These Instant Pot short ribs are so tender that they fall right off the bone, and the savory gravy is the perfect finishing touch. The best part is that it’s all made in one pot!
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Pin RecipeShort ribs usually take hours in the oven to cook. As much as I love short ribs, I don’t always have much time to spend in the kitchen to make my favorite meal.
This is why I absolutely love Instant Pot recipes. They are fast and easy, and meat typically cooks well inside the pressure cooker with minimal effort required. This Instant Pot short rib recipe is no exception. It’s one of my all-time favorite Instant Pot recipes, and I know you will love it too. You can quickly create amazing short ribs with a delicious braising liquid in a fraction of the time. Get ready to try one of my all-time great recipes!
Easy Instant Pot Short Ribs Recipe
My recipe for short ribs starts by sautéing onions, garlic, carrots, and celery inside the Instant Pot. These chopped veggies add lots of flavor to the ribs as they cook and ultimately turn into a sweet and savory sauce. Add a little bit of red wine, some beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot, and you get even more complex flavors.
The short ribs are nestled into the sautéed vegetables and pressure-cooked for 45 minutes. This is enough time to make the meat nice and tender. While the ribs cook, feel free to do the dishes, have a coffee, and maybe even read a book. The Instant Pot does all the work!
Once the ribs are cooked, whisk some cornstarch into the juices in the pot, and scrape up those brown bits at the bottom of the pan. This quickly creates a perfect gravy. I love serving Instant Pot Short ribs with some classic mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and creamed spinach. It’s a perfect, complete meal, and I think you’re going to love this delicious dinner idea, too!
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Ingredients for Instant Pot Short Ribs
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Bone in short ribs – Look for bright ribs that are cherry red in color. The meat should have a nice marble of fat and muscle as well. The bones are important and add a lot of flavor during the cooking process. So, be sure to get bone-in ribs!
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- Garlic
- White onions – I find that white onions have the strongest, sweetest flavor, which is delicious with the ribs.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Thyme
- Red wine – I like to cook with a nice dry red wine like a cabernet sauvignon. If you are a red wine lover, be sure to grab a bottle that you will also enjoy drinking afterward as you only need ½ cup to make these Instant Pot short ribs.
- Beef broth – Beef broth intensifies the flavor of the meat.
- Worcestershire sauce – Worcestershire sauce is made with vinegar, molasses, and tamarind extract. It gives the short ribs a unique tangy and sweet taste.
- Brown sugar – Either dark brown or light brown sugar will work.
- Soy sauce – A splash of soy sauce gives the ribs an umami flavor.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch thickens the juices in the pot after the ribs have cooked. It makes a smooth, creamy gravy.
Variations
- Cook the ribs in a crock pot rather than in an electric pressure cooker. Follow the recipe, but sauté the vegetables and ribs in a large skillet. Then, transfer everything to a crockpot. Cover, and cook on high heat for 4 hours.
- Skip the red wine, and replace it with extra beef broth. This is an easy way to eliminate alcohol from the recipe. I also like to whisk in a tablespoon or two of tomato paste or balsamic vinegar to add an extra flavor boost.
- Add two peeled, chopped Russet potatoes to the Instant Pot before closing and sealing. After the ribs have cooked and the pressure has been released, open up the lid and remove the potatoes using a slotted spoon. Mash the cooked potatoes in a separate small bowl and serve alongside the ribs.
- Use boneless short ribs rather than bone-in ribs. You can use this same Instant Pot recipe for boneless beef ribs, but shorten the cooking time to only 35 minutes.
How to Make Instant Pot Short Ribs
- Season the ribs: Start by patting the ribs with a paper towel and sprinkling them with a little salt and pepper.
- Sear the ribs: Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot using the sauté setting. Then, once hot, add the ribs. Cook the ribs for about 2 minutes on each side to sear the outside. Remove the ribs from the pot, and set them aside.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add the garlic, onions, carrots, and celery to the hot oil in the Instant Pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the liquids: Add the red wine, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar to the pot, and stir to combine. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir.
- Cook the short ribs: Add the short ribs back into the Instant Pot. Then, cover the pot, seal it, and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. Use the quick-release function, and let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally for 15 minutes. Then, open up the pot, and remove the ribs. They will be bone tender which means the meat will be falling off the bone!
- Make the gravy: Whisk the cornstarch and water together to make a cornstarch slurry. Pour the mixture into the Instant Pot. The heat from the juices in the pot will start to cook the cornstarch and thicken into a delicious sauce.
- Serve the short ribs: Pour the gravy and veggies over the short ribs, and enjoy your Instant Pot beef short ribs warm!
Quick Tip
When searing the ribs in the oil, you may want to work in two batches depending on the size of your Instant Pot bowl. Make sure the short ribs are in a single layer in the oil so they sear quickly. It’s okay if the ribs are stacked on top of each other when pressure cooking, but for searing and browning, a single layer is best.
How to Store Leftover Short Ribs
Store cooled ribs in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. To reheat, arrange the ribs on a piece of foil, and pour any extra gravy on top. Then, wrap the foil tightly around the meat, creating a sealed packet.
Place the foil packet on a sheet tray, and reheat in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes or until warmed through. This will warm the ribs without drying them out!
Serving Suggestions
Similarly to Crock Pot Ribs, these Instant Pot short ribs pair well with a variety of vegetable side dishes. Some of my favorite options include Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Asparagus, and Southern Green Beans. I like serving them with Yeast Dinner Rolls too!
FAQs
If the ribs are still tough, it means they didn’t cook long enough. Short ribs take quite a while to become tender and soft. They need the full 45 minutes of high-pressure cooking time along with the 15 minutes of pressure release. Rushing the ribs or cooking them for less time will result in the meat being tough.
I have cooked ribs in the crockpot for years with great success. However, these Instant Pot short ribs are also divine. It is really a matter of which cooking method you prefer and how much time you have. Instant Pot short ribs are good if you are in a rush but crock pot ribs are amazing as long as you get the recipe in the pot 4 hours before dinner!
Slow, long cooking is the secret to tender ribs. Good ribs should also be cooked with a liquid or sauce to help keep them moist. Remember that you can’t rush good ribs! They need time.
More Delicious Instant Pot Recipes
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Easy Beef Vegetable Soup Recipe
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Instant Pot Corn On The Cob
Instant Pot Short Ribs
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Mixing bowl
- Meauring Spoons
- Measuring cups
Ingredients
- 4 pounds bone in short ribs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- 1 cup chopped white onions
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
- Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel and then sprinkle them with the salt and pepper. Try to get the seasoning all over the ribs, on every side.4 pounds bone in short ribs, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add the olive oil to the bowl of the Instant Pot and turn the Instant Pot on to the ‘saute’ setting. Let the oil heat for one minute.1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Add the seasoned short ribs to the pot and let them sear for about 2 minutes. Flip the ribs over and brown the opposite side for another 2 minutes.
- Remove the browned short ribs from the Instant Pot and set them aside.
- Add the garlic, onions, carrot, and celery to the Instant Pot and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.¼ cup minced garlic, 1 cup chopped white onions, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1 cup chopped celery
- Add the wine to the Instant Pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to get the browned pieces off and mixed into the veggies (the browned bits have a lot of flavor!). Cook for one minute.½ cup red wine
- Add the thyme, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and soy sauce to the Instant Pot and stir. Add the short ribs back into the pot and nestle them into the veggie mix.1 cup beef broth, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Cover the Instant Pot, seal it shut and turn it on to high-pressure cooking. Cook the short ribs on high pressure for 45 minutes then let the pressure release naturally for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the ribs from the Instant Pot and divide them between your dinner plates.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water. Then, whisk this mix into the Instant Pot, mixing it into the beef broth and veggies that are still in the pot. Turn the Instant Pot back on to the saute setting to bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook until it is thick and gravy like.3 Tablespoons cornstarch, ¼ cup cold water
- Scoop the veggies and gravy sauce onto the plates, pouring it over the short ribs. Enjoy while warm!
Notes
- As a general rule, you should use about 1 pound of short ribs per person. You can use this same recipe to cook up to 6 pounds of short ribs, or enough to feed 6 people. It makes plenty of sauce and veggies! However, 4 pounds will fit best in most Instant Pots. You do not want to overcrowd the ribs or they will not cook evenly.
- Be sure to use bone-in short ribs to get the most flavor.
