Name: Slow Cooker Corned Beef (Crockpot + Instant Pot)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Irish American
Ingredients: 1 cup frozen pearl onions; 2 cup carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces; 3 to 4 pound corned beef brisket; 1/2 to 1 cabbage sliced into wedges (depending upon the size of your crockpot); 1 tablespoon Worcestershire; Water (1/2 cup slow cooker or 1 cup Instant Pot) (you can also use beer or beef broth!); 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup sour cream; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 2 tablespoon grainy dijon mustard; 1/8 teaspoon paprika; Salt and pepper to taste

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Best Slow Cooker Corned Beef cooked low and slow all day in a tasty broth results in a very tender and juicy corned beef brisket. An easy corned beef and cabbage with carrots, onions, and a tasty creamy dijon mustard sauce! Instructions for making in your Instant Pot provided.

Corned beef served over cabbage and carrots with dijon mustard sauce drizzled over the top

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You'll ❤️ Cooking Corned Beef in Crock Pot
How To Serve It
What You'll Need
Variations
How To Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef
FAQ's
✔️ More Recipes to Try
⭐ Let's Connect
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

You'll ❤️ Cooking Corned Beef in Crock Pot

"So I came up with this corned beef recipe slow cooker version on the fly as an attempt to use up stuff in my freezer and fridge! It was simple and delicious - my favorite kind of recipe." -Kori 🙂

Whenever I think of cabbage I think of corned beef! I just happened to have a corned beef brisket in the freezer, as well as a bag of frozen pearl onions that I really needed to cook, and cabbage! Voila!

From there a recipe was created...I LOVE trying to make up recipes from things that need to be eaten up or they'll be wasted! It's like a game.

Easy

Only five ingredients! It's so easy cooking corned beef in crock pot! You really just layer the ingredients, turn it on low, and forget about it for 8 to 8 hours. Nice!

Low Carb and Keto Friendly

Crockpot corned beef and cabbage is a low-carb and keto-friendly recipe. The nutritional analysis below includes a small portion of carrots and a few onions. If you are concerned, you can choose not to eat the onions and carrots, and leave them for the non-low carb/keto followers in your house (like I do)! 🙂

Many (if not most) of my recipes are made with not only low carb and keto followers in mind, but also those NOT following a low carb or keto diet. This is because a normal family is not all following the same diet, right?

Having a flexible recipe that can serve everyone in your house, or any of your guests is the best kind of recipe. It makes life much easier that way!

Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

You can make this corned beef recipe in either a slow cooker or in your instant pot. Both are easy, but I will be honest and say that the crockpot method is the easiest. It is hands-off and has fewer steps. I have included instructions for both methods below.

Make-Ahead

I often will make this recipe ahead of time by placing everything in the slow cooker and getting it ready to cook (but don't actually cook). I then cover and refrigerate until I am ready to make it during the week. It makes it super easy to make a delicious dinner during the week. Just pull it out of the fridge and turn it on Low. Yay!

How To Serve It

Serve with the creamy dijon mustard sauce (recipe below). You won't regret it - it's delicious!
If you're going Irish serve with a soda bread or other crusty bread. Biscuits, breadsticks, and beer bread go well with this recipe.
Slow cooker corned beef and cabbage goes well with potatoes, mashed potatoes, and rice. Low carb keto followers use riced cauliflower or mashed cauliflower.
A fresh side salad with a favorite salad dressing is always a nice addition. If you want a make ahead solution try my Layered Salad - it can serve a crowd or make great lunch leftovers.
Got leftovers? Make corned beef hash by dicing the corned beef, some potatoes, and onion. Brown the potatoes and onions in a skillet then add diced corned beef until warmed through. Serve with eggs over the top!

What You'll Need

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make the BEST crockpot corned beef! 🙂

Be sure to check out the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts. 🙂

Corned Beef

Frozen Pearl Onions - you can use chopped onions but the frozen pearl onions are easy (no prep) and they add great flavor!
Carrots - you can slice carrots or use baby carrots.
Corned Beef Brisket
Green Cabbage
Worcestershire
Water or Beer - feel free to substitute water, Guinness, or another stout beer. You could also use beef broth.
Ground Black Pepper
Optional Potatoes - you can certainly add potatoes if you have the room in your slow cooker.

Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce

Mayonnaise
Soure Cream
Lemon Juice
Grainy Dijon Mustard
Paprika
Salt
Pepper

Equipment

The equipment and tools you will need to make slow cooker corned beef are as follows:

Variations

There are several ways you can vary or make substitutions to this slow cooker corned beef recipe. Here are some ideas:

Use water, beef broth, or a stout beer such as Guinness for your liquid - or any combination thereof.
Add herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or parsley.
Use garlic if desired. I like to add whole cloves - they are delicious!
If you have enough room in your slow cooker add potatoes. You can certainly add any favorite potato if you still have room in your slow cooker or pressure cooker. My favorite are the tiny baby potatoes.

How To Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef

Here's how to make slow cooker corned beef - it's is VERY easy (and my favorite method)!

Make Sauce (Optional)

Mix all the creamy sauce ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Add Vegetables

Rinse corned beef and throw the pickling spice packet away.

Add carrots and onions to the bottom of the crockpot that has been sprayed with nonstick spray or coated with oil or butter.

Add Corned Beef Roast to Pot

Place corned beef on top of vegetables. Place cabbage around the brisket.

Add Seasoning

Mix water and Worcestershire and pour on top of the roast. Sprinkle with pepper.

Slow Cook

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours until the brisket and vegetables are tender.

Serve

Serve sliced corned beef brisket over vegetables and top with warmed creamy dijon mustard sauce if desired.

Instant Pot Corned Beef

Here's how to make the Instant Pot corned beef version. Don't miss the video below!

Rinse brisket and throw the pickling spice packet away. Place corned beef brisket in the pressure cooker.

Pour 1 cup of water and Worcestershire, (or you could use 1 bottle of beer - any kind) over brisket. Sprinkle with pepper.

Secure lid and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes per pound. (A 3 lb roast would be 75 min, a 4 lb roast 100 min.)

Once the pressure cooking cycle is complete allow pressure to release naturally.

Remove roast, leaving juices in pot, and set aside.

Add cabbage, carrots, onions to the pot. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.

Manually release pressure after 10 minutes.

Serve sliced corned beef brisket over vegetables and top with warmed creamy dijon mustard sauce if desired.

FAQ's

Is corned beef and cabbage Irish?

Actually, there is some debate about this.

Most people say that corned beef and cabbage is an Irish American recipe, and the tradition of having it on St. Patrick's Day also developed here in the U.S. Corned beef and cabbage is not as frequently served in Ireland. Sorry!

When visiting Ireland a few years ago, we specifically asked what was traditionally served on St. Patrick's Day and were told they serve a variety of dishes such as steak and Guinness pie, shepherd's pie, lamb roast, fish, and other delicious recipes!

Can I add potatoes to corned beef and cabbage?

Absolutely. You can add 1 to 2 lbs of potatoes that have been cut into 1 or 2" pieces. Add to the bottom of the slow cooker with your carrots and onions. By adding potatoes you will have less room for cabbage, however.

I found my 6 qt slow cooker too small for potatoes and cabbage, however.

Do you rinse corned beef before cooking?

In this recipe, we recommend that you rinse the corned beef before adding to the pot.

Is corned beef and beef brisket the same thing?

Corned beef brisket and beef brisket are not the same things. Corned beef brisket is made with a beef brisket but has been brined with special seasoning. Beef brisket has not been seasoned or brined.

✔️ More Recipes to Try

Irish Recipes

If you're looking for delicious Irish inspired recipes give one of these a try:

Irish Stew (Slow Cooker) - use beef or lamb. Guinness is the key to the flavor in this easy slow cooker recipe.
Lamb Mince Shepherd's Pie - use ground lamb or beef. So delicious!
Lamb Roast
Irish Mule Cocktail Recipe (Skinny Keto Low Carb)
Irish Cream Recipe (Sugar Free Keto Cocktail) - a healthier sugar free version so you can enjoy Irish Cream!
Cauliflower Cheese

Slow Cooker Recipes with Beef

Here are some of my favorite crockpot recipes that use beef:

⭐ Let's Connect

If you tried Slow Cooker Corned Beef Recipe, let me know! I'd love for you to come back and give the recipe a star rating and/or a review in the comments! 🙂 Let's stay connected, so please share photos of your creations with me and others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!

📋 Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Corned Beef (Crockpot + Instant Pot)

Cooked low and slow all day in a tasty broth results in a very tender and juicy corned beef brisket. An easy corned beef and cabbage with carrots, onions, and a tasty creamy dijon mustard sauce! Instructions for Instant Pot pressure cooker provided.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes