Instant Pot Short Ribs (Pressure Cooker)
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
- 1 medium-sized carrot diced
- 1 shallot diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels. Generously season all sides with salt and pepper.
- Select the saute mode on the pressure cooker for medium heat. Add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Add butter and stir until melted.
- Once the pot has reached temperature (display says HOT), add short ribs in a single layer. Without moving them, let the short ribs cook for about 7 minutes until the bottom is nicely browned. Then flip and repeat the other side for about 5 minutes. Move the short ribs to a plate.
- Add carrots, shallots, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until shallots start to brown, stirring frequently. Turn off the saute mode.
- Add red wine and stir, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the flavorful brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add short ribs back to the pot in a single layer. Top with fresh thyme sprigs. Season with additional salt and pepper.
- Secure and seal the lid. Cook for 45 minutes at high pressure. Once it’s done, let it naturally release pressure for 15 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Uncover the pot and move only the ribs to a serving plate. Optionally, skim off some of the fat in the remaining liquid and discard; this will reduce the amount of oil in the final sauce.
- Turn on the saute mode and add balsamic vinegar. Let the liquid boil for 10-15 minutes until it has reduced to a slightly sticky sauce, stirring occasionally. Turn off the saute mode. Immediately spoon the sauce onto the short ribs and serve.
NUTRITION
| Nutrition Facts Per Serving |
| Calories 860 | |
| Total Fat 51g | 79% |
| Saturated Fat 15g | 77% |
| Trans Fat 2.8g | |
| Cholesterol 318mg | 106% |
| Sodium 470mg | 20% |
| Potassium 50mg | 1% |
| Total Carb 7g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 4% |
| Sugars 3.5g | |
| Protein 88g |
I love recipes that make my house smell amazing, and these Instant Pot short ribs don’t disappoint. They have great aromatics — beautifully browned short ribs in hot butter, minced garlic sauteing with diced carrots and shallots, and a simmering balsamic sauce. Short ribs usually take 2-3 hours in the oven to break down their connective tissues, but in the Instant Pot it only takes 45 minutes of pressure cooking before they’re meltingly tender.
These short ribs are pressure cooked with carrots and shallots as well as a dash of red wine, mainly for deglazing the pot and adding flavor. After pressure cooking, the remaining liquid is combined with balsamic vinegar and simmered until reduced. This turns into a glorious and slightly sweet sauce that you can spoon over the tender short ribs.
3 Boneless Beef Short Ribs:
I’ve made ribs a number of times in the Instant Pot — pork and beef, different cuts, bone-in and boneless, and various sauces. So far this recipe has my favorite combination of flavor and texture.
Short ribs are a specific cut of beef, and boneless ones (as pictured above) are usually rib meat separated from the bone in the chuck or plate regions of the cow. I prefer eating boneless short ribs as they’re easier to cut, and this recipe’s pressure cooking time to designed for boneless ones. Don’t buy bone-in short ribs because they will take longer to cook.
You should use 2 pounds of boneless beef short ribs, which is about 3 individual short ribs. It’s just the right amount such that the meat can lay side-by-side in a single layer as it browns in the Instant Pot.
Tips on making boneless beef short ribs in the instant pot
- Make sure that the short ribs are well seasoned with salt and pepper. I use a fine sea salt grinder and a coarse black pepper grinder to season all sides of the short ribs. This should happen before the searing process.
- Don’t sear the short ribs until the Instant Pot display reads HOT, which means that it has fully come to temperature. Once the ribs are nestled snugly next to each other in a single layer in the pot, don’t move them until 7 minutes have passed. This browning is essential for flavor.
- If you plan on doubling the ingredients, note that you’ll have to brown the short ribs in batches since you can’t fit more than 2 pounds in a single layer. Factor in that extra time. Note that when increasing the ingredients, you do not need to increase the pressure cooking time.
- After the beef finishes pressure cooking, the remaining liquid in the pot will have a lot of fat content. It’s optional, but you can try skimming off some of the fat and discarding it so that your resulting sauce will be less oily since the fat separates. I usually skip this step since I don’t mind the extra oil.
You can serve these boneless beef short ribs by themselves (as I do), over a bed of mashed cauliflower, or with a side of green beans.
I don’t have an Instant Pot but would love to serve this for the holidays. Coukd you instruct the best way to still make it?
I would brown the short ribs on the stovetop, then transfer to the oven or a slow cooker. For more information, check out my responses to commenters Michelle and Nelson.
I’ve made this fabulous recipe three times and everyone has loved it! Thank you for posting!
Thanks for sharing the recipe. How is there 88 grams of protein in one serving?
This makes 3 servings, and they are rather large servings with 10-11 oz beef each. Serve smaller portions if desired.
Any recommendations on type of red wine to use for this?
I recommend a dry red wine, like Pinot Noir.
This was a great recipe. I sautéed mushrooms and onions in a pan with a bit of red wine and added them to the juices in the pot for the reduction. Definitely skim the fat otherwise it’s really greasy, but otherwise a delicious recipe. Best home made short ribs I’ve ever done!!
Can l use beef broth instead of red wine to make this dish?
I don’t recommend doing that — the red wine is an important contributor in this recipe.
Would “country style beef ribs” work for this recipe?
I haven’t tried that cut of meat with this recipe, so I can’t advise. I’m hoping another reader can chime in on this.
How much longer for bone in?
How much longer to cook bone-in short ribs?
Omgggggggg i cant even describe how amazing this meal was. I was so schocked that my hubby (pickiest eater in the word, who only eats eoth ketchup) he loved the food! It wasn’t enough. J made 4 pieces and he ate 2 and took one for work. That has NEVER happened. Ughhhh i am so happy and so pleased with the whole meal. My baby girl whos 5 also loved it! Thank you so much for this recepie. It was the absolute best!! Also – i have been telling everyone about the recepie and sending everyone the link.
Excited to try this–could I add baby red potatoes to the pot?
Look up pressure cooking times for potatoes to make sure they won’t turn to mush by the time the ribs are done.
Can you make this in a crockpot?
No, the browning steps are important and can’t be done in a slow cooker.
Can’t I brown it first & then put it in the crock pot?
Yes. You should deglaze in the stovetop pan to get all of those flavorful brown bits, and make sure to transfer everything to the crockpot.
I prepared a double recipe, following instructions exactly. The meat came out tough! Any idea why that would happen?
If you double the ingredients, the pressure cooking time should stay the same, assuming that the size of each short rib stays constant. How many individual boneless short ribs did you use?
I made this recipe today! Husband kept saying “mmmm. These are good. These are dang good!”
Can I do this without the red wine?
I suggest substituting red wine with 50% red wine vinegar and 50% water to dilute it a bit.
Would it be possible to double this recipe and still use a 6 qt instant pot?
That should be fine. You’ll need to brown the ribs in batches, since they won’t all fit simultaneously.
Wow! Awesome!,,, I made this tonight….only thing I had to change was my 6 qt instant pot sauted balsamic vinegar for 8 minutes and cooked all liquid out (recipe said boil for 10-15minutes). My bad!. I had to add about 1.5 cups water and reconstituted the liquid for gravy. Meat was beyond savory tender and gravy was outstanding! Thanx soo much.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you were able to fix things on the spot. Hope you get a chance to make this again soon.
Excellent! I don’t think I would change a thing, I di customize the sauce a bit, but the meat was very good.
That’s wonderful to hear. Hope you get a chance to make it again soon!
I tried this recipe exactly as indicated but my ribs were overcooked. I would do again at 30 minutes on meat setting, not high pressure. Bummed to lose 2 lbs of good meat. Otherwise, the flavor was great.
Perhaps your short ribs are smaller than mine. I use 2 pounds of meat, which comes out to 3 pieces. If yours are on the smaller side, then the cooking time can be decreased. That said, it’s hard to “overcook” these short ribs, as they become more fall-apart tender the longer they cook.
Just discovered your web site and it is just what I was looking for.
Awesome, thanks Deanna! Hope you get to try some recipes soon 🙂
I would like to use my oven (don’t have an instant pot) what is the recommended temperature and duration? Thank you so much.
Look forward to trying this yummy dish out 😋
I haven’t developed an oven version of this recipe, so this is just my guess: use a temperature like 350 F and a baking time of 2.5 hours or until the meat is tender. It’s best to cover the meat while baking. You’ll also need to first brown the short ribs using a pan on the stovetop. It’s probably simplest to use an oven-safe pot so you don’t have to transfer to bakeware. I’d also recommend adding additional liquid, like beef broth, because the oven will dry it out.
I’ve been looking for a short rib recipe for my new Instant Pot. The sauce was amazing and the beef so tender. Now that I’ve tested on myself, will definitely make it for my foodie friends who love to eat (but hate to cook themselves)! Thank you for this great recipe, Julia!
Yay I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Hope you get to try out some more recipes for your Instant Pot soon 🙂
This is the first recipe I tried in my instant pot. Can I just say it was amazing! My husband thought it was absolutely perfect. This was a wonderful recipe to add to my collection.
I’m glad that your first Instant Pot meal was a hit! I have a new recipe coming up that uses a similar sauce, with chicken thighs instead of ribs. So good!! 🙂
Amazing flavor and easy to make !
These ribs are amazing! We loved them! ❤️
I’m so glad to hear that 🙂 This is one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes… I just LOVE the sauce!!
Wow. These short ribs are beautiful!