Instant Pot Corned Beef

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You can make the best Corned Beef in your Instant Pot in a fraction of the time it takes to make it in a slow cooker. This easy recipe makes a quick and delicious dinner for St. Patrick’s Day.

Sliced corned beef on cutting board next to Instant Pot.

Corned beef brisket is a classic Irish dish that is often made in a slow cooker, but I’ve found pressure cooker corned beef to be just as tasty. Using an Instant Pot pressure cooker is the fastest way to get fork tender meat with great flavor ready for dinner.

You can make this easy recipe in less time than it takes to make it any other way and it comes out perfect every time. Serve it with your favorite sides like green cabbage wedges and crispy potatoes or get more ideas below.

The next time you have a roast to cook, try this simple Instant Pot Corned Beef Brisket recipe. Even if you didn’t love corned beef before, you will after you try this recipe.

Ingredients and Tools

  • 3-pound corned beef brisket
  • 1 cup of water or beef broth
  • Instant Pot
  • Instant Pot steamer rack
  • Cutting board
  • Knife

By the Numbers: How to Make Instant Pot Corned Beef

Follow these simple steps to make the best corned beef in your Instant Pot electric pressure cooker for St. Patty’s Day or any time of the year.

Step 1: Prepare Instant Pot.

The first thing you want to do is place the steamer rack in the bottom of your Instant Pot pan, then pour 1 cup of water (or beef broth) into the bottom of the pot.

Water and steamer rack in Instant Pot.

Step 2: Add Corned Beef Brisket.

Place brisket onto the steamer rack. I like to put the fat side up so it melts through the corned beef as it cooks (the complete opposite from making it a slow cooker).

Corned beef brisket on rack in Instant Pot fat side up.

Step 3: Add Spice Packet.

Pour the entire contents of the spice packet over the corned beef brisket.

Spice packet sprinkled over corned beef brisket in Instant Pot on rack.

Step 4: Pressure Cook Corned Beef.

Place the lid on your Instant Pot, make sure the pressure release valve is in the sealing position, then cook on Manual High Pressure for 90 minutes (for a 3-pound roast). For best results, allow for a full natural pressure release (don’t quick release pressure or the meat will be tougher), then open the lid.

Cooked corned beef in Instant Pot on rack.

Step 5: Serve Corned Beef.

Transfer the corned beef roast to a cutting board, then slice and serve as desired. The end result should be tender and flavorful.

Sliced corned beef on cutting board with serving fork.

Tips for Making Corned Beef in the Instant Pot

Answers to all of your questions about making Instant Pot Corned Beef.

1. What’s the best cooking liquid?

I typically just use water because corned beef itself is so flavorful. If you want to add even more flavor, try using beef broth or a dark rich stout beer like Guinness.

2. What to serve with corned beef?

Rather than pressure cooking my vegetables with the corned beef, I prefer to make my sides separately while the beef cooks. Then I can put everything together on a nice serving platter.

Some sides that pair well with this corned beef Instant Pot recipe are:

If you’d prefer to pressure cook vegetables in the pot with the corned beef juices, follow these steps:

  1. Cook the corned beef as instructed and instead of slicing, cover it with foil on the cutting board.
  2. Add cabbage wedges, diced potatoes and chopped large carrots to the Instant Pot with all of the corn beef juices.
  3. Cook for 4-5 minutes on high pressure, then quick release the pressure and open the lid.
  4. Serve your corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots on a platter for St. Paddy’s Day dinner.

3. What’s in those spice packets?

While it varies by brand, most seasoning packets include a blend of spices and seasonings that you’d find in most pickling spice blends, including whole grain mustard seeds, peppercorns, dill seeds, coriander seeds, crushed bay leaves and some other spices.

4. How long to cook per pound of corned beef?

The general guidance is to pressure cook beef roasts for 20-30 minutes per pound under high pressure in an Instant Pot.

The cooking time I find works best for tender corned beef is 30 minutes per pound with a full natural pressure release. I personally find the meat to come out tougher when only cooked for 20 minutes per pound.

5. What’s the difference between a flat cut and point cut brisket?

If you’ve shopped for corned beef at the grocery store, you’ve probably noticed there are typically 2 different cuts: flat cut and point cut. So what’s the difference?

A flat cut brisket typically has more meat than fat and doesn’t cook down as much as a point cut. On the other hand, a point cut brisket contains more fat and connective tissue, and less meat, so they’re often cheaper. I pretty much always go with flat cut, but either cut of meat can be pressure cooked.

6. How long does corned beef last?

Cooked corned beef will last for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator. It never lasts that long in our house, though! If you think you won’t be able to eat it all in 3-4 days, go ahead and freeze it for up to 2 months.

7. What to do with leftover corned beef?

My favorite thing to make with the leftovers is my Corned Beef Hash recipe. Sometimes we’ll even make a beef brisket just so that we can make it! It has so much flavor and is perfect for a family breakfast or brunch.

If you want lunch ideas, try a corned beef sandwich with Swiss cheese melted over the top of it. Be sure to serve it on my Gluten Free Sandwich Bread. So easy and delicious!

8. What to do with the corned beef juices?

I don’t like pouring it down the drain, so I typically fill up an old pickle jar and put it in the trash (I always save pickle jars after we use the leftover pickle juice).

If you want to actually use the leftover liquid, it can be used to boil potatoes or braise cabbage in, so they have a similar flavor as the corned beef. Some people also like to cook beans in the broth.

9. Where to buy corned beef?

I typically just stock up on corned beef at the grocery store every year. If you’re having trouble finding it locally, Omaha Steaks has Corned Beef Dinner Package that’ll give you everything you need for a meal.

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Sliced pressure cooker corned beef sliced on cutting board.

Instant Pot Corned Beef Recipe

Learn how to make the best corned beef in an Instant Pot pressure cooker that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day dinner. Pressure cooking corned beef takes less time than any other method and it comes out tender and flavorful.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Pressurizing Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Recipe Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 3 pound corned beef brisket
  • 1 cup water - or beef stock

Equipment

  • Instant Pot
  • Instant Pot Steamer Rack
  • Cutting Board
  • Knife

Instructions

  • Place steamer rack and water (or beef stock or dark beer) into bottom of Instant Pot inner pan.
    Water and steamer rack in Instant Pot.
  • Place corned beef brisket onto the steamer rack.
    Corned beef brisket on rack in Instant Pot fat side up.
  • Pour the spice packet on top of the corned beef brisket.
    Spice packet sprinkled over corned beef brisket in Instant Pot on rack.
  • Place lid on the Instant Pot, be sure the pressure valve is sealed, then cook on high pressure for 30 minutes per pound. A 3-pound roast takes 90 minutes. Allow for a full natural release of pressure, then open the lid.
    Cooked corned beef in Instant Pot on rack.
  • Transfer brisket from the Instant Pot to a cutting board and cut corned beef. Serve with your desired sides for a delicious beef dinner.
    Sliced corned beef on cutting board with serving fork.

Nutrition Information Per Serving

Calories: 674kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 184mg | Sodium: 4143mg | Potassium: 1010mg | Vitamin C: 92mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 6mg

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