Go to Homepage
Get Our Cookbook

    Instant Pot Ribs

    Updated September 23, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    Succulent and absolutely dripping with flavor, our easy Instant Pot rib recipe yields perfectly tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs in under an hour. That’s Instant Pot magic right there.
    Instant pot baby back ribs with cilantro ginger, garlic, honey and lime sauce with peanuts

    The Best Instant Pot Rib Recipe, Ever

    Whether you’re making beef short ribs, baby back ribs, or St. Louis-style ribs, this Instant Pot rib recipe is all-purpose! You can easily adapt the method we use to suit any rib you have or especially love. The secret is to utilize the Instant Pot to tenderize the beef or pork ribs quickly, and then, once they’re falling off the bone, finish them with a quick broil in the oven to create the crispy, caramelized outer bits that we all love so much. Grab a bunch of napkins, and get ready for a rib-eating bonanza! Craving ribs but don’t have an Instant Pot? Check out our Oven Baked Ribs!

    ingredients laid out for instant pot pork ribs, cilantro, peanuts, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, honey, oil and chili sauce
    garlic, ginger, brown sugar, honey, oil and chili sauce and soy sauce in a small bowl

    The Best Instant Pot Rib Sauce

    While some swear by a dry rub, we’re all about a saucey rib!

    • Fresh ginger and garlic
    • Brown sugar
    • Honey
    • Fresh lime juice
    • Sambal oelek or other similar chili paste
    • Tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminostw
    • Olive oil
    • Shallot

    How Many Ribs Can Fit in an Instant Pot?

    This will depend somewhat on the type of rib you use. Our favorite is the lean, mean baby back rib, which is cut from the spine of a pig, near the loin. These ribs are just so tender and they’re our go-to. Four pounds of baby back ribs equals roughly 14 ribs, and that fits comfortably into a standard Instant Pot.

    4 lbs pork ribs salted on parchment paper
    onions sautéed in an instant pot
    4 lbs pork ribs salted in an instant pot with onions
    4 lbs pork ribs in an instant pot with brown sugar sauce

    How to Cook Ribs in Instant Pot

    You’re hungry for ribs! You’ve got an Instant Pot! Let’s do this:

    1. Make the rib sauce: combine the ginger, garlic, brown sugar, honey, lime juice, chili paste and tamari.
    2. Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode, and cook the shallots in oil until they’re just softened.
    3. Stand the ribs up around the edge of the Instant Pot.
    4. Pour the rib sauce over the ribs.
    5. Seal the Instant Pot with the lid, and cook the ribs for the appropriate number of minutes, depending on which type of rib you’re cooking (see the notes at the bottom of the recipe for cooking times).
    6. Let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes.
    7. Put the ribs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
    8. Put the Instant Pot back into sauté mode and boil the sauce until it has reduced by half.
    9. Brush the concentrated sauce all over the ribs.
    10. Broil the ribs on high for about 3-4 minute, then flip them, brush with more sauce and give them another 3-4 minutes.
    11. And you’re done!! Garnish with fresh cilantro and crushed peanuts and tuck in!
    4 lbs pork cooked ribs in an instant pot with brown sugar sauce
    cooked pork ribs on parchment paper
    cooked pork ribs with sauce on parchment paper
    broiled pork ribs with sauce on parchment paper

    How Long to Cook Ribs in the Instant Pot

    Our Instant Pot ribs recipe works for both beef ribs and pork ribs! You’ll just want to take note of the slightly different cooking times. We tested it with:

    • Baby back ribs: 30 minutes under pressure
    • St. Louis-style ribs: 32 minutes under pressure
    • Beef short ribs: 38 minutes under pressure
    • Beef short back ribs: 35 minutes under pressure
    broiled pork ribs with sauce on parchment paper

    Tools You’ll Need:

    More Instant Pot Recipes to Try

    Instant pot baby back ribs with cilantro ginger, garlic, honey and lime sauce with peanuts
    Instant pot baby back ribs with cilantro ginger, garlic, honey and lime sauce with peanuts

    Ribs in an Instant

    Well, ribs in a relative instant, at least! It’s hard to believe the magical quick-cooking power of pressure cooking. And yet it is real! We hope you love this Instant Pot rib recipe as much as we do. When you try it, let us know! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

    Fall is Here: 5 Days of Fall Comfort Food!

    FREE EMAIL BONUS: Fall dishes to ease into cooler days.

    Instant pot baby back ribs with cilantro ginger, garlic, honey and lime sauce with peanuts

    Instant Pot Ribs Recipe

    Updated September 23, 2025

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  8
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  1 hr 5 min
    • Calories:  511

    Description

    Succulent and absolutely dripping with flavor, our easy Instant Pot rib recipe yields perfectly tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs in under an hour. That’s Instant Pot magic right there.
    Print Recipe

    💌 Send yourself this recipe

    Enter your email and we'll send Instant Pot Ribs right to your inbox.

      Ingredients

      • 4 pounds baby back ribs
      • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
      • ¼ cup peeled and minced fresh ginger
      • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
      • ¼ cup light brown sugar
      • ¼ cup honey
      • ¼ cup fresh lime juice, (from 2 to 3 limes)
      • 3 tablespoons garlic chilli paste or sambal oelek
      • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
      • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
      • 1 medium shallot, minced
      • Fresh cilantro, for garnish
      • Crushed peanuts, for garnish

      Method

      1. Pat the ribs dry. Using a knife, loosen the membrane on the back of the ribs at one end, then use a paper towel to grip and pull off the membrane in one piece. Cut the ribs into 2-rib portions. Season with the salt.

      2. In a small bowl whisk together the ginger, garlic, brown sugar, honey, lime juice, chili paste, and soy sauce until combined.

      3. Put the Instant Pot on sauté mode and heat the olive oil. Add shallot and cook just until softened.

      4. Arrange the ribs standing up around the edge of the pot, working in a circle. Add a second layer if needed. Pour the sauce over the ribs. Cover and seal the pot with the lid, making sure that the vent valve is closed. Switch the pot to manual mode and cook on high for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes, then release any extra pressure manually.

      5. Remove ribs from the pot and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and boil the sauce until reduced by half, about 8 minutes.

      6. Brush the ribs generously with the reduced sauce, and broil on high until they are crispy on the outside, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, brush with more sauce, and broil for another 3 to 4 minutes until all sides are crispy.

      7. Serve topped with fresh cilantro and crushed peanuts.

      Notes

      Cooking times vary by rib type—beef short ribs take 38 minutes, beef short back ribs take 35 minutes, and St. Louis ribs take 32 minutes.

      Related Recipes

      Nutrition Info

      • Per Serving
      • Amount
      • Calories 511
      • Protein 36 g
      • Carbohydrates 24 g
      • Total Fat 31 g
      • Dietary Fiber 1 g
      • Cholesterol 120 mg
      • Sodium 1180 mg
      • Total Sugars 19 g

      Instant Pot Ribs

      Questions & Reviews

      Rated 5 stars by 8 readers

      or
      • Cindi

        If I cut this recipe in half, do I change the cooking time?

        Nope! Enjoy.

      • Genesis

        Hi,

        Can I use pork spare ribs? If so, how long would you cook them in the pressure cooker?

        You can! We tested these two types of pork ribs St Louis: 32 min and Baby Back: 30 min. So right around that 30 min mark should be good. Hope you enjoy Genesis!

      • Christie

        I haven’t been able to find sambal for long time, is there something else I can substitute?

        You could try sriracha? Or if you are an amazon user they sell samba on there.

      • Eleni

        Can you make the sauce the night before?

        No, the juices from the ribs become part of the sauce. Hope you enjoy Eleni!

      • Leah

        If i were to half this recipe, how much would that change the cook time if it does?

        It wouldn't change the cook time at all. Hope you enjoy Leah!

      • Mary

        Can this recipe be adjusted to make it in a crockpot or stove?

        Hi Mary, we unfortunately don't have instructions for that method at this time.

      • BethK

        How would I adjust the time for boneless ribs? (Full disclosure - I've never made ribs or used an Instant pot!!!) Thank you! I love your site!!!

        I think you can use the same timing.

      • Kaitlyn

        My rack is frozen. Is this recipe for frozen ribs or do they need to be thawed?

        They need to be thawed.

      • Dean

        I have never made ribs before but got an instant pot on Black Friday. Thanks so much for this recipe! The sauce was great and everyone in the family loved the ribs.

        Yay! So happy to hear this!

      • Michelle

        Would this recipe work paleo / without the brown sugar?

        We haven't tested it that way, but I am sure it would still be delicious.

      • Christine

        5-star rating

        Amazing! Family absolutely loved them!

        Glad to hear!

      • Lacey

        5-star rating

        These turned out so good and were so simple to make! Definitely recommend!

        That's so great to hear! Thanks Lacey & Tony!

      • Gretchen

        5-star rating

        This turned out so good! We'll definitely be making this again! The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce was delicious. We were a bit pressed for time when reducing the sauce, so we used a bit of a cornstarch slurry to thicken.

        Thanks Gretchen, we are so happy you loved these!

      • Amy

        5-star rating

        These were incredible! I had 2 racks of beef ribs sitting in my freezer, not knowing what I was going to use them for and this was perfect for them! I doubled the recipe because I had 8 pounds of ribs, but found I probably didn’t need to double the sauce. So next time I will double the ribs but not double the sauce. So so good!

        Thanks Amy! We are so glad you loved these!

      • Diana

        5-star rating

        Loved this recipe! I actually used sugar free "maple" syrup for the honey, and brown sugar Lakanto for the sugar, and it was delicious! I did not add the peanuts at the end, and I think what I will add next time is a good amount of green onion. And maybe less of the sweet. Great with Thai sticky rice

        Glad you liked it Diana!

      • Genevieve

        5-star rating

        This recipe is amazing! I used 1/4 cup maple syrup instead of the sugar & honey and thickened the sauce with arrowroot after reducing it.

        Thanks, Genevieve! Great job trying out substitutions, glad you enjoyed it!

      • AngieW

        5-star rating

        A M A Z I N G ! Just made this for dinner. Delicious 😋

        Yay! These are my son's favorite!

      • Chantelle

        5-star rating

        Absolutely amazing! This is my new favorite site for recipes. Thank you for the great recipes.

        Awe. Thank you so much!

      Save this Recipe

      Enter your email below & we'll send Instant Pot Ribs to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!

        We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

        Fall is Here: 5 Days of Fall Comfort Food!

        FREE EMAIL BONUS: Fall dishes to ease into cooler days.

        Our Recipes, Your Inbox

        Subscribe to our Newsletter for weekly recipe inspiration as well as seasonal menu tips and resources.