Instant Pot Ribs
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Instant Pot Ribs are the most tender, succulent, fall-off-the-bone ribs I’ve ever had!
Not only are they delicious, they’re so easy to make and are so fast to make compared to my usual ribs!
We sauce these up with our favorite BBQ sauce or even just salt & pepper them for a dry rib that is out of this world!
How to Make Instant Pot Ribs
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These tender ribs are cooked in the Instant Pot to achieve the most tender ribs in the least amount of time! If you’re not familiar with it, you can read more about the Instant Pot here (in a nutshell, the Instant Pot is a new and easy to use pressure cooker)! You can find them at most stores (or get one online here).
How long do you pressure cook ribs?
Baby back ribs are truly one of my favorite meals (and the king of pork ribs). They’re perfectly tender and delicious and great on the grill (or broiled if you live in a place that’s snowy half the year like I do).
Ribs aren’t hard to cook, they just take time. As far back as I can remember, I have cooked my ribs in the oven low and slow. Much like a pork shoulder or tough cut of meat, a low slow heat breaks down the fibers and creates a tender juicy rib.
When boiling or pre-cooking ribs, you’re looking at least a couple of hours at least to get them totally tender. In walks Instant Pot: mic drop.
Seriously though, I have to say that these Instant Pot baby back ribs as good as my usual oven baked ribs, but I might like them more because it’s SO fast! YUP. I said it. They’re fall off the bone, melt in your mouth, gimme some more, amazing and tender.
I cook my Instant Pot ribs for about 23 minutes (26 if they’re extra meaty) and about 32 minutes from frozen.
How to Make Instant Pot Ribs
The best Instant Pot ribs start with baby back ribs as they’re so tender. I always rinse the ribs (to remove any bone chips or debris) and then remove the membrane. The membrane very thin and located on the back of the ribs. Simply slide your knife under it to get ahold of it and then pull it off.
Once you’ve pulled it off, cut your slabs of ribs into two or 3 pieces (depending on the size) as they’ll need to fit into the Instant Pot. Combine your spice rub and massage it into the ribs on both sides.
You’re going to use the trivet with your ribs so they’re not sitting in the liquid, if you don’t have one you can prop them up on the onion slices.
Finally add the liquid to the bottom of the slow cooker and the ribs, seal and cook. Once the ribs are nice and tender, you’re going to allow them to naturally release for a little bit and then add sauce & broil them to crisp up a bit.
How do you do natural release on instant pot?
When making an Instant Pot recipe, you’ll need to either quick release or natural release the pressure before opening it.
Natural release on the Instant Pot means you allow the pressure to gradually release without opening the valve. Once your Instant Pot finishes the cooking, it will beep and then it will start counting up on the keep warm mode. This recipe has a natural release time of 10 minutes so once the timer shows 10 minutes, you can then open the valve to release the rest of the pressure.
Can you put frozen food in the instant pot?
Yes you sure can! I make these Instant Pot ribs right from frozen. You’ll want to make sure you cut them into the right size and add the rub prior to freezing.
Just pop them into the Instant Pot frozen and follow the recipe as directed.
Serve these easy Instant Pot Ribs with Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, some easy 30 Minute Dinner Rolls and corn on the cob for the perfect meal!
- 1 rack baby back ribs about 1 1/2- 2lbs
- 1 cup broth or water
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke optional
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 onion sliced
- 6 tablespoons dry rub
- barbecue sauce optional
- 2 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons oregano
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Rinse ribs and pat dry. Remove the thin membrane from the back of the ribs.
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Cut slab into 2-3 pieces (enough so they fit into the Instant Pot) and coat with dry rub massaging it into the meat.
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Place trivet (or rack) in the bottom of your Instant Pot. Add broth or water and liquid smoke if using.
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Set ribs upright on the trivet (so they are not stacked on top of one another). Sprinkle with onion and garlic.
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Close lid and select manual pressure and set the timer for 23 minutes (25 minutes if they’re extra meaty). Once done, allow the instant pot to natural release for 5 minutes.
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Open valve to release remaining pressure.
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Brush with barbecue sauce (or olive oil/salt/pepper for dry ribs) and broil or grill until slightly charred.
If cooking ribs from frozen, increase cook time to 32 minutes. Nutritional information does not include BBQ Sauce.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
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Holly
Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
It would be helpful if you displayed a picture of the ribs in the Instant Pot – preferably before cooking.
The second picture in the post is a picture of the ribs in the instant pot before they are cooked. I hope that helps Sam!
Finally tried this recipe and it was a hit! We never eat ribs because they take way to long to cook. Love having a fast way to enjoy the same delicious meal!
So glad you loved them Samantha! Ribs can be a weekday dinner now :)
Hi Holly, I made these using the exact ingredient as written, however I use a 9 liter stove top pressure cooker (old school but very reliable). For clarification for other readers, I did cut the ribs apart between each bone (we have some rather meaty ribs here) and once rubbed, just tossed them onto the steamer tray, so that answers the questions if the ribs can be layered, certainly can. The time on pressure was 15 minutes.
These were not only liked by me, the Thai family loved these!!! This will certainly be a regular way I prepare ribs from now on. Worthy of 10 stars!
Aww thank you Lee, I’m so glad your family loved these! Thank you for sharing your tips for using a traditional pressure cooker!
So happy I stumbled upon your recipe! Ribs came out perfect. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed them Lara!
Made this today with my favorite, the Dill Pickle Pasta……while the procedure was pretty spot on, and I did have to add a few minutes for meatier ribs, I wasn’t too impressed with the rub. Especially, because it totally lacked salt. Next time, I’d forego the rub, and just use my onion salt & pepper rub to cook them, then proceed with my homemade barbecue sauce on them under the broiler.
Best ribs I’ve ever had!!
thank you Holly! the rub was easy and now a great staple for me. I did the natural release and the ribs were perfect. Fall off the bone and moist.
my ribs were long and uneven therefore many were touching and they cooked just fine.
I did the broil in the oven to finish with BBQ sauce.
I am just a newbie with my instant pot so thanks for a great recipe
I am so glad you loved them Diane! A family favorite around here too!
Will two rack of ribs work? Will its cook if they are touching?
Yes, it should work fine. It will still cook if they’re touching.
Holly, what size Instant Pot do you recommend? I want to get this for my husband along with a slab of ribs…he will feel like he got 3.5 hours of his life back!
Mine is 6QT but as long as the ribs fit, it should work just fine! :)
This was my first Instant Pot dinner, and it was a big hit! My six year old and picky husband both said they’d definitely have again! Delicious with and without sauce! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
You’re welcome Allison!
What amazing flavors. I need to get an Instant Pot! It’s on my list of kitchen upgrades for this year!
Definitely get one Kate! You’ll be so glad you did.
Sounds like it would be great in a crock pot on low for eight hours. My roommates brought one of those Instant Pots home last Christmas—I think it’s time I learned to use it.
(I plan to surprise them with the ramen noodle pasta salad too!)
A great dinner idea I’d say Erich!
Can this recipe be cooked in a crockpot
I’ve only tried it as written. Let us know if you try it Mildred!
These made the most amazing fall of the bone ribs I’ve ever had! Love the recipe because it feels like a treat to be able to have ribs for dinner during the week after dinner instead of waiting to cook them for 4 hours over the weekend!! Ribs is definitely going to become a staple in our house!
So happy to hear that you loved these ribs Ayla! I agree that it’s such a treat to have them on a weekday!
I don’t have a pot pressure cooker what else can I use
I don’t have a pot pressure cooker can a slow cooker work
I haven’t tried this recipe in the slow cooker.
You can bake ribs in the oven using this recipe here.