This tender, beer-infused Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage is the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Using the pressure cooker function makes it easy and convenient to cook a traditional corned beef dinner in less time. For a recipe without an Instant Pot, check out my Beer-Braised Corned Beef.
Since I got my Instant Pot, I’ve been having fun adapting and testing some of my classic recipes in it, mostly to see how the results differ using the pressure cooker function.
Being perfectly honest, I’ve found that I do prefer some dishes cooked with traditional processes. As I’ve said before, I don’t think my heart will ever stray from its devotion to slow-braises in my Dutch oven!
Many times, though, the dishes that have emerged from my pressure cooker have been just as well-enjoyed as their slowly-cooked counterparts, with an added bonus of the convenience of not having to watch a pot for 3 or 4 hours on the stove or in the oven. Our yearly Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner has been one of those.
Adapting my beer braised corned beef for the Instant Pot was one of the first things I had in mind when I bought it. We were not disappointed! The pressure cooker corned beef, infused with aromatic pickling spices and lager, was just as tender, succulent, and full-flavored as when I make it in my Dutch oven.
Making Instant Pot Corned Beef
As with most classic recipes I’ve adapted for the Instant Pot, I found that I needed more spices and less liquid than when I cook a corned beef on the stove or in a Dutch oven. I doubled my usual pickling spices from 1 tablespoon to 2 to infuse into the brisket, and only needed 4 cups of liquid total, as compared to 5-6.
Unlike other meats, I don’t recommend making Instant Pot Corned Beef with the minimum amount of liquid required for the unit (usually 1 to 1-1/2 cups). Corned beef can be very salty, and without adding enough liquid to reach to the sides of the brisket, you won’t draw enough of that salt out of the meat during the cooking process.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Corned Beef in a Pressure Cooker?
Instant Pot corned beef saves you about an hour of time, as compared to my Dutch oven braised corned beef recipe. In comparison to crockpot corned beef recipes, which can take up to 8 hours, it’s substantially quicker.
For a 4-pound corned beef (flat or point cut), we liked the texture of the meat best when cooked at high pressure for 85 minutes, with a 20-minute natural release. The meat was fork-tender, but still sliceable against the grain without falling apart. Adding about 15 minutes to the cooking process for the Instant Pot to heat up to pressure, the corned beef itself takes about 2 hours total.
Read about the difference between flat and point cut brisket in “Tips for Buying Brisket” from Cooks Illustrated.
We always make a corned beef around 4 pounds to ensure leftovers for sandwiches and corned beef hash, but if you make a much smaller brisket, it will likely need a shorter cooking time. Instant Pot recommends 70 minutes at high pressure for 2 pound briskets, with an abbreviated natural release.
Cooking Vegetables for a Pressure Cooker Corned Beef Dinner
Adding potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to an Instant Pot corned beef dinner is a breeze. I like to strain the cooking liquid after I remove the corned beef from the pot, and discard the pickling spices and solids. Then, I just add some of strained liquid back into the pot with the vegetables, and cook on high pressure for 3-4 minutes, with a manual release.
I love the flavor that the pressure cooker infuses into the vegetables from the beer-based cooking liquid. I don’t usually get that excited about boiled or steamed cabbage wedges, but I really enjoyed the flavor of these.
Serving Instant Pot Corned Beef
When the corned beef comes out of the Instant Pot, I like to place it in a dish with a bit of the reserved cooking liquid and cover with foil to keep the meat warm and juicy. When ready to serve, slice the brisket against the grain in 1/8 to 1/4-inch slices.
Check Out: Here’s How (and Why) to Slice Meat Against the Grain from Kitchn.
If there is a substantial fat cap on the corned beef, you might want to trim it down or remove it entirely before slicing. This is entirely a matter of personal preference. We like to serve the brisket with some of the fat left on.
When serving, spoon a little bit of the strained cooking liquid over the sliced corned beef on the platter, and offer guests whole grain mustard on the side. I sprinkle the vegetables with chopped fresh parsley for a pop of color and freshness, and sometimes, treat them to a light drizzling of melted butter.
Recipe Video
Instant Pot Corned Beef
A tender corned beef and cabbage dinner, infused with the light flavor of lager-style beer and warm pickling spices. This recipe is written for a 4-pound corned beef using a 6-quart Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion , sliced
- 4 cloves garlic , peeled and lightly smashed with the back of a knife
- 2 tablespoons pickling spice
- 2.5 cups water
- 4 pound corned beef brisket , rinsed
- 12 ounces lager-style beer (nothing too bitter)
- 1 pound tiny potatoes (about 1-1/2 inches in diameter), or red-skinned potatoes cut into 1-1/2 inch wedges
- 1 head cabbage , cut into 8 wedges
- 1 pound baby carrots
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley , for garnish
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted (optional)
- whole grain mustard , for serving (optional)
Instructions
Combine onion, garlic, pickling spices, and water in the insert of an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker. Place the corned beef brisket, fat side up, on a rack on top of the onions. Pour beer over the brisket.
Seal lid and set the unit to HIGH pressure for 85 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.* Remove corned beef and place on a dish or a cutting board, spooning a bit of the cooking liquid over the top. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Strain cooking liquid and discard solids. Return 1-1/2 cups of liquid to the Instant Pot and add potatoes, carrots, and cabbage wedges. (Reserve remaining cooking liquid.) Seal lid and set the unit to HIGH pressure for 3-4 minutes, depending on how soft you like your vegetables. Quick release pressure.
Slice corned beef against the grain. Spoon a little bit of the reserved cooking liquid over the corned beef slices on your platter. Sprinkle parsley over the vegetables, and if desired, drizzle with melted butter. Serve corned beef with mustard.
Recipe Notes
*Since the beer foams up in the pressure cooker during the corned beef cooking process, you might find that the initial force of manually releasing the steam (after the 20 minute natural release) causes some liquid to spray out of the valve. Sometimes it's happened to me, other times, it hasn't.
A little bit of liquid is fine, but if you release the pressure and find that too much liquid is coming out, re-seal the valve, and try releasing the remaining pressure again in another 5 minutes. Or, release the steam more slowly by turning the valve just until you hear a hissing noise and carefully holding it in that position (be sure to wear a heat-proof glove).
Read more about gradually releasing the steam in this article, section #3.
Some have recommended covering the lid/valve with a towel while releasing the pressure. Do not do this, as obstructing the vent can damage your pressure cooker and cause a safety issue.
To Glaze The Corned Beef (Optional)
This corned beef is also delicious served with my Irish Whiskey-Mustard glaze. The ingredients and directions can be found in my recipe, Beer Braised Corned Beef with Whiskey Mustard Glaze. After fully cooking the corned beef in the Instant Pot (instead of Dutch oven braising), follow the directions to "Glaze and Serve".
More St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Ideas
Creamy Leek and Cabbage Colcannon (Striped Spatula)
Traditional Cottage Pie (Savory Tooth)
Beer Braised Corned Beef with Whiskey-Mustard Glaze (Striped Spatula)
Irish Lamb Stew (West Via Midwest)
Walnut-Crusted Salmon with Guinness Reduction (Mom Foodie)
Courtney says
Oh my gosh, what a delicious corned beef recipe! I still haven’t mustered the courage to open my 1 year old instant pot box. I think I may have to so I can make instant pot corned beef! The video really eased my instant pot fears. :)
Jane says
It is so good using the IP, I will never go back, cuts time tremendously!!
Diana Johnson says
This is just gorgeous! I love that you make it in the Instant Pot. Great way to cook corned beef quickly.
Abby says
I’m here for anything made in the Instant Pot, but I especially love that you were able to take a recipe like Corned Beef and Cabbage and make it easier!
Leslie Haasch says
Man oh man… corned beef is one of those things I save to eat once or twice a year, but just looking at these pictures makes me want to add it to the rotation more often!
Nicole says
Your corned beef looks outstanding! I got an Instant Pot for Christmas, and honestly, I haven’t used it much (twice actually). I think I might have to try this for a Sunday Supper soon.
Claire says
Your corned beef looks to have the most perfect texture!!!
Great tip about using enough water to ensure your beef isn’t salty. I wouldn’t have thought of that as like you I usually have to reduce the water when I convert a recipe to my IP.
We are just heading out of summer here, so in the coming months this will definitely be on the menu!
Sharon says
Always looking for delicious instant pot recipes and this one is a hit for the holiday. Looks so easy and I like that it cuts down the cooking time. Can’t wait to make this soon.
Sarah says
This was such an interesting read! I love how well you’ve tested the Instant Pot version vs the braised version- it makes total sense that you’d need to increase the spices and decrease the liquid, since I’m sure less liquid evaporates while cooking. And you really performed a miracle with those photos- I’ve never seen corned beef look so gorgeous!
Monica says
This looks amazing, and I just love your photos of the process and ingredients. I feel like I’m right there in the kitchen with you, even though I can only dream of that! :)
Brandy Myers says
Man I bet this just melts in your mouth! I like that you can still slice it at the 85 minute mark. I tend to over do mine and everything ends up shredded. Haha.
Gloria says
I don’t have an Instant Pot, but I do have a pressure cooker. I think it would work well with this recipe too. Love the convenience of these “fast cooking” gadgets. This recipe sounds amazing, and would be the perfect dinner to celebrate St. Paddy’s day with.
Jennifer says
This looks absolutely delicious! I loved all of your tips for releasing the pressure. That part is super confusing when you first start experimenting with the Instant Pot. Cooking the vegetables in those juices must give it incredible flavor. I can not wait to eat this on St. Patrick’s Day!
Leah says
This corned beef looks just perfect, and I love all the vegetables in with it! Also, the fact that it is in the Instant Pot is amazing! I can’t wait to make this, this year!
Tina says
Those are all great notes on cooking this in an instant pot. I can see how it would cut down on the cooking time. It looks amazing in the pictures and I can just tell it’s fork tender, I’m a little biased because I love Irish recipes. This reminds me of when Dad would cook this on Sundays. I have very fond memories of this recipe, thank you for sharing!
Kim @ Three Olives Branch says
This corned beef looks so perfect! And I absolutely love that you used the instant pot to make it so much faster and easier. Definitely looks like a winner, yum!
Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon says
I really need to get an instant pot! I keep reading about all sorts of great recipes that I want to try. Thanks for the tips on seasoning and liquids – these will come in handy once I have my own instant pot. In the meantime, your beer braised Dutch oven recipe sounds really awesome. :)
Matt Kearns says
This beef looks so tender and full of flavor. I’m also a big fan of cabbage and this dish covers everything for me. Gotta love that instant pot!
Tracy Koslicki says
Mmmm this looks SO good. But I’m with you – can’t ever replace the dutch oven!! Those potatoes are calling my name – they look PERFECT. I love a good corned beef, too and saving an hour is always a plus, too!
Veronika's Kitchen says
Your pictures are gorgeous! and this IP Corned Beef looks amazing) I love to experiment with my Instant pot and would love to try your recipe)
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
I’ve really been wanting to try a roast recipe in my instant pot, but haven’t found anything that looked appealing… until NOW! This looks positively mouth-watering!
Dana says
The cook on this looks absolutely perfect! It’s really amazing what you can do in an Instant Pot. I need to play around with mine more. You know, I think St. Patrick’s is the only holiday that I’ve never cooked for or eaten for. I need to change that! I don’t eat beef anymore but there are so many delicious things I can still eat. (Cabbage! Potatoes!) I wonder if I can come up with a pescetarian spin on corn beef? Hahaha.
Patty says
I don’t own an instant pot but I would be happy to make your recipe in my good old Dutch oven. My mouth is watering just looking at this wonderful meat and vegetables. This is totally the kind of meal we love in my family and I too make sure that there’s enough for leftovers. I will try your recipe for our next Sunday dinner!
Tami Tilkin says
OMG, this was hands down the best corned beef I have ever made. Thank you so much for the recipe! A couple of quick notes: I used Abita Amber beer. When I removed the corned beef from the Instant Pot, I covered it, and let it rest for a few minutes. While it was resting, I preheated my oven to broil, and prepared a glaze of: 2 T. melted butter, 1/3 c. brown sugar, 1 T. mustard, 1/3 c. ketchup, and 3 T. cider vinegar. I removed the fat cap from the corned beef, and put it on a cookie sheet covered with non-stick foil. I rubbed the glaze all over, and broiled for a minute or two, drizzled some more glaze, and broiled it again for a couple of minutes, repeated a third time, and then let it rest for 10 minutes or so before slicing. Besides the fact that this was the most mouth-watering, tender, corned beef I have ever eaten, I could have just made a meal of the veggies, which were *perfect* (pressure set at 4″, quick release).
Loopy says
This looks incredible. Thank you for the detailed write up. I will give it a shot tomorrow.
A question on the beer foaming, could you use a beer that has been flattened (poured into glasses until it stops bubbling)?
Amanda {Striped Spatula} says
This is a great question, and one that my taste tester and I wondered about as we were working through the recipe with our various briskets. While I didn’t pour it into a glass, the beer that was poured into the instant pot for the video did sit in there for a good bit of time and flatten before I continued with the recipe (just from the time it takes to stop and adjust lighting and camera settings for the different shots in a video). Even so, I still got a bit of liquid from the valve on the release. I think it has a lot to do with the quantity of liquid in the pot (unfortunately, with a smaller quantity, we found the beef almost inedibly salty). If you try pouring the beer in a glass first I’d love to know the results!
Loopy says
Thank you,
The corned beef got rave reviews. It not only looked fantastic but it was delicious. The leftovers were even wonderful on a sandwich a day later.
Flattening the beer seems to have worked. I poured the bottle into a 4 cup measuring cup, from about a foot above the measuring cup. I waited for the foam to go mostly away and then poured into a 16 oz cup, going back and forth until it stopped foaming for the most part. It took about 10 transfers of the beer.
I couldn’t stay to watch it cook, so I put the instant pot in the sink just in case, and set it on a 3 hour delay. There was no evidence of any overflow in the sink or anywhere on the instant pot.
For what it is worth, I used a bottle of Moose Drool brown beer from the Big Sky Brewing Company. It scores a 26 on the IBU scale, which goes from a low of 5 to a puckerng 120.
Kip says
Had this today and it turned out perfect. Must have read a half dozen recipes before deciding on this one. Used 1 bottle Guiness Stout. Had 3 cups of liquid left over that I had to throw out. Next time I wonder how cooking some of it down on the sauté function would work. I did the 80 minutes and 20 NPR and it could be cut without shredding but was tender. Perfect.
Thank you.
Amanda {Striped Spatula} says
Hi Kip, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Personally, I wouldn’t recommend reducing the cooking liquid on the sauté function, as it’s quite salty and that flavor will become even more concentrated. I like to save some of the leftover cooking liquid in a container to use when reheating leftovers on the stove for sandwiches—-a little added to a sauté pan with the sliced meat helps it steam up juicy! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Kandy says
Wow, best corned beef ever. We only had the pickling spice package that was included with the meat, and we did not have any beer, so I used 14 oz of high quality beef stock. I am so accustomed to mixing it all together in a slow cooker or a roasting pan….happy to say that this was so much better!
Kandy says
I also used the remaining liquid as a based for my vegetable soup, which is alsready finished and cooling. Left just a small amount for reheating the corned beef.
Amanda {Striped Spatula} says
I’m thrilled to know that you enjoyed the recipe, Kandy! We, too, were so pleasantly surprised by the results in the Instant Pot. So tender! Love the sound of a bowl of vegetable soup on a cold day, too!
Eileen says
Made this tonight for St. Patty’s Day! It was incredibly delicious and came out perfect! The only change I made was to cut full size carrots vs use baby carrots. I love that the recipe calls for using a 4 lb corned beef to have leftovers! So easy and fast in the Instant Pot! The best Corned beef we have ever had! Thank you 😊
BB says
Fantastic, turned out great!
Malea Willmarth says
I made this tonight and we loved it, the meat was very tender and cooking the vegetables separate was awesome- my husband said wow the carrots taste like carrots and the cabbage was delicious! We were previously making it all in the crock pot and everything tasted the same. Great recipe, will definitely make this a new tradition! Thanks!
Megan Marlowe says
I truly need to make corned beef more than once a year. I absolutely love it but only save it for St. Patrick’s Day! I always cook mine in the slow cooker (10 hours on low) but next time, I’m totally using my IP to see how it turns out and see how much faster it cooks! I also love to serve mine with whole grain mustard. Yum!
Staci says
Made this last night and it was excellent. My husband adores cabbage so I actually bought a second corned beef. I saved the sauce for leftovers and can’t wait to have them this afternoon.
Curious, what pickling spice do you use?
Amanda {Striped Spatula} says
I’m so glad you and your husband liked the recipe, Staci! I really liked the cabbage prepared this way – it seemed so much more flavorful than stovetop! I generally use the pickling spice from Savory Spice Shop. (savoryspiceshop.com), though I’ve also used McCormick’s when I haven’t been able to get to the spice shop. I love how fresh the spices are at Savory and that they’ll jar them fresh for you!
Kathy says
Hello All,
I just made this recipe this afternoon and everything turned out great! I’ll be making this again,,,
Kathy G
Jeanine A. Moore says
Made this and it was fantastic! Will be making it again. My husband who is Irish loved it. The meat was easily sliced, did not fall apart and it wasn’t dry at all. The veggies were cooked just right. I used whole carrots cut into 2inch pieces. I also added rutabaga cut into 1 I have pieces. Small red potatoes. Cabbage cut into 6 pieces. All were perfectly cooked.
Kelley says
This Instant pot recipe is the absolute best! My daughter said it was the best corned-beef she’s ever had! We went to three different restaurants on St. Patrick’s Day and none of us were satisfied… so I made it for them last night! The only thing I changed was adding three large chunks of chorizo to the onion, garlic and water broth, spicing it up PERFECTLY! I will never make it any other way again.
Kathleen says
Never used an instant pot, but I borrowed one so I could make this corned beef for a party. I have three 3lb corned beefs and I am wondering if I can cook them all together at the same time? If so how much liquid total would one use? And would the cooking time be similar to the recipe?
Amanda {Striped Spatula} says
Hi Kathleen,
The largest corned beef I’ve done in my 6-quart Duo Plus was 4.75 pounds, and it just fit with the base of sliced onions. For pressure cooking, you’re only able to fill the IP insert 2/3 full, so I’d say that three, 3-lb briskets would far exceed that point. I haven’t done any testing with the largest 8-quart model, so I can’t speak from experience on the capacity of that unit.
Ryan says
Best IP corned beef & veggies recipe I’ve made. Tried plenty and this is the one I’ll use from now on. Others were cooked at 90 minutes, found it was too long and meat shredded. Others had 4 cups liquid & was too much and caused a mess with QR when veggies were done. To combat salt, I rinsed and patted dry a 3.75lb corned beef. Used Guinness without any mess or letting it go flat. Added more spices as suggested, 2 bay leaves, pinch of cloves, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of allspice. Perfect! Thank you!
Denise Noriega says
Hello! Have you ever tried it with a frozen corned beef?!
Amanda {Striped Spatula} says
Hi Denise, I haven’t tried this with a frozen brisket, so I can’t speak from experience on it! Given the thickness, I’d be inclined to fully defrost it before cooking it in the Instant Pot.
Ruth says
Does this recipe not need salt?
Amanda {Striped Spatula} says
Corned beef is inherently very salty, and the juices from the meat will flavor the whole dish. I would definitely not recommend adding any additional salt to this recipe.