Instant pot corned beef and cabbage is happening for dinner tonight. Make this meal in less than half the time by using your instant pot pressure cooker. The meat will be fork tender and the veggies will be perfectly cooked. Cooking the vegetables in the same broth that the meat cooks in will give the veggies a delicious briny flavor.
I know it is nice to come home from work and have dinner ready in 15 minutes but sometimes you just crave meals that would normally take much longer. Typically it will take 3 hours to make a fork tender, flavor-packed, corned beef and cabbage dinner. You can cut that to just over an hour with your instant pot pressure cooker.
Now I know that isn’t 15 minutes but let me tell you that it will take less than 15 minutes of your time to prep this dinner and get it ready to cook. The rest of the time is pretty much hands-free while the instant pot does all the work. Sit back and relax or get some chores done while IP cooks your dinner.
Did I mention that the corned beef will be fork tender when the instant pot is finished cooking? The pressure cooker will do that for you just as if you had cooked the corned beef in a slow cooker all day. I’m not kidding, the meat will just shred with a fork.
Is Corned Beef and Cabbage Really Irish?
Nope. Corned beef and cabbage is NOT a traditional Irish meal. It is, however a traditional Irish-American food that became popular when Irish immigrants came to America in the 19th century. When the Irish immigrants came to America, they had to improvise. Where beef was expensive and considered a luxury item in Ireland, it was was affordable and accessible in America.
At least beef in the form of corned beef was affordable. And so were potatoes and cabbage. Limited funds and a hungry belly led to an amazing and delicious meal that has become a tradition in America, especially on Saint Patrick’s Day. But don’t wait for Saint Patricks Day to eat corned beef and cabbage. Make this any time of the year and use your instant pot to make it in a hurry.
My sister-in-law was born and raised in Ireland and she thinks it is strange that Americans eat corned beef and cabbage on Saint Patrick’s Day. But then again, there are a lot of things that this native-born Irish girl says we do in America that you will never see in Ireland. We will have to save that story for another day.
If you are looking for a classic Irish dish, we would point you to our Dublin Coddle with Barley, or Slow roasted lamb shoulder with root vegetables or even some amazing Irish beef and stout pies. But don’t hesitate to cook corned beef and cabbage just because is not a traditional Irish dish. It is a delicious and affordable dish that takes hardly any prep time.
How to cook corned beef and cabbage in the instant pot.
It takes longer to cook the corned beef than it takes to cook the vegetables so you will do this in 2 stages. here is a brief outline. Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the post for the detailed instructions in the printable recipe card.
1. Cook the corned beef.
- Take the corned beef out of the package and plop it in the instant pot. Depending on the size and shape of the corned beef, you may need to cut the corned beef into two or three sections in order to get it to fit better in the pot.
- Most packages of corned beef already have a spice packet in them. Use that spice packet but make it even better by adding some garlic, whole cloves, onions, and bay leaves.
- Now all you have to do is turn on the instant pot and let it cook. It will take a little over an hour to finish cooking but it will taste as if you cooked it all day in a slow cooker.
- Now all you have to do is turn on the instant pot and let it cook. It will take a little over an hour to finish cooking but it will taste as if you cooked it all day in a slow cooker.
2. Cook the vegetables.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to the broth in the instant pot and cook it on high pressure for four minutes. Once the vegetables finish cooking, make sure you do a quick-release on the valve so they don’t overcook.
- If you cut your vegetables larger than 3-inch chunks you may need to add 1 or 2 minutes to the cooking time. Just check them with a fork and if they are not completely cooked, put the lid back on and add 1 minute to the cooking time.
- That’s it! Corned beef and cabbage is ready for dinner and it shouldn’t have taken you more than 15 minutes to prep everything.
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Instant Pot Corned Beef And Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 3 to 4 pound corned beef brisket with the spice packet
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 onion cut into large chunks
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 whole garlic cloves
- 3-4 whole cloves
- 1 cabbage sliced into 2 to 3-inch wedges
- 1 pound red potatoes cut into 3-inch chunks
- 4 carrots cut into 3-inch pieces
Instructions
- Place the corned beef brisket in the instant pot along with the spice packet that came with the brisket. You may need to cut the brisket in 2 or 3 pieces to get it to fit.
- Add the chicken broth, onion, bay leaves, garlic, and whole clove spice.
- Close the lid and set the pressure cooker to high for 1 hour 10 minutes (set the timer for 1 hour 35 minutes if you have a 4 pound brisket).
- Quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
- Remove the corned beef and set it on a cutting board to rest. Add the cabbage, potatoes, and carrots to the broth in the pressure cooker then replace the lid and cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure and transfer the vegetables to a serving platter then slice the meat and place on the serving platter.
Mateo Pedersen
Thursday 14th of March 2019
My family is fond of beef and so, I love to try new recipes for moist beef, but I don’t have a slow cooker. However, I’ll buy it soon. Can you tell me if I can put the frozen beef directly into the slow cooker or do I need to defrost it first? & what maximum amount of beef can be cooked in a one pot slow cooker?
Dahn Boquist
Thursday 14th of March 2019
Hi Mateo, this recipe is for a defrosted cut of beef. Thanks for asking. Hope you enjoy it