Instant Pot Corned Beef is not only easy to prepare but you are guaranteed a fork-tender, delicious brisket every single time! Use my Corned Beef Spice Packet recipe to make more seasoning and use the Corned Beef leftovers to make Corned Beef Irish Tacos!
Well, it's March, and almost time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. What better way of celebrating than with this Instant Pot Corned Beef Recipe?
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🧐Why This Recipe Works
I'm finally getting more comfortable with my Instant Pot. I find myself using it more and more. It's no surprise that I decided to cook my corned beef using my Instant Pot (sponsored link) this year.
This is a fool-proof recipe that anyone can pull off. Let your Instapot or pressure cooker do all the work, while you sit back and enjoy a green beer!
You can even prepare the brisket with the traditional fixings, which I'll explain in more detail later in this post.
🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe
🔖 Recipe Ingredient Notes
- Corned Beef— You'll need a 4-pound corned beef brisket. If the corned beef is smaller or larger the cooking time will need to be adjusted.
- Corned Beef Spice — Sometimes the corned beef is missing its spice pack or comes without one. In that case, you can make your own corned beef spices. You can also use pickling spices if you don't want to make your own spice mix.
- Beer — If you don't want to use beer, you can try a non-alcoholic beer, low-sodium chicken or beef broth, or apple cider.
🥩 Instant Pot Corned Beef Directions
STEP 1: Remove the corned beef from the packaging, and rinse off the salty brine. Rub spice pack contents all over the roast.
Pro Tip: I know, there's never enough corned beef spices to cover the entire roast, am I right? Use my corned beef spices to make more! It has amazing flavor and the perfect amount of mustard seeds, red pepper, bay leaf, and more!
STEP 2: Add 1-½ cups of water or other cooking liquid to the Instant Pot. Place the rack back inside. Add corned beef (fat-side up) and top with sliced onions and garlic cloves.
STEP 3: Pour a 12-ounce bottle of Guinness or your favorite beer over the brisket and sprinkle with more corned beef spices if desired. Lock lid in place and seal.
STEP 4: Pressure cook for 90 minutes, then do a natural release for 10 minutes, followed by a quick release.
Corned Beef, Cabbage, Carrots, and Potatoes
I know what some of you are thinking: What about the green cabbage, potatoes, and carrots? Personally, I have never liked the fixings that are usually served with corned beef. 😬
But, if you would like to make the traditional fixings, you can do so with an Instant Pot. All you have to do is remove the brisket when it's cooked, then strain the broth, and pour it back in.
Add the quartered potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. Lock the lid into place and set the lever to seal. Cook on high pressure for an additional five minutes; it's that simple!
Stove-Top Corned Beef and Cabbage Instructions
I understand that not everyone owns an Instant Pot or wants to make pressure cooker corned beef. If this is the case with you, let's just follow the instructions below:
- Begin by generously seasoning the brisket using my corned beef spices recipe.
- Place seasoned brisket in a Dutch oven and cover with water, broth, beer, or a combination of the three. The liquid should cover that brisket by approximately four inches.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and cook until the brisket is tender (2 to 2-½ hours).
- Add quartered potatoes, baby carrots, and cabbage, and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked to your preference. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables, then arrange on a serving platter with the sliced corned beef brisket.
🌮 What to Make with Corned Beef Leftovers
Corned Beef and Cabbage Dolma
So, once you've enjoyed the Insta Pot Corned Beef, either the traditional way (with cabbage wedges and potatoes) or by itself, what do you do with the leftovers? Why not try serving the leftover corned beef with some cabbage rolls or Cabbage Dolma? They go together so well!
Irish Tacos
Another great use for leftover corned beef is to make some corned beef tacos, also known as Irish Tacos. Shred or slice the corned beef and serve it in charred corn tortillas, along with sour cream, your favorite cheese, and shredded cabbage or coleslaw.
I recently purchased these great taco holders (sponsored link), which are not only affordable and super convenient, but fun to use!
Reuben Sandwiches
Another great way to use Insta Pot Corned Beef leftovers is in Reuben Sandwiches. I know they're usually prepared with rye bread, but you haven't lived until you've had a Sourdough Reuben Sandwich!
Corned Beef Irish Nachos
Another great way to use up corned beef leftovers is to make Corned Beef Irish Nachos. Instead of using tortilla chips, the nachos are made with thinly-sliced potatoes and loaded with cheese, Sriracha Aioli, and Pico de Gallo!
For other St. Patrick's Day menu ideas, check out 20 Tasty St. Patrick's Day recipes.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Choose your favorite beer, but an Irish beer, for example, Guinness is always a great option.
- The onions and garlic can also be added to the liquid before adding the brisket into the pot.
- This method can be used with an Instant Pot as well as a Ninja Foodi with the same excellent results.
- The brisket can also be placed directly inside the pot instead of on the rack.
🍖 Related Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 4 pound Corned Beef Brisket (Flat or Round)
- 1½ cups water
- 1 medium onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 12 ounce beer
Instructions
- Remove the corned beef from the packaging, rinse off the salty brine. Rub spice pack contents all over the roast. Use my Corned Beef Spice Packet Recipe to make more!
- Add 1½ cups of water to the Instant Pot and place the rack inside. Add corned beef and top with sliced onions and garlic cloves.
- Pour a 12-ounce bottle of beer over the brisket and sprinkle with more corned beef spices, if desired. Lock lid in place and seal.
- Pressure cook for 90 minutes, then do a natural release for 10 minutes, followed by a quick release.
Notes
- Choose your favorite beer, but an Irish beer, for example, Guinness is always a great option.
- The onions and garlic can also be added to the liquid before adding the brisket into the pot.
- This method can be used with an Instant Pot as well as a Ninja Foodi with the same excellent results.
- The brisket can also be placed directly inside the pot instead of on the rack.
- Leftovers can be used to make Irish Nachos, Irish Tacos, and Reuben Sandwiches!
Stephanie says
Can the corned beef be frozen going into the instant pot or does it need to be thawed?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Stephanie, I prefer to thaw it out first and try to rinse the salty brine off of it. If you skip that step, it may come out too salty. Soaking it in water for a while, if you have the time, is even better. If, however, you are in a hurry and don't want to defrost it. You can cook it on high pressure for 2 hours and then do a 30 min natural release. I hope that helps!
Kate says
I have two 4lb ones to cook, how long?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Kate,
I've never cooked more than one at a time. If you can fit them both, I would try 1 hour and 45 minutes and then do 15 minutes natural release. Please come back and let me know how it goes! You can always add more time if it needs it, but if you overcook it, it's hard to come back from that. I don't think you need to increase the liquid.
Lisa Peac says
I made 7 pounds, 20 extra minutes was all it took.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you so much for letting us know! I hope it helps someone else who wants to make more than what the recipe calls for!
David C Paton says
Easy to make, Instant spice recipe was delicious. Best Corned beef I ever mad (and I am 63.)
Hilda Sterner says
Hi David,
Thank you so much, I'm happy to help! Also, thanks for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Marcia says
This came out so good! I let it sit in the instant pot, on the keep warm setting, for about 1.5 hours after the pressure cooking was done, just because that was convenient, then I let it rest on the counter for 15 or 20 minutes before slicing it. It sliced beautifully and was just perfect. Delicious!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Marcia! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping back and leaving a review!
Tracey K Hempel says
I put approx 7.5 lbs of corned beef in there and put it for 1 hr 45 cook time. Could have stayed with the 90 minutes as it was too tender to slice. I otherwise doubled the rest of the recipe. However, it was super yummy. I did add extra pickling spices (your recipe) and mustard powder (family tradition.) I used a combo of my my homemade chicken stock and water with 2 Modelo beers (because I had it on hand.) The meat was very flavorful and moist. My boys enjoyed it so much that I have almost no leftovers! Thanks for the recipe--I will use it again.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Tracey,
Thank you for providing the specifics, I'm sure they will help others who have a larger brisket to prepare. I'm glad you had success with the recipe and that it was enjoyed by the family. Take care!
Sherry says
absolutely PERFECT!! I was cooking the corned beef for sandwiches and has so I was not in a hurry for it, so I let the pressure release 100% naturally. I don't know if this changes anything but we loved the corned beef. I was almost fall apart tender but still held together enough to slice for sandwiches. I used the recommended extra seasoning and have no regrets.
Jenny Hardin says
I am cooking a 1 1/2 lb corned beef. Should I cut the cooking time by half?
Thank you,
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Jenny,
Try cooking it for approximately 20 to 22 minutes per pound. In this case, somewhere between 30 to 45 minutes should work. Let me know how it goes!
Kate says
This was super easy to follow and the final product was excellent! So tasty! Thank you!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Kate,
Thank you so much for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Samantha says
Trying this recipe right now! Can’t wait!
Hilda Sterner says
Come back and let me know how it goes!
Joe Tinker says
When cooking a brisket on the stovetop or in a slow cooker, I cover with a few inches of liquid. beyond the 2c of water & 12ozs of beer, do I need to add more liquid to cover before pressure cooking?
Thank-you!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Joe, No you don't need to add more liquid than the recipe suggests. Good luck!☘️
Renee says
Do you cook in the instant pot on high pressure?
Thank you. The homemade spice mixture smells absolutely heavenly.
Also, do you have a beer recommendation to use over the brisket? I tried Guiness- hope it tastes good!
Hilda Sterner says
Yes, you do cook it on high pressure.To tell you the truth, I usually use whatever beer I have in the fridge, but it's usually a good quality beer since I don't like cheaper beers. Let me know how the Guiness goes!
Michelle says
I’m doing 2 4 -5 lbs beefs. Should I adjust the cooking time?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Michelle, I'm assuming you have an 8 quart and can fit two in there? Mine is a 6 quart so I can only do one at a time. However, you should be able to do two in there for the same time, maybe add an additional 1/2 cup of water. Good luck, I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Melanie says
Hi, Hilda! I'm going to try this recipe but can I use the round brisket instead of a flat cut? I already bought it!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Melanie,
I actually used a round brisket today and it worked beautifully! I'll update my post to reflect that. 🙂
Mike W. says
Followed your Instant Pot recipe as presented. The corned beef came out great! Your recipe is a keeper!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Mike,
Thank you so much for the review, I really appreciate it. Enjoy! ☘️