Instant Pot Ribs are the most tender, succulent, fall-off-the-bone ribs ever!
Not only are they delicious, but they’re also so easy to make and are so fast to make compared to a traditional rib recipe!
We sauce these up with our favorite BBQ sauce or even just salt & pepper them for a dry rib!
Ribs for the Instant Pot
Baby back ribs are cooked in the Instant Pot to achieve the most tender ribs in the least amount of time!
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).
What Kind of Ribs to Buy: Baby back ribs are truly my favorite (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).
Side ribs will work too and are more budget-friendly but baby-back is worth the splurge if you can swing it.
How Long to Pressure Cook Ribs
I cook pressure cooker ribs for about 23 minutes (26 if they’re extra meaty) and about 32 minutes from frozen.
To Make Ribs Tender: 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.
Instant Pot baby back ribs are not only just as amazing as oven-baked ribs, but I might like them more because they’re SO fast! They’re falling off the bone, melt in your mouth, gimme some more, amazing and tender.
Cook from Fresh or Frozen
You can cook 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. They’ll need about 5-7 minutes extra if they’re cooked from frozen.
How to Make Instant Pot Ribs
The best Instant Pot ribs start with baby back ribs as they’re so tender.
PREPARE THE RIBS
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. If you can’t seem to find it, ribs sometimes come with the membrane already removed and some people leave it on (it’s ok to cook with it on).
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.
ADD TO THE INSTANT POT
A trivet ensures the ribs are 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 (23-26 min on high for defrosted or fresh ribs).
FINISH THE RIBS
Once the ribs are nice and tender, allow them to naturally release for a little bit.
Add salt & pepper or bbq sauce and either broil or grill them for a few minutes to crisp up a bit.
How to Natural Release on an 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 5 minutes so once the timer shows 5 minutes, you can then open the valve to release the rest of the pressure.
Serve these easy Instant Pot Ribs with Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, some garlic bread, and corn on the cob for the perfect meal!
More Favorite BBQ Sides
- The Best Baked Beans
- Classic Coleslaw Recipe
- Grilled Potatoes in Foil (potato packets)
- Easy Grilled Asparagus (with Parmesan)
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
Did you love these Instant Pot Ribs? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Instant Pot Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back ribs about 1 ½- 2 pounds
- 1 cup broth or water
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke optional
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 onion sliced
- 6 tablespoons dry rub
- barbecue sauce optional
Dry Rub
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons 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
Instructions
- Rinse ribs and pat dry. Remove the thin membrane from the back of the ribs.
- Cut slab into 2-3 pieces (enough so they fit into the Instant Pot) and coat with dry rub massaging it into the meat.
- Place trivet (or rack) in the bottom of your Instant Pot. Add broth or water and liquid smoke if using.
- Set ribs upright on the trivet (so they are not stacked on top of one another). Sprinkle with onion and garlic.
- 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.
- Open valve to release remaining pressure.
- Brush with barbecue sauce (or olive oil/salt/pepper for dry ribs) and broil or grill until slightly charred.
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
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I haven’t used the Instant Pot my sister gifted me. I will definitely try the Instant Pot ribs. I also love your website..
Thank you Patti! I hope you love the ribs as much as we do!
These were so easy and fast to make and were really delicious. I used my own rib rub. I will definitely cook my ribs this way in the future.
Amazing! I was super skeptical, I used my own rub though. For a total of 30 min between instant pot and grill. YUM!
These were amazing. Once done, slathered with BBQ sauce and placed under broiler for a few minutes. This is 2nd time I have used my Instant Pot. So pleased on how easy to make. A definite make again recipe. Thanks very much
I am using country style beef ribs. Will I need to make any adjustments to time or temp?
I haven’t tried Country Style ribs in the IP as of yet but I do think they might need more time. According to the Instant Pot site, ribs should be cooked at 20 minutes per pound. I hope that helps! Let us know how it goes.
I’ve made this before and it is amazing! But now I have a question. If I tripled to three racks of ribs, do I have to triple everything else? Or not really?
Sorry Iris, I have never tried tripling this recipe in my instant pot. Maybe another reader can offer some guidance.
I made the Instant Pot ribs tonight for dinner and my husband and I loved them. The taste was better than any other ribs we have ever had. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
This recipe is the BOMB!! My entire family devoured them. Definite keeper! Thank you so much.
5th time making this recipe this month alone, we can’t get over how delicious they are. We hosted a dinner party tonight and made 3 racks in the instant pot, it was super full but still turned out perfect without having to use a second pressure cooker. We upped the cooking time to 29 minutes to make sure they were super tender with the added weight, and I could literally slide the bones out of them.
We served them with a cayenne coleslaw and some jalapeno popper cornbread muffins. Perfect meal, and the whole party had a food come right after. Amazing recipe Holly!
Jalapeno popper cornbread muffins….. cannot say that, then not share the recipe. LOL Sounds DEEEELISH’. Inquiring minds wanna know.. mine, for SURE! =p Enjoy.. stay safe.. & be well!!
We use this Jalapeno Popper Cornbread muffin recipe! Enjoy AJ, they’re SOOOOO good!
Made these tonight for the third time this month, and they were SO tender. We added some baby potatoes to the Instant Pot which cooked in the juices and were delicious!
I made your instant pot ribs and my grandson and husband said they were the best they ever ate. I did cook them 34 minutes instead 24 .I’m trying to use my instant pot more so I’ll be trying more of your recipes. Thanks Holly. Beth
So happy you loved these ribs Beth! Definitely have to check out our Instant Pot section for some great recipes.
Great recipe! I did add some other seasonings and followed the cooking settings exactly and the ribs were so tender! The hubby thoroughly enjoyed. Also I sauteed some onions in the pot with various bell peppers then placed the rack in. After the ribs cooked I took the leftover water and seasonings from the pot and used that water to cook my quiona in and that was amazing too! Looking forward to trying your other recipes
Love the idea of cooking a grain in the flavored water! Thanks for sharing!
Need some new recipes!
You’ve come to the right place! :) Enjoy Jenny!
Hi! I used apple cider as my liquid. And followed the directions to a “T”. And WEEEEE DOGGIES! did they ever come out mighty fine!
That is amazing Von! So happy you loved it.
it says 6 tbsp. of dry rub, then there is a recipe for dry rub below. I’m assuming it’s 6 tbsp. of another dry rub in addition to the dry rub you have a recipe for?
thanks!
Hi Brenda, you can use your preferred dry rub or the one below in this recipe. Enjoy!
It worked put well and am making them again!
So glad you liked the ribs Liza!
Excited as I am making these but worried. I have the newer instapot that doesn’t have the Manual setting, and it released pressure just 5 mins into cooking. I have it set on pressure cook and I fear the ribs will come out dry as the steam is releasing continually while it cools. Crossing my fingers.
My fingers are crossed with you Liza! Let us know how it turns out.
Tried the recipe with a rack of St. Louis cuts. I guess they would be OK during the winter, in a pinch. No comparison to a rack done in the Weber with a Slow’n’Sear on a 3-2-1 technique.
When short on time or not able to cook low and slow this recipe is definitely a hit in our house!
Great recipes but I’m wondering about cooking a frozen pork shoulder in the Instant Pot?
Hi Lester, we have tried a pork shoulder cut into cubes in our pulled pork recipe but we haven’t tried a whole frozen pork shoulder yet. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out.
Can I substitute spare ribs for baby ribs? If so, how much longer should I put it on?
While I haven’t tried that, this recipe should work for any type of ribs. If they’re not tender enough, add them back to the Instant Pot until they’re ready. Let us know how it works for you Tiffany!