A flavorful recipe for Ninja Foodi Corned Beef and Cabbage. Corned Beef turns out deliciously in both the instant pot and slow cooker, so I have included instructions for both. Enjoy this St. Patrick's day classic anytime-- it's so easy to prepare!

corned beef and cabbage plated in a white dish.

This a classic dish to have on St. Paddy's Day (with a glass of Green River, of course!) and many people look forward all year to celebrating with this meal!

The beef is an important component corned beef and cabbage, but the cabbage shouldn't be forgotten. In fact, my mom says it is her favorite part! I love cooked cabbage when it gets tender and buttery. Combine that with the flavors of the beef, pickling spices, and beer and you have a recipe for success!

What is corned beef and where did it originate?

Corned Beef is made from the brisket cut of beef. The beef is brined, and then cooked at a low temperature for a long time until it is fork tender. Although St. Patrick's Day is thought of as an Irish holiday, corned beef is actually originally jewish! When the Irish immigrated to America, they faced discrimination like the Italians and Jews, and often lived near to them. The Irish went to Jewish deli carts and noticed the similarity of Jewish corned beef to their Irish bacon.

What to serve with corned beef?

sliced corned beef on a bed of cooked cabbage.

You will traditionally see the beef cooked with veggies like potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. This was a cost effective way to create a filling meal. It is an incredibly simple dish, that takes time, but not much effort!

Ingredients

Flat cut Corned Beef Brisket with seasoning packet. The seasoning packet generally includes coriander seed, mustard seed, bay leaf, hot pepper, cloves, dill, allspice. You can make your own, but I find it easy to buy it pre seasoned. Must corned beef briskets come this way, anyway.
Beer. An Irish beer like guiness would work great, but I just used an ale that I had on hand.
Bay leaves
Water. When I make corned beef in the slow cooker, I cut the water in half and only use 1 cup of water and one beer.
Small red or yellow potatoes. They can be left whole if they are small enough.
Small head of cabbage. For the cabbage, I simply removed the outer few leaves and trimmed the bottom of the cabbage. I then cored the cabbage and cut each half into 8-10 pieces.
Carrots. Peel and cut to match the size of your potatoes.
Yellow onion
Garlic

Instructions for Ninja Foodi Corned Beef and Cabbage (Instant Pot)

Place corned beef brisket into the Instant Pot. Add in spice packet (if separate), garlic, onions, and bay leaves.

corned beef in ninja foodi with liquid and seasoning.

Pour beer and water over top.
Set to high pressure for 80 minutes cook time. The Ninja Foodi pressure cooker will take about 20 minutes to come up to pressure.
When the cook time is up, allow to completely natural release, this will help ensure the beef is tender.

Carefully remove the lid and place the beef to the side and cover with foil. Add in carrots, potatoes, and cabbage, and set to pressure cook for 4 minutes. Allow to natural release for 10 minutes and then quick release to release pressure the rest of the way.

cooked veggies in instant pot to serve with corned beef.

Cut corned beef against the grain and serve the beef, cabbage, and other veggies all together.

Instructions for Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Place meat in slow cooker and add spice packet (if separate), garlic, onions, and bay leaves.
Pour beer and water over top.
Cover and cook on Low heat for 4-5 hours.
After the 4-5 hours are up, add in carrots, potatoes, and cabbage and cook for another 2-3 hours, or until tender.
Thinly slice corned beef against the grain and serve with the cooked vegetables.

Benefit of cooking corned beef in the ninja foodi (Instant Pot)

The biggest benefit of pressure cooking corned beef and cabbage in the Instant Pot is time saved. In less than two hours, you have fall apart tender, juicy corned beef that turns out perfectly every single time.

Benefit of cooking corned beef in the slow cooker

Low temperature cooking is great for a tender corned beef! Learn from my mistakes. The first time I tried to make this, I cooked it on the stove, and I accidentally allowed it to boil. This caused a real shoe leather situation to happen. With this method, you are cooking the corned beef brisket low and slow, never getting above a simmer. Keep the slow cooker on low to achieve this.

Cooking this dish in the slow cooker is also just easiest! It's basically a fix-it and forget-it situation (apart from one quick step of adding in the veggies), and 8 hours later you have dinner!

What liquid should i use to cook my corned beef?

Beer! OR-- any liquid. Beer is great though. It has an earthy, wheaty flavor that adds nuance to the dish. Beer also adds moisture to the meat and tenderizes it! This is important for a cut like brisket, which can be more tough. The majority of the alcohol does cook off, especially during such an extended cooking time. If you want, you could also supplement water or beef broth instead.

Why do I have to wait to add the veggies?

potatoes, carrots, onions, and cabbage, for corned beef.

The veggies take way less time to cook and may end up more mushy than desired if they stay in the slow cooker the entire 6-8 hours or the ninja foodi instant pot for the full 80 minutes. Especially the cabbage, which tenderizes pretty quickly. I know it's an extra step, but you will be glad you took it.

For more unique instant pot recipes, try: