Name: Instant Pot Corned Beef
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 8 Servings
Cuisine: Irish-American
Ingredients: 2 cups low-sodium beef broth; 1 medium white or yellow onion, cut into 5 or 6 chunks; 2 teaspoons minced garlic; 11.2 ounce bottle Guinness beer, (I use Guinness Draught) can sub additional broth; 3 ½ to 4 pound corned beef brisket or round, with pickling spice packet; 1 pound baby gold or red potatoes, fingerling potatoes work well too; 4 large carrots; 1 small head green cabbage; 3 tablespoons butter; fine ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional garnish; ¼ cup whole grain mustard, optional for dipping

This Instant Pot Corned Beef recipe is a simple way to make a tasty St. Patrick’s Day meal. With just a few button presses, your pressure cooker can prepare soft and flavorful corned beef along with perfectly cooked cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.

I have cooked corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day every year since I became an adult, and I’ve tried almost every possible method. That means I have made a lot of corned beef over the years! Each cooking method has its own benefits, and all of them are worth trying. Some methods work better depending on whether St. Patrick’s Day falls on a busy weekday or a relaxed Sunday.

If you are away from home most of the day, my Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage is a great option. If you have time to watch a pot on the stove, you can try my Guinness Corned Beef, which is a reliable and traditional method.

However, if you have a couple of hours to prepare your St. Patrick’s Day dinner, it’s hard to beat the convenience and tender results of making corned beef in the Instant Pot. Pressure cooking allows the corned beef to absorb the flavors of the cooking liquid much better than many other cooking methods.

If you have an Instant Pot at home, I highly recommend trying this recipe.

Ingredients

Corned beef: Use a 3 ½ to 4 pound corned beef brisket or round that comes with the pickling spice packet (more details below).
Liquid: A mix of Guinness Stout beer and low-sodium beef broth works best. If you prefer not to use beer, simply replace it with the same amount of extra beef broth.
Vegetables: You will need a yellow or white onion, minced garlic, carrots, red or gold baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes, and one head of green cabbage.
For serving: Butter, salt, freshly ground black pepper, fresh parsley, and whole grain mustard for dipping.

Why Add Beer?

Using a dark beer with a rich and deep flavor, such as Guinness Draught, can greatly enhance the taste of your corned beef and the cooking liquid. This flavorful liquid will also add great taste to the cabbage, carrots, and potatoes that cook in it.

Another stout beer will also work well. But since this dish is often made for St. Patrick’s Day, I prefer using an Irish beer. In my home, we always use Guinness Draught for this recipe.

Corned Beef Brisket vs. Corned Beef Round

At the grocery store, you may find both of these cuts and wonder which one to buy. The truth is that there is no single best choice. It mainly depends on personal preference. Trying both cuts can help you decide which one you like most.

Corned Beef Brisket:
Brisket is a flatter cut compared to the round and usually has a thicker layer of fat on top. It comes from the breast area of the cow and is naturally a tough cut of meat. However, the extra fat helps the brisket become very moist and tender when cooked.
Brisket can be sold as either a flat cut or a point cut. Most grocery stores commonly sell the flat cut. You can usually tell the difference just by looking at it. A flat cut brisket has a more square shape and a more even thickness from one end to the other. A point cut is thicker and tapers to a point. It also has more fat inside the meat compared to the flat cut.
Corned Beef Round:
Corned beef round is thicker and leaner. It comes from the rear part of the cow and usually has only a thin layer of fat. The slices from a round cut are usually larger, while slices from brisket tend to be narrower.
The round also cooks up moist and tender. However, the extra fat in brisket often gives it a slight advantage in flavor and tenderness. Still, the difference is small, and both cuts are delicious.

How to Make Instant Pot Corned Beef

Here is a quick overview of how to prepare this recipe. Full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

First, cut an onion into chunks and place it in the insert of a 6- to 8-quart Instant Pot. Add the beef broth and minced garlic. Place the brisket on top of the onions with the fat side facing up.

Next, pour a bottle of Guinness over the corned beef.

Sprinkle the pickling spice packet that came with the meat over the top. Close and lock the lid, then set the pressure cooker to cook on high pressure for 1 hour and 25 minutes. When the cooking time finishes, allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. After that, manually release the remaining pressure.

Carefully transfer the corned beef to a cutting board and loosely cover it with foil to keep it warm. Use a slotted spoon to remove and discard the onions, leaving the cooking liquid in the Instant Pot.
Add the potatoes and carrots to the cooking liquid, then place the cabbage wedges on top. Close and lock the lid again. Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.

Once the cooking time is done, immediately release the pressure. Move the cabbage, potatoes, and carrots to a serving bowl or platter.

Slice off the fat layer from the top of the corned beef (flat briskets usually have more fat than rounds).
Finally, cut the corned beef against the grain and place the slices on a serving platter.

Serving Suggestions

Vegetables:
Mix the cooked carrots, potatoes, and cabbage wedges with small pieces of butter. Season them with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper according to your taste. Adding a little chopped fresh parsley can make the vegetables look brighter and fresher. Just be careful not to add too much salt so the vegetables balance well with the flavorful corned beef.
On the side:
Whole grain or grainy mustard is perfect for dipping the corned beef. If you enjoy baking, you can serve this meal with Cheddar Dinner Rolls or Cheese Beer Bread. If you prefer something simple, a loaf of crusty bread and a few bottles of Guinness are all you need to enjoy a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day dinner.

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