Last updated on October 10th, 2018 at 07:06 pm
These Pressure Cooker Ribs (Instant Pot Ribs) are fall off the bone tender and cooked in 30 minutes! Seasoned with a simple dry rub and then smothered in BBQ sauce. These BBQ ribs are quick, easy and delicious!
I love pork ribs recipes! Baby back ribs recipes, spare ribs, country style ribs – I love them all! There is something special about tender and succulent ribs smothered in a lip smacking sauce. They are irresistible and thanks to this instapot recipe you can have ribs ready in very little time.
For many years, my go-to pork rib recipe has been these BBQ Ribs in the Oven. They are incredibly delicious and very easy to make but, they require a bit of time to reach tender perfection. Since I don’t always plan ahead and my desire to eat ribs for dinner can suddenly hit on a weekday – one hour before dinner time – there is nothing more convenient than reaching for the Instant Pot!
How Long Do you Cook Ribs in a Pressure Cooker?
Times will vary depending on the type of ribs you are using. Baby Back Ribs take between 20 to 25 minutes to cook in an instant pot. Meatier ribs like country style ribs, take between 30 to 35 minutes to become fall off the bone tender.
The times above do not include the time the instant pot takes to come to pressure or any pressure release time. For this reason, I always plan for my rack of ribs to be ready in one hour or less!
How To Make Pressure Cooker Ribs
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. The easiest way is by using a knife to free a corner of the membrane. Lift the loose part of the membrane and with a paper towel rip it off.
- Season the ribs with the dry rub.
- Place the ribs into the instant pot. Use the trivet to keep the ribs from touching the bottom of the pot. If you don’t have a trivet (it comes with the pressure cooker), you can elevate the pork by rolling aluminum foil into a ball.
- Add some liquid. A combination of water and apple cider vinegar is what I usually use.
- Remove the ribs from the pressure cooker and place them on sheet pan (I line the sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up). Brush the rib rack generously with the BBQ sauce.
- Place under the broiler for about 5 minutes until the top is bubbly and a bit charred.
Kathy’s Notes
- Do you love Instant Pot Recipes? I do! Check these out:
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken Rotisserie Style
Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham - Serve these mouthwatering ribs with
Creamy Cilantro Lime Coleslaw
Mexican Three Bean Salad
Creamy Mayo Free Caesar Style Potato Salad (West Via Midwest)
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These Pressure Cooker Ribs (Instant Pot Ribs) are fall off the bone tender and cooked in 30 minutes! Seasoned with a simple dry rub and then smothered in BBQ sauce. These BBQ ribs are quick, easy and delicious!
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 rack baby back pork ribs
- 1 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (store bought)
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup Maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (like Texas Pete)
- 1/4 cup ribs cooking liquid *see notes
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In a small bowl, mix the spice rub ingredients.
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Rinse ribs and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the membrane on the back of the ribs.
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Season the baby back ribs generously on both sides with the spice rub.
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Place the trivet (or rack) in the bottom of your pressure cooker. Add the juice and the apple cider vinegar.
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Place the ribs inside the pressure cooker, standing up and wrapping around the pot. Close the lid and set the pressure cooker to Meat/stew and set the timer for 23 minutes (25 if they are meaty).
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Once done, allow the instant pot to natural release for 5 minutes, then open the valve to release the remaining pressure.
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While the ribs are cooking, prepare the BBQ sauce. Place all the ingredients (except the ribs cooking liquid) in a small saucepan and stir to combine. Simmer on low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the ribs are done, remove 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and add it to the sauce. Stir and simmer on low for an additional 5 minutes.
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Remove the ribs from the pressure cooker and place them on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Brush them generously with the BBQ sauce (on both sides), and place them under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until slightly charred. Serve with the remaining BBQ sauce.
- Ribs Cooking Liquid - after the ribs are completely cooked, I add 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid (from the bottom of the instant pot) to the BBQ sauce. It adds a bit of delicious meaty flavor. You could add broth, apple juice or water to the BBQ sauce instead. If you like the BBQ sauce to be thick you can omit this step.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate and may vary greatly depending on products used.
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My biggest issue with pressure cooker and crock pot cooking is that my ribs are too moist! I love your tip about broiling them for 5 minutes…. Brilliant! Im going to give this a try!
Thank you! They are so good and with a caramelized top!
I don’t have an Instant Pot…but I do have a regular pressure cooker. What a great way to make ribs…quickly. I love them smoked on the BBQ, but during the winter, it takes some effort to get hubby cooking outside in the snow and cold. This is the perfect alternative. We can enjoy them all year long.
Exactly!!
OMG – I wish I had had this recipe this past weekend! We had people over and this would have been so perfect. I’ll have to try them ASAP! We totally under use our pressure cooker.
Hi Stef! We did use pressure cookers in restaurant kitchens but not nearly as much as I use mine at home. It saves so much time and the food tastes amazing!! Hope you make this soon. It is one of my favorites!
Ok yes, I DEFINITELY need an Instant Pot! 25 mins!! That’s incredible. How do you think they compare to slow cooking on the grill, though? That’s my husband’s preferred way of doing ribs – but I’d love to try to test his tastes and see if he notices a difference! 😛
Tracy, I’ve been doing ribs in the oven and on the grill for years. I absolutely love Instant Pot Ribs. You can add a bit of liquid smoke in the liquid mixture for a more smoky taste. You really cannot beat 25 minutes.
If you ask my Hubby he’ll tell you that my favorite meat are ribs — any way I can get them. He usually grills them but we do have some nasty weather in the winter. This would be a win-win for us because we miss our pork. Great tip about broiling them for a bit so they aren’t too wet.
Yes! Perfect for when the weather doesn’t cooperate or when you need ribs pronto!
These look amazing… I know my mother would go nuts for these. I need to pick up a pressure cooker asap because it seems all the good things are made in them!
Thank you! Yes, time to get one!
I can’t believe I still haven’t made ribs in my instant pot yet! I love how juicy they look! My partner would love for me to make these for him lol! That spice rub sounds perfect too! 25 MINUTES is way better than smoking it for over an hour outside.
It’s a must try for sure!!!
My husband loves ribs but I haven’t tried them in the pressure cooker yet! Totally making these for next Sunday dinner. They look so tender and wonderful!
Thank you Amy. They are divine!
These look fall-off-the-bone tender and finger-lickin’ good. I could go for a big ol’ plate of this good stuff right now. (And it isn’t even noon yet!) The BBQ sauce sounds so good and I can’t believe these were done in an Instant Pot! That thing is magical.
It is pure magic!! 😉
The hubs loves ribs, but I’m totally intimidated by cooking them for him. This looks so easy though!! He’d be so excited to eat it- I love that I don’t have to heat up a grill!
This recipe is definitely a super easy one. Not much of a process. Just let the Instant Pot do the work!
How good are ribs made in the Instant Pot? Life changer right there. My husband and kids just love ribs and crave them on a pretty regular basis, this version sounds so great, I just love the sound of that spice rub! Can’t wait to try them out on my chief taste testers, I can already see the big dirty bbq sauce smiles 🙂
hahahaha thank you!
Ribs in the Instant Pot! Why have I not tried this yet?! I’ve done so many different things in the IP now, but never thought to try this. I love the idea of having such a great meal ready in so little time. Finishing them up in the oven (or bbq) is the perfect last touch – and that sauce sounds amazing! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you! Anytime
OH my gosh, these ribs must be SO tender. I was actually at a BBQ a few weeks ago, and I don’t know how the ribs were prepared, but they were so tough, I could barely even cut the meat off of the bone, let alone have it fall off. I think I need to erase that experience with a batch of your Instant Pot ribs! That spice rub and BBQ sauce sound like perfection, too. Sounds like dinner tomorrow night is set! 🙂
Thank you Amanda!
My Instant Pot does not have a meat/Stew setting, only pressure high or pressure low. I am presuming it would be pressure high on mine….right?
That is correct!!!