Instant Pot Corned Beef

This Instant Pot Corned Beef is a cozy, complete dinner with tender, sliceable meat and perfectly cooked vegetables in under 2 hours. It’s a classic one-pot comfort meal with an easy, hands-off method that turns out juicy every time.

Instant corned beef on a plate with potatoes and vegetables

Flavor: Flavorful corned beef with that signature pickled spice flavor, gently softened with beer and broth, served alongside buttered potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.
Recommended tools: A 6-quart Instant Pot, a trivet, and a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon make this recipe easy.
Service Suggestions: It is great with mustard or horseradish sauce.
Leftovers: This is one of those comforting winter dinners, and leftovers make easy, satisfying lunches all week long. They are great for Reuben sandwiches, corned beef hash, and Reuben-style baked casseroles.

cabbage, beer, carrots, potatoes, broth, onion, garlic, beef brisket with labels for making instant corned beef

Ingredients that make it work

Beer: Choose a mild beer. A darker beer may taste slightly bitter after pressure cooking. No beer? No problem. Replace it with additional broth or a mixture of broth and water.
Broth: For a deeper flavor, use beef broth. For lower sodium, use water or a low-sodium meat broth.
Beef: Use a pointed-cut (fatter and more tender) or flat-cut (easier to cut) breast. If it is very salty, rinse it quickly and dry it. If it comes with the spice packet, add it on top to season the meat as it cooks.
Spice Packet Substitute: If your corned beef doesn’t have a package, replace it with about 1 tablespoon of pickling spice.
Vegetables: Waxy potatoes hold their shape and don’t need to be peeled (russet ones can get a little crumbly), while chopped carrots hold their texture instead of becoming mushy. Add the green cabbage after the meat is cooked and cut it into wedges or large pieces so it is crisp-tender.
Variations: Add parsnips, turnips, or rutabagas along with the potatoes and carrots for more flavor.

Add beef to pot with broth and onion to make instant corned beef

add potatoes and vegetables to the pot to make instant corned beef

The One Pot Game Plan

Combine beer, beef broth, onion, and garlic in the Instant Pot (full recipe below).
Add the corned beef to the Instant Pot on the trivet. Sprinkle with seasoning. Cook.
Remove corned beef. Add vegetables and cook.
Cut the meat across the grain and serve with the vegetables.

Let the brisket rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing so the juices remain in the meat.
For more tender slices, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quickly release.
Cut across the grain (look for long lines in the meat) to keep it tender.
If the potatoes are small, add them whole. If they are larger, cut them in half so that they are all gone at the same time.
Save the cooking liquid and pour some over the sliced meat when serving and again when reheating leftovers.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

save leftovers Corned meat (and a little cooking liquid) and vegetables separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 4 days.

Freeze Canned meat with a little cooking liquid in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months.

Reheat with a splash of broth or cooking liquid in a covered pan or in the microwave at reduced power to prevent it from drying out.

Cozy St. Patrick’s Day Spread

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image from Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text

Preparation time 20 minutes

Cooking time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

In a 6-quart Instant Pot, combine water, beer, broth, onion, and garlic.
Add the trivet to the bottom of the pot and place the corned beef brisket with the *spice mixture, fat side up (if your corned beef does not have a spice mixture, see the notes).
Close the lid and make sure the pressure release valve is in the sealed position. Cook on high pressure for 90 minutes.
Once the cooking time has elapsed, release the pressure. Open the lid, remove the breast and place it on a plate to rest. Cover lightly with aluminum foil.
Leave about 1 cup of liquid in the Instant Pot. Add the cabbage, potatoes and carrots. Close the lid and leave it on high pressure for 5 minutes.
Quickly release pressure and remove caps. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a serving plate. Top with butter or Instant Pot juices.
Cut the corned beef across the grain and serve with vegetables.

No spice packet? No problem! Corned beef often comes with a seasoning packet that is added during cooking. If you don’t see a spice packet, sometimes the spices are already in the meat and the packet is not separate. One packet of corned beef spice can be substituted for about 1 tablespoon of pickling spice.
You can use all the broth or all the beer with the water. Darker beers may produce a slightly bitter taste depending on the type/brand.
I prefer baby potatoes because they hold their shape and don’t need to be peeled or chopped, but you can use any potato. The Russet potatoes will need to be peeled. Baby carrots will work in this recipe.
Store leftover meat and vegetables separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 4 days and in the freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary depending on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Beef, starter, instant pot, main course

Kitchen American, Irish

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