Instant Pot Ribs is the easiest way to achieve tender, juicy ribs. Whether you’re using baby back ribs or pork loin ribs, pressure cooking tenderizes the meat in a fraction of the time so you can enjoy homemade ribs even on busy weeknights.

Our Smoked Ribs take about 7 hours from start to finish and Baked BBQ Ribs take more than 2 1/2 hours, cooked low and slow in the oven. This recipe requires no marinating time and is done in around 45 minutes. P.S. you can even use frozen ribs!

Instant Pot Ribs sliced and served on a tray

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Instant Pot Ribs Recipe:

The ingredients here are simple: ribs (baby back ribs or pork loin ribs), apple juice, cider vinegar, seasoning salt, dry rub and of course bbq sauce. If you’re feeling adventurous, add half a teaspoon of liquid smoke to add that smoked element to your ribs. The instant pot makes the magic happen – amazingly fast with excellent results.

Instant Pots save time and have consistent results for corn on the cob, instant pot boiled eggs and dulce de leche. This Instant Pot Ribs recipe is sure to become a new favorite for you.

Ingredients for instant pot ribs with ribs, apple juice, vinegar, bbq sauce, seasoning salt and rib rub

What is the Best BBQ Sauce for Ribs?

We love sweet bbq sauce for ribs because it caramelizes on the ribs when they are finished off. If you have a favorite bbq sauce you would recommend, I’d love to hear from you in a comment below. A couple of our family favorites include:

Baby Back Rib glazed in the best bbq sauce

How to Prepare Baby Back Ribs:

Start by prepping your ribs. Baby Back Ribs and Pork Loin ribs typically already have the silver skin on the meat side trimmed and the membrane on the boney side removed. If they are present, use a small knife to loosen it at the corner and a paper towel to help grip and pull it off of the ribs. You want to remove that so the flavors can penetrate the ribs. If you want a visual, check out this photo tutorial from Weber.

Prepared baby back ribs on cutting board

How to Make Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs:

The process for making instant pot ribs is truly easy:

  1. Rub the ribs with seasoning salt and BBQ Dry Rub.
  2. Combine apple juice, vinegar, 1/3 cup bbq sauce and liquid smoke (if using) in the instant pot.
  3. Coil the ribs inside the pot, cover and cook on high pressure 25 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural pressure release.
  4. Remove ribs, brush with BBQ sauce and broil or grill 5 minutes

How to Make Instant Pot Ribs step by step photos

To Finish Ribs on the Grill:

Preheat the grill to 350-400˚F. Place the bbq sauce smothered ribs directly on preheated grill, cover, and grill 5 minutes.

To Finish Ribs in the Air Fryer:

Cut rack in half, smother with bbq sauce as usual and place both halves side by side in the air fryer basket for 4 min on high.

Finished BBQ Ribs Sliced into quarters

What to Serve with Ribs:

These saucy bbq ribs are perfect with just about any side dish. Some of our favorites include:

Instant pot bbq Ribs sliced and arranged on a tray

Can I Use Frozen Ribs?

Frozen ribs can be used following the same recipe. Before freezing ribs, cut them into thirds (so they fit into the instant pot later since they won’t be able to coil) and add the dry rub before freezing. Dry rub won’t adhere if you try to put it over frozen ribs.

More (Top Rated) Easy Dinner Recipes:

These easy dinner ideas are perfect for busy weeknights and are so much better (and usually healthier) than going out to eat.

Watch Natasha Make Instant Pot Ribs:

This really is the fastest and easiest way to make ribs that we have discovered and the results are mouthwatering good!

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Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Instant Pot Ribs

4.95 from 109 votes
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs sliced on a tray
Instant Pot Ribs is the easiest way to achieve tender, juicy ribs. Whether you're using baby back ribs, Pressure cooking tenderizes the meat in a fraction of the time
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Natural Pressure Release: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 4 people

Instructions

  • Pat dry the rack of ribs with a paper towel and rub on your dry ingredients on both sides.
  • In the Instant Pot, combine apple juice, vinegar, liquid smoke and 1/3 cup of bbq sauce.
  • Coil the rack of ribs inside the with the bone-side facing the center. Ribs should all be partially submerged. Cook on high pressure for 25 min followed by a 10 min natural pressure release before manually releasing remaining pressure.
  • Using two sets of tongs, carefully transfer ribs to a rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack with the meat side up. Brush the top and sides with the remaining 1/3 cup bbq sauce. Broil in the center of the oven on high for 4-5 min*. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 min before serving. Serve with more bbq sauce if desired.

Notes

*To Finish Ribs on the Grill: Preheat the grill to 350-400˚F. Place ribs directly on preheated grill, cover, and grill 5 min.
*To Finish Ribs in the Air Fryer: Cut rack in half and place both halves side by side in the air fryer basket for 4 min on high.

Nutrition Per Serving

597kcal Calories27g Carbs41g Protein35g Fat12g Saturated Fat148mg Cholesterol1396mg Sodium713mg Potassium1g Fiber22g Sugar180IU Vitamin A1mg Vitamin C97mg Calcium2mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Ribs
Amount per Serving
Calories
597
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
35
g
54
%
Saturated Fat
 
12
g
75
%
Cholesterol
 
148
mg
49
%
Sodium
 
1396
mg
61
%
Potassium
 
713
mg
20
%
Carbohydrates
 
27
g
9
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
22
g
24
%
Protein
 
41
g
82
%
Vitamin A
 
180
IU
4
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
97
mg
10
%
Iron
 
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: instant pot ribs
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 597

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Olga
    November 26, 2019

    Hey I just made this and it was amazing thank you for a great recipe!
    Do you think I can reuse the liquid to make one more rib? I have more baby back ribs right now but don’t have any more extra apple juice to start over.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 27, 2019

      Hi Olga, I honestly have not tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.

      Reply

  • Aleksandr
    November 10, 2019

    Can I broil it in the conventional oven? If so for how many minutes?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 11, 2019

      Hi Aleksandr, I haven’t tested that advise. If you experiment, please let me know how you like that.

      Reply

    • Heather Jackson
      December 18, 2019

      What ingredients are in the dry rub for the InstantbPotbspare Ribs?

      Reply

      • Natashas Kitchen
        December 18, 2019

        Hi Heather, I would recommend following the recipe link for the ingredients.

        Reply

  • Therese
    November 7, 2019

    How long do I cook these if I used a slow cooker? I love your recipes, I have already tried a bunch of them for dinner

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 7, 2019

      Hi Therese, I haven’t tested that to advise on time, but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe

      Reply

  • Elizabeth McCann
    November 6, 2019

    I don’t have an instant pot, would a slow cooker, work? I know it would take longer, but would the results be similar?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 7, 2019

      I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe, Elizabeth!

      Reply

    • Sara
      December 12, 2019

      Do you think beef ribs would work?

      Reply

  • Joann
    October 26, 2019

    Can I use St. Louis style ribs for this recipe?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 26, 2019

      Hi Joann, I imagine that should work.

      Reply

  • Rob
    October 25, 2019

    A frozen whole rack of ribs won’t fit in the IP, so unwrap, cut into thirds before freezing.

    Reply

  • Kathy Hallsten
    October 25, 2019

    Great recipe! It seemed though that it called for an excessive amount of liquid. What is the reason for that?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 25, 2019

      Hi Kathy, the liquid proportions are correct – it’s just a different method. We prefer this method and always get great results. The apple juice and cider vinegar tenderize and add great flavor.

      Reply

      • Melissa Maier
        February 2, 2020

        What can you use instead of apple juice? Would broth work?

        Reply

        • Natasha's Kitchen
          February 2, 2020

          Hi Melissa, I imagine that should work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe

          Reply

  • Jen Tapsell
    October 24, 2019

    Hi Natasha, how about a great curry recipe please please!!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 25, 2019

      Thank you for that suggestion, Jen!

      Reply

      • Tammy
        October 31, 2019

        What if I want to make double portion. Can I wrap 2 at same time ?

        Reply

        • Natasha
          October 31, 2019

          HI Tammy, I haven’t tested with 2 racks. I think that should work fine but you will need less liquid or it may go above the max fill level with two racks displacing the liquid. It would work better in a larger instant pot.

          Reply

  • Jacquelyn
    October 24, 2019

    Hello Natasha!! I love ribs!! This looks fantastic! I looked at the ingredients and I clicked on the dry rub link but it leads me to three bbq sauce for some reason. Could you tell me what exactly is in the dry rub?

    Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 25, 2019

      Thank you so much for pointing that out. Sorry about that. I have fixed the link. Here is the dry rub that we used.

      Reply

      • Missy
        December 7, 2019

        I found this rib rub at my local Fred Meyer for $4.99
        Natasha, where do you buy your ribs? Thank you!

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          December 7, 2019

          Hi Missy, most often we buy them from our local grocery store or Costco.

          Reply

  • Marina
    October 24, 2019

    Hi Natasha! Can this be done but with country style ribs?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 24, 2019

      Hi Marina, I haven’t tested this method with country style ribs, but it should work fine. I’m seeing several recipes that call for a longer cook time though when making country style instant pot ribs: cook on high pressure, for 45 min, followed by a 15-20 min natural pressure release before releasing remaining pressure. Country style ribs are bigger, meatier and fattier so they would need more time. If you test that out, please let me know how it goes!

      Reply

  • Kim
    October 23, 2019

    I bought an Instant Pot just for this recipe. It was delicious!! Will definitely be making this again. Such a simple meal.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 24, 2019

      I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!

      Reply

  • Emma
    October 21, 2019

    These were so easy to make with your recipe, and they came out so tender! I am stoked I can make these myself now.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 21, 2019

      I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Emma! Thank you for that awesome review!

      Reply

  • Diane
    October 19, 2019

    How much liquid smoke would you add? Can’t wait to try looks delicious!!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 20, 2019

      Hi Diane, I would add 1/2 tsp (I listed it in the recipe card towards the bottom as optional).

      Reply

      • Alina
        October 27, 2019

        Hi Natasha, is there anything I can use instead of the apple juice?

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          October 28, 2019

          Hi Alina, I haven’t tried a substitute to advise, the apple juice and cider vinegar tenderize and add great flavor.

          Reply

  • Audrey
    October 19, 2019

    Thank you so much for your Instant Pot recipes. Please do more? How about a dessert?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 19, 2019

      That’s a great idea! Thank you for that suggestion, Audrey!

      Reply

  • Kimberly
    October 19, 2019

    This is absolutely finger-licking delicious and the sauce is spot on!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 19, 2019

      I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Kimberly!

      Reply

  • Toni
    October 19, 2019

    I love this recipe! Being able to cook the delicious ribs in the Instant Pot is so easy!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 19, 2019

      Isn’t that the best! Who knew that was possible! Thank you for that awesome review.

      Reply

  • Demeter
    October 19, 2019

    You’ll definitely be game day ready with these for your guests! Wow!! They look fantastic!!

    Reply

  • Billy
    October 19, 2019

    These ribs are absolutely delicious! I just love how easy they are to make in the instant pot and just how flavorful they are! Thanks for an awesome recipe!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 19, 2019

      I’m so happy you loved the ribs! That’s quite a compliment coming from you!

      Reply

  • Whitney Choi
    October 18, 2019

    Hi Natasha, I’m Whitney from Hong Kong. May I know the size of the Instant Pot that you are using? Thank you!

    Reply

  • Betsy
    October 18, 2019

    Wow! I can’t believe how easy and fast this is to make! Instant Pots are amazing. These ribs are so tender and flavorful, I can’t believe it took less than an hour to achieve this!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 18, 2019

      Aren’t they the best! So perfect for a quick dinner that is also “fancy”!

      Reply

      • Wayne WALLACE
        January 13, 2020

        What the IP time for frozen Baby back Ribs or pork loin.

        Reply

        • Natasha
          January 13, 2020

          Hi Wayne, thanks for asking! I added a section to the post titled “Can I use Frozen Ribs?” Also, we currently don’t have a pork loin recipe for the instant pot, but if I come up with something great, I’ll be sure to share it.

          Reply

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