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, try my Beer-Braised Corned Beef or Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage.
Before You Start Cooking
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage is a one-pot meal that shaves off about an hour from start to finish compared to braising in a Dutch oven. Compared to slow cooker corned beef, which takes 8 to 9 hours, the Instant Pot meal is substantially quicker.
- This recipe was developed using a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus. You’ll need the handled trivet that comes with the Instant Pot—this makes it much easier to lift out the brisket once it’s cooked and tender.
- You’ll need a 4-pound corned beef brisket for this recipe. I use flat cut for the best slices, but readers have told me they’ve also used point cut with good results. (Check out Brisket: Flat Cut vs. Point Cut from Cuisine at Home to read about the differences between the cuts.)
How to Make Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Before cooking, remove the corned beef from its packaging and rinse brisket thoroughly with cool water (2-3 times) to remove excess brine from the surface of the meat. This will help prevent the corned beef from being too salty after cooking.
I don’t recommend trimming the fat cap before cooking. The fat adds flavor and moisture to the meat, and can be trimmed before serving, if needed.
Step 1: Fill the Instant Pot
Add peeled and sliced yellow onions, whole peeled garlic cloves, and pickling spice (or the spice packet included with your corned beef) to your Instant Pot insert. Pour in 2-1/2 cups of cool water.
Place the rinsed corned beef brisket, fat side up, on the trivet that came with your Instant Pot. Nestle the trivet into the pot, then pour a 12-ounce bottle of beer over the brisket.
Tip: Choosing the Right Beer
As with my Beer-Braised Corned Beef, I prefer to use a lager that isn’t too strong or hops-forward. I most often use a bottle of Samuel Smith Pure Brewed Organic Lager or Sam Adams Boston Lager.
If you want to use stout, go for a milder one like Guinness Draught, which is less bitter than Extra Stout, or Murphy’s Irish Stout.
Before sealing the lid, check the liquid level—it should reach up the sides of the brisket. The amount of water you need may vary by your brisket’s dimensions.
While the Instant Pot might only need 1 to 1-1/2 cups of liquid to pressurize, this is not enough to draw the salt out of the meat. Adjust the quantity of water as needed, but don’t exceed the insert’s 2/3 fill line.
Step 3: Pressure Cook the Corned Beef
Lock the Instant Pot lid in place and set the vent to sealing. Cook the corned beef at high pressure for 85 minutes for a 4-pound brisket, followed by a 20-minute natural release. With this timing, the meat comes out fork-tender but still sliceable against the grain without falling apart.
Keep in mind that the Instant Pot takes about 15 minutes to come up to pressure for this recipe, so the total cooking time comes out to approximately 2 hours.
We always make corned beef that weighs around 4 pounds to ensure leftovers, but much smaller briskets will take a little bit less time. We’ve found 70 minutes at high pressure to be sufficient for 2-pound briskets, with a 15-minute natural release.
Once the cooking is complete and the remaining pressure is released from the Instant Pot, carefully remove the corned beef. Strain the cooking liquid, discarding the pickling spices and solids.
To keep the meat warm and juicy, place the corned beef in a dish with a small amount of the strained liquid and cover it with foil while you cook your vegetables.
Step 4: Pressure Cook the Vegetables
Adding vegetables to an Instant Pot corned beef dinner is a breeze. I love the flavor that the pressure cooker infuses into the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage from the beer-based cooking liquid.
I don’t usually get that excited about boiled or steamed cabbage wedges, but I really enjoy the flavor of these.
To cook the vegetables, add 1-1/2 cups of the strained cooking liquid back into the Instant Pot insert. Layer in baby carrots, creamer potatoes (red and/or yellow, about the size of golf balls), and a head of cabbage cut into 8 wedges (leave the core intact so they don’t fall apart.)
Be sure not to layer the vegetables past the pot’s 2/3 fill line. Pressure cook on high for 3 to 4 minutes (depending on how soft you like your vegetables), with a manual (quick) release.
Don’t want to cook vegetables in the Instant Pot? Skip this step and try my Roasted Cabbage Wedges on the side or a bowl of creamy Colcannon instead.
Serving Your Instant Pot Corned Beef Dinner
When ready to serve, slice the corned beef against the grain into 1/8 to 1/4-inch slices.
If the corned beef has a substantial fat cap, 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 to keep the meat juicy. While the meat is flavorful on its own, I usually offer guests whole grain mustard or horseradish sauce (like my Creamy Horseradish Sauce or Roasted Garlic Horseradish Sauce) on the side.
When adding the vegetables to the serving platter, I like to drizzle them with a little bit of melted butter and finish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley for a pop of color and freshness.
Don’t forget loaf of Irish Soda Bread, sliced and slathered with Irish butter!
Storing and Using Leftovers
Store leftover corned beef and vegetables in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To keep the meat from drying out, add a small amount of the strained cooking liquid over the slices.
Looking for ways to enjoy your leftovers? Try these favorite recipes:
- Corned Beef Hash: A classic breakfast with crispy potatoes and eggs.
- Reuben Sandwiches, Reuben Sliders, or Reuben Dip: With tangy sauerkraut and melty Swiss cheese.
- Corned Beef Sandwiches with Coleslaw: A deli-style favorite.
- Corned Beef and Potato Cakes: Pan-fried and crispy!
More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
- Stout Beer Braised Short Ribs (Dutch oven or Instant Pot)
- Guinness Beef Stew
- Irish Scones
- Stout Braised Short Rib Cottage Pie
Craving more? Check out my full collection of St. Patrick’s Day recipes.
Instant Pot Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion , sliced (use 1/2 if large)
- 4 cloves garlic , peeled and lightly smashed with the back of a knife
- 2 tablespoons pickling spice (or the seasoning packet that came with your corned beef)
- 2-1/2 cups water
- 4 pound corned beef brisket , rinsed in cool water to remove excess salt/liquid brine
- 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)
- grainy mustard or horseradish sauce , for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Combine onion, garlic, pickling spices, and water in the insert of a 6-quart Instant Pot. 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.
Notes
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”.Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
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Editor’s Note: This reader-favorite recipe was originally published on Striped Spatula on March 3, 2018. We’ve updated this post in 2022 and 2025 with improved copy to best serve our readers.
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.
Hello All,
I just made this recipe this afternoon and everything turned out great! I’ll be making this again,,,
Kathy G
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?
We’re so glad you and your husband liked the recipe, Staci! We really liked the cabbage prepared this way – it seemed so much more flavorful than stovetop. Amanda generally uses the pickling spice from Savory Spice Shop. (savoryspiceshop.com), though she also uses McCormick’s when she hasn’t been able to get to the spice shop. We love how fresh the spices are at Savory and that they’ll jar them fresh for you!
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!
Fantastic, turned out great!
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 ????
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!
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.
We’re 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!
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.
Hi Kip, we’re so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Personally, we wouldn’t recommend reducing the cooking liquid on the sauté function, as it’s quite salty and that flavor will become even more concentrated. We 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!
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)?
This is a great question, and one that our taste testers wondered about as we were working through the recipe with our various briskets. While we 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 we 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, we still got a bit of liquid from the valve on the release. We 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 we’d love to know the results!
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.
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).
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!
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!
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! :)
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!
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!