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Get It NowThese Instant Pot short ribs are delectably flavorful and so easy. It’s my favorite method for cooking boneless beef short ribs (and bone-in ones too), because it’s much faster than other methods — no hours upon hours of braising time necessary — and still comes out just as fall-apart tender! Now it’s become one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes.
Why You’ll Love These Instant Pot Short Ribs
- Savory, rich flavor
- Tender, fall-off-the-bone short ribs
- Made with just 5 simple ingredients
- Just 5 minutes prep time, with hands-off cook time
- Easy to make ahead
- Works with bone-in or boneless short ribs
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for beef short ribs in the Instant Pot, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Basic Instant Pot Short Ribs:
- Boneless Beef Short Ribs – Both types of Short ribs are an incredibly tough cut of meat, but when cooked properly, you can cut them with a fork. Buy boneless beef short ribs (cut from the chuck, or shoulder) if you can find them. Otherwise, many butchers will actually remove the bones from bone-in short ribs (cut from the belly) for you, which is what I did for this Instant Pot short ribs recipe. You can also make it using bone-in short ribs if you prefer — you’ll just need to add 10 minutes to the cook time.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
- Olive Oil – For searing the meat. Avocado oil also works.
- Beef Broth – The Instant Pot always requires some liquid for pressure cooking, and beef broth is one of the most flavorful choices. For an even richer sauce and more nutrition, use bone broth.
- Coconut Aminos – This is similar to soy sauce, with a combination of salty, sweet, and umami flavors. Another soy sauce substitute or regular soy sauce is also fine to use.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves for best flavor or jarred garlic for convenience.
Optional Add-Ins:
- Dried Bay Leaves – Add classic flavor to the short ribs.
- Gelatin Powder – Helps make the sauce thick and glossy (similar to a cornstarch slurry) — be sure to use unflavored gelatin. You can also use a different cornstarch substitute.
VARIATIONS: Up the flavor with other additions.
This recipe uses just five ingredients to keep it as simple as possible. However, you can definitely make it even more flavorful by adding:
- Onion – Saute 1/2 of a diced white or yellow onion before adding the garlic.
- Veggies – Dice carrots and celery into small pieces, and saute before adding the garlic.
- Red Wine – Add 1/2 cup of merlot or cabernet sauvignon together with the broth.
- Balsamic Vinegar – Add 1/4 cup of balsamic with the broth.
- Tomato Paste – If you like sweet, rich tomato flavors, add 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste with the broth.
- Fresh Herbs – Such as fresh thyme sprigs, fresh rosemary sprigs, or both. Add right before pressure cooking, then discard at the end.
How To Cook Short Ribs In The Instant Pot
This section shows how to make Instant Pot short ribs, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Dry the meat. Pat the beef dry with paper towels.
- Season the meat. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. This step helps to build flavor throughout the cooking process. Don’t skimp, you need a generous amount!
- Sear the short ribs. Brown the short ribs in the Instant Pot using the Sauté setting. Cook in batches to avoid crowding the pan, or they will steam instead of brown. Remove short ribs and set aside.
TIP: The browning step adds a lot of flavor!
You don’t have to brown the Instant Pot short ribs, but I highly recommend it! Browning takes just a few minutes, and adds rich flavor. It makes a big difference in the final result.
- Saute the garlic. Add oil and garlic and saute for just a minute.
- Deglaze. Add beef broth and coconut aminos to the pressure cooker, and use a spoon to stir, scraping up any of the yummy browned bits off the bottom. Place the short ribs back in there, along with a bay leaf, if using, and place the lid on and seal.
- Pressure cook. For boneless Instant Pot short ribs, set the time to 40 minutes, or increase to 50 minutes for bone-in pressure cooker short ribs. When they are done, let the natural release do its thing for 10 minutes before switching to manual release.
TIP: Don’t skip the pressure cooker natural release.
This helps the beef short ribs finish cooking and helps them come out tender.
- Thicken the sauce. Simmer the sauce with gelatin powder on the Saute setting (it’s easy and worth it!).
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep leftover Instant Pot beef short ribs in fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat the beef in the oven together with the sauce, covered in foil, for best results. You can microwave, but be careful to not overcook, or the meat will dry out.
- Freeze: Cool completely, place in an airtight container or freezer bag (with the sauce/cooking liquid), and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What To Serve With Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs
You can serve Instant Pot brased short ribs with all kinds of side dishes, from traditional to inventive:
- Potatoes – Mashed potatoes are the classic choice to soak up the juices, but you can make mashed cauliflower (pictured above) for a lighter option or roasted potatoes for a different twist.
- Vegetables – Try easy veggie sides like baby broccoli, oven roasted zucchini, or crispy smashed brussels sprouts (or fried brussels sprouts). Or make your entire meal in the Instant Pot by choosing Instant Pot cauliflower.
- Salads – Serve the short ribs over a salad for a lighter dinner (or lunch) in one bowl! Try them in place of steak in this steak salad or instead of chicken on a cobb salad.
- Tacos – Stuff the meat into your favorite tortillas with some taco slaw, or combine with a fresh salsa recipe, avocado or guacamole, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, red onions, and sour cream.
- Soups – Add leftover Instant Pot short ribs to vegetable soup for a hearty meal, or swap out the pork in pork stew.
More Tender Meat Recipes
If you enjoy these Instant Pot short ribs (I know you will!), you might also like some of these other tender meat recipes:
Recommended Tools
- Instant Pot 7-in-1 – This is the electric pressure cooker that I use and love. I also love that you can also use the saute function to brown meats in the same pan.
Instant Pot Short Ribs (5 Ingredients!)
Make this flavorful, fall-apart tender Instant Pot short ribs recipe (boneless or bone-in) with just 5 simple ingredients. It's so easy!
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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Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels.
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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.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers, or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
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.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
147 Comments
Kristin
0The flavor was delicious but my bone-in came out tough still, I was so sad after all the 5-Star reviews, although I’m sure it’s not due to this recipe. I cooked them on high pressure for 50 minutes then checked and added another 15 minutes, still pretty tough and fat not rendered. ♀️ I used nearly 2 cups of liquid (broth/wine/coco aminos). Any suggestions?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kristen, Did you use roughly the same weight I had listed? (3 – 3.5lbs) If you had over that amount, then the cook time would likely need to increase.
FooBoo
0Absolutely delicious! Super tender and flavourful.
Emily Knouse
0If you can’t squeeze them into one layer, can you stack them…in bone
tehillah
0hi – I’m making this for dinner tonight = it looks delicious & all the 5 star reviews have me excited.
Question: I just bought an instant pot (brand AURA) but it doesn’t have a ‘release’ function. What do I do?
TIA!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Tehillah, It sounds like you purchased the Instant Pot slow cooker. This model does not have the pressure cooker function (so it will not have a quick release on it). You will be able to sear your short ribs, but the process will differ from there. The best option after searing the short ribs and sauteeing the garlic would be to use the slow cook function and let your short ribs cook for several hours. You will not get the same final result as you would with a pressure cooker, but you can still follow to recipe for a similar outcome and flavor profile.
Canadian Chick
05 stars for sure!
Made my own coconut aminos: 1 c beef broth, 1Tbsp balsamic vinegar, ½Tbsp fish sauce, 1tsp tomato paste, 1 tsp maple syrup & a dash of salt. (This makes more than you need here, keep in fridge for two weeks – don’t be afraid to use fish sauce, it’s not what you think…no fish taste!).
I have had beef short ribs in the freezer but keep avoiding then simply because I didn’t know how to cook them! IP method turns out to be a winner!
I decided to remove the bones. Mine were large pieces with 3 to 4 bones in each piece. I cut the meat between the bones and cut off any silver skin. I also removed some of the thick fat – I didn’t want super greasy ribs. (I will be pressure cooking the bones later for bone broth – I’ll throw the fat in with that for added flavor and remove fat when cooled).
I made the recipe as written. Browned first. No optional onions as I can’t eat them. Since I had only 2 lbs of meat I figured I would reduce time to 30 mins plus 10 mins natural release. They were PERFECT! Soft melt in your mouth goodness! Gravy was super too! Love that I can do it ALL in one pot!
Thank you!!!
Kathryn
0I used the basics of this recipe as part of another recipe and the sauce was amazing. I also added some chopped onion when sautéing the garlic and fresh thyme with the broth and the bay leaf. Loved it! I had roasted grape tomatoes in red wine and roasted shallots, too. Pour it all over the meat and makes a beautiful presentation. Top off with blue cheese crumbles. Perfect with red wine.
Michele
0Hello Maya, I just got my first instant pot, this was my 4th recipe I made WOW , the ribs fell off the bone, so tender, great flavor. I only made 4 just to try it, next time my dish will be full. Thanks for the recipe, it was perfect. I don’t know how I ever got by without this.
Tanya Floyd
0mine came out a little tough. Can I pressure cook additional time ?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Tanya, Yes that’s fine. Be sure to add enough liquid so it doesn’t dry out your short ribs.
Camille R
0Love this recipe, but this website page is honestly so riddled with ads it’s hard to get to the recipe itself, let alone the screen has about an inch of viewing area because of all the ads and video pop ups.
You made a fantastic recipe, don’t let your website go to crap and redirect people elsewhere.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Camille, Thanks for your feedback. Ads keep the Wholesome Yum website running and allow me to develop recipes that readers like you can access absolutely free. However, you may be interested in Wholesome Yum Plus, which includes an ad-free version of the website, along with other perks.
Mary Jo
0I have never made short ribs before and wanted to give them a try. Super simple and easy as well as delicious. I added onions with the garlic and sautéed. I made the coconut aminos since I did not have on hand according to a previous comment. Definitely will be making from time to time. Served with egg noodles and sautéed squash medley.
Ornia
0This was incredible! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfect! I can’t wait to make it again.
Marisa
0I made this tonight and added in a small onion and a handful of sliced mushrooms. It was my first time making boneless beef short ribs and an easy process. My boyfriend commented that this tasted like something he’d order at a restaurant, and was impressed (but not surprised!) that I made it 🙂
Chelsea
0This was absolutely amazing! I used bone-in ribs for 50 minutes and they came out unbelievably tender. I sautéed a half chopped onion before adding the garlic, added a little red wine while deglazing, and some chopped mushrooms in right before cooking. My husband said it was the best short ribs he’s ever had! Will be making this from now on – thanks!
Valerie
0This was really easy and good. We added some fresh rosemary and red wine – had to add an extra 15 minutes to get it tender. We will make it again!
Cinnamon A Flowers
0First, this rib recipe is SO delicious!! I did not have any ribs but wanted to make this recipe with our new Instant pot. So I thawed one of my beef chuck roasts and cut it into boneless short ribs. The flavor was amazing. I added the onion you said was optional. I give the recipe 5 stars on tender and flavor alone. I had 1 small change that did not affect the rating. I detest when people give a high rating and did so many adjustments it’s not the recipe listed. Your 5 star is absolutely because your recipe is that good! So only small change was I made a roux to make the gravy 3Tbsp GF flour 3Tbsp butter. Will be making this again.SO GOOD!
Zoe
0If I cook from frozen should I still brown the ribs first? Are there any other tips for cooking from frozen?
Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Zoe, I don’t recommend cooking from frozen. For best results, let your short ribs thaw overnight in the fridge first before preparing.
Toni
0Hi Maya, I bought an Instant Pot over a year ago and used it once to make rice and somehow burned the rice and I haven’t used it since until tonight. I made these ribs using your recipe and they were out of this world good! Tender as can be and melt in the mouth tender. Amazing! Can’t wait to try another recipe! Thank you, Toni
Sherri
0It was delicious! The meat was SO tender. Please post more low carb IP recipes. Thank you!
Monica R
0Delicious! My first meal ever using my Instant Pot and I am so pleased. Falling off the bone goodness! I didn’t have beef broth so I did half cup light soy sauce, half cup water. Instead of the Coconut Aminos, I used 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 water. added some onions during saute and a sprig of rosemary to liquid. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Kelli
0I loved this recipe for short ribs soooo much! I also did the same for oxtail last night..omg amazing! Followed it all the same way. 3.5lbs of oxtail… I picked the biggest meatiest pieces from the butcher.
Came out perfect!!
Thank you Maya!!
Would love more instant pot meat recipes if you come up with them. You’re the best!
Betsy
0If I am using 1 lb of short ribs should I adjust the cooking time?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Betsy, No need to adjust the cooking time, continue with the recipe as written.
Amy B
0Turned out great! I used bone-in and adjusted the coming time as suggested. To the cooking liquid I added cut up dried mushrooms and some pear relish, like chow chow. After cooking, I removed the meat and then used a stick blender before adding the gelatin. Everyone was super impressed!
Barbara Orshoski
0I only have 1 lb of boneless ribs. Do I need to adjust the time?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Barbara, Cook time should remain the same.
Jerrod
0Is this for the 10qt IP if not how should I adjust recipe
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jerrod, This recipe was done in a 6 quart Instant Pot.
Jennifer
0If I don’t have an Instant Pot – can I make this recipe in the oven? I have BONE-IN short ribs… How would I modify?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jennifer, The easiest way to translate this recipe is with a pressure cooker. Short ribs can be done in the oven, but it will take several hours in the oven for them to break down like they do in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
Zoe
0My meat cake out very tough. I could barely chew it. Im new to the instant pot so I know it’s a product of my in experience not your recipe. Do you know what could of caused that? Thanks?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Zoe, Did you use boneless or bone-in short ribs? Was your IP set to low or high pressure? This recipe requires high pressure.
Andrew
0Made this for my wife’s birthday and it came out amazing! I subbed in soy sauce for the aminos, and added the optional onion. My wife has been talking every day about how delicious it was! One question, if I were to double the recipe, should I double all the liquids as well? And should cook time be increased?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Andrew, I’m so thrilled you loved it! Yes, if you are doubling the recipe, that would include the liquids too. Cook time will remain the same.
Scooter Johnson
0Hiya, just an observation and a question. Your carb count is 1 but my coconut aminos (Trader Joe’s) has 5 g of carbs and 5g of sugars in 1 Tbs – a quarter cup is 4 Tbs making 40g in just the Aminos…Does this change the totals?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Scooter, Some brands of coconut aminos have sugar added so that would increase the carb count quite a bit. I recommend this brand which is 1g carbs per serving.
May
0This was absolutely delicious!!! I doubled the liquids (broth and aminos) so that I could use the trivet. and subbed liquid aminos (soy) for the coconut. I added in about half an onion and some rosemary, and it was amazing! Great recipe!
Therese Cunningham
0Soooooo delicious…Finally got myself an Instant Pot. This is my second time using it and my first time making short ribs. The recipe was simple & easy to follow. Was stumped by the coconut aminos, but one of your reviewers provided a substitute formula. Very pleased with the outcome. This is definitely a keeper recipe.
Sarah
0This is a winner!! It’s almost impossible to find a recipe that everybody in my household likes, especially since I’m following a modified AIP diet and the rest of my family isn’t. I make a side of carrots and mashed potatoes, and can have an amazing, delicious meal on the table in under an hour (that everybody will actually eat and enjoy!).
Robert C Lambing
0Great instruction. I remembered I had a bunch of bone in short ribs so I thought I’d check your recipe. I will be using it next week. Think I’m going to add a touch of a garlic marinade also. Thank you.
JimmyB
0I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! I did not have and had never heard of coconut aminos. I looked up what they are and made a substition of 1 TBL Soy Sauce, 1TBL Worcestshire sauce & 1 TBL brown sugar. I don’t know whether or not that made a big difference but the flavor was wonderful. I used corn starch at the end for thickening. I used something called beef chuck riblets. They were very meaty. I used an Instant Pot and browned the ribs before pressure cooking. Since I used bone-in I cooked it for the 50 minutes with a natural release of 10 – 15 minutes. Those timings were perfect. I used the trivet with handles and that made it easy to remove the ribs out of the bottom of the pan. Thank you for such a great recipe. I will certainly be making it again.
Iris
0Just tried this recipe ans tweak it a bit by using 2 inch thick bone in rib, added chili pepper powder and regular light soy sauce because I can’t find coconut amino. It is amazing and quite simple. Thank you.
Romana
0This was the 2nd time I made these with boned ribs. Very tender and flavorful. I used guar gum for the thickener though.
We ate it with shirataki rice to stay low carb.
Sharon
0Amazing and so simple. Bone in for 55 mins, doubled the liquid since I had so many ribs so they could all be immersed. Added a thinly sliced onion with the garlic so used my immersion blender before adding the gelatin. Beef heaven. Served with your creamed spinach recipe – divine.
Tabatha
0This is THE BEST beef recipe I’ve ever cooked, and I’m 43 years old!
Faith
0Hi. Can I use soy sauce instead of coconut a aminos?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Faith, Yes, you can. I try to avoid soy but if that’s not an issue it absolutely works.
Michelle Cartwright
0I tried this recipe today. I followed all the directions except adding the beef gelatin. We did not need a gravy. I was serving this with baked acorn squash. I used ribs with the bone. I cooked the ribs for 55 minutes in the instant pot. The meat fell off of the bone. I was making this because my husband had asked for beef short ribs. We had not made them in quite some time. He was very happy and asked me to keep the recipe. The meat was flavorful and paired well with the squash. I had never cooked with coconut aminos before. Now you have me looking into cooking with that for future dishes. Thanks again for sharing!
Joi
0OMG! This recipe was very easy, and tasted delicious. My husband said that he could eat this everyday! I will definitely be using this again….
Chihyu
0OMG! This is so good.
Raia Todd
0The Instant Pot does amazing with short ribs! I love the addition of aminos to your recipe.
Linda
0I love how easy this recipe is and the way it can be done in an instant pot. This recipe was so tasty and flavorful.
Kari
0These short ribs are incredible, and I love how easy they are in the Instant Pot!
Celeste
0I love short ribs and have been looking for more instant pot recipes. These made a great Sunday dinner!
Alisa
0You just made short ribs much less intimidating! And they were so darn flavorful – it’s hard to believe they came from such simple ingredients!
Pam Greer
0The Instant Pot makes the best short ribs and this recipe is perfect! They come out tender and so flavorful!
Adrianne
0Your food is always so beautiful and the photos make the food look so appealing. I love having different meat dishes and these beef short ribs are one I am adding to my to do list to try. Cheers!
Lisa
0Yum! These braised short ribs were so delicious and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to make them again!
Dannii
0This was total comfort food. One for us to make for a cosy Sunday lunch.
Jacqueline Debono
0I don’t have an Instant Pot (yet) but I have a slow cooker and I think these short ribs were so delicious I didn’t want to wait 8 hours for them!