How to make tender Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Instant Pot

An easy Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe, made with all the traditional fixings, comes out so tender and delicious! 

INSTANT POT CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

Growing up, I remember my dad making Corned Beef and Cabbage. Apparently, my mom made it too – but I honestly don’t remember that for some reason. As a kid, I hated the taste of Corned Beef and Cabbage, but as an adult, I love it! Plus again, it reminds me of my dad.

Traditionally, Corned Beef and Cabbage is a boil of corned beef with cabbage, potatoes and carrots. The traditional boil method takes anywhere from 2 1/2-3 hours, and then you can broil the corned beef brisket for a few minutes, and honestly I just have zero desire to have the oven on that long.

You can enjoy the same traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage flavors in less time by using an electric pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot! Let the Instant Pot do its thing while you do something else and your kitchen doesn’t get hot. Yes, Corned Beef and Cabbage in your Instant Pot is the way to go!

If you’ve got leftovers, use the corned beef to make a hash or reuben stuffed potatoes!

WHAT IS CORNED BEEF?

Corned beef is salt-cured beef brisket. The salt used to cure a beef brisket are large-grained rock salt, which are also sometimes referred to as “corns” – hence Corned Beef Brisket. Sugar and other spices are used as well, but that’s more for flavor. The actual curing comes from the salt.

There are two cuts; flat cut and point cut. Most grocery stores offer flat cut, which works well for this recipe.

Your corned beef will most likely come with a spice packet, and I suggest using it. But I also don’t feel like it’s enough, so I also add an additional tablespoon of pickling spice that you can find in your grocery store.

You can easily enjoy this Corned Beef and Cabbage while you’re on a whole30 or keto and this recipe is incredibly hearty; make sure your corned beef brisket does not show sugar or other additives in the ingredient list.

Similar recipes suggest beer as a liquid when making Corned Beef, and while that does add an incredible extra flavor and tenderizer, I sub in with beef broth to keep this recipe whole30, low-carb and gluten-free. Since we’re using the Instant Pot, this recipe is guaranteed to be tender no matter what.

HOW LONG DOES CORNED BEEF TAKE IN THE INSTANT POT

• The cook-time for pressure cooker corned beef and cabbage in an electric pressure cooker (like your Instant Pot) is 70-90 minutes, depending on the size of your brisket.
• Your pressure cooker needs time to build, well pressure, which will take 8-10 minutes.
• And then you will allow the pressure cooker to naturally release for 5 minutes.
• This saves you approx an hour’s time over simmering corned beef on the stovetop. 

Let’s talk texture:

• If you cook a 3-4 lb Corned Beef in the Instant Pot and you want it tender, but still pliable and easy-to-slice, set on manual high for 75 minutes.
• If you cook a 3-4 lb Corned Beef in the Instant Pot and you want a more shredded texture, set on manual high for 90 minutes.

After your corned beef is ready, you’ll then add in your cabbage, potatoes and carrots for 3-minutes on high. I don’t recommend cooking the vegetables with the corned beef as they will turn out very mushy and generally not edible. However, this is completely your call. Omit the carrots and potatoes, if low carb/low starch.

I think the reason I didn’t enjoy Corned Beef and Cabbage much as a kid, was because the corned beef always tasted SO salty to me – which makes sense considering it’s a cut of beef that’s been cured with salt for days. I highly suggest rinsing your corned beef brisket before cooking in your pressure cooker for a more balanced flavor.

Serve this Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner on a platter and let everyone dig in! I like to serve with stone ground mustard and horseradish sauce on the side for dipping – enjoy!

other instant pot recipes you need

• Pulled Pork Ragu
• Whole30 Beef Stew
• Shredded Beef Barbacoa

Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

An easy Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe, made with all the traditional fixings, comes out so tender and delicious! 

4.69 from 22 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 350kcal

Author: Nichole Crews

Ingredients

• 1 3-4 pound corned beef brisket, plus pickling spice packet,
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 pound baby potatoes, sometimes called "new" potatoes - omit for keto
• 4 large carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces - omit for keto
• 1 medium green cabbage, cut into 2-inch wedges
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• whole grain mustard, to serve - optional
• fresh parsley, chopped - optional

Instructions

• Rinse brisket with cold water and thoroughly pat dry.
• Place trivet into a 6 or 8 quart electric pressure cooker. Place sliced onions into pressure cooker, and place brisket on top of the onion mixture. Top with garlic and pickling spices. Pour in 2 cups of beef broth.
• Select manual/pressure cook setting on high pressure. Set cook time for 70-90 minutes (see note below).
• Once cook time has elapsed, let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Then do a quick release of any remaining pressure – there will be some steam left when you quick release.
• Remove brisket from the Instant Pot and place on serving platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.
• Reserve 2 cups cooking liquid in the Instant Pot, discard the remaining liquid.
• Add baby potatoes and carrots and top with cabbage. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
• Thinly slice corned beef against the grain and serve with potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired and serve with stone ground mustard.

Notes

• If you cook a 3-4 lb Corned Beef in the Instant Pot and you want it tender, but still pliable and easy-to-slice, set on manual high for 75 minutes.
• If you cook a 3-4 lb Corned Beef in the Instant Pot and you want a more shredded texture, set on manual high for 90 minutes.

nutrition info is for all ingredients listed above

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g

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