Using Instant Pot as a Pressure Cooker for Corned Beef and Cabbage will become your go to method to cook Corned Beef. If the Instant Pot was available to the Irish back in the day, no doubt that would be their preferred choice of making this signature dish! This meal is designed to be pressure cooked!
In this Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe you’ve got a huge chunk of tasty meat with all the Instant Pot friendly vegetables: potatoes, cabbage and carrots!
Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage Cooking Times
- First, corned beef is cooked for 90 minutes on high pressure in 4 cups of water.
- Make sure to use lift out rack – it will make it so easy to remove beef from the pot when it’s done.
- When the beef is removed, make sure to keep the water.
- Keep in mind that Instant Pot Corned Beef will shrink after pressure cooking! I suggest buying the largest available piece and squeezing it in. That’s what I did with my corned beef brisket.
- It’s also important to keep the beef warm while vegetables are cooking. I suggest placing it on the plate, covering with foil and keeping warm in the 200 degree oven.
Popular questions on Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Can I cook cabbage, potatoes and carrots without removing the corned beef from the Instant Pot?
If the size of your Instant Pot allows it, you can surely do it, just make sure to not overload it. If you choose to not remove Corned Beef after pressure cooking it for 90 minutes, simply add 1 additional cup of water to the pot in addition to the veggies.
Can I cook frozen corned beef in the instant pot?
If your corned beef is frozen, add just a little bit of time. The rule of thumb is to cook frozen corned beef in the Instant Pot on manual high pressure for about 34 minutes a pound.
For example, if you have 3 pound corned beef, cook it for 102 minutes. If it’s 4 pounds – 136 minutes.
Can I use broth instead of water?
Certainly, just make sure it’s sodium free or low sodium broth, otherwise you will end up with way too much salt in all the ingredients – it won’t taste good.
Next, cabbage, potatoes and carrots are added to the pot and cooked on high pressure in the same water that beef was cooked in, but only for 6 minutes.
Lift out rack is used only when cooking beef and is removed before vegetables are added.
Why make corned beef in the Instant Pot?
Are you tired of boiling your corned beef and cabbage for 3 hours on the stove top? Then you will be impressed by the hands off approach in this Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe.
Namely, you won’t have to continuously check on your boiling pot throughout the day, nor will you have a messy stove top at the end. Goodbye time-consuming and complex way of cooking Corned Beef and Cabbage and Hello Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage!
What is Corned Beef?
Corned beef is a salt-cured beef brisket, soaked in the flavors brine and seasonings. It’s called corned beef because of the large grained rock salt, called salt corns that are used to preserve it.
History of Corned Beef
In the 17th century, salted beef started taking on the name “corned beef” in some parts of England because of the large “seeds”, or “corns” of salt used to preserve it. According to FoodandWine, the word “corn” came from the Germanic word “kurnam”, meaning “small seed”.
Over time Ireland became the center for corned beef production due to the abundance of cows and a lower salt tax, which was about one tenth of England’s. Due to these lower salt taxes, Irish companies were better able to import higher quality white salt as well.
And because in good corned beef the quality of the salt is almost as important as the cut of the beef, the Irish developed a reputation for being the best in corned beef world.
Pressure Cooking Instructions for Corned Beef in the Instant Pot
Place the brisket in the Instant Pot on the lift-out rack (if there is a fattier side, put that side facing down).
Sprinkle the seasonings evenly on top of the brisket.
Add whole garlic cloves on top of the meat in order to infuse beef with garlic flavor directly. I discarded garlic after pressure cooking, but it can be eaten as well. You can also add garlic in to the water instead of placing it on top of the beef.
- Pour in water around the edges of the Instant Pot, making sure to keep the spices on top of the brisket in place.
- Secure lid, move steam vent to “Sealing” and select “Manual” or “Pressure Cook”.
- Set time to “01:30” (or 90 minutes).
- Select “High Pressure”. The digital display will show “On”.
- Keep in mind that since the Instant pot is cold and we just added 4 cups of water to it and a huge chunk of cold meat, it will take a long time for it to come to pressure, about 15 minutes. So when it stands there doing seemingly nothing for the first 5 minutes – don’t panic – perfectly normal. After about 5 to 10 minutes, you will hear hissing and see steam coming out. Next the red pin will pop out and 2 minutes later you will hear one beep. “On” on the Digital Display will be replaced by the Countdown: “01:30”. The pressure cooking has began!
- Once done, use Quick Pressure Release method to release pressure.
PRESSURE COOKING VEGETABLES
- Place cabbage, carrots and potatoes in the Instant Pot. Add liquid.
- Press “Pressure Cook”
- Set timer to 6 minutes. Because of so much stuff in the pot it will take a while (about 15 minutes) for the pressure to build up. Once you hear hissing and see steam coming out – you’re getting close. Next you’ll hear a beep and the countdown to 6 minutes will start.
- Once done, use Quick Pressure Release method to release pressure.
As you can tell my Instant Pot is filled to the top and you can’t even see any liquid. I used 1 head of green cabbage and quartered it. None of the potatoes were cut – I cooked them whole.
AFTER PRESSURE COOKING VEGETABLES IN THE INSTANT POT FOR 6 MINUTES:
Ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s day with the Instant Pot version of Corned Beef and Cabbage?
Instant Pot Tips
If you are frequently using your Instant Pot for a variety of recipes, it’s a good idea to have 2 different rings: one for savory recipes and the other for sweet recipes in order to avoid odor exchange. I use this Genuine Instant Pot Ring as my second ring – it is made by Instant Pot manufacturer and has over 1,000 positive reviews on Amazon.
Instant Pot Tempered Glass Lid is a good way to help keep the food warm without having to put the pressure lid on.
PIN INSTANT POT CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE HERE
Hungry for more instant pot recipes? Check out these amazing Instant Pot recipes. All are delicious and easy to make: Country Style Pork Ribs in BBQ Sauce, Cajun Chicken and Rice and Spaghetti in Homemade Meat Sauce.
Using Instant Pot as a Pressure Cooker for Corned Beef and Cabbage will become your go to method to cook Corned Beef. If the Instant Pot was available to the Irish back in the day, no doubt that would be their preferred choice of making this signature dish!
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 4 cups water
- 4 lb. corned beef brisket (and spice packet)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 lbs red potatoes
- 1 lb baby carrots
- 1 head green cabbage quartered
Remove Corned Beef Brisket from the package, reserve the spice packet and rinse the meat thoroughly. Place the brisket in the Instant Pot on the lift-out rack (if there is a fattier side, put that side facing down).
Sprinkle the seasonings evenly on top of the brisket. Add whole garlic cloves on top of the meat. Pour in water around the edges of the Instant Pot, making sure to keep the spices on top of the brisket in place.
Secure lid and move steam vent to "Sealing"
Select “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and set time to "01:30" (90 minutes), select "High Pressure".
The digital display will show "On". One thing to keep in mind that since the Instant Pot is cold and we just added 4 cups of water to it and a huge chunk of cold meat, it will take a long time for it to come to pressure, about 15 minutes. So when it stands there doing seemingly nothing for the first 5 minutes - don't panic - perfectly normal. After about 5-10 minutes, you will hear hissing and see steam coming out. Next the red pin will pop out and 2 minutes later you will hear one beep and "On" on the Digital Display will be replaced by the Countdown: "01:30". Pressure cooking has began!
When done, use Quick Release Method to release pressure.
Remove corned beef brisket from the pot and discard garlic (or keep it if desired). Put the brisket onto a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Keep the water inside the pot.
Make sure the rack is removed. Without discarding liquid, add salt, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to the Instant Pot. Keep in mind that it’ll be packed, but will shrink after cooking.
Press "Pressure Cook" and set timer to 6 minutes. Because of so much stuff in the pot it will take a while (about 15 minutes) for the pressure to build up. Once you hear hissing and see steam coming out - you're getting close. Next you'll hear a beep and the countdown to 6 minutes will start.
Once done, perform a quick pressure release before removing vegetables. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon or tongs.
While the veggies are in the pot, slice the corned beef brisket against the grain. Make sure you use a sharp knife.
Add the cabbage and veggies to the brisket dish and serve. Spoon the broth from the instant pot over the meat to keep it moist.
Note: Can cabbage, potatoes and carrots be cooked without removing the corned beef from the Instant Pot? Yes, this can be done as long as the size of your Instant Pot allows it - just make sure to not overload it. And make sure to add 1 additional cup of water to the pot.
How much time to add for a 3 to 3,5 pound frozen roast
If your corned beef is frozen, cook it in the Instant Pot on manual high pressure for about 34 minutes a pound, which is 102 minutes for 3 pounds and 119 minutes for 3.5 pounds
OK, Girlie!! It’s St. Paddy’s Day and I am putting this in the pot! Wish me luck🍀
Judy, you won’t be disappointed! I promise.
Safe to assume the 4 cups of water can be replaced by beer? All the non IP recipes seem to always call for it, but I’m not seeing that with IP.
Yes, you can use beer instead. Just beware: some readers reported that vegetables tasted weird when they used beer instead of water.
I have a 2.3 lb corned beef. Would I adjust the cooking time down from 1:30?
It’s not necessary to adjust cooking time. You can go down to 70 minutes but not less than that.
Olya, I forgot to ask in my first comment to you a question I have about placing the brisket in the IP. You stated to, “Place the brisket in the Instant Pot on the lift-out rack (if there is a fattier side, put that side facing down). By stating to put the fattier side down, do you mean the fatty side at the bottom of the rack, or the top so that’s the flavor from the fatty side is able to flow through the entire brisket from top to bottom?
Thanks – Michelle
The reason for the fattier side is on the bottom is in order for the spices to flavor the meat and not the fat. And with the brisket cooking with the fattier side down, the beef turned out very tender and flavorful. I hope you enjoy it!
I am so excited to try this recipe and IP preparation for my Corned Beef Brisket tomorrow ! Thank you so much for writing and sharing this recipe and directions… I APPRECIATE it very much 😊 You’ve made the directions very clear and easy to follow.
Thank you – Michelle
I’m making corned beef, etc for 22 people. How would I make this in Instant Pot, keep everything warm?
Wow, that’s a lot of people. I would wrap it in aluminum foil and keep it warm in the oven at 200 F.
I love these recipes,but when I try to print them out I get 4 or 5 full page pictures. A waste of paper I only need one picture.
There’s a Print button at the very top of the post (it’s right under the title) and inside the recipe box itself. If you click on that button – it will print with only one picture.