Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Instant Pot short ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender in less than an hour, and the best part is the mashed potatoes cook AT THE SAME TIME in the Instant Pot!
How long it takes: 45 minutes to prep, another hour to pressure cook
Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot, a shallow round pan that fits inside the Instant Pot
Servings: 4
A Special Occasion Dinner
I’m really excited to share this recipe with you. Beef short ribs are something you might make for that special someone on a special day. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy time in the kitchen with your loved one. It’s a delicious weekend meal, too, when you want to take a little more time to savor and enjoy the process of cooking.
Sometimes I do like to cook a pot of short ribs all day. There’s just something about the leisurely act of preparing a meal that you work on for hours, with the lovely aroma wafting through your house all day. (Be sure to take a look at my oven-baked red wine braised short ribs).
However, there are occasions when you want the same delicious result in a fraction of the time. Thankfully, the pressure cooker works perfectly to achieve tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat. It’s the same concept as Instant Pot Ribs, Instant Pot pulled pork, Instant Pot pot roast, and Instant Pot beef stew. Meals that are normally slow cooked can be pressure cooked in much less time.
Instant Pot Short Ribs
Much less cooking time. Typically, short ribs take hours and hours to cook. You want to braise them which means browning the ribs and then slowly cooking them so the meat becomes tender and will fall off the bone. Beef short ribs usually are baked for at least a few hours. A pressure cooker does the job in much less time with the same delicious results.
Still a labor of love. These short ribs are much faster to make than traditional beef short ribs; however, this is still a recipe you’ll need to pour a little love and time into. Beef short ribs are a special cut of meat, a little pricier, a little richer, and more indulgent than other cuts, and they need a little extra preparation time.
Potatoes cook along with the short ribs. I think it’s really kind of amazing that you can cook mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot at the same time, separate but together. I can’t take total credit for this idea, it’s one I saw on Pressure Cook Recipes. Once you have the short ribs and all the other good stuff in the Instant Pot, you place a small bowl or cake pan on top of it all to hold the potatoes. They cook in a similar manner to my Instant Pot mashed potatoes but at the same time as the short ribs! Nifty!
I feel like every time I make a new Instant Pot recipe, I fall in love with it a little more.
“We had an Instant Pot Party, I made the short ribs, and my guests were WOWED! Best thing they’ve ever eaten. I concur. Sooooooo wonderful, perfect ingredients!”
How to make Pressure Cooker Short Ribs
Honestly, at first glance, the ingredient list and instructions look a lot longer than some of my recipes. Read through it, measure things out ahead of time, and put some good music on. You can totally, 100%, definitely handle this!
Begin by browning the meat. This is probably the most time-consuming part but it’s a step you don’t want to skip because it adds a ton of flavor. Use the Sauté function and get the pot nice and hot. Sear all sides of the short ribs until they’re quite brown. It takes a bit of time because you’ll need to do the ribs in batches.
Sauté vegetables. Once you have the ribs browned, place them on a plate. Next, cook your onion, celery, and carrots in the hot Instant Pot. And garlic, of course.
Deglaze pan. Add a nice dry red wine and scrape all those yummy brown bits off the bottom of the pot. “Deglazing” the pan will ensure you don’t see that annoying “burn” warning on the Instant Pot but also adds great flavor to what will eventually be your gravy or sauce.
Add broth and seasonings. When the wine has reduced a bit, you add even more flavor to the gravy and the ribs with beef broth, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, bay leaf, thyme, and paprika.
Arrange short ribs and potatoes in Instant Pot. Once you have all those yummy flavors added, place the short ribs back into the broth mixture. Add the potatoes to a stainless steel bowl or a small cake pan right on top of the ribs!
Pressure cook. Now it’s time for the pressure cooker to work its magic. Set the timer for 42 minutes. It will take about 10 additional minutes to come to pressure. When the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
Mash the potatoes and make the gravy. When the ribs have finished cooking, carefully remove the potatoes and mash them. The short ribs get removed from the pot one more time so you can thicken up the gravy with a slurry of cornstarch and beef broth. Once the sauce has thickened, put the short ribs back in to get them shiny and glazed in that delicious gravy.
Serving Suggestions
- Mashed potatoes: I like short ribs best with mashed potatoes, which in this recipe you can make right at the same time! If you’re a two Instant Pot kind of household, you could also do a larger batch of Instant Pot mashed potatoes, or you could do slow cooker mashed potatoes. Mashed red potatoes are excellent, too.
- More choices: Short ribs also pair well with rice, or a low-carb mash like cauliflower mash or rutabaga mash. Creamy polenta or grits are a good choice.
- Vegetables: Simply cook your favorite vegetable. Pretty much anything goes with beef short ribs. I like to keep it simple. As you can see in the photos, asparagus is always one of my first choices. Whole roasted carrots are beautiful or roasted green beans.
More Instant Pot Meals
Instant Pot Short Ribs & Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
For short ribs:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs (about 8 short ribs)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ cup diced onion (1 small onion)
- ½ cup finely diced celery (2 stalks celery)
- ½ cup finely diced carrots (2 small carrots)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry red wine (we recommend Cabernet Sauvignon)
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons beef broth, divided (more if desired)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (more if desired)
For mashed potatoes:
- 3 to 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup milk
- fresh chives or parsley for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot to Sauté and add oil.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Use a paper towel to wipe short ribs dry and also to remove any blood or bone fragments.
- Season all sides of the short ribs with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Working in batches, place 3 to 4 short ribs in hot Instant Pot and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to plate and repeat with remaining short ribs, adding more oil if necessary. This will take about 30 minutes total; ribs will not be cooked through.4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- If there is a lot of oil/fat in the pan at this point, carefully remove all but about 1 tablespoon. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring, or until fragrant.½ cup diced onion , ½ cup finely diced celery , ½ cup finely diced carrots, 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Add wine and scrape bottom of the Instant Pot, making sure to remove ALL brown bits (will prevent a burn notice later). Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until wine is reduced by about half.½ cup dry red wine
- Add 1 cup beef broth, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, paprika, thyme. Stir to combine and then carefully add short ribs back into the pot, as well as any juices that have collected on the plate.2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- Place a small stainless steel bowl (or cake pan) on top of short ribs and add potatoes to bowl. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt.3 to 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Secure lid and turn valve to seal, if necessary. Set to Pressure Cook (or manual, high pressure depending on model) for 42 minutes. Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before releasing remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove pan of potatoes, drain if needed, and transfer to a larger mixing bowl. Mash with butter and milk until desired consistency is achieved.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup milk
- Remove short ribs from Instant Pot and place on a plate. Turn Instant Pot to Sauté mode. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons beef broth (see note). Pour into sauce in Instant Pot and stir to combine. Let the sauce simmer until thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper.2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Turn Instant Pot to warm and place short ribs back in sauce to keep warm until ready to serve over mashed potatoes.
- Garnish with chopped fresh chives or parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Adjust sauce: If a thicker sauce is desired, add an additional 2 tablespoons broth, mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
- Without potatoes: If desired, you can cook the short ribs without the potatoes. Cook time remains the same; it will take a bit less time to come to pressure.
- Serving size: The nutrition information is calculated for 4 servings, which is about 1 pound of short ribs per person, along with the mashed potatoes and sauce. This is a pretty generous serving but remember that it includes some large bones.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I was told to toss out all other versions of braised beef ribs and only use this recipe from now on! Definitely a 10 out of 10
The best compliment!
I have not prepared this recipe, however, the great thing about the instapot is it is dramatically less time consuming to cook a rack or TWO of beef ribs in an instapot that in the oven. They are fall off the bone delicious.
I usually get two rib packs and cook as it also beats making a standing rib roast but you still have the tenderness and wonderful taste!
I will try this recipe next time I have family for dinner. Thank you for sharing your recipe
Yes, the instant pot is so great for making meat tender in a shorter amount of time!
My short ribs required an additional ten minutes and they were still a little tough. I think I prefer the braised oven method. Cooking for 3 hrs in the oven produces a very tender short rib. This method was tough. I thought the gravy was delicious!
Sorry to hear that! Did you check the rubber ring and seal of your instant pot? They were fall apart tender when we tested them.
Amazing taste
Thanks!
This dinner was a 10 for my whole family. I will share with everyone!!
So glad to hear it was a hit! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and review!
Hi Rachel! Looking forward to making this recipe soon! Wanted to read through instructions and prepare for what I need. I have a 6 qt Instant Pot but do not have a stainless steel bowl or cake pan that will fit inside. Would a glass bowl work for the potatoes?
That will work, as long as it is oven safe glass. (Pyrex would be great)
I don’t have an instant pot, any idea how long to cook these in a crock pot or in the oven?
We haven’t tested them that way, but low and slow is important! I don’t feel comfortable guessing on cook time and temperature without testing it, sorry I can’t help more!
The ad I received on my phone stated, “Instapot Short Ribs in less than an hour,”… NOT TRUE!!! This was an extremely time-consuming recipe with so many steps!!! It’s very good, but make sure you have the TIME to do this! It’s bogus to imply that these ribs can be ready in “one hour!”!!!
Hi Donna,
So sorry about that! You’re right, that was a misleading error in the notification, and I apologize for that. As I mention in the body of the post, while it is a quicker version of traditional short ribs, there is still a little love, time, and energy that has to go into this recipe. I’m glad you still enjoyed the recipe, and I apologize again.
looks so good.
Thanks Denise! I hope you give them a try!
42 min for the potatoes. Don’t they get gummy? That seems like a long time to cook potatoes in a pressure cooker.
I found their texture to be great, but you could easily make the short ribs in the Instant Pot and do the potatoes on the stovetop if you’d prefer. :)
How long would you cook just the short ribs n the instant pot?
Same amount of time! It just might take a little less time to come to pressure.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and the potatoes are not gummy…and I love to clean up less pots by cooking together. I’m making it again right now.
So glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!