Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage is pressure cooker version of the classic Irish-American recipe. Make perfectly tender corned beef for dinner any night of the week!
Corned beef and cabbage is a classis St. Patrick’s Day dinner recipe and we make it every year.
To get perfectly tender corned beef takes some serious cook time but that’s where the pressure cooker comes in. Using an Instant Pot you only have to cook your corned beef for 90 minutes and it will be fall-apart tender every time.
Add cabbage, potatoes, and carrots and 5 more minutes in the Instant Pot and you have a complete meal!
We serve ours with a side of delicious parsley cream sauce made with whole grain mustard and for dessert we have pistachio cake, mint Oreo layered dessert, or just a mug of Bailey’s Irish coffee for me!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need for the recipe, broken down into the corned beef and cabbage and parsley cream sauce.
For the corned beef and cabbage:
- Aromatics – We use onion and garlic. You can use a yellow or white onion whichever you prefer.
- Beef broth – If you don’t have beef broth on hand you can use water. I like the extra flavor the beef broth adds.
- Corned Beef Brisket with seasoning packet – Corned beef comes in two cuts a point cut or a flat cut brisket. Either will work for this recipe but I prefer a point cut because it is more tender. You should be able to find this packed with pickling spices near the other meats in the grocery store or at your local butcher shop.
- Red potatoes – We use red, but you could use golden or white varieties as well.
- Baby carrots – You could use whole carrots if you peel and then cut them into smaller pieces. Babies just save you time!
- Cabbage – Traditionally, the recipe uses green cabbage, but savoy cabbage could work as well.
For the Parsley Cream Sauce:
- Butter – You can use either unsalted or salted, but since the corned beef is already pretty salty, unsalted is probably best.
- Flour – You can use regular all purpose or could try a keto friendly version for a keto friendly or low carb sauce.
- Milk – You’ll want to use whole milk for the best results.
- Flat-leaf parsley – You’ll want to use fresh parsley for this recipe. You can use curly parsley if that is all you can find but we find flat leafed has the best flavor for cooking and curly is more for garnish.
- Wholegrain Mustard – This gives the sauce a bit of a bite.
- Salt to taste – You should use this sparingly because the beef is already pretty salted.
Equipment You’ll Need
The only thing you need to make the corned beef is a pressure cooker. Any brand will do, we used a 6 quart Instant Pot, but these instructions are for an electric pressure cooker not a stove top version. A stove top version will require adjustments to the cook time.
For the parsley cream sauce you’ll need a whisk and a small saucepan.
Instructions
We make a delicious cream sauce with our corned beef and cabbage. For ease, we’ve broken down the instructions into both the corned beef and the cream sauce separately.
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Step 1: Prepare the pot. Place a trivet in the bottom of the inner pot of your Instant Pot and then place the onion and cloves garlic on the bottom. Next, pour in the beef broth.
Step 2: Prepare the beef. Wash the corned beef in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Next, place it on top of the onions fat side up and then pour the spice packet contents over the beef and spread it around to coat the meat.
Step 3: Cook the corned beef. Once the beef is in place, lock the lid on and turn the valve to SEALING position. Set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE for 90 minutes.
Step 4: Make the sauce. Follow instructions on making the Parsley Cream Sauce below as the beef cooks.
Step 5: Allow beef to naturally release. When the timer goes off press CANCEL and let the Instant Pot do a natural release for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, carefully turn the valve to VENTING to release any remaining pressure.
Step 6: Remove beef and cook the veggies. Carefully remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Place the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage wedges in the pot. Next, lock the lid in place and turn the valve to SEALING. Set to HIGH PRESSURE for 5 minutes.
Step 7: Quick release when the timer goes off. You don’t need to do a natural release when the veggies are done. Instead, carefully turn the valve to VENTING to do a quick release.
Step 8: Plate and serve. Place the corned beef and veggies on a large serving dish. Serve immediately with the Parsley Cream Sauce for dipping.
Don’t Forget the Sauce!
I like to serve my corned beef brisket with a delicious parsley cream sauce. It’s packed with garlic, fresh parsley, and whole grain mustard seeds that give it a slightly tangy flavor.
You can make this sauce in three simple steps and you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Step 1: Make a roux. To make a roux, melt the butter in a small sauce pan set to medium high heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute or until the flour is fully incorporated and not lumpy.
Step 2: Whisk in the liquid. Pour the milk into the pot, whisking the whole time. Add the whole grain mustard and cook the mixture for 5 to 7 minutes or until it begins to thicken.
Step 3: Add the seasonings. Once the sauce has thickened, you can add in salt to taste and then mix in the parsley. Cook with the seasonings for one more minute and allow it to cool slightly before serving.
What to do With Leftover Corned Beef
After you’ve enjoyed your first round of corned beef and cabbage you might have some leftovers. Of course it’s delicious warmed up the next day BUT if you want to try something different you have a few options:
- Reuben sandwich – this classic sandwich is made with thin slices of corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and Russian dressing on rye bread.
- Corned Beef Hash – the perfect breakfast after a night of St. Patrick’s day celebrations! Crispy potatoes are cooked with onions and corned beef. Top with a poached egg and you’ve got an amazing breakfast!
- Irish Potato Bites – little potatoes stuffed with cheese and corned beef, a simple but tasty appetizer recipe for St. Patrick’s Day.
- Corned Beef Cabbage Rolls – these cabbage rolls are stuffed with a carrot and parsnip mash, and tender corned beef. It’s an easy St. Patrick’s Day dinner recipe!
- Irish Nachos – an easy appetizer made with potato chips topped with corned beef, cabbage, and homemade beer cheese sauce.
- Irish Egg Rolls – classic corned beef and cabbage flavors wrapped up in a crunchy egg roll wrappers and dipped in a creamy parsley sauce.
- Irish Stuffed Eggs – a keto appetizer recipe that’s a fun twist on the classic corned beef and cabbage.
What is Corned Beef?
Corned beef is a type of cured meat made from beef brisket that is brined in a salt solution. It gets its name from the large grain salt used to cure it called “corns.” Early Irish immigrants in the USA often lived near Jewish settlements and would purchase their briskets from their butchers and then brine it to make corned beef.
In the USA, people often associate corned beef with St. Patrick’s day because Irish immigrants would cook the brisket with cabbage and potatoes, which reminded them of similar dishes from Ireland.
Should You Rinse Corned Beef Before Cooking?
Yes! When you open up the corned beef package drain out the excess juices (make sure to save the seasoning packet) and then rinse the beef with cold water. This helps rinse off excess salts and brining liquid.
Lightly pat it dry with a paper towel and then you’re ready to use it.
How to Cut Corned Beef
This corned beef is going to be practically falling apart it is so tender. To get the perfect slice you’ll cut it against the grain. That helps tenderize the beef even more.
We often cut it into thin slices, but you can cut thicker slices or larger chunks if you like.
Is Corned Beef Keto?
Yes! Corned beef is a keto dish with approximately 1 gram of carb per serving. So, if you’re keeping it keto this year you can skip the potatoes and carrots and serve with a side of keto colcannon instead.
How to Store It
You can make this meal ahead for an easy weeknight dinner or for some tasty lunches.
To make ahead follow these steps.
First cook the meat according to the recipe. Let the beef cool completely.
Note: DO NOT cooked the vegetables at this time. While you can reheat them if you are making this ahead of time with plans to serve at a later date I suggest storing the meat and cooking liquid and then quickly cooking the cabbage and carrots on the night that you are having the meal.
To refrigerate, separate the beef and the cooking liquid into separate containers and place in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To freeze, place the meat and cooking liquids in a large sealable bag.If frozen, allow the beef and liquid to thaw for 24 to 48 hours in the fridge.
How to Reheat It
Note: If you froze your corned beef and cooking juices you’ll need to let them thaw in the refrigerator before using.
To reheat, set your oven to 325 degrees F and place meat and ¼ of the liquid in a baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until meat is heated through.
It will heat faster if you slice it before reheating.
While the beef reheats, add the remaining liquid along with your cabbage, carrots, and potatoes to the Instant Pot and lock the lid in place. Turn the valve to SEALING.
Set to HIGH PRESSURE and cook for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off do a quick release, turning the valve to VENTING and releasing the pressure from the pot.
Serve the veggies with the warmed corned beef.
Looking for More Easy Instant Pot Recipes?
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Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
Corned Beef and Cabbage
- 1 medium Onion, cut into slices
- 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
- 3 cups Beef broth
- 3 pounds Corned Beef with seasoning packet
- 8 Red potatoes, quartered
- 8 ounces Baby carrots
- ½ large Cabbage, cut into quarters
Parsley Cream Sauce
- 1 ounce Butter
- 1 tablespoons Flour
- 1.5 cups Milk
- 2 tablespoons Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Place onion and garlic in the bottom of the Instant Pot and pour in the beef broth.
- Rinse corned beef in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel and sit it in the bottom of the pot on top of the onions. Pour the seasoning packet over the beef and spread it around so it coats the beef.
- Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to SEALING. Set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE for 90 minutes.
- While the beef cooks make your parsley cream sauce.
- When the timer goes off press CANCEL and let the Instant Pot do a natural release for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn valve to VENTING to release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Add the potatoes, carrots and cabbage to the liquid.
- Lock the lid in place and turn valve to SEALING. Set to HIGH PRESSURE for 5 minutes.
- When timer goes off do a quick release, turning the valve to VENTING and releasing the pressure from the pot.
- Place the corned beef on a large serving dish and add the cooked vegetables around it.
- Serve immediately with parsley cream sauce for dipping.
Parsley Cream Sauce
- In a small saucepan over medium high heat add the butter and let it melt.
- Add flour to the butter and keep whisking to cook the flour for about a minute.
- Add the milk and whole grain mustard whisking the whole time. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken.
- Salt to taste.
- Add the parsley and continue to stir and cook for another minute then remove from heat and let cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition
