Best Tender Air Fryer Corned Beef

Air fryer corned beef is here! How to cook tender beef in air fryer with a mustard sauce, perfect for St. Patricks Day or year round.

Corned Beef Air Fryer

We share air fryer recipes for beginners 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.

If you have ever cooked a flat cut or point cut of this brined meat you know that it needs quite a bit of heat to break down and start to fall apart. That is why this machine works so well, if done right and wrapped in foil for the majority of the cook time. We’ll show you how.

Ninja Air Fryer Corned Beef

You can use any brand you might have. I personally have a Foodi, AirWave and Cosori that 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.

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.

Corn Beef in Air Fryer

Beyond the ingredients 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.

You’ll get a really rich flavor baked on to the top, so a bit with every slice this way. I have a link in the printable recipe card for our corned beef mustard below. You could certainly use store bought too but just go all out with this.

• 4 pound piece of corned beef flat cut is best, with the pickling spice pouch that comes in the bag
• Mustard – use my link below for the best, or mix some dijon with a bit of brown sugar if you want a sweet and savory mix (but mine is better)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instead of steaming leaves plain like my Grandmother did back in the day, I typically will make Instant Pot fried cabbage to serve on the side.

How Long to Cook Corned Beef in Air Fryer

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!

• You always want to start off by preheating air fryer to 360 F for 5 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, mix contents of seasoning packet with mustard and apple cider vinegar.
  • Place meat on a large piece of foil, large enough to wrap it up without any openings.
• Spread 3/4 of mustard mixture over meat, top and sides. Fold foil around corned beef brisket and place in air fryer basket. Cook at 360 degrees for 1 hour.
• Carefully pull back foil, top the brisket with the remaining mustard mixture, recover with aluminum foil, and cook for another 40 minutes.
• Pull back foil, air fry at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes to crisp the top of the meat, if you want. Lift out on to a cutting board, test to insure internal temp is 145 degrees F, then slice against the grain.

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.

Can a brisket be cooked in an air fryer

I think we have covered this, except for one aspect. Your meat needs to be fresh or defrosted for this to work. 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.

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

Like I said, I would buy larger than you think you want so you have some left for the next day. Of course you can just wam and make reuben sandwiches but there are so many options.

How to Store Leftover Corned Beef Brisket

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 leftover 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.