If you do not have hours and hours to simmer corned beef, this recipe is for you. Keto corned beef and cabbage gets amazing tenderness and flavor in a fraction of the time, right in a pressure cooker.
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Corned beef is basically pickled beef, brisket submerged in a salty brine that adds flavor and helps tenderize a genuinely tough cut of meat.
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Chef Jenn’s Take on Corned Beef and Cabbage
Do not rinse the corned beef before cooking, bits of pickling spice stuck to it add real flavor, and the brine itself is flavorful too.
Add the garlic with the onion when you add the cabbage to the cooking liquid, not at the start with the beef. Cook the corned beef alone first on the meat setting for 90 minutes, remove it and cover with foil to rest, but keep the cooking liquid in the pot. Wedge and core the cabbage into 6 to 8 pieces, then add it to that same liquid along with the onion and garlic, and cook another 5 minutes. Do not rush the pressure come-up or release time, shaving time off risks tough, chewy meat. Slice the corned beef against the grain before serving.
Bigger is genuinely better when it comes to corned beef, it shrinks quite a bit during cooking, and the leftovers are some of the best part. You do not need to add extra salt to the cabbage water, the corned beef cooking liquid is already plenty salty. Green cabbage is the way to go for this dish.
What You’ll Love About Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Great leftovers, some might say even better than the first meal.
- Amazing tenderness and flavor in a fraction of the usual time.
- One pot does it all, corned beef and cabbage cooked in the same liquid.
Ingredients
- Corned beef brisket – About 2.5 pounds serves 4 with leftovers. Bigger is better, it shrinks during cooking.
- Cabbage – Green cabbage, wedged and cored.
- Onion – Halved.
- Garlic – Whole cloves, added with the cabbage, not at the start.
- Water – For the cooking liquid.
How to Make This Keto Corned Beef Recipe
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Remove the corned beef from the package without rinsing it. Add it and any juices from the bag to the pressure cooker with the trivet inside. Add the spice packet if included. Add 6 cups of water to the pot.
Set to the meat setting for 90 minutes. When done, release the pressure and set the corned beef aside, covered, keeping the cooking liquid in the pot.
Wedge and core the cabbage, then add it to the cooking liquid along with the onion and garlic.
Set to the meat setting for 5 more minutes. Release the pressure, remove the cabbage, and discard the onion and garlic. Drain the cabbage.
Slice the corned beef against the grain and serve with the hot, buttered cabbage.
Make It A Meal
Serve this with a good-quality mustard. For more veggies, a green salad topped with Ranch Dressing or Green Goddess Dressing rounds out the meal.
Leftover beef pairs beautifully with Skillet Cabbage with Bacon and Garlic, or turn it into Corned Beef Hash the next morning.
Storage
The corned beef freezes well, package it with some of the chilled cooking liquid and freeze for up to 3 months. The cabbage does not fare as well through freezing and thawing, so serve leftover beef with a fresh cabbage dish instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Heck ya! There is 1 net carbs per hefty serving of this delish dish. You don’t eat the onion or garlic that’s added as flavor to the cooking liquid.
Heck ya! Check out the 411 on cabbage in this post.
Nooo – there could be bits of pickling spice stuck to it that’ll help flavor the corned beef as it cooks, and the brining liquid is full of flavor.
Add Preferred SourceCorned Beef & Cabbage (Keto, Instant Pot)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds corned beef brisket
- 1/2 head cabbage
- 1/2 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Remove the corned beef from the package. Do not rinse the corned beef. Add it and any juices from the bag to an Instant Pot with the trivet inside. If there's a spice packet with the corned beef, add it to the pot, too.
- Add 6 cups of tap water to the pot with the corned beef.
- Set the Instant Pot to the "meat" setting and set the timer to 90 minutes. After the time is up, manual release and set the corned beef on a platter, covered. Do not drain or throw out the cooking liquid.
- Wedge the cabbage and remove the core. Add the cabbage wedges to the cooking liquid in the Instant Pot, along with the onion and garlic.
- Set the IP to "meat" and the timer for 5 minutes. Manual release when the time is up. Remove the cabbage and discard the onion and garlic. Drain the cabbage.
- Slice the corned beef against the grain and serve with hot, buttered cabbage!
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Don’t rinse the corned beef before cooking, the pickling spice and brine both add real flavor.
- Keep the cooking liquid after cooking the beef, and cook the cabbage right in it for extra flavor.
- Don’t rush the pressure come-up or release time, shaving time off risks tough, chewy meat.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
This was such a delicious and filling meal! So simple to make in the Instant Pot too! Amazing!
I forget about how much I like corned beef until I see it, and now I’m hungry! Adding to my list for dinners next week. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It turned out really good!
I agree with you, the leftovers are so good! This recipe is easy to make and comes out wonderfully. Cabbage and corned beef are a great pair!
I made this for my family and they loved it. Massive cornbeef fans here.
Wondering when the garlic should be added, when the corned beef goes in, or when the vegetables are added? It’s mentioned in the recipe, but only says when to remove.
Hi there, all the detailed instructions are near the bottom of the post in the recipe card. Happy cooking! ~Jenn