Instant Pot Brisket Recipe

Instant Pot Brisket is a pressure-cooker braised beef dish made with beef brisket, sliced onions, water, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, prepared mustard, and a thickener like xanthan gum. It’s quick and works well for a weeknight comfort-food dinner when you want tender brisket without running the oven or smoker for hours. Unlike smoked BBQ brisket (or stovetop braises that require browning and lots of babysitting), this version is a dump-and-cook recipe that blends the onions into a built-in savory gravy right in the pot.

Overhead image of an Instant Pot Brisket Recipe on a white plate with cabbage - 18

Why You’ll Love Pressure Cooker Brisket

My house didn’t get over-heated
The recipe makes a sauce in the bottom of the pot that is super savory and flavorful. So basically you’re using your pressure cooker to make beef brisket AND gravy at the same time.
It’s a dump everything in and cook it type of recipe, and y’all know how much I love those types of recipes.
I didn’t brown or pre-season anything to make this brisket.
This is a simple beef brisket recipe . No fancy ingredients, but every ingredient adds a flavor punch. Because I’m all about #ruthlessefficiency.

What Is Beef Brisket?

Brisket is a cut of beef located in the breast or pectoral region. It can be one of two different cuts. The point and the flat. For this pressure cooker brisket recipe, I used the flat cut.

Note this is same cut of meat that is used for corned beef brisket, but the two are not at all the same thing.

Fresh beef brisket is just fresh, uncured meat. In contrast, a corned beef brisket has been cured and brined and often spiced.

I have an excellent pressure cooker corned beef brisket recipe right here as well.

Why This May Be The Best Way To Cook Brisket

Have you wondered how to pressure cook a brisket? This Instant Pot beef Brisket recipe will show you how to make an excellent brisket with minimal effort on your part.

It gives you a deliciously rich and tender braised brisket without having to smoke the beef brisket for hours on end.

This recipe for Instant Pot Brisket is sure to offend every bbq brisket person within a 100-mile radius of my Texas home. But I plan to watch them get upset while they chow down on a plate full of this delicious beef brisket with sauce while watching them yell at me.

I had really wanted to smoke this brisket, but I didn’t plan things very well and just ran out of time at the last minute. So I thought back to all the times that people have used slow cookers to make their brisket and decided an Instant Pot recipe could do it for me in a fraction of the time.

Does This Taste Like BBQ Brisket?

Well, no, it doesn’t taste anything like smoked beef brisket . Not even a little bit. It tastes like braised meat. Delicious, savory, umami braised brisket.

If I were you, I’d think of this as a braised meat dish that has minimal effort for the maximum beef-flavored payoff. You’ll have a tender piece of meat, lots of thick, lovely sauce, and all with no effort.

And no barbecue sauce. Which, as a Texan, I consider unnecessary on a well-cooked piece of meat.

What Cut of Brisket Do You Use?

So I discovered this the hard way. Brisket is made up of two different cuts: the point and the flat. The point cut is fattier, and the flat cut is drier and leaner

The fatty cut is ESSENTIAL for a good smoked brisket. For smoking, you want what’s referred to as a Packer’s cut , or the untrimmed version that has both the flat and the point. This usually comes in GIANT MASSIVE sizes. I get mine from Costco, and I use this smoker for the best brisket ever.

For a braised brisket , however, you can use the flat cut. This one is tougher and needs either a long, slow, low cook time, pressure cooking or slow cooking .

How Long Does It Take To Cook A 2 Pound Brisket?

The time it takes to cook a 2 pound beef brisket all depends on what method you’re using to cook it. If you’re using a more traditional method, such as grilling or baking, it can take up to an hour per pound to cook it through.

That’s what makes Instant Pot Brisket such a great option if you’re trying to get dinner on the table FAST. This beef brisket recipe cooks a 2 pound brisket in an hour and twenty minutes (including prep time).

Close up image of Instant Pot Brisket on a white plate - 19

How Many Minutes Per Pound Do You Cook Brisket?

A good rule of thumb for a brisket that is tender enough to cut with a fork is 60 minutes per pound.

Check out my post on the Maillard reaction to understand how cooking time is important for the tenderness of your meat when pressure cooking.

If you learn better with visual or audio help, check out my step-by-step video where I show you hands-on how to make the best of your Instant Pot Brisket!

Is Brisket Keto Approved?

Yes, it is. Can you believe it? This recipe calls for cooking with onions, which can be relatively high carb. However, if you use the onions to cook and remove before serving, you have a Keto brisket recipe! Even if you still eat the onions you cook with the brisket, this recipe is only 5 net carbs for serving and a wonderful low-carb meal!

Does Brisket Get More Tender The Longer You Cook It?

Let me start out by saying that you CAN overcook your brisket.

If you’re wanting to shred your brisket to make sandwiches or tacos, it’s hard to overcook your brisket but you could do it!

Longer cooking times will make the beef taste mealy and flavorless. So for a Brisket made in a pressure cooker, longer is not necessarily better.

That being said, follow the instructions in my recipe so you cook the perfect Instant Pot Brisket every time.

If you want to slice brisket, cook it for a little shorter time. If the meat is still tough, you can add it back in for an additional 5-10 minutes under pressure.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Brisket

Beef brisket, cut into 4 pieces against the grain
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Sliced Onions

For the Sauce

Tomato Paste
Worcestershire Sauce
Liquid Smoke

Finishing

Prepared Mustard , adjust to taste
Xanthan Gum , for low carb or sub with a cornstarch slurry

How To Cook Instant Pot Brisket

If you’re wondering how to cook brisket in your Instant Pot , you’ve come to the right place. With just a few simple steps you will have the most tender, delicious brisket in a fraction of the time of traditional cooking methods.

Step 1: Slice the brisket into even pieces. Season with salt and pepper and set aside while you get everything else together.

Side shot of brisket sliced with salt and pepper. - 20

Step 2: Mix together ingredients for the sauce.

Side shot of making the sauce for the Instant Pot Brisket. - 21

Step 3: Layer the sliced onions at the bottom of the pressure cooker. You are doing this to get some lovely flavorful stock into the recipe, and also keep the brisket from scorching. You do not need to use beef broth, apple cider vinegar or barbeque sauce, or any other way to flavor your brisket if you follow this method.

Overhead shot of a layer of onions in the bottom of the Instant Pot. - 22

Step 4: Place the seasoned brisket on the onions. Pour in the sauce. The Brisket Cook Time will be 40 minutes.

Overhead shot of the brisket added to the Instant Pot. - 23

Step 5: Remove the meat from the pot. Using an immersion blender , purée the sauce and onion in the pot. Your flavorful cooking liquid just turned to gold around this brisket.

Overhead shot of pureeing the sauce for the Instant Pot Brisket. - 24

Step 6: Turn the pot to Sauté. To the cooking liquid, add the prepared mustard and thickener if using.

Overhead shot of adding mustard to the sauce in the Instant Pot. - 25

Step 7: Serve the beef brisket with the sauce poured on top. You could sprinkle with a little smoked paprika right before serving if you like.

Sauce being poured over the top of Instant Pot Brisket - 26

Tips And Tricks

The thickness of the beef brisket will dictate cook times. Watch the video or see the process shots above.
If you want slices, for the size and thickness in the video, you want a 35 minute cook time with a 15-minute natural pressure release. The video shows 70 minutes for a shreddable brisket.
Cut that brisket up into large chunks before you cook it. Otherwise, you may have one large piece of meat that’s overdone on the outside, and underdone on the inside. #trustUrvashi on this one. There is no way to evenly cook a large hunk of meat without it overcooking on the outside.
Reduce the brisket cook time by cutting it into small pieces.
Use the flat cut of the brisket for this Instant Pot recipe.
You can add some brown sugar to the cooked brisket if you want a touch of sweetness in the sauce.
Looking for the perfect Passover brisket ? This is a great Jewish brisket recipe.
To make a slow cooker brisket, I would urge you to cut up the brisket just as I’ve specified here. It may take a good 10 hours for the beef to tenderize, so unless you have planned ahead, I would not count on a crockpot brisket being done in time for dinner.
Sometimes I take out a chunk of the cooked beef, and either make chopped or sliced brisket and cover it in BBQ sauce . This way, I can get two dishes out of one beef brisket.
You can also use this shredded beef in sandwiches or over Instant Pot mashed potatoes. In fact, the combination of this seasoned brisket with creamy mashed potatoes is heaven.

How Long Does It Last?

If you have leftovers of Instant Pot brisket and want to refrigerate them, they should be stored in an airtight container or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap.

When properly refrigerated, brisket can typically last in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. Make sure to cool the meat to room temperature before refrigerating it to prevent condensation, which can affect the texture.

How To Reheat Brisket

Place a trivet inside your Instant Pot liner .
Add a cup of water.
Place a heat-safe pan on top of the trivet.
Put meat in the pan.
Cover the pan with foil.
Set Instant Pot to STEAM for 3-4 minutes.
Allow the pot to release pressure naturally.

Can You Freeze It?

If you want to extend the shelf life of Instant Pot brisket, you can freeze it. Transfer the cooled brisket to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag, removing as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.

Properly stored, brisket can stay good in the freezer for approximately 2 to 3 months.

What To Serve With It

Potatoes Anna recipe . With only 4 ingredients, you can make this tasty, elegant dish with ease!
This Indian beetroot salad goes really well with this brisket too, even though we’re totally combining cultures.
Instant Pot Cherry Clafoutis recipe . This elegant French dessert is a breeze to make in your instant pot!
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes for the perfect side dish.
Corned beef with cabbage for a different brisket recipe
Instant Pot Chili – Another beefy, hearty beef recipe that is perfection

Your Instant Pot brisket is usually tough because it’s under-cooked for tenderness (brisket needs enough time at pressure for collagen to fully break down), cut too thick, or you did a quick release that tightens muscle fibers instead of a natural pressure release. Toughness also happens when you pick the wrong cut (you want beef brisket flat vs point, depending on your goal), slice with the grain instead of against the grain, or cook it with too little liquid/poor braising environment. For a more tender Instant Pot brisket recipe, use a longer cook time per pound, allow a full natural release, then rest the brisket 10–20 minutes and slice thinly across the grain. If it’s already tough, put it back in for more pressure time because brisket is often “tough until it’s suddenly tender.”

For Instant Pot brisket, choose brisket point vs flat based on the texture you want. Brisket point is fattier, more marbled, and is usually the best pick for tender, juicy pressure cooker brisket (great for shredded brisket, chopped brisket, and forgiving results), while brisket flat is leaner and slices neatly but can turn dry or tough more easily in an Instant Pot brisket flat recipe. If you want classic sliced brisket with less fat, go flat. If you want the most reliable “fall-apart” tenderness in a pressure cooker brisket, go point. Or, you can buy a whole packer and cook both, then slice the flat and shred the point.

For Instant Pot brisket, use a natural pressure release (or at least a 10–20 minute natural release, then quick release) because brisket is a collagen-rich cut that stays tough if the pressure drops too fast. Quick release brisket can seize up, lose moisture, and come out stringy or dry. A natural release for pressure cooker brisket lets the meat relax, finishes the tenderizing, and keeps juices from blasting out, which is especially important for a brisket flat in Instant Pot. If you’re in a rush, do a partial natural release first, but avoid an immediate quick release if your goal is tender, sliceable brisket.