Best Corned Beef Recipe (Slow Cooker and Instant Pot)

Best Corned Beef Recipe (Slow Cooker and 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!

The perfect fuss-free recipe for a weeknight meal...not just St. Patrick's Day. This recipe is low carb and keto-friendly, and can be made in your Instant Pot pressure cooker.

Jump to:

• The Best Corned Beef Recipe
• Ingredients and Tools
• How To Make Corned Beef Recipe (Slow Cooker)
• How to Make Instant Pot Corned Beef
• How To Make Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce
• Common Questions
• 📋 Printable Recipe
• Related Recipes
• We'd Love To Hear From You!

The Best Corned Beef Recipe

So I came up with this recipe on the fly as an attempt to use up stuff in my freezer and fridge! I happened to have a cabbage that I needed to do something with before it went bad.

Whenever I think of cabbage I think of corned beef!  I also happened to have a corned beef brisket from Spring in the freezer, as well as a bag of frozen pearl onions that I really needed to cook! 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 Corned Beef and Cabbage

Only five ingredients! It's so easy to make this corned beef and cabbage recipe! You really just layer the ingredients, turn it on low and forget about it for 8 to 8 hours. Nice!

Fuss Free Recipe

As I mentioned above, this is a fix and forget recipe - the ingredients are layered in, the lid goes on, the heat on low, and viola! 8 to 10 (fix-and-forget) hours later you have a delicious and easy corned beef and cabbage dinner!

Low Carb and Keto Friendly

This 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 Corned Beef or Slow Cooker Version

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

Make-Ahead Corned Beef and Cabbage

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!

Ingredients and Tools

Here are the ingredients and tools you will need to make the BEST corned beef recipe! 🙂

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen pearl onions
• 2 cup carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 3 to 4 lb corned beef brisket
• 1/2 to 1 cabbage sliced into wedges (depending upon the size of your crockpot)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire
• water or beer (1/2 cup slow cooker, 1 cup Instant Pot)
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Tools

• 6 to 8 qt. slow cooker or 6 to 8 qt. Instant Pot
• cutting board
• chef's knife
• measuring cup
• measuring spoons

How To Make Corned Beef Recipe (Slow Cooker)

Making this corned beef recipe in your slow cooker is very easy!

Step One: Rinse corned beef brisket and throw seasoning packet away. Add carrots and onions to the bottom of a slow cooker that has been sprayed with nonstick spray or coated with oil or butter. Place roast on top of vegetables. Place cabbage around the corned beef brisket.

Step Two: Mix water and Worcestershire and pour of top of the roast. Sprinkle with pepper. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours until corned beef brisket and vegetables are tender.

How to Make Instant Pot Corned Beef

Step One: Rinse corned beef brisket and throw seasoning packet away. Place in pressure cooker.

Step Two: 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 pressure cooking cycle is complete allow to pressure to release naturally.

Step Three: Remove roast, leaving juices in pot, and set aside. Add cabbage, carrots, onions to pot. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. Manually release pressure after 10 minutes.

How To Make Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. When ready to serve over corned beef and cabbage, warm on 50% power in your microwave for a few seconds. If you prefer runnier sauce add additional sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Common Questions

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 necessarily 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.

Do you rinse corned beef before cooking?

In this recipe, we recommend that you rinsed the corned beef before adding to the slow cooker or pressure cooker.

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.

Related Recipes

• Crockpot Chicken Fajita Soup (Low Carb and Keto Soup Recipe)
• Slow Cooker Ham With Coke (Low Carb and Keto Ham Recipe)
• Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork (Instant Pot BBQ Pork)
• Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff (Keto Beef Stroganoff) - our most popular recipe!
• Italian Crock Pot Beef Roast (Instant Pot Beef Recipe)

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The best corned beef recipe made in your slow cooker! Corned beef and cabbage is an easy crockpot recipe that is a family-friendly dinner!  Cooked low and slow all day results in a very tender & juicy corned beef brisket. A low carb and keto recipe that can be customized and enjoyed by everyone at your table. Serve this as an easy weeknight dinner or for St. Patrick's Day. Yum!! #seekinggoodeats #cornedbeef #brisket #crockpot #slowcooker #lowcarb #stpatricksday #holidayrecipes #keto #instantpot