This Slow Cooker Corned Beef Recipe is so delicious and easy to make! Learn how to cook corned beef in slow cooker for a simple dinner.
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We love cooking meat and full meals in our crockpot. Some of our favorites are Crockpot Whole Chicken, Crockpot Shredded Chicken, Slow Cooker Pot Roast, or our Crockpot Baby Back Ribs.
Corned Beef is a St. Patrick’s Day favorite and we think this slow cooker corned beef recipe is the best way to prepare it!
Your corned beef will never be dry with this foolproof recipe!
Why we love this Corned Beef Slow Cooker Recipe:
There are so many reasons to love this corned beef and cabbage in the slow cooker recipe. Here are some of the reasons it’s a favorite for us:
- Easy to make – Like other crock pot recipes, you can basically just dump everything in your crock pot and let it do all the work!
- High Protein – There are 50g of protein per serving!
Crock Pot Corned Beef Ingredients
To make this recipe you’ll need:
- corned beef brisket (we get ours from ButcherBox)
- carrots, potatoes, celery, cabbage
- onion, garlic
- bay leaves
- light beer
- water
- pickling spice packet (optional)
There are substitutions below for all of the ingredients.
How to cook Corned Beef in Slow Cooker
- Add corned beef brisket, carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves and pickling spice packet to the crockpot.
- Add beer and fill to the top of the crockpot with water.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Then, 1 hour before serving, add sliced cabbage. Stir into broth and cover for the remaining hour.
- When ready to serve, slice the corned beef against the grain and enjoy!
How long to cook Corned Beef in Crock Pot? You should cook corned beef and cabbage in the crock pot for 6-8 hours on low. It’s best to cook it low so it doesn’t get tough or over cooked. Brisket doesn’t do well when cooked at a high temperature. It will get tough and chewy.
Does corned beef get tender the longer you cook it? No. You can easily over cook corned beef. 6-8 hours on low is the perfect amount of time for corned beef! It will be dry if cooked at high heat for too long.
How do you know when corned beef is done in slow cooker?
The best way to test if corned beef is cooked is to use an internal meat thermometer. This is a great thing to have in your kitchen and for less than $10. It should be cooked to an internal temp of 145°.
When cooked, it will also become fork tender.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR CROCK POT CORNED BEEF
Corned Beef Brisket: Corned beef is simply a beef brisket. The flat cut is the best cut for corned beef but you can also use the point cut. You can cook other cuts of meat in the crockpot too! Check out our Crockpot Whole Chicken and Crock Pot Turkey Breast.
Carrots/Potatoes: Potatoes and carrots are used for flavor and make a great side dish. Feel free to add more or less.
Celery, Onions, Garlic, Bay Leaf: All of these are used for flavor. Feel free to omit.
Beer: You can replace beer with water if you want. It’s only used for flavor. If you’re gluten free, paleo, or Whole30 sub the beer with water.
Cabbage: You can omit the cabbage, it’s meant to be enjoyed as a side for the corned beef.
Nutrition facts: Beer and pickling spice weren’t included in the nutrition facts calculation. Pickling spice will increase the amount of sodium in this recipe.
Storing and Reheating Corned Beef
Refrigerating: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Can Slow Cooker Corned Beef be frozen? We haven’t tried freezing this. I think it would be fine in the freezer if stored in an airtight container.
Reheating: It’s best to reheat corned beef and cabbage on low heat on the stovetop or in the toaster oven. We don’t recommend microwaving it.
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What to serve with the crock pot Corned Beef Recipe:
This Recipe is a complete meal in itself because the potatoes and carrots and cabbage all act as sides. Here are some other sides you can serve with corned beef:
- Traditionally corned beef is served with Rye bread. We also like this Low Fat Irish Soda Bread.
- Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Green Beans Almondine
- Balsamic Mushrooms
- Honey Roasted Carrots
- Sauteed Cabbage
- St. Patrick’s Day Cookies for dessert!
Corned Beef (Slow Cooker) FAQs
If your corned beef is dry, it will be hard to salvage it. You can try to soak it in water over medium heat on the stove or in the oven, but it might not help.
Corned beef shouldn’t fall apart, it should be very tender, but easy to slice and eat without it shredding
Yes, you should let corned beef sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing it. This will help keep the juices locked in.
You’ll need about 1/2 lb raw corned beef per person. Corned beef doesn’t shrink very much when cooked.
Other healthy dinner recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 3 lb corned beef brisket
- 3 whole carrots peeled
- 4 large potatoes about 1.5 lbs peeled
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 onion quartered
- 5 garlic cloves whole
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 oz light beer (sub water if gluten free/paleo/whole30)
- 8 cups water or less, depends on crockpot size
- ½ head of cabbage about ½ lb cut in 1 inch slices
- Optional: pickling spice packet
Instructions
- Add corned beef brisket to the crockpot. Place carrots, potatoes, celery, onion and garlic on top.
- Add bay leaves & pickling spice packet if using. Add beer and fill to the top of the crockpot with water (about 8 cups)
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Corned beef should not be cooked on high. It will result in chewy corned beef!
- 1 hour before serving, add sliced cabbage. Stir into broth and cover for the remaining hour.
- When ready to serve, slice the corned beef against the grain and enjoy.
Barbara Witt says
I cannot leave a review because I have not cooked the rrecipe yet.
What does this mean?:• Optional: pickling spice packet
The Clean Eating Couple says
Some corned beef comes with a pickling spice packet in the package. You don’t need it though!
Debra722 says
Can I substitute bone in ham for the corned beef?
The Clean Eating Couple says
No – bone in ham and corned beef are very different and this would not work with ham. Sorry!
Emily Yungblut says
By far, the easiest recipe I’ve tried for Corned beef! The meat was perfect and lots of veggies! I’ll definitely be making it again.
ElizabethTaylor says
I made this for St Patrick’s Day today and it was so good! My whole family enjoyed and the corned beef was perfectly cooked and not dry or tough at all! Highly recommend if you like corned beef or just want to celebrate St Patty’s Day.
Michelle says
Hi! Is it possible to use this recipe to just cook the corned beef (for sandwiches) without the vegetables?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Sure! The cook time doesn’t change. You can follow the recipe as is and just skip the veggies. They add a little bit of flavor but it will be fine without them 🙂
Rachel Tower says
I have a quick question. What are the best potatoes use for the Crockpot Corned Beef Brisket Dinner?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Any potato will work. I find the gold potatoes get very soft so I prefer to use russet