Slow cooker corned beef and cabbage is a comforting, flavorful meal that’s perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or enjoying a hearty dinner any time of the year.
With tender corned beef, soft cabbage, and perfectly cooked potatoes and carrots, this dish brings out rich flavors with minimal effort.
Corned beef and cabbage
Making crockpot corned beef and cabbage is as easy as setting everything in the slow cooker and letting it work its magic. While it finishes cooking, you can start preparing colcannon with kale if that’s your chosen side dish.
The slow, gentle cooking process infuses the meat with a blend of spices, keeping it juicy and tender while the vegetables absorb all the delicious flavors.
Looking for meals? Try our slow cooker chicken and stuffings with green beans or crock pot cube steak!
Recipe Highlights
- Set it and forget it: The slow cooker does all the work, making this an easy hands-off meal.
- Tender and flavorful: The long cooking time ensures melt-in-your-mouth corned beef and perfectly cooked vegetables.
- Great for St. Patrick’s Day dinner: This classic dish is a must-have for your holiday celebration.
- Feeds a crowd: A big batch of cooked corned beef and cabbage is great for gatherings and leftovers can be used to make corned beef hash.
Ingredients
- Corned beef brisket: A salt cured cut of beef that’s packed with flavor.
- Spice packet: Usually included with the corned beef, but you can also use your own mix of mustard seeds, coriander, and bay leaves.
- Carrots: Adds sweetness and color to the dish.
- Potatoes: Red or gold potatoes hold up well during slow cooking.
- Cabbage: A key ingredient that soaks up the savory broth.
- Minced Garlic: Enhances the overall flavor.
- Beef broth or water: Provides moisture and helps tenderize the meat.
- Bay leaf
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- Slow cooker
How to make corned beef and cabbage in the slow cooker.
Place the corned beef in the slow cooker, surround it with onion wedges, and sprinkle minced garlic on top.
Add the seasoning packet (if included), along with peppercorns or black pepper for extra flavor.
Pour in beef broth, add a bay leaf, cover, and cook on LOW for 8–10 hours. After 4 hours, add potatoes and carrots.
Cook for 2 more hours, then add cabbage for the final 2 hours.
Transfer the beef to a cutting board, let it rest for 15 minutes, then slice or shred.
Return the meat to the crockpot, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve with the vegetables and broth.
What to serve with corned beef and cabbage
Irish soda bread is a great side to soak up the broth.
Horseradish sauce is a good one to add a tangy kick to the corned beef.
Dijon mustard is a classic pairing for corned beef.
Mashed potatoes especially or oven baked potatoes are great alternatives to boiled potatoes.
Storing leftovers
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze sliced corned beef and cooked cabbage separately for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Warm in a skillet with a bit of broth or microwave in short intervals.
Helpful Tips
- While some people prefer to rinse the corned beef before cooking to cut reduce the sodium content, this is optimal as I find that discarding the liquid in the packing is enough. Feel free to do what works for you.
- If your corned beef doesn’t come with a seasoning packet, use 1 tablespoon of pickling spice blend.
- Cook low and slow. Low heat gives the best texture and prevents the meat from drying out.
- Add vegetables later as adding them at the beginning can make them too soft.
- Slice against the grain to make the corned beef more tender and easier to chew.
FAQs
Yes, but for the most tender results, cooking on low for 8–10 hours is recommended.
No, it’s not necessary. The long cooking time in the crock pot develops plenty of flavor.
Yes! Water works fine, but beef broth adds extra depth to the dish.
If it’s tough, it likely needs more cooking time. Let it cook longer on low heat until it’s fork-tender.
Absolutely! Parsnips, turnips, or even onions can add more flavor.
More slow cooked recipes
- Crockpot lil smokies
- Slow cooker bbq pulled brisket
- Check out all our Home Cooked Recipes
Will you try this classic crock pot recipe?
Whether you’re making this for St. Patrick’s Day dinner or a cozy family meal, slow cooker corned beef and cabbage is an easy, satisfying dish.
With minimal prep and hands-off cooking, you’ll have a tender, flavorful meal that’s sure to be a hit!
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Slow cooker corned beef and cabbage
Equipment
- 7 qt Crockpot
Ingredients
- 3.5 lbs corned beef brisket (flat or point cut with included seasoning packet)
- 1 large onion (quartered)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns (optional)
- 5 large carrots (peeled and cut into 3-inch long pieces)
- 2 lbs red potatoes (quartered or halved, depending on size)
- 1 small cabbage (cut into wedges)
- Fresh parsley (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Place the corned beef at the bottom of the slow cooker, then arrange the onion wedges around it. Sprinkle the minced garlic over the top.
- If your corned beef comes with a seasoning packet, sprinkle it over the meat. For extra flavor, add additional peppercorns or a pinch of black pepper.
- Pour in the beef broth and drop in a bay leaf. Cover with the lid and cook on LOW for 8–10 hours.
- At the 4-hour mark, add the potatoes and carrots. Let cook for another 2 hours, before adding the cabbage wedges to cook for the last 2 hours.
- Transfer the cooked corned beef to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing against the grain or shredding into chunks.
- Return the meat to the slow cooker, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve with the vegetables and broth.
Notes
- A 6-quart or larger slow cooker is best to fit all the ingredients.
- Some prefer to rinse corned beef before cooking to remove excess salt, you can do this if you want to cut down on sodium, otherwise simply discard the liquid from the packaging.
- If your corned beef doesn’t come with a seasoning packet, use 1 tablespoon of pickling spice blend.
- Adding extra peppercorns will create a richer broth.
- Low and slow cooking ensures the meat stays tender. Add potatoes and carrots halfway through to prevent them from becoming too soft. Cabbage should be added in the last 1–2 hours, depending on your preferred texture.
- Instead of adding potatoes to the slow cooker, serve the corned beef over mashed potatoes.
- Try serving with horseradish, stone-ground mustard, or horseradish mustard for an extra kick.
- Serving size would vary, if you are cooking only the corned beef with cabbage it will serve 6 if you cooked it with other vegetables as I did, it will serve around 8.
