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Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage is the easiest way to pull off a classic St. Patrick’s Day dinner, with fork-tender beef, buttery potatoes, sweet carrots, and cabbage all cooked in one pot. I set it every March 17th and the whole house smells incredible by dinner. The slow cooker does the work, like our sweet and sour cabbage.
Just layer everything in the crock, walk away, and come back to a complete, melt-in-your-mouth meal.
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 7 hours
- ⏳ Total Time: 7 hours 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 642kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory, briny, and buttery with tender beef and sweet vegetables
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy and hands-off, like our sweet and sour cabbage
Quick Answer
Layer baby potatoes and carrots in the bottom of the slow cooker, set the corned beef brisket on top, and pour beef broth over everything along with the pickling spice packet. Cover and cook on high for about 6 hours until the meat is tender, then add cabbage wedges and cook 45 to 60 minutes more. Slice the beef against the grain and serve with mustard. The slow cooker turns a tough brisket into a fall-apart-tender holiday dinner with almost no effort.
Jump to:
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage FAQs
- Other Recommended Comfort Food Recipes
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Low and slow tenderizes the brisket. Corned beef is a tough cut, and hours in the slow cooker break it down into fall-apart tender slices.
- One pot, full meal. Potatoes, carrots, beef, and cabbage all cook together, so dinner and the sides are done at once.
- Vegetables on the bottom. Layering the potatoes and carrots under the beef lets them soak up all that savory, briny broth.
- Cabbage added at the end. Adding the cabbage in the last hour keeps it tender-crisp instead of mushy.
- The spice packet does the seasoning. The pickling spices that come with the corned beef season the whole pot with no extra work.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a hands-off, one-pot holiday dinner with almost no prep.
- The slow cooker turns tough brisket into fork-tender slices.
- And the leftovers are gold, perfect for a batch of homemade corned beef hash the next morning.
Key Ingredients
Just a handful of simple ingredients turn into a full holiday feast. Here is what you will need.
- Corned Beef Brisket: The star; it comes brined and usually includes a pickling spice packet.
- Baby Potatoes and Carrots: Hearty vegetables that cook low and slow and soak up the broth.
- Cabbage: Cut into wedges and added at the end so it stays tender, not mushy.
- Beef Broth: The savory cooking liquid that keeps everything moist and flavorful.
- Pickling Spice: The packet from the corned beef seasons the entire pot.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Easy ways to make this meal your own.
- Add a splash of Guinness or a stout beer to the broth for a deeper, richer flavor.
- Pile the leftovers onto rye with swiss and sauerkraut, or turn them into Reuben sliders.
- Add more veggies: toss in parsnips, turnips, or pearl onions with the potatoes and carrots.
- Glaze the beef: brush the cooked brisket with a mustard and brown sugar glaze and broil for a few minutes for a sweet, caramelized top.
- No slow cooker? Simmer everything on the stovetop in a Dutch oven, adding the cabbage in the last 30 minutes.
How to Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Place the baby potatoes and carrots in the bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Set the corned beef brisket on top of the potatoes and carrots.
- Pour the beef broth over everything and add the pickling spices that came with the corned beef. Cover and cook on high for about 6 hours until the meat is tender.
- Add the cabbage wedges and cook 45 to 60 minutes more until tender. Slice the beef against the grain and serve with whole-grain mustard and fresh parsley if desired.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Slice against the grain. Corned beef brisket is full of long muscle fibers; cutting across them instead of with them is the difference between tender and chewy.
- Use a big enough cooker. A 6-quart or larger slow cooker gives everything room to cook evenly.
- Keep the cabbage for last. Adding it in the final hour keeps it tender-crisp instead of falling apart.
- Do not rinse off the spices. The pickling spice packet is where most of the flavor comes from, so use it all.
- Let it rest. Let the brisket rest a few minutes before slicing so it stays juicy.
- Save the broth. Spoon some of the flavorful cooking liquid over the sliced beef and vegetables to serve.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Pile a plate with sliced corned beef, tender cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, with a dollop of whole-grain mustard on the side. It is the centerpiece of any St. Patrick’s Day spread.
Serve it with warm homemade dinner rolls or some loaded mashed potato cakes to round out the meal.
Do not toss the leftovers: shred them for corned beef hash, stack them into Reuben sliders, or fold them into a hearty soup.
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage FAQs
Fat side up is best. As it cooks, the fat renders down and bastes the meat, keeping it moist and adding flavor.
It usually just needs more time. Corned beef is a tough cut that needs to cook low and slow until fork-tender, so give it longer if it is not pulling apart easily. Also be sure to slice against the grain.
Yes. Cook it on low for 8 to 10 hours instead of high for about 6, adding the cabbage in the last hour either way.
A quick rinse removes some of the surface brine for a less salty result, but it is optional. Keep the pickling spice packet to season the pot.
Leftovers are fantastic. Chop the beef for corned beef hash, layer it into Reuben sliders, or add it to a hearty soup. It keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes. Cook it fully, then store it in the fridge and gently reheat in the slow cooker or oven with some of the broth so it stays moist.
Celebrating the holiday? Whip up a batch of festive leprechaun chow for dessert.
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby potatoes, scrubbed cleaned, skin left on
- 6 large carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 3-4 pound packaged corned beef
- 32 ounces low sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon pickling spices from the corned beef
- 1 medium head of cabbage, cut into 6 wedges
- whole grain mustard for serving, optional
- fresh chopped parsley for serving, optional
Instructions
- Place the potatoes and carrots in the bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Place the brisket on top of the carrots and potatoes.
- Pour the broth over everything, and add in the optional pickling spices that came with the corned beef.
- Cover and place on high for 6 hours or until the meat is tender.
- Add the cabbage wedges to the cooker and continue to cook 45-60 more minutes until the cabbage is tender.
- Slice and serve the meat against the grain to serve so it is most tender. Serve with whole-grain mustard and fresh chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
- Make sure to buy Corned Beef pre-packaged with spices.
- The pickling spices are optional but highly encouraged.
- We do cook this on high and that is what we recommend and do not cool on low.
- You can use other vegetables that you like such as celery and onions as well in this recipe.
- When you cut your Corned Beef, cut against the grain! This makes it more tender and is the proper way to cut meat.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above on that.
Nutrition
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