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 braising in the Dutch oven. 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.
Have leftovers? Try making my Corned Beef Hash and Eggs for breakfast!
Recipe Video
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
- 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 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".More Instant Pot Recipes on Striped Spatula
Shannon says
March 24, 2019 at 10:31 pmMade this and enjoyed with friends who also thought it was delicious! Easy! Hardest part is waiting for the pressure to come back up for the veggies. Will make again!
Amanda Leonard says
March 21, 2019 at 4:52 pmI made this yesterday for my husband and it was a huge hit! I used Guinness instead of a lager as I like that richer taste and also used the link for your mustard. I am in love and cannot wait to make this recipe again!
Ashley says
March 20, 2019 at 12:26 pmMaking this tonight and I can’t wait to try it after reading all of the comments! Quick question, the 3-4 minutes for the vegetables is after the pressure builds again?
Amanda Biddle says
March 20, 2019 at 8:27 pmHi Ashley, the 3-4 minutes is after the veggies come to pressure (depending on how soft you like them cooked). Enjoy!
Jen Davis says
March 18, 2019 at 6:51 pmDelicious! We substituted a can of hard cider for the lager since I’m gluten free. Wonderful light apple infused broth. Perfectly cooked veggies. My husband was very skeptical of the 4 min for the veggies. He was pleasantly surprised. Excellent
Megan Duffy says
March 18, 2019 at 5:32 pmWe have loved getting to know our Instant Pot and I have to admit I was a bit nervous about trying corned beef this way… but this was by far the BEST corned beef we’ve ever had!!! Homemade OR in a restaurant! I love that the veggies are cooked much less time but in the juices from the beef. The cabbage was actually the tastiest and was gobbled up by all!!! Thank you for putting this out there – I would love to see other recipes from you for the Instant Pot – I’ll start hunting around!!! I’m sure google has them somewhere!!! Do you have a cookbook out there I can purchase?
Cynthia says
March 18, 2019 at 4:26 pmI’m planning to make my corned beef brisket tonight using my 6-qt IP for the first time. My meat is 5 lbs. Do I need to adjust the cooking time as your recipe is for a 4 lb cut?
Striped Spatula Team says
March 18, 2019 at 8:38 pmHi Cynthia,
A few of our readers have made 5 pound corned beef briskets and reported that it took the same amount of time.
Enjoy!
Sarah H. says
March 18, 2019 at 10:45 amReally delicious! I’ve always made corned beef in my crockpot, but with the addition of an Instant Pot to my kitchen, I was anxious to try something new. It came out beautifully, and making the “fixin’s” separately (cabbage, potatoes, and carrots) was perfect! I’ll definitely be using this recipe again!
Margaret says
March 18, 2019 at 10:05 amVery good. Will make again. Thanks for sharing💐
St Patty says
March 18, 2019 at 12:17 amWithout a doubt, the most buttery, delicious, tender corned beef I’ve ever had. And my DNA is very Irish ☘️
Stacy R says
March 17, 2019 at 9:16 pmThis was great! I made two batches, back to back, plus followed your oven braising recipe for a third batch (we had 20 people coming over plus you gotta have leftovers for hash!) After removing from instant pot, I let cool and then removed most of the fat and sliced it all up. Insanely good.
I have so much of the pilsner beef stock left over and I wonder if others have used it in other recipes. It tastes amazing and my husband and I are thinking it would sub in really well for the liquid (beer/stock) in a cheddar ale soup. Thoughts?
Thanks again!
Amanda Biddle says
March 17, 2019 at 9:36 pmHi Stacy,
Wow! It sounds like you had a great party! :) I’m so glad to know everything turned out so well.
I’d say go for it with using the strained braising liquid in Cheddar Ale Soup! A reader commented (last year, if I remember), that it worked well in a vegetable soup. I’ve shied away from it in the past just because I’ve gotten corned beefs that were on the saltier side and the liquid was quite salty after braising. This year, the liquid was really useable and I’ve frozen it to test some recipes later. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Mackenzie says
March 17, 2019 at 8:56 pmI’ve made plenty of corned beef- stove top, crockpot, and instant pot. This is by far the BEST recipe. I made this recipe a couple of times now. Seriously so tender and flavorful. I used a bottle of Allagash Black and wow, so good. I’ve also made it with Allagash White and that is also good. I have an 8qt. and it fits an almost 5lb brisket perfectly. Thanks for your recipe, it’s now my go to!
Amanda Biddle says
March 17, 2019 at 9:00 pmI’m such a fan of Allagash :) So glad you love the recipe as much as we do!
Emilie says
March 17, 2019 at 8:48 pmMade this for our St. Patrick’s Day dinner tonight, and it was perfect!! Followed the recipe exactly. Three minutes for cooking the vegetables was ideal. Thank you!!
Chuck says
March 17, 2019 at 7:08 pmThank you for this excellent IP recipe! We just finished St Patrick’s Day dinner and everyone, my wife included, loved it (she’s not a fan of corned beef or cabbage). I also want to thank you for a very well organized and well-written recipe.
Kelly Lonsdale says
March 17, 2019 at 6:42 pmAbsolutely fool proof and the roast is super tender. I have been afraid to use the pressure cooker that I’ve owned for 5 years. This was easy!! Thank you for taking the time to write this recipe and share it.
Michelle says
March 17, 2019 at 5:58 pmDo you think it’s a problem if I don’t have the rack? I’m in the process of moving and can’t find it to save my life.
Striped Spatula Team says
March 17, 2019 at 6:02 pmHi Michelle,
You can still make it. It’s just a tender cut of meat when it comes out of the IP and the rack helps you lift it out easily. We recommend using a meat fork and a spatula to take it out of the pot without the rack. Enjoy!
Rebecca Schmitz says
March 17, 2019 at 5:53 pmI couldn’t walk away without eating ( I think my husband would give 6 Stars)
Rebecca Schmitz says
March 17, 2019 at 5:41 pmDelicious! Used my instant pot for the second time. Spot on directions and my husband can’t stop raving. I was a bit nervous attempting this recipe in my new instant pot since my husband begins salivating around the first of the year in anticipation of St Paddy’s Day corned beef and cabbage. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Rebecca says
March 17, 2019 at 4:58 pmWhere do you find pickling spices?
Striped Spatula Team says
March 17, 2019 at 5:00 pmHi Rebecca,
They’re usually in the spice aisle at the grocery store. McCormick makes one. If you can’t find it, you can also use the spice packet that came with your corned beef.
Eric & Cortney Sikking says
March 17, 2019 at 4:39 pmTurned out amazing!!! Thank you for the recipe.
Followed it pretty much step by step.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!
RickD says
March 17, 2019 at 4:37 pmI’m assuming I should set my Instant Pot to “Pressure Cook” and not the “Steam” setting,, is that correct ?
Striped Spatula Team says
March 17, 2019 at 4:57 pmHi Rick, Yes – High pressure (step 2).
Shannon says
March 17, 2019 at 5:28 pmMy instant pot has a manual setting in a slow cooker setting do I just do manual for 85 minutes?
Striped Spatula Team says
March 17, 2019 at 6:03 pmHi Shannon,
Yes, go with the manual button. On some IP models, this is the pressure cooker button. You want “high” pressure. Enjoy!