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If you love the tender, melt-in-your-mouth goodness of braised short ribs, but don’t have hours to wait, this Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs recipe is the best.
These short ribs come out fall-apart tender, intensely flavorful, and ready in a fraction of the time — perfect for cozy weeknight dinners or a special weekend meal. This decadent dinner is naturally Gluten-Free, Paleo, Keto, and Whole30 friendly.
Easy Recipe: Making Beef Short Ribs in the Instant Pot
What I love about this recipe is that it gives you that rich, comforting, home-cooked feel, but with minimal effort and mess. Pair it with easy cauliflower mash, mashed potatoes, rice, or your favorite veggie side, and you have a complete, wholesome dinner that feels like a hug on a plate.
When I think of comforting food, braised meat is one of the first things that comes to mind. And these Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs have quickly become one of my favorites! I love my Slow-Cooker Short Ribs, but there’s just something special about this Instant Pot version!
These short ribs have all of the flavor of classic braised meat, but done in a fraction of the time. In summary, this recipe is short and sweet and results in perfectly cooked ribs every time!
I also include a 5-ingredient cauliflower mash below for you to serve alongside the decadent short ribs!
Ingredients Needed
Beef Short Ribs
- Beef Short Ribs: I use boneless short ribs, but bone-in will work as well. Keep in mind that bone-in ribs will take slightly longer to cook. See my notes below.
- Fine Sea Salt and Black Pepper: You need a couple of simple seasonings to prep the meat before cooking.
- Avocado Oil: Used to sear the meat.
- Aromatics: We’re creating a flavor base with shallots, garlic, carrots, and rosemary.
- Red Wine and Beef Broth: A sweet, rich, and flavorful base for our cooking liquid. If you’d rather not use a dry red wine, substitute additional beef broth.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Adds a bright, tangy flavor that balances the richness from the wine and broth.
- Coconut Sugar: Cuts the acidity and adds a touch of sweetness.
- Arrowroot: Helps thicken the sauce, if needed.
Cauliflower Mash
The perfect low-carb, keto, paleo, and Whole30 side. You can also pair with Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes if you prefer over cauliflower mash!
- Cauliflower: You’ll need two medium heads of cauliflower, cut into florets.
- Seasonings: We’re seasoning the cauli-mash with a simple blend of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Butter or Olive Oil: Adds moisture to the mash.
How to Make It: Step-by-Step
These instant pot short ribs take only 15 minutes to prep!
- Season & sear the ribs. Generously salt and pepper the ribs. Turn your Instant Pot to “Sauté,” heat oil, and sear the short ribs on all sides until they develop a deep crust (about 5–7 minutes per side). This browning builds a rich base flavor.
- Sauté aromatics. Remove the meat, then sauté shallots, garlic, carrots, and rosemary until fragrant and softened — this creates a delicious flavor foundation.
- Deglaze & build braising liquid. Pour in the dry red wine and beef broth, scraping up browned bits from the bottom (that’s flavor!). Then return the ribs to the pot.
- Pressure cook. Seal the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Afterwards, let it naturally release pressure for about 10 minutes, then finish with a quick release.
- Finish the sauce. Remove the ribs and skim off any excess fat. Add balsamic vinegar and coconut sugar, then simmer to reduce the sauce and concentrate flavors. If you want it thicker, whisk in a little arrowroot slurry.
- Serve & enjoy! Return the ribs to the pot to soak up the sauce, then serve over cauliflower mash (or your favorite sides) — and dig in.
Bonus: these ribs taste even better the next day — great for leftovers if you like to prep ahead.
Why This Recipe Works
- All the richness of slow-braised ribs — in about an hour. The pressure cooker does the heavy lifting, so you get that deep, slow-cooked flavor without hours in the kitchen.
- Simple, clean ingredients. No unnecessary fillers or complicated steps — just quality meat, good seasoning, and flavor-packed aromatics.
- Versatile & forgiving. Use bone-in or boneless ribs, swap broth for wine, skip the sugar if you’re on Keto/Whole30 — and it still works.
- Comfort food meets clean-eating. If served with cauliflower-mash (instead of potato), this dish stays aligned with clean-eating or lower-carb goals — but still feels indulgent and satisfying.
FAQ’s
Boneless short ribs start with a quick sear, then they need just 40 minutes to pressure-cook for a fall-apart texture. If you decide to use bone-in short ribs, increase the pressure cooking time to 50 minutes.
In theory, yes. However, it is pretty darn tricky to overcook short ribs, especially if you’re cooking them in the Instant Pot. Since the Instant Pot is an incredibly moist cooking environment, the chances of a well-marbled cut of beef like beef short ribs drying out and overcooking are pretty slim.
Check out my Slow Cooker Short Ribs instead!
Leftover beef short ribs will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen then warm with the sauce either on the stove or in the instant pot on “sauté” until heated through.
Tips + Tricks
- Sear the beef first. Browning the beef first gives it that crispy, caramelized exterior for a better texture and flavor.
- Deglaze the Instant Pot. Scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the Instant Pot helps prevent a burn notice from occurring.
- Use a good red wine. Whenever you’re cooking with red wine, use something that actually tastes good to drink so the flavors can shine through.
- Make ahead of time. These instant pot beef short ribs taste even better the next day, so feel free to make them a day in advance and reheat when you’re ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve these ribs:
- Over the recipe’s creamy cauliflower-mash. It soaks up that rich, savory sauce beautifully.
- With simple roasted veggies, like green beans, broccoli, or carrots which balances richness and adds freshness.
- With classic garlic mashed potatoes or buttery polenta if you prefer classic comfort-food sides.
- For cozy, comforting dinners perfect for cold nights, serve with a side salad or steamed greens to brighten the plate.
Favorite Sides
- Roasted Vegetables or Perfect Oven Roasted Veggies
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Garlicky Blistered Green Beans
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
More Instant Pot Entrees to Try
- Instant Pot Pho
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Brisket
- Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli
- Instant Pot Thai Peanut Chicken
Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
For Beef Short Ribs:
- 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs
- 2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 3 shallots sliced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 2 sprig of rosemary
- 1 cup of red wine see note or sub for extra beef broth
- 1 cup beef broth
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar Omit for Keto or Whole30
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot optional
For Cauli-mash:
- 2 medium heads of cauliflower cut into florets and stem removed
- 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter or olive oil
Instructions
For Beef Short Ribs:
- Season the short ribs generously with salt and pepper.
- In a 6 or 8 quart Instant pot, press the saute function to heat up the pot. Once hot, add oil.
- Sear beef, about 5-7 minutes per side, in batches if necessary. Remove beef and set aside.
- Add shallots, garlic, carrots, rosemary to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add red wine, beef broth to the pot and scrape up and browned bits from the bottom to deglaze the pan. Shut off the saute function. Return the beef to the pot and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.
- When finished, use the natural release for 10 minutes and then use the quick release function to release the remaining pressure.
- Once the pin has dropped, open the pressure cooker and remove the meat from the pot and set aside. If there is a large amount of fat sitting on top of the liquid, skim off and discard (see note).
- Add balsamic vinegar and coconut sugar (if using) and turn on the saute function to reduce the liquid for 10 minutes.
- If you want to thicken up the sauce: add 2 teaspoons arrowroot to a small bowl. Take out 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the pot and whisk it in the arrowroot to make a slurry. Pour the slurry back in to the pot and continue to boil for 1 minute.
- Return meat to the pot and let cool briefly.
- Serve with cauli-mash (recipe below).
For Cauli-mash:
- Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water and place in a steamer basket and bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and place in cauliflower florets, cover the pot and steam until nice and tender, about 12-14 minutes.
- In a bowl, using a hand blender, (or food processor) blend steamed cauliflower with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oil and until fully combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Keep warm until ready to serve.
Notes
- If using red wine make sure that you are using a red wine that is tastes good! Whenever cooking with wine you always want to make sure that they wine tastes good enough to drink because the flavors can shine through!
- If you are cooking this ahead of time it is much easier to remove the fat once the sauce has cooled, so feel free to skip this step and wait for it to chill. If you are serving it fresh and wish to remove excess fat skim it off gently with a spoon.
- We opted to use boneless beef short ribs in our recipe, but this recipe will work with bone-in ribs with a slightly longer cooking time (increase by 10 minutes).
I don’t have an instapot can I do this in slow cooker and for how long?
We mention it in the post, but try out this recipe: https://lexiscleankitchen.com/slow-cooker-short-ribs/
This recipe is not for the Instapot. Ive been been cooking for years, usually in a slow cooker. I folliwed the recipe precisely using bone in grass fed short ribs. It turned into a hard leathery mess at 40 min . I saw the reviews , which I’m now guessing were the slow cooked reviews. and gave it a try. I just wasted 50 $ on meat. At least the dogs will eat well tonight. Another B.S recipe ad page only concerned about clicks.
It is…. It’s been made and tested countless times by many! Did you follow the recipe exactly? I can assure you we are not a click website. We test our recipes many times.
This one is a hit, Lexi. I had some bone-in short ribs, so I followed your notes and added 10 minutes. While the meat was cooking, I made some mashed potatoes to go with it. I felt like I had ordered a meal from a fancy restaurant and it was so easy to make! I used sliced red bunching onions from the garden instead of shallots and left out the rosemary because I didn’t have any. It had such a rich depth of flavor.
If using half the amount of short ribs, do you need to make any other changes to the recipe? Thx!
I loved this! I will be adding this to my frequent menu!
Absolutely delicious! And it is even better the next day. Perfect with the cauliflower mash, I did add a half tablespoon more of coconut sugar. Great recipe.