This slow cooker corned beef and cabbage is seasoned corned beef cooked with potatoes, carrots and cabbage. A crock pot meal that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
Whether you’re looking to celebrate the Irish holiday or simply want a hearty yet easy meal, this crock pot corned beef is a great choice. Complete your holiday meal with a loaf of Irish soda bread and a Shamrock Shake for dessert!
St. Patrick’s Day is the one day a year that many people flock to the grocery store in search of ingredients for a corned beef dinner. This slow cooker corned beef and cabbage only has a few minutes of active prep work, and produces a festive and delicious meal that the whole family will love!
When you make your St. Patrick’s Day feast, try some of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day recipes like a refreshing Irish mule, stuffed cabbage rolls and Irish stew!
Table of Contents
Slow Cooker Corned Beef Ingredients
To make slow cooker corned beef and cabbage you will need a corned beef brisket, carrots, yellow potatoes, green cabbage, butter, garlic, parsley, salt and black pepper. You may want some grainy yellow mustard to serve with the corned beef.
How Do You Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef?
To make this slow cooker corned beef and cabbage recipe, first take the corned beef out of the package and rinse it off. Pat the corned beef dry and place it fat side up in a slow cooker. Pour the spices from the spice packet over the corned beef. Add cut carrots and potatoes to the crock pot. Pour 3 cups of water in the slow cooker. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook it on low for 6 hours. Add your cabbage to the pot and cook it on low for 2 more hours. Remove everything from the crockpot and slice your beef against the grain. Serve the corned beef on a platter with the potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Whip up a little herb butter for the veggies if you like.
Crock Pot Corned Beef Tips
- This slow cooker corned beef recipe really works best on the low heat setting. I know the temptation is there to crank up the heat and have your meal done in half the time, but you run the risk of a tough corned beef if you do that.
- The potatoes and carrots get quite soft from cooking all day in the crock pot. If you prefer your veggies on the firmer side, try adding them halfway through the cooking time.
- Be sure to slice the meat against the grain for the most tender bites of beef.
- You don’t need to add any extra seasoning to your crock pot other than the packet that comes with the corned beef. The meat is plenty salty to flavor the potatoes and vegetables.
Quick Tip
I recommend putting your meat in the crock pot first thing in the morning to ensure perfection by dinner time.
Recipe FAQs
Corned beef is a beef brisket that soaks in brine and then cures with salt and seasonings. This cut of meat has a distinctive pink color from sodium nitrate which is an ingredient in the curing process. Corned beef comes in multiple cuts, and it’s always best to cook corned beef for a long period of time so that it becomes tender. Typical cooking methods include boiling, slow cooking or oven roasting the meat.
The first step to this recipe is to choose your meat. Most stores sell pre-seasoned corned beef, especially in March. There are a few different cuts of corned beef to chose from, including corned beef round roast, flat cut brisket, and point cut brisket.
Flat cut brisket and point cut brisket tend to be the better corned beef options. I used a flat cut brisket for these photos, as you can see by the uniform size and shape of the slices. Point cut brisket is the fattiest cut, but can also sometimes be the most tender. So it’s really up to you which cut you use!
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Flavor Variations
This slow cooker corned beef recipe is fantastic as written; however, you can modify it to suit your taste.
- Garlic Butter: I like to add a little drizzle of garlic and herb butter over the top of the veggies. It adds a nice finishing touch that you typically don’t see with corned beef meals. Simply mix together melted butter with minced garlic, chopped parsley, salt and pepper or add a little Italian seasoning.
- Leftovers: Corned beef makes for great leftovers. You can enjoy it in sandwiches, corned beef hash or in a reuben dip.
- Spicy: Add some heat with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Veggies: You can add other vegetables like large chunks of onions or celery.
This slow cooker corned beef is on our table every St. Patrick’s Day and we always look forward to it!
More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
Slow Cooker Corned Beef Video
Love This Recipe?
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Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 corned beef brisket 3-5 lbs
- 3 carrots peeled and cut into large chunks
- 3/4 lb small yellow potatoes halved
- 1/2 head green cabbage cut into wedges
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- grainy mustard for serving optional
Instructions
- Remove the corned beef from the package. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place the corned beef brisket (fat side up), carrots and potatoes in a slow cooker. Add 3 cups of water to the slow cooker, plus the seasoning packet that comes in the corned beef package.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
- Add the cabbage on top of the corned beef and cook on LOW for another 2 hours.
- Remove the cabbage, corned beef, potatoes and carrots from the slow cooker. Slice the corned beef against the grain.
- Place the butter, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments or until melted.
- Drizzle the garlic butter over the carrots, potatoes and cabbage. Place the meat, potatoes and vegetables on a platter and serve with mustard on the side if desired.
Notes
- This recipe really works best on the low heat setting. I know the temptation is there to crank up the heat and have your meal done in half the time, but you run the risk of a tough corned beef if you do that.
- I recommend putting your meat in the crock pot first thing in the morning to ensure perfection by dinner time.
- The potatoes and carrots get quite soft from cooking all day in the crock pot. If you prefer your veggies on the firmer side, try adding them halfway through the cooking time.
I’m really going to impress my family with this meal!
This reminds me so much of my childhood before my mom passed. She loved making this. I will have to make it for my family!
We just had fish with dinner. I absolutely love meat but I want to be healthier so Im thinking about switching to vegan.
I haven’t had this dish since I lived at home as a child. I loved it then and I’m sure I will now. I don’t know why I haven’t thought to make this in my slow cooker. Saving your recipe.
Corned beef and cabbage was always a staple on our dinner menu growing up but ours was always made on the stovetop. I’m going to have to give this recipe a try to see what my family thinks.
One of my favorite meals. We usually go out, but I think I want to give this a try instead. I am eager to see if I can make it as juicy as you have it here.
Wow, that looks so good! It looks super moist and I love the fact that the veggies are not overly cooked.
A classic recipe that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day! I think it’s awesome that you’re sharing this, especially since it’s something that we’d love to make on that day. It’s easy since we’ll be using a slow cooker! Love it.
I saw corned beef on sale at the grocer over the weekend and it reminded me it’s almost time for our annual St. Patrick’s Day dish. We have a tradition of gathering at my house for corned beef and cabbage. I make it like my great grandma used to only a little bit quicker. She would simmer hers low and slow all day long but it was so worth it.
I’m ashamed to admit this as an Irish woman, but I can’t stand corned beef and cabbage. I think it is the smell that turns me off. But my husband sure would love your recipe!
I have pinned this to Pinterest, I’m so trying this. I like corned beef and I love cabbage. The two together scream of incredible flavor. Oh, the family is going to be impressed.
I love corned beef, we actually used to have it tinned in the 80s, on sandwiches or warm with chips! I much prefer it fresh!
Would you believe I have never had corned beef? My mom loves it and makes it all the time but I’ve never tried it.
Corned Beef and Cabbage meal is one of our St. Patrick’s Day family tradition. It’s such an easy great meal. Love having all the leftovers for sandwiches.
It’s a filling and flavorful meal that’s perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day! I think it’s really awesome and it’s nice that it’s all cooked in the crock pot. So convenient!
I have a few friends that are Irish so we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year. This would be a perfect way to do that so that I don’t have to sit over stove all day!
This is my kind of meal! I haven’t had corned beef and cabbage in ages. I’ll have to make this soon!
That time of year for corn beef and cabbage to be made. I love using the slow cooker for making this wonderful hearty meal. Bring on the sale of both.
I made Reuben sandwiches this past weekend because my husband heard me talking about St. Patrick’s Day and he started craving corned beef. I think I’ll surprise him with your corned beef and cabbage recipe in a few days. He’ll love it. I love that it’s made in the slow cooker.
My mom used to make the BEST corned beef and cabbage, but I haven’t had it since she passed. Maybe this is the year I will start the tradition back up!