Air Fryer Corned Beef

This is the best air fryer corned beef recipe ever! We will show you how to cook tender beef brisket with mustard sauce for the perfect St. Patricks Day dinner but it is so good you will want to make it year round.

If you have a Foodi you can choose to cook air fryer corned beef or Ninja Foodi corned beef and cabbage pressure cooker style. Both are beyond amazing and don’t take long. We will show you all the tips in getting it the perfect texture that will melt in your mouth.

We share easy air fryer recipes every single week here. Some are large pieces of protein like this and others are side dishes. This comes in handy because on this holiday you’ll likely want some veggies on the side, specifically some air fryer cabbage.

How Long to Cook Corned Beef in Air Fryer

1 hour 45 minutes is what you need to count on. You never want to rush this cut of beef. With a lot of connective tissue you need to give it time to “steam” in aluminum foil to get as fall-apart tender as possible.

Is flat or point cut better?

I used a 4 pound piece of corned beef brisket size for the 5 of us to enjoy. I will tell you that by far flat cut is best. It is more of a square shape and the same thickness all the way across with a bit more fat so it stays super moist. You will make with the pickling spice pouch that comes in the bag too.

Can frozen corned beef be cooked in an air fryer?

For this your meat needs to be fresh or defrosted for it to work well. If you forgot to do this and are freaking out right about now, I have help. You can use our Instant Pot frozen corned beef recipe to save the day, and dinner which is amazing and nobody will know the difference.

Mustard Sauce

Mustard is optional but highly suggested to mix up our mustard for corned beef ahead of time and add near the end to “bake” on and add a bunch of flavor. Dijon with a bit of brown sugar works too if you want a sweet and savory mix (but mine is better)

If you are going to cook “regular” brisket in air fryer that comes out great too using our dry rub. You don’t need any seasonings other than the spice packet inside the bag for this one which is nice.

Can you add cabbage?

Not in the same pot. Instead of steaming leaves plain like my Grandmother did back in the day, to boil cabbage, there are so many other better ways to add a lot more flavor. I have made it in this same pot but typically will make Instant Pot fried cabbage to serve on the side for the best result for dinner.

Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Corned Beef

You can use any brand you might have. I personally love ninja foodi recipes but AirWave and Cosori all work the same except for the size of the basket itself. As long as yours is a 5 quart or larger this will work quite well. A 4 pound flat cut was used just for your reference, that style is better if you have the choice.

Beyond the ingredients and machine you’re just going to want a large piece of foil that is either non stick or you spray a bit of Pam on the inside. You just don’t want the meat or sauce to stick and pull off when it’s done. You can just add the pickling packet to the top or add our homemade mustard sauce too, I suggest both.

How do you know when it is done?

You want it to literally fall apart and that means you want the internal temp. to be a bit higher than just “done”. With this cut the longer it is cooked the more tender it will become (to a point) so keep going until it hits 170-180F. and then it will slice like butter! That is how you know it is done.

Tips

I wouldn’t buy a piece larger than 4 lbs. If you wanted to make a smaller piece you would just need to adjust the heat. 2 lbs. is unusual to find but it would likely need a bit more than half the cook time listed below. Remember that it shrinks A LOT when it cooks though, and leftovers are super killer!

I usually will make 1.5x the mustard recipe below so I have more to serve with on the side. Seriously this is one of the best ways of cooking corned beef.

Another easy recipe that doesn’t really matter whether it is thawed or frozen is our slow cooker corned beef brisket recipe.

How to Store Leftovers

Only slice what you will eat when it is fresh first off, and leave the rest whole. Allow to completely cool to room temperature always. Store in a freezer bag with air pushed out and zipped closed tightly. Keep in fridge and use within the next 3 days ideally. If you don’t think you’ll eat it by then you could freeze it.

Can You Freeze Corned Beef

Yes, in two ways. First off right after the Feb. holiday you can find the leftovers on sale for super super cheap. I have bought several, thrown them into our deep freezer and you can cook corned beef brisket from frozen throughout the year that way. Or defrost it of course but you’ll be surprised at how well it works rock hard.

For leftovers you store the same way as above, mark the date on your bag and it will stay for a few months. Then allow to thaw and reheat in your favorite 2nd dish.

Our corned beef soup is probably our favorite things to make with the leftovers. This way you’re adding and heating it with a number of other ingredients which will help moisten your pieces again.

You can jump to recipe below and get started. Think this is only for the holidays?? OH NO friends, you should really grab one a few times a year and enjoy it on an off day, it’s good enough for year round for sure.