham for Easter to Instant Pot Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving to Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, the Instant Pot speeds up the process of classic holiday dishes, while delivering impressive results (and incredibly tender meat!)
Kristen’s Key Tips for Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Stock up on corned beef around St. Patrick’s Day. While you can find corned beef year-round it is drastically cheaper around St. Patrick’s Day. Stash a few extra corned beef briskets in your freezer to enjoy this favorite-year-round.
- Use a Two-Step Cooking Process. Corned beef needs a significantly longer time than the veggies to become tender. Therefore, it is best to use a simple two-step cooking process, as I do for Instant Pot Pot Roast.
- Guinness beer is optional but encouraged. While you can simply use beef broth to braise the corned beef, using a rich stout beer adds layers of complex flavor (just as it does for in Instant Pot Irish Stew)–making Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage the BEST you have ever had!
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes on Ingredients
- Corned Beef: Corned beef is simply a brisket that has been brined and cured. This recipe (and timing) works with both a flat cut or point cut corned beef. The flat cut is leaner, while the point cut has more marbling.
- Pickling Spices: Most packaged corned beef brisket comes with a pickling spice blend–which work perfectly in this recipe. If yours does not, you can use 1 tablespoon of pickling spices.
- Stout Beer: Use any variety of stout beer (such as Guinness). Or replace the beer with beef broth for a gluten-free version of corned beef and cabbage.
- Brown Sugar: This may seem like an odd addition but just a little bit of brown sugar balances out the tangy, bitter notes in the corned beef and beer.
- Potatoes: 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 1/2 head of cabbage. Use the remaining half to make coleslaw, Colcannon (another St. Patrick’s Day favorite!), or add to fried rice.
How To Make Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
While this is an incredibly simple recipe, if you are unfamiliar with cooking in an Instant Pot or the functions of your Instant Pot, be sure to start with How to Use an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes. You will find the full recipe in detail in the recipe card below.
- Rinse Corned Beef. It is crucial to rinse the corned beef under running water before pressure cooking. This removes the brine and prevents an overly salty dish.
- Pressure Cook Corned Beef. Cooking the corned beef in the Instant Pot is an incredibly simple process–no need to saute anything. 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.
- 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 while the veggie cook.
- Pressure Cook the Vegetables. Strain off all but two cups of the liquid, add in the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, and cook for 3-5 minutes on high pressure (depending on how soft you like your cabbage). It won’t take long for the Instant Pot to come back to pressure, as the liquid is already warm.
- 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 (and a Guinness Beer to drink), but both are completely optional.
Ideas for Leftover Corned Beef
Leftover Corned Beef can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container 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.
- Swap out the bacon for corned beef to make incredible Irish Nachos–wow! So good!
- 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.
More Favorite Instant Pot Recipes
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Prevent your screen from going dark
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Rinse 3 pound corned beef brisket under cold water and thoroughly pat dry. This removes the brine from the brisket, preventing the dish from being too salty.
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Place 1 large yellow onion (sliced) into a 6 or 8-quart Instant Pot. Place the brisket on top of the onion mixture. Sprinkle with 1 seasoning packet from corned beef, 5 cloves garlic, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Pour in 1 cup stout beer and 1 cup low-sodium beef broth around the corned beef.
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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.
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Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Then do a quick release of any remaining pressure.
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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.
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To the inner pot, add the 1 pound small red potatoes (halved) and 1 pound baby carrots and top with ½ head green cabbage. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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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.
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Thinly slice corned beef against the grain and serve with potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.
Beer: Feel free to use any dark stout beer you like, or beef stock if you do not drink beer. The beer adds a great amount of flavor but is not necessary.
Pickling Spices: Most packaged corned beef brisket comes with a pickling spice blend. If yours does not, you can use 1 tablespoon of generic pickling spices.
Gluten-Free Corned Beef and Cabbage: If you want this to be a gluten-free meal, check your corned beef label carefully to be sure the brisket and seasoning packet does not contain gluten. And use an additional 1 cup of beef stock in place of the stout beer.
Potatoes: You can use red potatoes, russet potatoes, or new potatoes. Cut your potatoes into 2-inch chunks or leave them whole if using baby potatoes.
Leftovers: Store the cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can freeze the leftover corned beef brisket for up to 3 months.
Please be sure to refer to Instant Pot High Altitude Conversion if needed.
Calories: 364kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 22gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 1800mgPotassium: 873mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 6345IUVitamin C: 80.4mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 3.6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2025.
