These Instant Pot short ribs are so tender that they fall right off the bone, while the savory gravy is the perfect finishing touch. The best part is that it’s all made in one pot!
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Pin RecipeShort ribs usually take hours in the oven to cook. As much as I love short ribs, I don’t always have much time to spend in the kitchen to make my favorite meal.
This is why I absolutely love Instant Pot recipes. They are fast, easy, and lots of meats cook especially well inside the pressure cooker. This Instant Pot short rib recipe is no exception. It is one of my all-time favorite Instant Pot recipes and I know you will love it too.
Easy Instant Pot Short Ribs Recipe
My recipe for short ribs starts by sautéing onions, garlic, carrots, and celery inside the Instant Pot. These chopped veggies add lots of flavor to the ribs as they cook and ultimately turn into a sweet and savory sauce. Add a little bit of red wine, some beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot and you get even more complex flavors.
The short ribs are nestled into the sautéed vegetables and pressure cooked for 45 minutes. This is enough time to make the meat nice and tender. While the ribs cook, feel free to do the dishes, have a coffee, and maybe even read a book. The Instant Pot does all the work!
Once the ribs are cooked, whisk some cornstarch into the juices in the pot to quickly create a perfect gravy. I love serving Instant Pot Short ribs with some classic mashed potatoes to create a perfect, complete meal. I think you are going to love this delicious dinner idea too!
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Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Bone in short ribs – Look for ribs that are bright, cherry red. The meat should have a nice marble of fat and muscle as well. The bones are important and add a lot of flavor during the cooking process so be sure to get bone-in ribs.
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- Garlic
- White onions – I find that white onions have the strongest, sweetest flavor, which is delicious with the ribs.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Thyme
- Red wine – I like to cook with a nice dry red wine like a cabernet sauvignon. If you are a red wine lover, be sure to grab a bottle that you will also enjoy drinking afterward as you only need ½ cup to make these Instant Pot short ribs.
- Beef broth – Beef broth intensifies the flavor of the meat.
- Worcestershire sauce – Worcestershire sauce is made with vinegar, molasses, and tamarind extract. It gives the short ribs a unique tangy and sweet taste.
- Brown sugar – Either dark brown or light brown sugar will work.
- Soy sauce – A splash of soy sauce gives the ribs an umami flavor.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch thickens the juices in the pot after the ribs have cooked. It makes a smooth, creamy gravy.
Variations
- Cook the ribs in a crock pot rather than in the Instant Pot. Follow the recipe but sauté the vegetables and ribs in a large skillet then transfer everything to a crockpot. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours.
- Skip the red wine and replace it with extra beef broth. This is an easy way to eliminate alcohol from the recipe.
- Add two peeled, chopped Russet potatoes to the Instant Pot before closing and sealing. After the ribs have cooked and the pressure has been released, open up the lid and remove the potatoes using a slotted spoon. Mash the cooked potatoes in a separate small bowl and serve alongside the ribs.
How to Make Instant Pot Short Ribs
- Season the ribs: Start by patting the ribs with a paper towel and sprinkling them with a little salt and pepper.
- Sear the ribs: Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot and, once hot, add the ribs. Cook the ribs for about 2 minutes on each side to sear the outside. Remove the ribs from the pot and set them aside.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add the garlic, onions, carrots, and celery to the hot oil in the Instant Pot and let the veggies cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the liquids: Add the red wine, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar to the pot and stir. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir.
- Cook the short ribs: Add the short ribs back into the Instant Pot, then cover the pot, seal, and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. Let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally for 15 minutes, then open up the pot and remove the ribs.
- Make the gravy: Whisk the cornstarch and water together, then pour the mixture into the Instant Pot. The heat from the juices in the pot will start to cook the cornstarch and thicken into a delicious sauce.
- Serve the short ribs: Pour the gravy and veggies over the short ribs and enjoy!
Quick Tip
When searing the ribs in the oil, you may want to work in two batches depending on the size of your Instant Pot bowl. Make sure the short ribs are in a single layer in the oil so they sear quickly. It’s okay if the ribs are stacked on top of each other when pressure cooking, but for searing and browning, a single layer is best.
How to Store Leftover Short Ribs
Once the short ribs have cooked and cooled, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container for 4-5 days. To reheat the ribs, place them on a piece of foil, pour any extra gravy over the ribs, then wrap the foil tightly around the meat, making a sealed packet.
Place the foil pack on a sheet tray and reheat in a 250-degree F oven for 20 minutes. This will reheat the short ribs perfectly without drying them out.
Serving Suggestions
Other than mashed potatoes, these Instant Pot short ribs pair well with easy vegetable side dishes that also go well with Crock Pot Ribs, like Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Asparagus, and Southern Green Beans. I like serving them with Yeast Dinner Rolls too!
FAQs
If the ribs are still tough, it means they didn’t cook long enough. Short ribs take quite a while to become tender and soft. They need the full 45 minutes of high-pressure cooking time and also the 15 minutes of pressure release. Rushing the ribs or cooking them for less time will result in the meat being tough.
I have cooked ribs in the crockpot for years with great success. However, these Instant Pot short ribs are also divine. It is really a matter of which cooking method you prefer and how much time you have. Instant Pot short ribs are good if you are in a rush but crock pot ribs are amazing as long as you get the recipe in the pot 4 hours before dinner!
Slow, long cooking is the secret to tender ribs. Good ribs should also be cooked with a liquid or sauce to help keep them moist. Remember that you can’t rush good ribs! They need time.
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Instant Pot Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 4 pounds bone in short ribs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- 1 cup chopped white onions
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
- Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel and then sprinkle them with the salt and pepper. Try to get the seasoning all over the ribs, on every side.
- Add the olive oil to the bowl of the Instant Pot and turn the Instant Pot on to the ‘saute’ setting. Let the oil heat for one minute.
- Add the seasoned short ribs to the pot and let them sear for about 2 minutes. Flip the ribs over and brown the opposite side for another 2 minutes.
- Remove the browned short ribs from the Instant Pot and set them aside.
- Add the garlic, onions, carrot, and celery to the Instant Pot and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the wine to the Instant Pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to get the browned pieces off and mixed into the veggies (the browned bits have a lot of flavor!). Cook for one minute.
- Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and soy sauce to the Instant Pot and stir. Add the short ribs back into the pot and nestle them into the veggie mix.
- Cover the Instant Pot, seal it shut and turn it on to high-pressure cooking. Cook the short ribs on high pressure for 45 minutes then let the pressure release naturally for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the ribs from the Instant Pot and divide them between your dinner plates.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water. Then, whisk this mix into the Instant Pot, mixing it into the beef broth and veggies that are still in the pot. Turn the Instant Pot back on to the saute setting to bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook until it is thick and gravy like.
- Scoop the veggies and gravy sauce onto the plates, pouring it over the short ribs. Enjoy while warm!
Notes
- As a general rule, you should use about 1 pound of short ribs per person. You can use this same recipe to cook up to 6 pounds of short ribs, or enough to feed 6 people. It makes plenty of sauce and veggies! However, 4 pounds will fit best in most Instant Pots. You do not want to overcrowd the ribs or they will not cook evenly.
- Be sure to use bone-in short ribs to get the most flavor.
