Slow Cooker Guinness Corned Beef and Cabbage
239 CommentsUpdated Mar 10, 2026
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Cooking corned beef with Guinness not only has the classic taste of corned beef flavor but also the savory flavors of Guinness beer. But don’t worry, the beer flavor isn’t strong after cooking all day and what’s left behind blends perfectly with the beef.
Why You Should Cook Corned Beef with Guinness (and cabbage) in the Crock Pot
Cooking corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day has become a tradition in many households, especially here in the United States. The tradition likely stems from the fact that corned beef was a commonly consumed meat among Irish immigrants to the United States. So you can imagine that overtime, there have been many variations adopted.
For my recipe, I like to add Guinness beer and brown sugar. The Guinness draught beer adds extra flavor while also tenderizing the meat. Ever since I tried this for the first time, I decided it will be my new way of making corned beef. Not to mention, the prep time is quick, but I recommend cooking it nice and long.
Something else I also like to do is add the cabbage during the last 2 hours this time. This causes the cabbage to turn out perfectly. In fact, I couldn’t stop eating just the cabbage. If you love cabbage try my cabbage, potatoes and kielbasa recipe.
Key Ingredients
Flat cut corned beef brisket: A sizable portion of beef brisket, typically cured with salt and spices, is used for its rich flavor.
Seasoning packet from above roast: A packet of spices and seasonings included with the corned beef brisket, adding traditional Irish flavors to the dish.
Guinness Beer (I use bottled extra stout): A dark and robust stout beer will add its richness to the dish during the slow cooking process. You can make this without beer, try this corned beef and cabbage recipe instead.
Brown sugar: This sweetener is derived from molasses and adds a hint of sweetness to balance the savory flavors of the beef and beer.
Bay leaf: This fragrant leaf is used to add subtle herbal notes and enhance the overall taste (and smell) of the dish.
Yukon gold potatoes: These potatoes are perfect for this corned beef cabbage recipe because they are nice and buttery potatoes with thin skin.
Carrots: A sweet and earthy root vegetable that’s added for texture and sweetness.
Garlic cloves: The kick of garlic infuses into the tender corned beef, vegetables, and the juicy broth.
Cabbage (cut into slices): This crisp and leafy vegetable is sliced and added towards the end of the cooking process for freshness and texture.
How to Make Guinness Corned Beef
Step One – Rinse the corned beef and pat dry. Add the corned beef to the slow cooker.
Step Two – Sprinkle over the seasoning spice packet that came with the roast. Sprinkle over the brown sugar. Add the potatoes, carrots, garlic and bay leaf on top of the roast. Pour over the Guinness stout beer.
Step Three – Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
Step Four – When there is about 2 hours left in the cooking time, add the cabbage separately.
Step Five – After about 2 hours, move the corned beef onto a cutting board and cut into slices. Serve with veggies and enjoy!
How to Serve
- Serve slices of the slow cooker Guinness corned beef alongside the wedges of cooked cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. Drizzle some of the cooking liquid over the meat and vegetables for added flavor, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
- Shred the leftover Guinness corned beef and pile it onto slices of rye bread with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. Grill or toast the sandwiches until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy for a delicious Reuben sandwich twist.
- If you’re serving a crowd, consider setting up a buffet-style presentation for guests to serve themselves. You can also offer a make-your-own sandwich station, or create a festive Irish-themed spread by incorporating other traditional Irish dishes.
Recipe FAQs
To store leftover corned beef and cabbage, cool it to room temperature, then refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 3-4 days. Reheat gently before serving, and for longer storage, freeze in freezer-safe containers for up to 2-3 months, thawing overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Yes, you can substitute Guinness with another dark beer or stout if desired. However, keep in mind that the flavor profile may differ slightly depending on the beer chosen. Choose a beer with a similar richness and depth to achieve similar results.
Yes, you can cook the vegetables separately if preferred. You can steam or boil the vegetables separately and serve them alongside the corned beef.
Slow Cooker Guinness Corned Beef and Cabbage
How to Video
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb. flat cut corned beef brisket
- 1 seasoning packet from above roast
- 12 oz. Guinness Beer, (I use bottled extra stout)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 Yukon gold potatoes
- 4 carrots
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 head cabbage,, cut into slices
Instructions
- Rinse the corned beef and pat dry. Add the corned beef to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle over the seasoning packet that came with the roast. Sprinkle over the brown sugar. Add the potatoes, carrots, garlic and bay leaf on top of the roast. Pour over the beer.
- Add the lid to the slow cooker. The total cooking time is 8 hours on low. You can choose when to add your cabbage. I put my cabbage in at the 6 hour mark and cooked for the remaining 2 hours, that’s how I like it. Some like to add it at the beginning, and some at the last 30 minutes.
- Serve by removing the veggies and removing the corned beef on to a cutting board. Cut the corned beef into slices and serve with the veggies.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
How to Store
Place any leftovers in the fridge promptly; they can be kept in the fridge for up to three days. If you want to freeze, the corned beef does well, but the vegetables may get mushy when thawed.
More St. Patrick Day Recipes
- This Slow Cooker Reuben Dip has everything you love about Pastrami Sandwiches, but in a dip form.
- This Slow Cooker Colcannon Potatoes recipe has not only yukon gold potatoes and cabbage!
- My own creation of Maple Mustard Corned Beef is a unique way to celebrate the holiday.
I have just put this together for the first time. Is there a way to shorten the crock pot time. Could I start it on high for 60 minutes then reduce to low? Would this save me an hour of total cooking time?
Just saw this – yes you can cook on high for any amount of time.
How do I know it’s done? Fork tender for the corned beef?
We just finished dinner. It was outstanding. Will make it again. My only change would be to cook the cabbage maybe 45 minutes or less. Very overdone at 2 hours, otherwise the corned beef and other veggies were perfect.
Best corn beef dinner I have ever made! Everyone loved it!
Awesome recipe! I have slow cooked a beef roast with beer and even have a Cowboy Chili Recipe with beer, but this was over the moon! Caught a hint of the brown sugar when I was eating it. Could not have been better. I did add a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top of a cabbage slice after I served it up on the plate.
So somewhere between 2-4 years in a row making this – so good! I dutifully ate my corned beef and cabbage but the corned beef with the long Guinness soak is delicious! On a friend’s suggestion this year, I roasted my potatoes, adds good flavor. Thanks!!
Sounds great!
Everything was great, except the washing of the meat. The juices in the package are from the meat and some of the corning liquid, adds flavor. Every time i have had it when they wash it first they was away some of the flavor. Ends up tasting flat.
Everyone has different opinions – normally corned beef and cabbage is boiled before cooking – so rinsing it off is a must for a slow cooker recipe in my opinion.
My corned beef didnt come with a seasoning packet… how would I substitute?
Mustard seeds, whole black peppercorns, coriander seeds, and bay leaves. I would at least use a bay leaf and pepper corns.