Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

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Total Time 10 hours 25 minutes

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Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage is a comforting slow cooker meal that features tender beef brisket, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Whether you are looking to celebrate St. Patrick’s day or just make a hearty, delicious meal, this corned beef and cabbage is sure to satisfy!

Put your slow cooker to good use with these other favorites like Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef, Slow Cooker Beef Stew, and Slow Cooker Beef Roast.

slow cooker corned beef with vegetables on a platter

Why This Recipe Works

Simple & Satisfying: The beauty of this recipe is the slow cooker. It will cook the corned beef and cabbage perfectly so that you have a satisfying dinner ready with minimal effort. This recipe is seriously so simple, with whole, healthy ingredients that use an easy preparation method. Plan ahead so that the beef can be slow cooked for 10 hours on low!

Flavorful: This corned beef and cabbage recipe is seriously packed with flavor! It starts with the seasoning packet which is a mixture of seasonings that really complement the beef like coriander and mustard seeds. Along with the flavorful and aromatic veggies, and slow cooked to perfection, you will be super impressed with how much flavor this meal has!

Ingredients

My slow cooker corned beef and cabbage uses whole ingredients that are easy to find! Here’s what you’ll need:

ingredients for slow cooker corned beef and cabbage recipe
  • Corned Beef Brisket: You will need 2-3 lbs of corned beef brisket for this recipe, although you can definitely half the recipe for less people! Most corned beef brisket will come with a seasoning packet and you will be using that as well to season this meal!
  • Onion: Lots of onion cut into big chunks will add loads of flavor. They will cook down nicely in the slow cooker.
  • Bay Leaves: I believe that bay leaves lend a nice, subtle flavor that deepens the longer you cook them. Make sure your bay leaves aren’t expired for the most flavor!
  • Water: To cook everything up, you can simply use water here.
  • Carrots: Use large carrots and cut them into pretty big chunks!
  • Small Red Potatoes: No need to peel the potatoes. Just wash them off and cut them in half before adding them to the slow cooker!
  • Cabbage: It wouldn’t be corned beef without some tender cabbage! Avoid purple cabbage as it might dye the other ingredients a red color.

Here’s How to Make It

six steps of preparing crockpot corned beef and cabbage recipe
  1. Prep and Start Slow Cooker: Create a layer of onion slices in the bottom of the slow cooker and scatter over the seasoning packet. Place the corned beef, fat side up on top of the onions. Add the bay leaves and the water. Cook on low for 3 hours. (photos 1-2)
  2. Add Carrots & Potatoes: Add the carrots and potatoes around the beef and cook for another 5 hours. (photo 3)
  3. Add Cabbage: Add the cabbage around the beef, pushing it down into the liquid. Cook for a final 2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure the cabbage stays as submerges as possible. (photos 4-5)
  4. Rest & Serve: Leave the beef to rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving alongside the vegetables. (photo 6)

Expert Tips

  • Cook the beef low and slow! I know it is tempting to decrease the cooking time by turning the slow cooker to high, but it is super important for this cut of meat to be cooked slowly and at a low temperature. This will ensure tender beef!
  • Use leftover corned beef in different ways! You can make a reuben sandwich or try my corned beef hash!
  • Don’t add extra salt! The seasoning packet that comes with the corned beef has plenty of salt, which is why we want to cook it in water instead of broth. So don’t add any extra salt or else it might comes out too salty!
  • Slice against the grain. Like with any meat, make sure to slice the corned beef against the grain for the most tender bites!
  • Don’t forget to pair this with some Irish Soda Bread! Skip the dried fruit in this recipe for a savory bread, or add them for a little dessert!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is corned beef?

Corned beef is a beef brisket that has been preserved through curing it with salt. It is then slowly cooked in order to make it super tender! It is usually a pinkish red color due to the salt cure. It is generally served on St. Patrick’s Day as an Irish-American tradition.

Do you rinse corned beef before cooking it?

Some people think that since the corned beef comes in a salty brine mixture that they should rinse it first. I wouldn’t rinse it, in order to keep the flavors of the brine! However, if you are concerned about sodium levels you could rinse it and it would still come out tasty with a slightly less salty flavor.

sliced corn beef with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots on a platter

More Slow Cooker Recipes to Try

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slow cooker corned beef with vegetables on a platter
5 from 2 votes

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage is a comforting slow cooker meal that features tender beef brisket, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Whether you are looking to celebrate St. Patrick's day or just make a hearty, delicious meal, this corned beef and cabbage is sure to satisfy!
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 10 hours
Total: 10 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 2-3 lb corned beef brisket + seasoning packet
  • 2 brown or yellow onions, thickly sliced into rings
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 3 cups water
  • 4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 lb small red potatoes, halved
  • 1 small white cabbage, roughly chopped

Instructions 

  • Create a layer of onion slices in the bottom of the slow cooker and scatter over the seasoning packet. Place the corned beef, fat side up on top of the onions. Add the bay leaves and the water. Cook on low for 3 hours.
  • Add the carrot and potato around the beef and cook for a further 5 hours.
  • Add the cabbage around the beef, pushing it down into the liquid. Cook for a final 2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure the cabbage stays as submerged as possible.
  • Leave the beef to rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving alongside the vegetables.

Notes

This recipe is for a 6 quart slow cooker. For a smaller slow cooker this recipe is easily halved, but using 2 full cups of cold water instead of 1 1/2 cups.

Nutrition

Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 1437mg | Potassium: 926mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5213IU | Vitamin C: 81mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Tiffany of Creme de la Crumb in the kitchen

Welcome!

Hey there, I’m Tiffany – chef, photographer, mother, and avid taco eater. I am passionate about turning simple flavors and ingredients into tasty meals the whole family will love, with minimal prep and cleanup so there’s more time to spend eating and enjoying. Stay awhile, and help yourself to a taco or two!

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11 Comments

  1. Cindy Lee says:

    Hi….

    Just came across your sight for your Soft Peanut Butter cookies. Exactly what I was looking for.

    In addition just purchased a Corn Beef Brisket but your recipe is based on cooking in a Slow Cooker which I do not have. Can I cook in a large stainless steel pot or 5 qt cast iron pot? The corn beef is a flat cut @ 6 x 10″ with a weight of 3.74 lb. Plus I have to fit in the cabbage, onion and potatoes, not big on cooked carrots. Will replace it with another. I know I should be able to do this without sending you an email but I am not Martha Stewart as you can tell. OK I just looked back on your instructions and my
    5 qt is not going to work. Think I need to buy a 7 qt or cut meat in half. Therefore cut all the ingredients/measurements in half? Ah oh…your recipe is based on 2-3 lbs, mine is almost 4 lbs!
    This is turning into a production….. now what do I do?

    Thank you so much for your time and help. It is most appreciated.

    Kind regards,
    Cindy Lee

    1. Tiffany says:

      I’m sorry, this recipe hasn’t been tested with any other method other than the slow cooker. I’m sure if you wanted to, you could cut the meat in half and cook everything in a big pot in the oven.

  2. Diane Alexander says:

    I often substitute beer for the water (Guinness Stout or Blond, of course). Thank you for guide on layering and timings. That has been an “un-thought-of idea. 💕🙏🎶💐🤟🍀

  3. Phyllis says:

    What is going on with your Facebook page….no longer recipes????

    1. Tiffany says:

      We got hacked :/ it’s a slow process but we’re working on getting the account recovered!

  4. Lauren says:

    Could this be made in the insta pot?

    1. Tiffany says:

      I’m sure it’s possible! I haven’t tried that with this recipe, so I can’t guarantee it though 🙂

  5. Diane says:

    5 stars
    Made this and loved it! The only change that I did was that used 9 small skinless/boneless chicken thighs and a small onion.

    It was delicious! I think I added more basil at the end, shred the chicken and ate it like soup.

    Thank you for sharing this recipe.

  6. Angelina says:

    This dish sounds pretty good, and also healthy….but personally, I wouldn’t make a meal for my family in the slow cooker more than once a week. We like our meat crispy at times, and we don’t especially care for the ‘braised texture’ from a slow cooker very often. My Slow Cooker definitely has it’s place of honor in my kitchen, but only for certain old tried & true recipes. I still like to use my oven, my broiler, and my indoor grill.

  7. Trina says:

    A healthy, delicious dinner already planned for me is pure heaven! Thanks!

  8. shawnna griffin says:

    hey girl this looks yummy!