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Our delicious and easy Prime Rib recipe features an herb and garlic seasoning on a boneless or bone-in prime rib roast, and step-by-step instructions and tips to cook it perfectly!
Looking for more simple but impressive main dishes? Try this Rack of Lamb, Pork Tenderloin, Baked Salmon, or a Marinated Flank Steak!
Why I love this recipe:
- Easy: Cooking prime rib can seem intimidating, especially since it's an expensive cut of meat! But this recipe has simple ingredients and easy to follow instructions that will allow even the most novice cook to have success!
- Cheaper cooked from home: it's much cheaper to serve prime rib from home, then order from a restaurant! Most local grocery stores carry choice grade prime rib for between $14.99 to $15.99 per pound. I've found Costco to have the lowest prices for the best quality. They even sometimes carry prime grade meat.
How much do you need?
The rule of thumb for buying prime rib is to buy one pound per person. A bone-in standing rib roast will feed about 2 people per bone. Also, be sure to consider how many side dishes you plan to serve. If you are preparing a large holiday meal with plenty of other food you could plan on ½ – ¾ pound prime rib per person.
The Prime rib roast (aka standing rib roast) is taken from the back of the upper ribs of the cow and typically makes up about 7 ribs. You don't have to buy the whole section, just specify to your butcher how many pounds you would like.
Bone-in or Boneless Prime Rib:
Bone-in prime rib roasts are typically more flavorful and cook better than boneless prime rib, but boneless will also work great! If you buy a bone-in prime rib, ask the butcher to cut the bone off and tie it to the roast for you. This way you can cook the bones with the meat: they make a nice rack for the meat to sit on, but then you can easily remove them before carving the roast. If using a boneless prime rib, you will want to set it on a rack to roast. (I've had success using the wire rack from my instant pot set on top of my cast iron skillet.)
Cook Time and Temperature:
The length of time to cook prime rib depends on how rare you want the meat.
Start by cooking your prime rib at 500°F for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 325° F and cook for 10-12 min per pound for rare, or 13-14 min per pound for medium rare, or 14-15 min per pound for medium well.
A meat thermometer is essential to ensure you cook it perfectly!
Roast your prime rib until the thermometer registers:
- 115-120˚F for rare
- 125-130˚F for medium rare
- 135-140° F for medium
- 145-150 F° for medium well
Please keep in mind the meat temperature will continue to rise 5-10 degrees when it's resting out of the oven, so don't over cook it!
How to cook Prime Rib:
Let it rest. Remove your roast from the refrigerator about 1 hour before cooking to give it time to come to room temperature. Season it with a little bit of salt and cover it lightly with plastic wrap while is rests.
Prepare herb rub. Combine the salt, pepper, fresh thyme, rosemary, garlic and olive oil then rub it all over the outside of the roast. Place a bone-in roast with the bones down, in a cast iron, roasting, or other oven safe pan. Place a boneless rib roast on top of a rack, and then in your pan.
Cook the boneless or bone-in prime rib at 500 degrees for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue cooking until the meat is 5-10 degrees away from the desired doneness temperature (see cooking temperature guidelines above or below in the recipe card).
Allow time to rest. Remove the prime rib from the oven then tent the entire roast with foil. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes–It will continue to cook the extra 5-10 degrees. Resting the meat is essential as it allows the juices to seal back into the meat. If you cut the meat too soon, the juices will run out and it will be chewy.
Carve and Serve. Spoon some of the extra sauce from the pan over the roast, if desired, or use it to make gravy. Cut the kitchen string holding the roast to the bones (if using a bone-in roast) and remove the bones before carving. Serve the best prime rib recipe with mashed potatoes, wedge salad, and homemade rolls.
Tips for Perfect Prime Rib:
- Use a meat thermometer. You can use a probe that stays inside the meat the entire time it cooks or you can use a simple instant read meat thermometer to check the prime rib cooking time. Either way, remember that each slice of meat is different and each oven is different. Don't take the chance of ruining such an expensive piece of meat.
- Don't over-cook. The meat will continue to cook once it’s taken out of the oven (your thermometer will continue to rise 5-10 degrees) so err on the side of taking your prime rib out early. If you take it out and it seems under-cooked, you can always cook it a little longer.
- Let it REST, As with most meat, you want to let it rest after cooking to allow the juices to settle in the meat, making it juicier and more tender. If you cut into your roast without letting it rest, the juices will rush out then the meat will be chewy.
- Cut meat across the grain. That means, notice the directional lines in the meat grain then slice perpendicular to them. If you cut along the grain then the meat will be tougher and chewier to eat.
Perfect Sides for Prime Rib:
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes or Twice Baked Potatoes
- Roasted Vegetables
- Homemade Rolls
- Classic Wedge Salad
- Skillet cornbread
Prime Rib Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 pounds beef prime rib*, (if larger, double the spices/seasonings)
- Sea salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 8 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- horseradish, , for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Bring meat to room temperature: Remove prime rib from the refrigerator one hour before cooking. Season it on all sides with salt and cover it loosely with plastic wrap as it comes to room temperature. Prime rib roast will cook better and more evenly when it’s at room temperature.
- Adjust oven racks: When you are ready to cook the prime rib, lower/adjust your oven rack so the meat will cook in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Combine seasonings: In the meantime, mix together 1 ½ teaspoons salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and olive oil.
- Prepare roast: Pat the roast with paper towels. Spoon seasoning over it, rubbing it onto all sides. Place bone-in roast with the bones down, inside a roasting cast iron pan. Place a boneless roast on a rack inside the pan.
- Bake prime rib at 500 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking until desired level of doneness. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meat:Rare: 120 degrees F (about 10-12 min/pound). Medium Rare: 130 degrees F (about 13-14 min/pound)Medium: 140 degrees F (about 14-15 min/pound)Medium Well:150 degrees FImportant: The meat will continue to cook as it rests out of the oven so remove it from the oven 5-10 degrees before it reaches your optimal temperature.)
- Rest: Remove it from the oven and tent it with foil. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
- Carve prime rib roast by slicing against the grain into about ½ inch thick slices. Serve with horseradish, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe December 2018. Updated July 2020 and October 2023.
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Everyone absolutely loved this prime rib for Christmas Eve. Thank you!! My Wife wouldn’t let me take the leftovers to Christmas dinner because “they will eat it all”
I made the prime rib dinner two Christmases two Christmases ago and I had taken culinary classes to learn how to cook things like this and when I saw this recipe I was amazed everybody was amazed I cooked it and they loved it thank you for the recipe I cooked it almost every Christmas now and New Year’s it’s a better taste than turkey especially when you have turkey for Thanksgiving prime rib for Christmas is the best thing there is
How long do you cook it and what temperature
I’ve never commented on a recipe before, but I had to for this one because we followed this recipe to a T and had one of the best NYE dinners to date. Considering how simple the recipe was, we were all blown away by how tender, juicy, and flavorful the prime rib roast turned out. This recipe created a meal that was better than any restaurant prime rib we’ve ever had. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe with the world!
Just made this recipe. Words cannot describe how delicious it was. I will make this again and again
Just made this for Thanksgiving dinner. I’ve not made many roasts, so wanted guidance, and following this
recipe provided the very best beef we’ve enjoyed; either in our home or out in a restaurant. Will definitely use again.
Far too much garlic unfortunately. I had 3.5 pound prime rib do reduced rub to 60% of recipe. Garlic burned somewhat leaving acrid taste and overpowered the thyme and rosemary. I have cooked beef roast many different ways over past 40 years but though I really like garlic I would not try this recipe again. Still you don’t know until you try it.
I hate cooking. I really do. However the man of the house loves my cooking. I shook like a leaf when he brought home this very expensive piece of boneless Prime . I searched Pinterest and found this recipe. Sure seemed easy enough. I did it and he loved it. “Best I’ve ever had”. I’m being “forced” to cook it tonight. So I either say THANKS A LOT to a great recipe…or ugh…thanks a lot!
I used a whole boneless rib eye. Cut down to fit my roaster. It was verry easy, simple and most of all mouthwatering, delicious.
Good job.
This recipe is really, really good. The rub is well-thought and lets the true flavor of the meat shine through without too much spice. I would let the roast get to room temperature longer than 1 hour. My roast took longer to cook than what is stated, I think, because it was too cold to start. Otherwise, this is a keeper! Thanks.
I agree, the time from refrigerator to oven needs to be longer. As with Diana, my roast was still cold after a solid hour. That being said, the recipe was great. I used the 140 degrees/medium and with a full 30 minutes of rest post oven, and the meat was great ( solid pink center). The rub is easy and very tasteful. Start with a good quality of roast and you can’t go wrong!
Making this today. Do I cook it covered or uncovered? Thanks!
Uncovered. Enjoy!
Lauren, I fixed this for my family for our Christmas Celebration. My entire family lives two hours away and always comes to my home for Christmas. I’ve been preparing a beef tenderloin for them (they are all beef-eaters!) and decided to use this recipe to change it up. IT WAS FANTASTIC! So much easier than the tenderloin and they have already requested it for Christmas for next year. Thanks for such an easy recipe. To tell you how good it was, my husband and daughter are not beef eaters (I could skip meat altogether!) and they said it smelled so good and was getting such rave reviews, they ate it too! I had ham for them and it went uneaten because they wanted their share of the Prime Rib!
THANKS for making me a rock star cook!
Followed directions for medium rare. Came out perfect and delicious! Thank you.
I just bought an 8 1/2 pound Boneless Prime Rib Roast. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Do you think a double herb recipe will be enough for this large of a roast? maybe I’ll cut the roast in half and freeze one of the halves. Can’t wait!!
I would do 1.5 of the herb recipe and it should be perfect! Enjoy!