Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

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Enjoy this easy corned beef and cabbage recipe in a fraction of the time by cooking in your Instant Pot. Stock up on corned beef when it is on sale in March and enjoy as a budget-friendly meal any time of year! Instant Pot Corned Beef will be your new holiday favorite. For another Irish dish, make sure to check out my Crock Pot Irish Chili recipe.

instant pot corned beef and cabbage on white plate with title text

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I buy corned beef one time per year. When it is on sale in March leading up to St. Patrick’s Day. That is the ONLY time I ever see it on sale, and I refuse to pay full price. So, every March, I stock up on corned beef so that I can get my Corned Beef and Cabbage fix throughout the year.

While corned beef and cabbage is a dish traditionally braised in the oven all day, I can also be impatient. So, here comes Instant Pot Corned Beef. With the pressure cooker, I can have dinner on the table in 90 minutes rather than 3 hours!

Ingredients for Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned Beef: Corned Beef is a beef brisket that has been “corned” or preserved in a salt cure. It is a traditional way to serve beef in Jewish and Irish cultures. It is available year-round, but it is definitely most popular in March, coinciding with St. Patrick’s Day. That is when you will find the best price, so stock up then!

You will notice that there is point cut and flat cut of corned beef. Point cut is usually cheaper because it is more of an odd shape and contains more fat. Flat cut in more perfectly rectangle and leaner, and thus more expensive.

Cabbage: Use as much or as little cabbage as you like. I tend to use 1/4 cabbage per person. If your head of cabbage is especially large, cut it into 6 or 8 wedges rather than 4. You can even keep the root on your cabbage. It will help make the cabbage really easy to get in and out of the Instant Pot.

Cooking Liquid: You can use either water or beef broth in this recipe. I use beef broth if I plan on making gravy from the cooking liquid. If I am not making gravy, water works perfectly well.

Vegetables: Onion, carrots and red or yukon gold potatoes are totally optional. They help round out a complete roast dinner, but you can simply cook the corned beef by itself if you’re not a fan. The do soak up all the flavor of the corned beef for yummy vegetables.

Equipment You’ll Need

Instant Pot (I used a 6 quart Duo)
Cutting Board and Knife
Slotted Spoon or Tongs
Carving Knife (optional, but makes slicing the meat SO easy!)

corned beef and cabbage on white plate garnished with parsley and instant pot in background

How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage in Instant Pot

Start by getting all of your vegetables ready. Add sliced onions, carrots and red potatoes to the Instant Pot. This will be our rack that helps keep the corned beef from sitting totally covered by the cooking liquid.
Then, remove your corned beef from its package, making sure to save the seasoning packet, and add to your Instant Pot. Make sure that the fat side is up.
Add your liquid, either water or beef broth, and sprinkle with the seasoning packet.
Cover with lid and seal the valve on your Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 90 minutes.

sliced onions, carrots and potatoes in instant pot — Layer in onions, carrots and potatoes

corned beef brisket sitting on top of carrots and potatoes in instant pot — Layer in onions, carrots and potatoes

When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Then, turn the valve to release any remaining pressure.
Remove the corned beef and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil.
Add your quartered cabbage to the Instant Pot with the cooking liquid.
Cover, seal and cook on high pressure for 1 minute.
Quick release when the cooking time is up and serve with the corned beef and vegetables

cooked corned beef in instant pot with carrots and onions — Cook on high pressure

quartered cabbage slices in instant pot — Cook on high pressure

How to Slice Corned Beef

When cutting meat into slices, you want to make sure that you are cutting against the grain. This cuts the connective tissue of the meat into smaller pieces so that the are tender, easy to chew and also hold its shape when being carved.

How can you tell the direction of the grain, though? You want to look for lines in the meat. They will basically run in one direction. When you slice meat, you want to make sure that you are cutting across those lines rather than in the same direction. The picture below shows what I mean.

instant pot corned beef brisket on white plate with arrow showing direction to slice meat and text explaining to cut against the grain

Frequently Asked Questions

What is corned beef?

Corned beef is beef that has been salt-cured. It is a preserving method that makes tough cuts of beef, like brisket, nice and tender.

What is the difference between point and flat corned beef?

This has to do with the shape of the cut. A point cut has a triangle shape and a larger fat cap. Flat cut in a more rectangle shape with less fat, making it a leaner cut. It is ideal for long, clean slices.

Is corned beef gluten free?

Yes, corned beef is gluten free. The corning process should only contain salt. Corned beef is also naturally dairy free.

overhead view of cooked corned beef on white plate with instant pot in background

More Instant Pot Dinner Recipes

Instant Pot Corned Beef Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Instant Pot Corned Beef

Enjoy this easy corned beef and cabbage recipe in a fraction of the time by cooking in your Instant Pot. Stock up on corned beef when it is on sale in March and enjoy as a budget-friendly meal any time of year!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 (3-4 pound) corned beef with seasoning packet
1 large head green cabbage
1 large onion
1 pound baby carrots
1 pound small potatoes (red or yukon gold)
3 cups water or beef broth

Instructions

Peel the onion and slice into wedges. Place in the Instant Pot.
Add carrots, potatoes and water or beef broth.
Remove corned beef from package and add to Instant Pot with fat side facing up. Sprinkle with seasoning packet.
Cover with lid and seal vent. Cook on high pressure for 90 minutes.
All for Natural Pressure release for 15 minutes, then release remaining pressure.
Remove corned beef and vegetables, keeping the cooking liquid. Cover corned beef and vegetables with aluminum foil.
Cut cabbage into 4-6 wedges. Place the cabbage in the Instant Pot with the cooking liquid.
Cover with lid and seal vent. Cook on high pressure for 1 minute.
Once cooking time is complete, quick release pressure and remove lid.
Remove cabbage and serve on platter with corned beef and vegetables.
Adjust seasoning on vegetables to your preference.

Notes

When slicing your corned beef, make sure to cut against the grain. Find the direction the lines are running in the meat and cut across them like a T. This will give you slices of tender corned beef that fall apart in your mouth, but hold their shape when cutting.

The cooking liquid left from cooking corned beef is incredibly flavorful. You can with a Tablespoon of cornstarch with a Tablespoon of water and stir into the cooking liquid. Press Saute on your Instant Pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Allow to boil for at least 1 minute to make a quick gravy to serve with your Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage.

Seasoning: Corned beef is salted already and I did not find that I needed to add any additional salt to the vegetables. Please taste and adjust to your personal preference.

If you are very sensitive to salt, I recommend rinsing the corned beef after you remove it from its package. This will help remove some of the salt used in the corning process.

Storing: Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to spoon some of the cooking liquid over the meat when packaging for the fridge. This will help keep the meat moist when reheating.