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.
What would be the cooking time for a smaller brisket? Let’s say 2 -3 lbs?
Hi Janice,
Amanda talked a little bit about this in the blog post above. While she hasn’t personally tested this recipe with a 2-pound brisket, recipes on Instant Pot’s website call for 70 minutes at pressure with either a straight quick release or a 15 minute natural release for 2 pounds. We recommend allowing some period of natural release given the beer in this recipe.
Happy Cooking,
The Striped Spatula Team
I made this with a 5.27 lb.. point roast. It’s the best we’ve ever had. I didn’t change the time even though it’s larger and it was perfect. I didn’t add water. I used 4 cups beef broth and a light colored NA beer instead of dark. Even though it was excellent ill try a good dark next time. Thank you for the best recipe! I love your simple complete instructions also! Thanks again! You rock!
Can’t wait to try this. I don’t have a rack for my Instant Pot. Can I just set the brisket on top of the onions and liquid? Thank you in advance.
Hi Chanda,
You can, yes. The meat will be very tender after cooking, so you’ll have to be careful lifting it out. You might try using a meat fork and a large spatula to take it out of the pot.
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
The Striped Spatula Team
Hello!
What beer you would recommend using with this recipe? TYIA!
Hi Samantha,
Most commercial lagers will work well. You just don’t want to use anything that’s very hops-forward, so that the braising liquid isn’t too bitter. For an imported beer, we’ve used Samuel Smith Brewery’s organic lager (England) several times. Amanda also made this recipe last week with a bottle of Sam Adam’s Boston Lager for her upcoming reuben sandwich post, and it came out great.
Happy Cooking!
The Striped Spatula Team
Hi, would love to make thos tonight but my brisket is still frozen. Do you think I can still use this recipe and make time adjustments or wait until my meat has thawed? Thanks!
Hi Lyn,
For the best results and most even cooking, we recommend fully thawing the corned beef first.
Happy Cooking!
The Striped Spatula Team
This recipe is the epitome of perfection! The beef was moist and tender. Instantpot for the win!
Perfect corned beef! I accidentally sliced it with the grain for the first two slices and they shredded, but when I went the other way, they were perfect like in your video. It’s sonetimes hard to tell which way to go after it’s cooked!!! We’re having your hash this morning with the leftovers for breakfast.
Perfect corned beef. I did the vegetables for 3 min. The carrots and potatoes were perfect but the cabbage was overcooked for my taste. I will definitely make again but next time I will cook the cabbage after taking the potatoes and carrots out.
Made it yesterday. Fantastic use of the Instant Pot!! For my family, the cabbage wasn’t at all over cooked after 3 minutes. Our’s was soft-tender and you could cut it with a fork and knife. Pretty much like when I make this dinner on the stove. I bet the size of the wedges has a lot to do with it too. But that corned beef! I don’t think I’ll go back to longer cooking methods. Perfect is the right word!!
Should we use a first cut or second cut corned beef?
Hi J,
You can use either a flat or a point cut corned beef. For either cut, be sure to note the direction of the meat’s grain before cutting, and slice across/against the grain for beautiful slices.
Happy Cooking,
The Striped Spatula Team
Would be difficult to double this recipe? I will be making it for the first for 12 people.
Hi Linda,
I make this in the Instant Pot 6 quart Duo plus, and I definitely wouldn’t be able to fit a larger or second corned beef in there. I haven’t tested times and quantities for a much larger brisket in the 8 quart model. In general, it’s difficult to stack briskets in an IP to double with this method because the liquid needed to pull out the salt and make the meat tender would come up too high in the pot for pressure cooking.
I made this yesterday for St. Patrick’s day for my family. It was a BIG hit! Many thumbs up! It was also my first time using my Instant Pot. It’s an 8 quart and easily fit the 4.2 pounder. I rinsed the meat really well under cold water and patted it dry prior to placing it into my IP. I chose not to double the pickling spice but otherwise followed your recipe exactly. Delicious! There have been requests now to add this into regular dinner rotation.
Just finished cleaning up from dinner and my family has already asked when I will make this again. I had a flat cut 4.1 pounder from Costco and my corned beef connoisseur husband said it came perfect. :) It was easy and no shredded meat like so many other recipes. Thanks for sharing this!
Great corned beef recipe. Made it after seeing the video on Facebook. I never get that excited either about cabbage with the corned beef but like others said it had great flavor pressure cooked with the strained cooking liquid. The meat is very tender but not stringy like my crockpot corned beef came. We’re making reubens with the leftovers tonight!
Can I use beef broth instead of beer? My husband has Celiac .
Hi Amy,
Yes, beef broth can be substituted. You can also use all water (4 cups total for the recipe).
Happy Cooking!
The Striped Spatula Team
I used cider and it came out quite nice.
If the meat is too big for your One Pot, can you cut it in half and stack one on top of the other? If so, should cooking times/processes be altered?
Hi Kelly,
We don’t recommend stacking the meat for this recipe. In order to draw the salt out of the corned beef during the cooking process, the liquid needs to reach the sides of the brisket. While we haven’t tested stacking, it seems that doing so would require adding too much liquid to the pot. That said, it’s okay if the brisket touches the sides of the pot in areas to fit, as shown in the video.
Happy Cooking!
The Striped Spatula Team
It was absolutely delicious! I cooked a 4.5# corned beef but is was so sad at how much it shrank down…barely enough for 3 and I only ate 3 ounces. What size would I need to a family of 5 with leftovers? I was SO looking forward to having this for a couple of meals.
Hi Dana, we’re glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Corned beef does shrink down when cooking, but that sounds like an unusual amount of shrinkage. The standard buying guidelines for corned beef are 3/4 pound per person, up to 1 pound per person allowing for leftovers. A 4.5 to 5 pound cut should easily feed 5. Was it a particularly fatty brisket?
I’m such a snob when it comes to cooking and instant pot recipes have really pretty pictures but I find this isn’t always the case…
Until now… nailed it with cooking times and “doneness”…. of course there’s the obligatory “what I added” on a online recipe… just used some more salt and pepper on the vegetables and salted butter.
Amazing meal! Great recipe!
I loved the recipe and corned beef was awesome. I would like to know if you know why the meat seemed a little salty? Any suggestions. I didn’t add anything other than the original package of pickling spices that came with the beef and the lager beer.
Hi Dee,
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the corned beef recipe! By nature, corned beef is very salty, and some brands are much saltier than others. (We’ve even found the same brand to vary quite a bit in salt from year to year.) A lot of the salt is drawn out into the cooking liquid during the pressure cooking process, but rinsing the meat before cooking can also help to tone it down a bit.
Happy Cooking!
The Striped Spatula Team