Instant Pot Ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender in under an hour! Make the best beef or pork ribs in a pressure cooker with a homemade BBQ rub. With this Instant Pot Ribs Recipe you can sit back and enjoy the summer instead of manning the grill for hours.
Like rib recipes? Check out our recipe for Beef Plate Ribs, Sous Vide Short Ribs and 3-2-1 ribs.
Instant Pot Ribs
Ribs are the star of every summer barbecue. This is the best ribs recipe as they’re both tender and full of flavor. Use this Instant Pot recipe with either beef ribs or pork ribs. Both will yield succulent ribs with minimal effort. Just add Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, Ensalada de Coditos, Ensalada de Papa or Instant Pot Mac and Cheese on the side for a killer meal!
We can’t get enough of bbq ribs, but don’t order them too often when eating out. Something about a $15-$20 price tag for just a few ribs hurts our heart — and our wallet. The Instant Pot makes them so easily attainable, and my homemade BBQ Dry Rub Recipe gives them the perfect sweet and spicy flavor on the fall-off-the-bone meat.
For this recipe, we used the popular Instant Pot Duo Plus, but any Instant Pot will work as long as it’s large enough for your slab of ribs! I also broil them briefly at the end to get that classic char like a grill or smoker, but that’s not required.
How to Make Ribs in the Instant Pot
1. First, clean up the ribs! Remove the silver skin from the boney side and, if necessary, cut the slab so it can fit in your Instant Pot.
2. Then, mix together the brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Rub the seasoning mix all over both sides of the ribs.
3. Next, add a little beef broth to the bottom of the pot, cover it with your trivet, and put the ribs on top. If you have 2 slabs now, place them in a teepee formation with the meaty side facing out.
4. Seal the pressure cooker, set it to high pressure, and set the timer. When it goes off, let the pressure naturally release for about 5 minutes before quickly releasing the rest.
5. Now, put the ribs on a lined baking sheet and slather them with your favorite barbecue sauce
OPTIONAL- If you want a little extra char on the sauce, pop the ribs under the broiler for a few minutes! These super juicy and tender ribs take a fraction of the time of a smoker recipe but taste just as good!
How Long Do I Cook Ribs?
The ideal cooking time for Instant Pot Ribs varies depending on the type of meat you use, how you like your ribs, and where you live. Make sure to take a look at the below chart to see what time setting works best for you.
Baby Back Ribs (Pork or Beef): 25-30 Minutes
● For a bit of a bite go with a shorter timer, for more “fall-off-the-bone” go with a slightly longer time. If you live in a high altitude location, you’ll need at least 30 minutes.
Spare Ribs (Pork or Beef): 30-35 Minutes
● For a bit of a bite go with a shorter timer, for more “fall-off-the-bone” go with a slightly longer time. If you live in a high altitude location, you’ll need at least 35 minutes.
Read up on the differences between St Louis Ribs vs Baby Back Ribs.
Recipe Tips
- Use Your Favorite Sauce. You can use homemade barbecue sauce or store bought for this recipe. Truth be told, we love Sweet Baby Ray’s so much we usually keep a bottle on hand for nights we’re too lazy to mix up a batch of our own. Our homemade barbecue sauce is ready in just an hour however so check it out.
- Add Some Char. While not necessary, if you want a little “char” to your sauce plug them in the oven for 5 minutes when done in the Instant Pot. It’s totally not necessary however as the ribs will heat up the barbecue sauce. It’s a personal preference thing.
- Know Your Instant Pot. Higher altitudes usually take a bit longer to cook, so select the higher number when figuring out your cooking time.
- Tip – use the leftover trimmed meat (from St. Louis Ribs) in Sancocho Dominicano.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Ribs
Dress up your cookout with these super simple balsamic Brussels sprouts! I like to add cranberries during the holidays for an extra kick, too. They’re my second favorite side dish next to these air fryer mushrooms.
Ribs need potatoes, it’s just science. These air fryer baby potatoes or herb butter smashed potatoes are the perfect match.
Make it a totally oven-free night with these creamy mashed potatoes in the Crockpot. You only need 5 ingredients and your trusty slow cooker to make these tonight.
Equipment
Ingredients
Instant Pot Ribs
- 1-2 Racks Pork or Beef Ribs
- ½ Bottle Barbecue Sauce (Store bought or homemade)
- 1 Cup Beef Broth (or Water)
Ribs Seasoning Mix
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Paprika
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cayenne
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- If needed, remove the silver membrane from the back of the ribs.
- If necessary, cut the slab in half to fit inside the Instant Pot.
- Mix all the seasoning ingredients together and rub on both sides of the ribs.
- Add beef broth (or water) to the bottom of the Instant Pot followed by the metal trivet.
- Place the ribs in the Instant Pot, in a teepee formation, with the meaty layer facing outwards.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is in the "sealed" position.
- Press "manual" or "high pressure" and set for the required time length (read the post for the time options).
- When the timer beeps, let the pressure natural release for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the ribs to a foil lined cookie sheet and cover with barbecue sauce.
- OPTIONAL: Broil them in the oven (high) for 3-4 minutes to add a little "char" to the sauce.
A.W.
Tuesday 16th of June 2020
Absolutely fantastic! One of my all-time favorite rib recipes! Ribs fall right off the bone.
Jessica
Sunday 7th of June 2020
These ribs came out amazing! Cooked perfectly and literally fell off the bone. Thanks!
Aimee
Wednesday 24th of July 2019
I don’t normally comment on recipes but my family loved this. My daughter who doesn’t usually eat ribs, couldn’t stop. Great recipe.
Demi Norwood
Sunday 3rd of March 2019
I made these with boneless ribs and they came out great! The spices were on point. Thanks for the idea!
Sylvia
Wednesday 5th of December 2018
OMG!!!! Best recipe ever. I used country style pork ribs and placed dry ingredients in plastic bag, shake n bake style. Came out oh so good. Thanks for the awesome recipe!!!