This crockpot corned beef and cabbage recipe is my go-to easy way to slow cook corned beef along with cabbage, carrots, and red potatoes. It’s a full, hearty, comforting, and savory dish! We cook this twist on a traditional Irish meal every St. Patrick’s Day and it’s become a favorite family tradition.
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Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
I used to live near a neighborhood in St. Louis called “Dogtown”. It’s an amazing neighborhood steeped in Irish heritage that has a truly wonderful St. Patrick’s Day parade and celebration each year. You walk down the street and families offer you all the fun and festive fare. Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage was what I always looked for, it was so delicious! I knew I could develop my own version of the recipe that would become a fun tradition for our family for years to come.
Ingredients
Cooking corned beef and cabbage in a crockpot makes this traditional Irish recipe super easy. Just throw the ingredients in the slow cooker, set it, and forget it!
- Corned Beef: Corned beef is a salt-cured beef brisket. Look for flat cut rather than point cut for the best results. Trim all visible fat from the brisket.
- Onion: Use yellow onion.
- Cabbage: Use one small cabbage.
- Red Potatoes: These are smaller and less starchy than white potatoes, so they work better in recipes like this. Peel and halve before putting them in the slow cooker.
- Carrots: I used baby carrots for convenience, but you can also peel and cut whole carrots into thick slices.
- Beef Bouillon Cube: This adds a lot of savory flavor into the mix.
- Beef Broth: This adds a flavorful liquid into the mix.
- Garlic: I used 1 garlic clove, but you can increase the amount if you like more garlic flavor.
- Dry Mustard: Sometimes called mustard powder or ground mustard, this adds a savory, almost tangy flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This adds the perfect mix of flavor to this dish.
- Caraway Seed: Caraway is a must for corned beef.
What spices are used to make traditional corned beef?
Corned beef brisket generally comes with a spice packet that includes a mix of peppercorns, mustard seeds, dill seeds, and bay leaves. I recommend using this, but you can also use any mix of those spices from your cabinet, or leave it out completely.
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How to Store and Reheat
Storing leftover corned beef and cabbage is quite easy. Just place it in an airtight container, and refrigerate as soon as you’re done eating. I find that it will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat in a slow cooker or in the oven, and cook to an internal temp of at least 145°F.
How to Freeze
I freeze corned beef for up to 2-3 months. I let it cool completely, then store it in a freezer-safe container or resealable bag.
Serving Ideas
I truly love that this crockpot corned beef and cabbage recipe is a full meal! It’s filled with beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, so it’s quite hearty, perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
When I am serving a large crowd and want to add some extra sides, I’ll whip up some beer bread, colcannon potatoes, or hash brown potato casserole. I also love to serve it with our St. Patrick’s Day Punch, which is always a crowd pleaser.
5-Star Review
“I followed this recipe to the letter except one change-up as I used vegetable bouillon with a pint of stout to substitute for the broth. The corned beef was the most tender I have ever made. The mix of vegetables was perfect. It is rare for me to find keepers on the internet or to review recipes. This one is a keeper!! Brava to you:)” – Becky DiRosa
Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2½ pounds corned beef brisket
- 1 onion sliced
- 6 red potatoes peeled and halved
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- The spice packet that comes with the corned beef brisket optional
- 1 cabbage cut into wedges
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Trim the brisket of all visible fat.2½ pounds corned beef brisket
- Spray a large crockpot with nonstick spray.
- Place the onion, potatoes, and carrots in the bottom of the crockpot, and place corned beef on top.1 onion, 6 red potatoes, 2 cups baby carrots
- Whisk together the bouillon, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, and beef broth.1 beef bouillon cube, 1 clove garlic, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- Pour the liquid over the brisket.
- Sprinkle the included spice packet over the corned beef (optional). Cover pot.The spice packet that comes with the corned beef brisket
- Cook on low setting for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours, adding the cabbage wedges and caraway seed for the last hour of cooking.1 cabbage, 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- To serve, discard cooking liquid, slice meat and serve with mustard if desired.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- I prefer flat cut brisket, as it is more uniform and easier to cut, but point brisket will also work.
- You can swap the beef broth for vegetable broth, water, or Guinness beer.
- For more tender cabbage, add it earlier; for crisper cabbage, add it later.
- Properly cooked corned beef should be at least 145°F internally.
- Slice the beef across the grain for tender meat.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
Nutrition Information
More Cozy Beef Recipes We Love
- Corned Beef Hash
- Guinness Beef Stew
- Reuben Casserole
- Beef Wellington
- Slow Cooker Brisket
- Cabbage Rolls
On the low setting, it will take about 8-10 hours to cook. On the high setting, it will only take about 4-5 hours.
Corned beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145°F to ensure safe consumption. Use a meat thermometer to measure this. The meat will still be quite pink due to the curing process, so that is not an adequate way of determining how done or cooked the meat is.
Slow cooking methods work best for corned beef, like oven-roasting or using a slow cooker.
Corned beef is a salty brine-cured beef brisket. It’s a specific type of meat, and that curing process is the important part.
Yes, corned beef benefits from a longer cooking time, which is why the crockpot is such a great option.
Cabbage doesn’t need nearly as long to cook as the corned beef, so add it into the slow cooker about 1 hour before the beef is done.
Hi Becky! I’m sooooo excited to try this tonight! I just put the brisket in the slow cooker on low. Question: my brisket isn’t really sitting in the liquid, it’s barely touching the liquid because it’s sitting on top of the veggies. Is this going to dry out my meat?
This looks so delicious and healthy! :) Pinned and definitely trying!
Probably a totally stupid question, but where in the grocery store would corned beef brisket be? And caraway seeds? (I rarely make any meat other than turkey and chicken so I have never even had this kind of meat)
It’s in the cold meat section (near the other beef)……corned beef comes in flat or point…..I get flat b/c there’s less fat and less shrinkage.
I’m super excited to be making this now but it looks like there isn’t enough “juice” to be covering the brisket. It just one cup of broth and no water?
It says 2cups of beef broth and 1 bullion cube ..it does not say add water… I’m getting ready to make it now.. fingers crossed lol..
I didn’t add water since the recipe doesn’t say so, there is not enough liquid to cover veggies, will the meat create more liquid?
Can I use regular mustard instead of dry mustard?
Made this tonight, turned out fabulous. I didn’t have beef broth so I dissolved beef stock in 1 c water and didn’t have beef bullion so I used chicken bullion. Still came out fab. Thanks for this great recipe.
Instead of beef bouillon can I use beef broth?
I had a question about the beef bouillon? 1 cup as in a cube dissolved in water or 1 cup granules or 1 cup powder? I would assume it’s not broth due to the fact there is broth also listed. Looks delish, can’t wait until St. Pat’s to make it! Thanks!
I’m definitely making this on St. Patrick’s Day!! It looks seriously amazing, I wish I had some right now!! Lol
I’ve never had corned beef and cabbage, but by the looks of this I would love it! This dish looks almost to pretty to eat too. Great recipe!