Perfectly tender Instant Pot Short Ribs with carrots and fresh herbs, and served with a rich gravy made from the sauce and drippings. My favorite “fancy” meal made extra quick and easy in the instant pot!
This recipe is the instant pot version of my Braised Short Ribs and I'm telling you, they are drool-worthy! This is definitely a recipe that deserves to be added to your list of easy, gourmet meals.
What are short ribs? “Short” ribs are found in the beef chuck portion of a cow. Typically there are five short, small pieces of meat that are too small to be sold as good steaks, so they are sold as ribs instead. So, they are exactly what the name implies; short (small) ribs.
What is braising? Braising is a cooking method where you brown meat on all sides and simmer it over low heat. Braising doesn't require special equipment, you simply brown or sear the ribs at a high temperature then cook them in liquid at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. This method of cooking is perfect for cooking tougher cuts of meat because it helps them tenderize.
Purchasing short ribs:
As short ribs are increasingly popular, they can be found at most local grocery stores. When choosing short ribs, consider:
- Boneless vs bone-in ribs: Though you can use either type of short rib for this recipe, I recommend Bone-in short ribs because they are more flavorful and cook more evenly.
- Check the color: purchase bright red meat, and avoid meat that is turning grey or has spots of grey coloring.
- Check for marbling: marbling is the streaks of fat in the meat and having some marbling is great but avoid ribs that are excessively fatty. The more meat, the better!
Ingredients
- Pantry staples: olive oil, flour, cornstarch, beef broth, tomato paste, salt and pepper.
- Produce: yellow onion, carrots, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary.
- Beef short ribs (8 whole ribs).
- Dry red wine (such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir – ½ cup).
How to Make Instant Pot Short Ribs
- Sauté veggies: Turn Instant pot to sauté setting and sauté onion and carrots in oil. Remove veggies to a plate.
2. Brown Ribs: season ribs in salt and pepper and coat on all side with flour. Add ribs and brown on all sides, then remove to a plate.
3. Deglaze: Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits of flavor. Bring to a boil, add beef broth, salt, pepper, and tomato paste.
4. Pressure cook: Return ribs and veggies to the pot and add sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Cook on Manual/High Pressure for 45 minutes with a 15 minute natural release.
5. Thicken sauce: carefully remove short ribs to a plate and turn pot to sauté. Add cornstarch slurry and cook until sauce has thickened.
6. Serve ribs over mashed potatoes with a spoonful of gravy from the pot.
Store leftover short ribs in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days depending on the freshness of your ingredients.
MAKE AHEAD AND FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS:
To make ahead: If you'd like to make this ahead of time, I suggest using the stovetop method!
To freeze: Allow the dish to cool completely. Store in a freezer safe container in the freezer for 3-4 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator and reheat slowly on the stove or in the microwave.
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Recipe
Instant Pot Short Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 3 carrots , chopped
- 8 beef short ribs
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry red wine (such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir)
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Cornstarch slurry: 2.5 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Turn Instant pot to Saute setting. Once hot, add one tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add onion and carrots and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Remove veggies to a plate.
- Pat the ribs dry with paper towels, season on all sides with salt and pepper and coat on all sides with flour. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pot. Add ribs and brown on all sides, then remove to a plate.
- Add the wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits of flavor. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.
- Add beef broth, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in tomato paste. Return ribs, and veggies to the pot and add sprigs of thyme and rosemary.
- Secure instant pot lid. Cook on Manual/High Pressure for 45 minutes with a 15 minute natural release.
- Remove instant pot lid, and carefully remove short ribs to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Turn pot to saute and add cornstarch slurry. Cook until sauce has thickened. Serve ribs over mashed potatoes with a spoonful of gravy from the pot.
Notes
Nutrition
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?!
RATE this recipe and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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i would love to extend cooking time- make on my lunch break so it’s ready after work. my insta pot can double as a low cooker…how long would i cook as a slow cook instead of pressure cook ? thank you!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! Making them for a second time within a month!!! So easy and tender, gravy is just right!! Thank you for a fabulous recipe!!!
2 1/2 to 3hrs. Even 4 hours would be OK. As a slow cooker, everything in the pot will just get more tender the longer it cooks.
Just made this for dinner and it was delicious. The flavours are intensed but balanced. This dish will be added to my Instapot recipe book and I know that I will be cooking this to impress my partner’s mom.
This was Divine! I am alcohol free, so my only substitution was red wine vinegar for the red wine. I’m sure I missed some depth of flavor but my family did NOT complain. Even my super picky 9 you nephew had to try it. Thank you!
The alcohol in the wine burns off as it cooks.
Someone who is alcohol free may not keep alcohol in the house. Red wine vinegar is probably a good substitute.
It’s true that most people who are alcohol free don’t have alcohol in their house. However I keep alcohol for cooking- mainly wine for dishes like this or when I make mushroom risotto. I just purchase the small little four packs of wine when I need them.
Made this dish for the 1st time in my instant pot 2 days ago,, WOW,, the flavor was incredible,, had a friend over,, they had 3 servings it was so good !!
I followed this recipe as is, though did do 50 min in Instapot as someone suggested as I had nearly 3 lbs of the short ribs. They fell off the bone. I thought the carrots were a bit over cooked but there was no approx time given to precook them so my approx. 7 minutes was probably too much. I served on polenta. Definitely a rich and hearty meal I’d make again and add a side salad.
Made this for the second time for company and it was a huge hit. I did use 4 cloves of garlic. Picked lemon thyme by mistake and it was a bit Mediterranean.
My second time making this dish. Fantastic! Served with mashed potatoes to get all the gravy.
If you have only 1.52 lbs of short ribs is the cooking time shorter in the instapot.
This was SO easy to make and my kids LOVED it.
I plated it on a bed of mashed potatoes with sautéed mushroom and asparagus. Will be making again for a larger party because it’s that delicious (and easy).
So, I made this for Christmas dinner yesterday. I had about 1 and 1/2 lbs. boneless short ribs and it was so delicious. The sauce was perfect. Since the ribs were boneless I pressure cooked them for 40 minutes and they came out perfect. So tender. Thank you for a wonderful recipe that we will enjoy again.