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- What Are Beef Short Ribs?
- How To Cook Short Ribs
- Do You Have To Brown Short Ribs?
- Can You Make Slow Cooker Short Ribs Instead?
- Can You Make Boneless Beef Short Ribs Ahead?
- How To Freeze Beef Short Ribs
- What To Serve With Short Ribs
- Tools To Make Pressure Cooker Short Ribs
- Easy Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs Recipe (Paleo)
These Instant Pot short ribs are amazing and SO EASY. I’ll show you how to cook short ribs in the best and fastest way with this easy beef short ribs recipe. Pressure cooker short ribs become so tender – without all of the cooking time that’s normally needed to transform boneless beef short ribs.
It’s an incredibly tough cut of meat, but when it’s cooked properly, you can cut them with a fork. And in addition to being super easy, this beef short ribs recipe needs just FIVE ingredients. Head to your butcher shop ASAP!
I don’t know about you, but when I first got my Instant Pot, I was scouring the internet for all sorts of easy low carb pressure cooker recipes. I loved that they made cooking dinner so fast!
When it came time to figure out how to cook boneless short ribs, I was so glad I had the pressure cooker practice in my back pocket, because using the Instant Pot makes this a quick short rib recipe – no hours upon hours of braising time necessary!
What Are Beef Short Ribs?
What kind of meat is short ribs? It’s not what you might think!
Surprisingly, boneless beef short ribs are not actually rib meat. They are cut from the chuck, or shoulder, but can be harder to find.
Bone-in short ribs come from the belly and are a much fattier cut of meat. Many butchers will actually remove the bones from bone-in short ribs for you, which is what I did for this boneless short rib recipe.
TIP: If you’re using bone-in short ribs, you will need to increase the pressure cook time to 50 minutes. Short rib meat takes a bit longer to cook with the bones than without.
How To Cook Short Ribs
Let’s get to the best beef short ribs recipe, I’m getting hungry!
First, we’ll season the meat with salt and pepper. This step helps to build flavor throughout the cooking process. Don’t skimp, you need a generous amount!
Next, we’re going to sear the short ribs and get a nice crust on them – we’ll do this right in the Instant Pot using the Saute setting. Be sure to do this in batches. We don’t want to crowd the pan too much or they will steam instead of brown.
After cooking short ribs on the outside to get a brown crust, remove them and saute the garlic with some oil in the Instant Pot for just a minute.
TIP: This is a basic 5-ingredient beef short ribs recipe – that’s the point. You can definitely up the flavor by adding some sauteed onion before adding the garlic, or adding fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary.
Add some beef broth and coconut aminos to the pressure cooker, and use a spoon to de-glaze the pan. This means getting all the yummy browned bits off the bottom! Place the short ribs back in there, along with a bay leaf.
Then, we’ll let the pressure cooker do its magic. For boneless Instant Pot short ribs, set the time to 40 minutes, or increase to 50 minutes for bone-in pressure cooker short ribs.
After the instant pot short ribs are done, let the natural release do its thing for 10 minutes before switching to manual release.
TIP: You need the natural release, because this helps the beef short ribs finish cooking and helps them come out tender.
Finally, you can thicken the sauce by simmering it with gelatin powder (it’s easy and worth it!), or just eat them up.
Do You Have To Brown Short Ribs?
You don’t have to brown short ribs. But you should! Browning takes just a few minutes, and will help add rich flavor to the pressure cooker short ribs. It makes a huge difference!
Can You Make Slow Cooker Short Ribs Instead?
Yes, you can make the same easy short ribs recipe in a slow cooker. It will take approximately 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.
But, it’s more cleanup because you’ll have to sear the short ribs separately on the stove first. Plus, the slow cooker takes longer. I really prefer cooking beef short ribs in the Instant Pot!
Can You Make Boneless Beef Short Ribs Ahead?
Yes, you can make boneless beef short ribs ahead of time. In fact, it’s a great meat to make the day before you are serving, as it just gets better with time.
You can reheat braised short ribs in a saucepan (or using the saute function in the Instant Pot!). Just be sure to reheat together with the sauce, so that they turn out tender.
How To Freeze Beef Short Ribs
First we covered how to cook short ribs, now let’s freeze them for later. Let the ribs cool completely, then place in a freezer-safe glass dish. Cover with the sauce/cooking liquid and then freeze.
Let them thaw in the fridge overnight, then simply reheat in a sauce pan when you’re ready to serve them.
What To Serve With Short Ribs
This beef short ribs recipe goes well with so many different side dishes. I’ve got a ton of low carb/keto side dish recipes on my site, here are some of my favorites for pressure cooker short ribs:
- Keto Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes – This the classic side dish pairing. You can’t go wrong with mashed cauliflower and it’s perfect to soak up any excess sauce. I have a new recipe (that’s shown in the pictures) coming soon!
- Keto Creamed Spinach with Cream Cheese – This will give your boneless beef short ribs a steakhouse feel.
- Air Fryer Keto Onion Rings – Onion rings go well with anything, but especially this beef short ribs recipe. This meal feels like something you’d find at a gourmet gastropub.
- Jicama Tortillas – Beef short rib tacos… yum!
Tools To Make Pressure Cooker Short Ribs
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker – This is the pressure cooker that I use and love. It’s a great pressure cooker but I also love that you can also use the saute function to brown meats in the same pan.
- Porcelain White Serving Platter – You’ll definitely want to put these pressure cooker short ribs on display. They are a sight to be seen.
Pressure Cooker Instant Pot Short Ribs Recipe:
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Easy Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs Recipe (Paleo)
Wondering how to cook short ribs? This pressure cooker Instant Pot beef short ribs recipe makes it EASY with just 5 ingredients. Use bone-in or boneless beef short ribs - both will work.
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Instant Pot Short Ribs:
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Use sea salt and black pepper to generously season the short ribs on both sides.
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Set the Instant Pot to Saute on High (or "More"). Add oil and let it heat up until hot.
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Once oil is hot, add the short ribs in a single layer. Sear for about 5 minutes per side, until browned. You will need to do this in two batches, so that they are not too crowded. Set all the short ribs aside outside the pan as you get through them.
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Add the minced garlic to the empty Instant Pot, and saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
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Add the broth and coconut aminos to the Instant Pot. Use a wooden spoon to release any browned bits of garlic from the bottom of the pan (deglaze it). Shut off the saute function.
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Place the short ribs back into the Instant Pot, crowding them together in a single layer. Push the bay leaves into the broth, if using (optional). Close the lid and set the pin to Seal. Cook on High pressure for 40 minutes. Use Natural Release for 10 minutes, then Quick Release if there is any pressure left.
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At this point, you can shred the short ribs or leave them whole.
Optional Steps For Thicker Sauce:
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Remove the short ribs, leaving the liquid behind, and cover the short ribs with foil to keep warm. Set the Instant Pot to the Saute function.
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Sprinkle gelatin (don't dump it) over the liquid in the Instant Pot, one tablespoon at a time, whisking rapidly and immediately after each sprinkle.
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Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens. If it's still not as thick as you like, add more gelatin and repeat.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 lb meat + sauce
How to make bone-in short ribs: You can make this a bone-in short rib recipe, too. The weight will be approximately 3-3.5 lb, and you will need to increase the cook time to 50 minutes.
Video Showing How To Make Instant Pot Short Ribs:
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95 Comments
Susan
Have you tried adding onions, carrots and celery to the garlic?
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Susan, I have not tried the recipe with onions, carrots, and celery but feel free to add them.
Christina
Can you use soy sauce in lieu of coconut aminos?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Christina, Soy sauce will work from a recipe perspective, yes. I personally don’t eat soy for these reasons.
Bonny
This will be the third time I have made this recipe. Fantastic
Michelle
I have 1.61 pounds of bone-in beef Chuck short ribs; how would this change the measuring ingredients and time to cook in instant pot?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Michelle, Reduce the cook time to 30 minutes and let naturally release for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
LaDonna
I dont have a pressure cooker. can I cook in CROCKPOT
Wholesome Yum M
Hi LaDonna, Yes, but it will take considerably more time to cook these in a crockpot. Steps 1-5 can be completed on the stovetop. Move the ingredients into your crockpot and set to low and let cook for 6-8 hours. Enjoy!
Susan
I was hopeful about this recipe, but I also ended up with tough meat per a few other reviewers. I wonder if 5 minutes is too long of a sear for each side of the meat (browned 4 sides.)
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Susan, Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. Pressure cooking the short ribs helps to break down the meat, making it tender and flavorful. If your short ribs are particularly fibrous, you may want to consider increasing the time under pressure by an additional 3-5 minutes. I hope this helps.
schatzi
Looked at recipes for IP short ribs, this one had the fewest ingredients with the best reviews. Added a clove or two more garlic and subbed gluten-free tamari for coconut aminos, left out the gelatin and bay leaf. Used my homemade bone broth. Added 5 minutes to cooking (we’re at 4500 ft) and natural release for 15 minutes.
My husband thought this was one of the best things he’s tasted in a long time. I have to agree. Meltingly tender and so flavorful.
Wonderful recipe!
Nancy
Yummy!
Anji Hall
Tried this as a last minute dinner idea… was so good!!! Definitely making again!!!
Marion Reid
So simple and beautiful! We’ve made this three times now, twice with boneless beef short ribs, and this last time with bonless pork short ribs, in the broth I’d saved from the previous batch of ribs. OMG, this is sooo good. The last two times, my 16yo made it and it was a home run!
Patricia
I’ve never had a bad instant pot recipe, so was really surprised when the meat came out a little chewy and dry The only thing I can think of is I let it naturally release entirely and then kept the IP on for an hour. Maybe that dried them out? The flavors though are incredible.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Patricia, Yes, leaving it to naturally release for that long likely caused the rubbery texture. That technique can be used for some recipes, but it won’t work well for this one.
C Martinez
OMG!!!!!!!!!! Where oh where is the dang recipe??????????? OMG I’M having a scroll induced stroke right now….
Wholesome Yum M
Hi C Martinez, The full recipe is located in the recipe card. If you cannot locate it by scrolling, feel free to use the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of the post.
Fran E.
This recipe is spot on! I will never pay for short ribs at a restaurant again!
Cheryl K-G
I have made this regularly, for at least a year, and for guests as well. My husband loves it!
I would give it 10 stars if I could!
Tender and so delicious!!
Amy
I don’t eat meat so cooking 2 dinners is such a pain. Not only was this amazingly easy but my husband loved it, thank you!
Gina
Would Xanthan Gum work to thicken sauce? If so, same amount?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Gina, Yes, xanthan gum will thicken your sauce while it simmers. Sprinkle in 1/8th teaspoon and whisk to incorporate into the sauce.
Diana
Hello there, I do not own an insta-pot (for my own safety, I’m quite clumsy), would you be able to quickly recommend how to cook this delicious recipe in a crockpot/slow-cooker by any chance? 🙂
Thank you!!!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Diana, You can make your short ribs in a slow cooker, but they will take quite a bit more time to cook. On the low setting, they will need approximately 8 hours, on the high setting around 4. You can read more about making this recipe in a crock pot in the section of this post called, ‘Can You Make Slow Cooker Short Ribs Instead?’
Diana
Oh my goodness thank you!!! 😀
Kerri Kirkland
Turned out so freaking good I’m going to be making these all the time.
Terra
Great!
Andrea
I have an IP Duo Nova. I am cooking bone in short ribs. When you say “High” heat, is it “High-Normal” or “High-More”. I’m asking because some people said theirs was tough, and I’m wondering if the problem was not high enough pressure. Thank you
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Andrea, That’s not the model I have, so I don’t have those options. I would suspect you will want the highest pressure for the recipe, so I would try the “High-More” setting.