Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Beef Short Ribs made in the Instant Pot are fall-off-the-bone-tender, packed with flavor, and easy to make with only 20 minutes of hands-on prep time! Serve them with mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower to keep them low carb and keto friendly.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Time for the Instant Pot to Come to Pressure and Then Do a Natural Release 35 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 589kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

3 1/2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs about 8
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion chopped
6 cloves garlic crushed
1 1/4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar lightly packed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water to form a cornstarch slurry

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Short Ribs:

Season both sides of the short ribs with the salt and black pepper.
Press the “Sauté” function on the Instant Pot and wait for it to heat up. Add the oil; once hot, add half of the short ribs. Sear on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Use tongs to transfer the seared short ribs to a plate. Sear the remaining short ribs the same way.
Add the seared short ribs back into the pot along with the onion and garlic. Cook 2 minutes, stirring as best as you can.
Add the beef broth, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary and give it a stir.
Press “Cancel” to stop the “Sauté” function.
Cover the Instant Pot, making sure the lid is set to “Sealing”, and cook on “Manual, High Pressure” for 45 minutes.
Once it’s done cooking, let it do a natural pressure release for 15 minutes. After that, carefully release the pressure and then open the pot.
Use tongs to transfer the short ribs to a plate. Tent the plate with foil to keep them warm.

For the Gravy:

If you want a silky smooth sauce or gravy, strain the cooking liquid through a fine mesh sieve, and then add it back to the Instant Pot. If you don’t mind lumps from the onions and herbs, there’s no need to strain the liquid.
Turn on the “Sauté” function; let the cooking liquid come to a boil, and then boil until slightly reduced, about 5 to 10 minutes. This will make a delicious, flavorful pan sauce.
To turn the pan sauce into gravy, whisk the cornstarch slurry into the boiling cooking liquid and cook until it’s thickened to your liking, stirring occasionally.

To Serve:

Serve the short ribs on top of mashed cauliflower or mashed potatoes, topped with a drizzle of pan sauce or gravy and a sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme.

Video

Notes

Low Carb and Keto Friendly Version

The low carb/keto friendly version has 5g net carbs per serving.
To make this low carb and keto friendly, use keto brown sugar instead of regular brown sugar and omit the cornstarch.
If you want to make the pan sauce into gravy, add 1/2 tablespoon of beef gelatin dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water and cook until thickened.
Serve it on top of cauliflower mashed potatoes!

How to Cook Beef Short Ribs in the Oven

Preheat the oven to 300F.
For more intense, deep flavor, sear each side of the short ribs in a little avocado oil (or another oil with a high smoke point) over high heat in a skillet on the stovetop.
Arrange the short ribs in an oven-safe casserole dish. Top with the seasonings and beef broth (reduce the amount of broth to 1 cup). Cover the top with foil.
Bake covered for 2 1/2 hours.
Uncover the short ribs and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
If desired, strain the drippings and add the liquid to a saucepan over medium heat; cook until it's reduced for a pan sauce. If you want it thick like gravy, whisk in the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking until thickened.
Serve!

Nutrition