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These Instant Pot Ribs are so tender, flavorful, and delicious, it's really hard to believe they cook in just about 30 minutes! Another great, easy recipe made with your pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Ribs
Cooking tender, bbq ribs at home is one of those dinners that will always, always make me feel like a rock-star for how amazing they turn out, and how little work was required on my part.
My go-to ribs recipe is usually these slow cooker ribs, but the instant pot also makes fantastic ribs and it's perfect for those of us that don't always plan dinner out early enough to pull the slow cooker out in the morning.
My favorite quality about the instant pot (and the area where the instant pot really shines) is how it can take hefty cuts of meat and cook them to tender in such a short amount of time. These instant pot ribs are the perfect examples of the type recipe that cooks GREAT in the pressure cooker or instant pot. Learn all of my instant pot tips!
How to make Instant Pot Ribs:
- Season the ribs all over with a dry spice rub.
- Add liquid to the bottom of the instant pot.
- Curl the ribs around the instant pot, with the meat side facing out. If your ribs are already cut in sections then stand them up in the same manner, lining them up around the pot.
- Cook them on high pressure. Cooking times will vary just slightly depending on the type of ribs you use, your elevation, and if you want them tender to the bite, or fall-off-the-bone tender.
When the ribs are finished cooking you can slather them in your favorite store-bought or homemade bbq sauce.
I also like to stick them under the broiler for just a few minutes, to let the bbq sauce caramelize and char a little bit. YUM!
Tips for the perfect instant pot ribs:
What type of ribs to use:
I prefer baby back ribs but you can also use spare ribs. It's important to not that your cooking time will vary, depending on your altitude and what type of ribs you choose.
How long to cook ribs in the instant pot or pressure cooker:
- Baby Back Ribs: 25-30 Minutes
- Spare Ribs: 30-35 Minutes
- For low altitude, use the lower number, and for high altitude cook them a little longer.
- Also, the longer you cook them, the more “fall-off-the-bone tender they will be. If you want them tender, without falling off the bone, use a slightly lower cook time.
What size instant pot for instant pot ribs?
Any 6 quart or larger instant pot will work!
Removing the membrane from the ribs:
Depending on where you buy your ribs, they may still have the white, shiny membrane connective tissue on the back (bone side) of the ribs. I buy mine from Costco and they already have the membranes removed. Check to make sure the membrane on your ribs has been removed and if it hasn't, follow these steps to remove it:
- Just flip the ribs so the top (meaty part) is face down.
- Slide your fingers or a butter knife under the membrane and rip it off.
- No special skills needed here, just use your fingers to yank it up and off the ribs.
Consider serving with a Side Dish. Here are some of my favorites:
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Instant Pot Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-2 racks pork ribs, (*see note below)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup apple juice, , or ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, , optional*
- 1 cup barbecue sauce, , homemade or store-bought (*see note)
Instructions
- Remove membranes from the back of ribs, if needed.
- Rubs seasonings over both sides of ribs.
- Place wire trivet rack in the bottom of the instant pot.
- Add water, apple juice (or apple cider vinegar) and liquid smoke (optional, but recommended for that great smokey flavor).
- Place the ribs upright, with the meat side facing out. If you’re using one large rack of ribs, then circle them around the pot.
- Secure lid and close vent.
- Press “manual” or “pressure cook” and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
- When the timer beeps, allow the pressure to naturally release for 15 min, then turn the valve to quick release.
- Carefully remove ribs to a large, foil-lined baking sheet and slather them in BBQ sauce.
- Optional: broil them in the oven for 2-3 minutes to caramelize the bbq sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE this recipe and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Excellent recipe! Turned out delicious!! Its my staple instapot pork ribs recipe.
WOW!!! We LOVED these ribs!! I did take liberty with the rub. I added some allspice, Ceylon cinnamon, a little cayenne pepper and dry yellow mustard. FANTASTIC!!!
I was going to make pork tenderloin today, but the grocery store had pork back ribs on sale BOGO, so I switched it up. Randomly found your instant pot recipe online … turned out amazing (and it was so easy – I already had all the ingredients in my pantry)! It took an hour and ten minutes total from prep to table and the ribs were falling off the bone wonderful. I highly recommend the recipe (I used sweet baby ray’s hickory barbecue sauce and I broiled 2 minutes on each side to caramelize the sauce after the instant pot -cooked mine for 30 in the IP).
First time using instant pot. They came out great.
Received an Instant Pot for Christmas and used this recipe for the maiden voyage. Followed the recipe as written, using pre-seasoned St. Louis ribs from Costco. Excellent results!! Great way to ring in 2019 – Happy New Year!!
Hi, we’re going to try this recipe for the first time in the Instant Pot, can you please tell me where I can find a rack like the one in your photograph, I found one similar but doens’t have the handles. Thanks.
My wire trivet rack came with my 6qt IP duo when I bought it…I’m sure you can buy one off Amazon 🙂
These ribs were good but if you usually take the time to do 3-2-1 ribs on a smoker, you will most likely be disappointed. It is nice have a quick option but sadly you can’t compare them to a 6 hour smoking.
Followed the recipe cooking 35 min and resting 25 for my spare ribs at high altitude. They were fall off the bone tender and a few minutes under the broiler really added a nice touch. Next time I might cook a bit less. Overall a great recipe for ribs. I am wondering if taking off the membrane allowed them to cook faster. I was a bit surprised at how tender they were. I need to take better notes when I cook. The pressure cooker/IP is always a learning experience. Thanks for the tasty recipe!
Are the spices in the ingredients what you used for the rub?
This recipe is fine of you want pulled pork and not “pick up and hold in your hand and eat” spare ribs. I used 3 1/2 lbs. of St. Louis style Ribs, and cooked them the recommended 30 mins, with a 15 min natural pressure release. We have a Breville Fast-Slow Pro, not an Instant Pot, but the cooking procedures are virtually identical to an Instant Pot. When I went to remove the ribs, the meat fell off the bone before I could even remove them from the pot. We ended up just serving the meat on a platter without the bones. I used my own rub. The meat was tasty, so I rated the recipe 3 stars, but not the spare rib outcome I was hoping for. Perhaps I needed to cook them less time, or quick release the pressure after the cooking time, rather than wait an additional 15 mins., or just use another pressure cooker recipe.
Just made these ribs on a cold wintry Vermont day. I didn’t have chili powder so just used paprika and cayenne pepper along with the other spices for the rub. Unfortunately, I ended up buying what must have been the worlds toughest ribs. The meat was so tough! But, trust me – this is no fault of the recipe or the IP – but rather the pork itself. The meat did in fact fall off the bone and I have no doubt that they would have been wonderful…if only. I will definitely make these again when it’s too cold outside to be grilling!
Did 2 racks of spare ribs for 40min for my parents, Amazing! Going to do one rack today for myself! This recipe is sooo amazingly fast and will be added to my “cook book”