These Instant Pot short ribs are melt in your mouth delicious! The meat is fall off the bone tender and so hearty. This recipe is great for family dinners, holidays, entertaining, meal prep and leftovers. Such an easy and straightforward way to make short ribs. Only about an hour needed! It is pure comfort food made with wholesome and nutritious ingredients!

Instant Pot short ribs.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • These Instant Pot short ribs are so tender and flavorful.
  • No need to turn on the oven or slow cooker.
  • This is the quickest and easiest way to cook short ribs.
  • Only about an hour needed. These Instant Pot Carnitas take only an hour too!
  • This recipe is great for family dinners, leftovers and meal prep.
  • Delicious with carrots and mashed potatoes.
  • They taste like all day long braised short ribs.
  • The meat is fall off the bone tender.
  • This recipe is Whole30 friendly, Paleo, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free and refined sugar free.
  • Check out these Paleo Braised Short Ribs or these Beef Back Ribs for another hearty dinner recipe!

Ingredients & Substitutions

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for Instant Pot short ribs. Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredients list and instructions.

Olive oil helps cook the carrots and onion. Feel free to use vegetable oil or coconut oil instead.

Carrots and onions add flavor and nutritious benefits.

Both bone in and boneless short ribs can be used. For best results, use bone in. Bone in short ribs are more flavorful than boneless.

Sea salt and pepper add flavor. Feel free to add even more for additional flavor.

Tomato paste helps thick and flavor the gravy sauce.

Beef broth adds a hearty flavor to the sauce. If needed, use chicken broth.

Pomegranate juice or red wine add flavor. For Whole30 and Paleo, use unsweetened pomegranate juice.

Lastly, create a slurry using liquid from the pot and tapioca flour. Cornstarch works well too.

Ingredients for instant pot short ribs.

What are Short Ribs?

Short ribs are a cut of beef that come from the plate or rib area of the cow.

They are shorter than spare ribs and typically have more meat and less bone.

Short ribs are a popular cut for slow cooking because they have a lot of connective tissue. This breaks down over time and results in a tender, flavorful meat.

In this recipe, the Instant Pot quickly and efficiently cooks the short ribs. Pressure cooker short ribs are much quicker than slow cooker short ribs.

I have not tried this Instant Pot short ribs recipe with pork ribs, but they should work just fine. Beef ribs are more common.

What is an Instant Pot?

An Instant Pot is a multi-cooker that is designed to replace several kitchen appliances. These include a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, and more.

It works by cooking food quickly and efficiently under pressure. This results in tender and flavorful meals in a fraction of the time it would take to cook them traditionally.

Taste & Texture

Instant Pot short ribs have a rich and robust flavor. They are hearty, savory and flavorful. The beef broth and pomegranate juice (or red wine) create a delicious gravy sauce.

The meat is fall off the bone, melt in your mouth tender. The carrots also become soft.

How to Make

Step 1

First, turn Instant Pot on and press the Sauté setting. Add in the olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in onions and carrots. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Then, remove veggies from pot.

Carrots and onions in pot.

Step 2

Pat dry short ribs with paper towels. Season on both sides with sea salt and pepper. If needed, add another drizzle of olive oil to the pot. Add short ribs to pot. Brown for 2 minutes on each side.

Step 3

Add in all remaining ingredients except tapioca flour. Stir to combine. Press cancel.

Comfort food in pot.

Step 4

Secure lid on top. Set top valve to Seal. Press the Pressure Cook button. Set timer for 45 minutes.

Step 5

Once timer goes off, allow pot to naturally release pressure for 15 minutes. Then, carefully turn valve to Vent. Release remaining pressure.

Meat and carrots in pot.

Step 6

Press Sauté. Remove ¼ cup of the liquid from the pot to a small bowl. Stir in the tapioca flour.

Step 7

Then, pour this slurry back into the pot. Stir until sauce has thickened.

Step 8

Finally, serve Instant Pot short ribs and carrots!

Expert Tips & Tricks

Brown the short ribs before cooking them in the Instant Pot. This step helps to develop a deeper flavor and color.

Use unsweetened pomegranate juice or a good quality red wine for this recipe. The wine should be dry and full-bodied, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.

Let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally for about 15 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure. This helps to prevent the meat from becoming tough or dry.

The tapioca flour slurry thickens the sauce. Continue stirring and cooking until sauce reaches desired thickness.

Short ribs with mashed potatoes.

How to Serve & Store

Serve these Instant Pot short ribs hot and fresh from the pot. They are great served over mashed potatoes. Or, serve with air fryer baked potatoes.

Spoon some of the carrots and gravy on top.

Discard all bones.

Try this Instant Pot Chocolate Cake for dessert!

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw fully before consuming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do short ribs get more tender the longer you cook them?

Yes, short ribs become more tender as they cook.

How long does it take for short ribs to be tender?

It usually takes several hours for short ribs to be tender. The pressure cooker speeds up this process considerably.

Can I make short ribs without alcohol?

Yes! Use pomegranate juice instead of wine.

What is braising?

Braising is the process of quickly frying or pan searing something then letting it cook slowly. In this case, the meat is seared then pressure cooked until tender.

Should I use bone in or boneless short ribs?

For the best flavor, use bone in short ribs. Bone in short ribs are more tender and flavorful than boneless.

Tender meat with veggies.

Equipment Needed

Instant Pot: The Instant Pot is a great kitchen appliance. It can make meats, soups, stews, veggies and more. Great for these Instant Pot short ribs.

Pyrex Glass Measuring Cups: Use these glass measuring cups for cooking, baking and measuring.

You May Also Like

If you make this Instant Pot short ribs recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on InstagramFacebook, and Pinterest. Join my exclusive Facebook Group for a behind the scenes look. I would love for you to follow along!  For more ideas, see these Lunch and Dinner Recipes.

Instant Pot short ribs.

Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Short Ribs

These Instant Pot short ribs are fall of the bone tender, melt in your mouth delicious! This recipe is great for family dinners, meal prep and leftovers. The meat becomes so juicy and flavorful!
5 from 37 votes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 4 beef short ribs
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • cup pomegranate juice, or red wine
  • 2 tbsp tapioca flour, or cornstarch

Instructions 

  • First, turn Instant Pot on and press the Sauté setting. Add in olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in onions and carrots. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Remove veggies from pot.
  • Pat dry short ribs with paper towels. Season on both sides with sea salt and pepper. If needed, add another drizzle of olive oil to the pot. Add short ribs to pot. Brown for 2 minutes on each side.
  • Add in all remaining ingredients except tapioca flour. Stir to combine. Press cancel.
  • Secure lid on top. Set top valve to Seal. Press the Pressure Cook button. Set timer for 45 minutes.
  • Once timer goes off, allow pot to naturally release pressure for 15 minutes. Then, carefully turn valve to Vent. Release remaining pressure.
  • Press Sauté. Remove ¼ cup of the liquid from the pot to a small bowl. Stir in tapioca flour.
  • Then, pour this slurry back into the pot. Stir until sauce has thickened.
  • Finally, serve short ribs and carrots!

Notes

  • For best results, use bone in short ribs.  They have more flavor than boneless.
  • Both pomegranate juice and red wine work well in this recipe.  If necessary, replace with more beef broth.
  • The tapioca flour slurry will thicken the sauce.  Continue stirring until sauce has reached desired thickness.
  • Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • Freeze for up to 2 months.
Calories: 308kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 614mg, Potassium: 397mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 7767IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 1mg

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