This Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe lets you enjoy the tender, flavorful ribs without the hours of cooking time usually required. This set-it-and-forget-it recipe makes it easy to cook the perfect meat. 

If you’re looking for more short ribs recipes, try this Guinness Braised Short Ribs. It’s amazing and very easy to make.

overhead view of a bowl containing Instant pot short ribs
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We love ribs over here at Primavera Kitchen. I’ve shared how I make Slow Cooker Ribs and Instant Pot Ribs. But have you tried short ribs??

Short ribs are a delicious way to get about half of your protein needs met for a day. This short ribs recipe has no gluten and is low in carbs. If you stick with sides like cauliflower and green vegetables, this entire meal will be keto and paleo-friendly.

Short Ribs close up shot

What are short ribs?

Short ribs actually come from the beef chuck portion of the animal. They are the bottom five ribs that are too short to be used for steak.

However, they are muscles that are always in use while the animal is moving. Therefore, short ribs are not as tender as other meat portions, but are super flavorful.

There are two different ways you will find short ribs cut. The traditional method is English style. These are small chunks of meat around a single bone. There are also BBQ-style cuts. These are long strips with three bone sections. This is the kind I recommend for this recipe.

A close up of short ribs with green beans and mashed potatoes in a white bowl

Other preparation methods

Making Instant Pot short ribs is a much quicker method of cooking ribs that are still tender and fall off the bone. I love how quick tender meat gets in the Instant Pot, like this Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe.

You can make this short ribs recipe in the oven as well. Use a Dutch oven or other heavy pan so you can catch all the drippings to make gravy. Cook short ribs low and slow in the oven. Give them three hours in an oven set at 300°F. You’ll know they are done when you can easily pull the meat apart with a fork.

You can also make this short ribs recipe in the slow cooker. I recommend you still brown all sides of the ribs on the stove before putting them in the slow cooker. Cook them on low for eight hours or high for five hours.

Short ribs with delicious sauce on top

What do you serve with Instant Pot short ribs?

It’s easy to make gravy from the drippings that are left in the pot after cooking Instant Pot short ribs. Just whisk it with a cornstarch slurry for a few moments to thicken it to your perfect consistency. If you make gravy, the natural side dish to go with it is mashed potatoes. If you aren’t eating white potatoes, you can substitute mashed cauliflower. The gravy is a wonderful addition to the meat itself.

You can try lots of other side dishes as well:

Instant Pot Short Ribs Recipe

3.59 from 298 votes
Author: Olivia Ribas
Servings4 people
Prep Time10 minutes
Custom Time0 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
This Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe lets you enjoy the tender flavorful ribs without the hours of cooking time usually required. This set-it-and-forget it recipe makes it easy to cook the perfect meat. 

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Ingredients 
 

  • 2 lb bone-in beef short ribs 0.778kg
  • sea salt + pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion chopped (If you are folling keto diet replace onions ofr 1/2 of scallions)
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup low sodium beef broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ cup water or cooking liquid
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrow flour for low-carb and whole30
  • Chopped fresh parsley optional

Instructions 

  • Set the instant pot to the sauté setting and add olive oil.
  • Add the short ribs and brown all sides. It probably will take about 10 minutes. Then, remove the short ribs from the Instant Pot and set aside.
  • Add in onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent. It's about 4 minutes. Don’t forget to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  • Add thyme, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Stir everything very well. Then, season with salt and pepper.
  • Turn off the sauté mode. Add in beef broth and bay leaves. Stir well. Transfer the short ribs back to the pot.
  • Lock the lid and set pressure on high for 1 hour. When done, use Natural Release for 10 minutes, then release valve and remove the lid.
  • Remove shot ribs carefully, keeping the meat on the bone.
  • Pour about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid into a small bowl. Add cornstarch and stir it very well. Set aside.
  • Pour all the cooking liquid from the Instant Pot into a saucepan and heat on a high heat.
  • Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan with the cooking liquid and whisk for about 2 minutes or until gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper if you desire.
  • Place short ribs on serving plate, spoon over sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

Other cooking methods:
1. Oven – Cook in a Dutch oven or heavy-based pan at 300F for 3 hours or until the meat can easily be pried apart with forks.
2. Slow cooker – Cook it for 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high.
  • The nutrition facts don’t include mashed potatoes and green beans.
  • This recipe was slightly adapted from the blog Garden in the Kitchen.
  • If the beef was frozen beforehand, make sure you fully thaw it before using it.
  • Do not quick release the instant pot immediately to keep the short ribs from drying out.
  • To store: Store leftover short ribs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • To reheat: You can reheat the short ribs in the microwave or oven.
  • To freeze: Once fully cooled, you can freeze cooked short ribs in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4, Calories: 363kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 16g, Sodium: 760mg, Potassium: 85mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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titled photo collage (and shown): Short Ribs close up shot
Olivia Ribas

Welcome

Hi, I'm Olivia


Happy to have you here! I’ve been creating and sharing tasty, easy-to-make recipes on Primavera Kitchen for over 10 years now! I’m all about simple, delicious recipes made with fresh, seasonal, and wholesome ingredients that your whole family will love.

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3.59 from 298 votes (281 ratings without comment)

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54 Comments

  1. Frank McKenzie says:

    need to check your spelling “shot” ribs, “scrap” the bottom

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Thanks for pointing that out. We’ve corrected it to avoid any further confusion.

  2. J. Wingfield says:

    Delicious! My first time cooking beef short ribs and it will now be added to my meal rotation! Thanks for the recipe!

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Amazing! So happy to hear that 😉

  3. Debra Gowers says:

    First time using my instapot. Thank you so much! The short ribs were fall off the bone tender. The flavor was incredible. I don’t have alcohol in my home , but I used red wine vinegar. It had wonderful flavor. My family couldn’t get enough gravy and mashed potatoes!

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Amazing! Happy to hear that 😉

  4. Amber says:

    Super tender and really easy to make. It has a little too much tomato paste for my taste. I will definitely make it again with that one adjustment,

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you found it super tender and easy to make. Adjusting the tomato paste sounds like a great idea to suit your taste. Let me know how it turns out next time! 😊

  5. Judith E Gogan says:

    Great recipe. Only thing I changed was finishing the gravy in the instant pot instead if a separate pan. It was so delicious 😋 I’ll definitely be naking this again

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Happy you liked it 😉

  6. Ramiro says:

    I made the shot ribs with your recipe and by far the best short ribs ever

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Thank you so much! I’m thrilled you loved the short ribs—your feedback means a lot! 😊

  7. Frank says:

    Restaurant quality. Good restaurant!

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Thank you 😉