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.
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
Equipment
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
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.
Video
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 is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
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.
I want to make this a head. Can I put all of the veggies and everything in one container in the freezer?
Sure!
We used point instead of flat, and we like to keep the juices to dip buns (or Irish soda bread) into. We also left our potatoes with peels, but otherwise we keep everything the same, and it came out amazingly! Definitely took us more than 10 mins prep time, but prep times are always a joke. Plus, we made our beef broth from scratch. Maybe next year we’ll host St. Paddy’s Day feast with this recipe as the main dish! (Pic of roast after cabbage was moved to serving dish)
That looks delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
doing it now smellls soooo goood
Yay! We hope you love it!
I haven’t made this yet, but just wondering if I just slow cook only the corned beef (I like to do all my Veggies and potatoes separately) would I use same amount liquid and same time?
That should work just fine!
I substituted 1 cup of the broth with 1 cup Guinness – turned out perfect.
That looks aah-mazing, Matty!
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:)
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
I didn’t through out the liquid. I strained it, add about 1/4 cup of Guinness mixed with cornstarch and made a gravy out of it.
Yum that sounds delicious! I’m going to have to try that!!
One word describes this recipe, wow. I have fixed corn beef and cabbage many times and many ways but this is the best. It moves to number 1 on my list. We will be using the leftovers as a
wonderful soup.
Thank you!! That’s a great idea for the leftovers!!
This looks amazing! I wanted to let you know I featured this recipe on my blog on my St Patrick’s Day Roundup if you’d like to share it! Thanks so much! https://amysenter.com/march-pinterest-roundup/
Thank you so much!
This makes the best corned beef! Thanks so much!
Thanks!