This Corned Beef and Cabbage Slow Cooker recipe packs all of the deliciousness of corned beef into a meal that cooks itself.
Tender Corned Beef and cabbage, carrots, & potatoes all cooked to perfection in the Crock Pot make for an effortless meal.
Talk about a stroke of good fortune on St. Patrick’s Day or any day of the year!
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The Best Recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage!
I’m often asked “What is the best recipe for corned beef and cabbage?” and I have to admit that I’m partial to this slow cooker recipe! Making this crock pot Corned Beef & Cabbage recipe, it so easy that it practically cooks itself.
- It is best cooked in a 6QT slow cooker (or larger) as it really fills the crockpot.
- Add the potatoes a few hours into the cooking process, so that they cook for about 5-6 hours, this will keep them from getting mushy.
- Add the cabbage 2 hours before you plan to serve the meal.
Important Note
After slow cooking corned beef, be sure to allow the corned beef to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Once rested, cut against the grain for corned beef that is juicier and fork tender.
How to Cook Corned Beef to Make it Tender
- Low & Slow: Brisket is a tough cut of meat, and to get the very best results, it should be cooked low and slow. In this recipe, I use the slow cooker and I make sure to use the low setting.
- Give it time: This goes back to “slow”… this recipe calls for 8-10 hours and mine usually takes closer to 10. If your corned beef is tough, there’s a good chance it didn’t cook long enough.
- Rest your meat: As with most meats, allow it to rest for a few minutes before slicing.
- Cut across the grain: Brisket has long fibrous strands so it is very important to cut across the grain. In fact, this is one of the most important parts of this recipe!!
What Spices go on Corned Beef?
Corned Beef is beef brisket that has been cured and brined. When sold, it often comes already seasoned or with a seasoning packet. The seasonings include beautifully fragrant spices such as whole allspice, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and coriander, to name a few. If your corned beef doesn’t have a spice packet, you can add a couple of tablespoons of pickling spices, a few peppercorns, and a bay leaf. Bundle them up in cheesecloth and toss them into the slow cooker.
St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect time to enjoy an easy crock pot Corned Beef and Cabbage. Using a slow cooker makes this meal almost effortless!
This recipe creates a one of a kind, delicious dinner that your family will love! Since it’s already a complete meal, we most often serve it with 30 Minute Dinner Rolls or Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits and a simple side salad.
Don’t eat this just on St. Patrick’s day, it’s wonderfully cozy all year round! This easy corned beef and cabbage recipe contains a complete meal all in one, tender corned beef, potatoes, sweet carrots and cabbage.
More St. Patrick's Day Favorites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pounds corned beef brisket uncooked, with spice packet
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 ½ to 3 cups water
- 2 pounds potatoes peeled* & quartered
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 1 small head green cabbage cut into wedges
Instructions
- Chop onion into large chunks and place in the bottom of a 6 qt slow cooker. Top with corned beef and seasoning packet.
- Pour water into slow cooker until it just about covers the corned beef. Add garlic and bay leaves.
- Cook on low 8-10 hours.
- After the initial 3 hours, add potatoes and carrots to the slow cooker.
- Two hours before serving, add cabbage wedges to the slow cooker.
- Remove corned beef from slow cooker and let rest 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with potatoes, carrots and cabbage.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
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This recipe was no joke when it said it would fill your crockpot! I followed the recipe very well–only adding more garlic than it called for and half a can of hard apple cider after adding veggies since I was afraid I didn’t have enough liquid to cook everything.
My thoughts:
Pros- I cooked the meat for 10 hours as suggested and it came out wonderfully. So tender, melt in your mouth texture.
Cons- after waiting to add my potatoes, they still came out a little mushy. Carrots cooked well though. My biggest con was that since the recipe didn’t call for seasonings (and this is my first ever corned beef meal) I was under the impression that I shouldn’t add any salt since corned beef is brined and I was afraid of oversalting… HUGE MISTAKE. The whole meal veggies and all was essentially flavorless. A rush to add a lot of salt and pepper at the end was its saving grace. The meat was only cooked in water so it did not pack any sort of yum (yes, I waited 15 minutes before cutting). :/
Personal notes for next time:
1. seasonings, seasonings, seasonings. 2 bay leaves were not enough. Salt and pepper early on!
2. Just thinking out loud but chicken broth, as opposed to water, would add more flavor to the meat and veggies (a braver soul than I may sub water for an Irish stout or full can of beer – I’ve heard that stouts can change the flavor profile of the carrots though so beware).
3. Add potatoes a little later than 3 hours in if cooking for the full 10 hours. Add cabbage a little earlier than 2 hours (2.5-3hrs before serving) to ensure it gets the flavor from the juice and cooks down fully.
I thoroughly appreciate this recipe though as I think the cooking time for the meat and the additional tips for its serving were FANTASTIC (thus 4/5 stars!).
Thanks for sharing Sarah! So glad you enjoyed this corned beef!
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Never made corn beef and cabbage before. The meat so tender and juice. I would make this again. Infact our granddaughter never had corn beef and cabbage and she loved it. Thanks again.
You’re welcome Dawn! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it on your first try!!
WOW !!!! Followed as recipe stated , This was so yummy !!!! I don’t think I will have left overs . Thank you
You’re welcome Kim! I never have leftovers at my house either ;)
Great simple recipe. Cooked for 10 hours on low but only have a 4 quart slow cooker. Had to cook the cabbage in a separate pot on the stove for the last 2 hours. Worked great!
Best corned beef I’ve ever made & Ive been cooking them for over 40 years
Hi, This is my first time doing corned beef and I’m following your recipe to a T. I’m about 6 hours in and the brisket is at 165 and still tough. It like smoking, do I take it to 205 degrees? Thanks in advance!
The corned beef will take 8-10 hours Melissa.
Love this recipe. I substitute Guinness beer for the water, perfect every time!
Hello I live this simple recipe! Can it be cooked on high, if so how long would you recommend?
We have only cooked this recipe on low. If you do try it on high, I’d suggest it would take about 5-6 hours.
Hi. Making this now and the 3 cups of liquid didn’t cover my meat, I added a 4th cup and now the liquid comes up about 3/4 way up the corned beef. Should I add more to cover it completely or leave it as is? Also added Dijon and Worcestershire sauce as someone else recommended, hope it comes out yummy!
Thanks!
The liquid does not need to fully cover the corned beef in this recipe.
Is it possible to put TOO much water? I didn’t fully submerge mine in water, but when I see yours in the video, it looks like I put too much.
Will it still cook the same?
Thanks!
(My house already smells so good!)
The liquid does not need to fully cover the corned beef in this recipe. If there is more liquid it can take a little bit longer to heat the whole thing up (so you may need to add a little bit of time) and if you add too much it can dilute the flavor. If it was just a bit extra, it should be just fine!
If my corn beef is 2.5 lbs how much less time will it need in the crock pot? Thanks!!
I’d suggest that you check the corned beef after 6-7 hours to see how it is doing. Enjoy Prudence.
This recipe was so simple that I wondered if it would have much flavor- my husband and I loved it. I’m used to trying more labor intensive main dishes but I’d been wanting to try corned beef and found a nice package at Sprouts. I used beef broth as someone suggested. The vegetables were tender and not mushy and the meat delicious. Thank you!
Hi Holly,
I just have a question. I want to make your recipe, but due to the heavy salt used in the brine, do you need to rinse your corned beef before adding it to the slow cooker? Thank you.
I do not rinse the corned beef before cooking it. Enjoy Lindsay!
Hey! Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m making it for the first time! Quick question. My crockpot is too small and won’t fit potatoes an carrots in it, could I do them in a seperate crock? If so how would I go about the flavor?
Crock Pot potatoes take about 3 hours and can be cooked separately. The flavor is still great, but will be a bit different than cooking the potatoes with the corned beef.
Hi Holly,
I just made this and can’t wait to eat it tomorrow for St Patty’s day, although my husband and I had our second shot today, so we’re hoping we feel okay to eat it tomorrow! I was watching your overnight oats video, and that looks tasty so will have to try that one. Could you tell me were you got your large cutting board you use in that video, or who makes it? I love how big it is! Love your videos!
Thanks!
Happy St. Patrick’s day, I hope you’re feeling well! The large cutting board is from a discount store (similar to TJ Maxx or Marshall’s).
Just curious if you prefer point cut or flat cut corned beef or if you don’t have a preference?
I’ve used both and find they’re basically the same for this recipe Britni. Enjoy!
Hi – would this be good if you added sauerkraut? I love sauerkraut with corned beef but not if it’s going to ruin the recipe!
I haven’t tried it Shannon, but it sounds delicious! Sauerkraut does have a distinct flavor that may change the flavor of the corned beef.
Just getting started on this, but in the past I have always substituted Irish Stout for water, and have been doing that for over 20 years. I change up the basic recipe I use every year, but the base is the same; beer, crockpot and corned beef. One thing I’ve found to work if you are looking to do sandwiches is to trim the fat from the beef before and after, then wrap it tightly in tin foil. Put in in the fridge with a heavy pot or weight on it to compress it into sandwich form. It’s a two day affair between cooking and compressing, but we are all about the, Ruben sandwiches, lol!
Thank you for sharing your tips Patti!
It looks like you cook it about 5 hours before you add the cabbage. Then after you add the cabbage you cook it from 3 to 5 more hours. Have I got this correct? Or did I miss something important?? Cannot wait to try it. Now need an Irish Soda Bread recipe! Thank you for all your great recipes and help.
In step 5, you add the cabbage, about 2 hours before you plan to serve it, so it will have cooked already about 6-8 hours. Here is the recipe for Irish Soda Bread Irene. Enjoy!
Can I add stout beer? What do you think of that?
I love making it with beer!
Great recipe! Made an extra amount of cabbage, carrots, and one-bite sized potatoes in a second crock-pot. Added Worcestershire and dijon mustard to the second pot (about 2 tbsp each). I pre-made this for a workday, so we cooked for 8 hrs, cooled for 3, chilled in fridge overnight and cooked for 2 hrs on high to reheat/cook the cabbage. Meat was good texture even with the interrupted cooking, veggies also held up.
Also good with beer for part of the water, a paler ale or even a fruit cider would be good.
Thank you for sharing! Sounds amazing!