These Instant Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs are finger lickin’ good! They cook quickly in a pressure cooker and always turn out tender with deep, smoky flavors. You’ll never go back to oven baked ribs again!
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This recipe was originally posted in June 2018. The blog post was updated in April 2022 but the recipe remains the same.
Easy Instant Pot BBQ ribs
Once you try these Instant Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs, you’ll never go back to oven baked ribs. They’re finger lickin’ good, super meaty, and fall off the bone. Who knew using the Instant Pot could be one of the best ways to cook ribs at home?
These easy BBQ ribs take less than 30 minutes to cook in the pressure cooker. Afterward, they’re finished in the oven to ensure the thick layer of barbecue sauce caramelizes and soaks into the meat. The process is so simple and you’ll have juicy, tender ribs in less than 45 minutes total.
This is the BEST Instant Pot BBQ ribs recipe because it’s:
- So easy and ready in just 45 minutes.
- Fall of the bone deliciousness.
- Slathered in a sweet and smoky barbecue sauce.
- The Instant Pot does most of the work!
Once you slice them up, bring your barbecue baby back ribs to summer parties or serve them for a family-friendly (and very impressive) dinner. Don’t forget the delicious sides, like potato salad, baked beans, and asparagus!
Ingredient notes
- Baby back ribs – Beef or pork baby back ribs are best. Baby back ribs tend to be lean, meaty, and flavorful on their own but can be more expensive than spare ribs. This recipe works just as well with spare ribs or short ribs but you’ll need to adjust the cooking times.
- Dry rib rub – This sweet, smoky, and spicy dry rub is easy to make with brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and sea salt.
- Barbecue sauce – Use any kind you like.
- Apple cider vinegar – Cooking ribs in apple cider vinegar helps tenderize the meat without having to wait on a marinade. Apple juice, chicken stock, or even club soda will work if you don’t have ACV.
- Liquid smoke – For extra smoky-tasting ribs. A little goes a long way!
How to make BBQ ribs in the Instant Pot
- Make the dry rub and prep the ribs: Mix all of the dry rub ingredients together in a bowl. Apply a generous amount to both sides of the ribs.
- Cook the ribs in the Instant Pot: Place a wire rack in the Instant Pot and pour in the water, apple cider vinegar, and liquid smoke. Add the ribs onto the rack, seal the lid closed, and cook on High Pressure. Naturally release the pressure when done.
- Bake in the oven: Transfer the ribs to a foil-lined baking sheet and brush all sides with barbecue sauce. Bake for a few minutes to caramelize the sauce.
- Serve: Take the ribs out of the oven, brush on some extra sauce, and serve!
Tips and tricks
- Remove the membrane on the rack of ribs first. Start at one end of the rack of ribs and peel off the membrane with your fingers or a paper towel.
- If you don’t have a rack for your Instant Pot, make a long coiled snake out of aluminum foil and place it on the bottom of the pot. This should elevate the ribs and keep them out of the liquid.
- Finish the ribs in the oven or on the grill. Both methods will seal in the sweet and smoky flavors of the barbecue sauce.
Serving suggestions
Ribs are the main event at dinner and deserve to be served with a smorgasbord of side dishes and appetizers. This is how I like to serve them:
With dipping sauce: Don’t forget the extra barbecue sauce for dipping or garlic aioli to really accentuate those smoky flavors.
And plenty of sides: Just like steak, barbecue ribs are best served next to hearty sides like mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash, mac and cheese, corn salad, baked potatoes, apple cabbage slaw, french fries, or creamy polenta.
To double the recipe: Just wrap the second rack of ribs around the first in the Instant Pot. Double the spices, but keep the same amount of liquid. If you’re looking for variety, serve them next to my Beef Short Ribs. Serve your ribs on ribs and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
This depends on how you like them. For tender, slightly chewy ribs, cook them on High Pressure for 16 minutes. If you prefer them to fall off the bone, cook for up to 25 minutes.
This can happen if the ribs you’re cooking are too meaty or large. The cooking time just won’t be enough for them. Instead, use smaller baby back ribs (a 3-pound rack is ideal) or cut the rack of ribs in half and cook in batches.
You need at least 1 cup of liquid to help tenderize the ribs in the Instant Pot.
Storing
Store: Wrap any leftovers in foil and place them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Reheat: Brush more barbecue sauce on the ribs and warm them in a 250ºF oven for about 30 minutes.
Looking for more finger lickin’ good recipes?
- Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Mustard and Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Chicken Thighs with Honey Soy Glaze
- Peruvian-Style Chicken Drumsticks
Did you try these Instant Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or share a picture on Instagram! I love to share all of your recreations on my page.
Instant Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients
Dry Rub for Ribs
- 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp paprika
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp sea salt
Ribs and Sauce
- 1 rack baby back ribs (beef or pork)
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
- 1 cup cold water
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke
Instructions
- Combine all of the dry ingredients for the rub, mix well. Wash and dry your ribs completely. Apply dry rub generously all over the top, bottom and sides of ribs.
- Add in your wire rack, pour in the apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke and water under the rack. Add rack to keep the ribs out of the liquid on the bottom of the Instant Pot. If you don’t have a rack, ball up some aluminum foil and try to make a rack of some sort to elevate the pork.
- Close lid on your Instant Pot and cook at High Pressure for 16 – 25 minutes. Adjust the timing according to your preference: 16 minutes (Tender with a bit of chew) to 25 minutes (Fall off the bone). Let the Instant Pot sit and naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes. Open the lid carefully after 10 minutes.
- Preheat Oven: While the ribs are still cooking in the Instant Pot, preheat the oven to 475F.
- Place ribs onto a cookie sheet covered with foil, brush on the BBQ sauce all over the ribs generously on all sides including the bones and finish in the oven uncovered. Place the ribs with the baking tray in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the ribs from the oven and serve! Brush on more sauce if desired.
Lana
I made these last night and they were so good!!! Thank you for an easy and delicious recipe! Looking forward to more IP recipes from you!
lena
Thank you Lana, so happy to hear that you loved the recipe. I will work on more recipes for the IP to share for sure. Have some fun ideas coming soon. Happy Cooking!
Allie
These ribs are finger licking good. My kids request these way too often and they are so simple to make. I always make extra so we can have leftovers for next day. Thank you for a perfect recipe.
Kim
Even this Instant Pot challenged gal was able to make this recipe! My husband is a rib guy and always buys them already cooked for the Super Bowl. This year we made them ourselves. They turned out SO good, even with my IP mistakes. He says this recipe is a keeper! So easy! Thanks Lena!
lenaskitchen
Kim, I am so happy to hear that he liked the ribs and glad I was able to help you with the IP questions as you were making them. You got this….
tea_n_biscuits
This was absolutely splendid, and my first InstaPot recipe! Thank you.
The only addition that I made and recommend is that I chopped garlic into a paste and spread that on. Fantastic.
lenaskitchen
I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try!
Katie
The flavor of these ribs is so so good, love the rub! I cooked 2 racks at a time & followed your recipe to the exact, however mine were not super tender, in fact they were still chewy. How do you cook 2 racks at once? Do you increase the cook time by a few mins since there’s 2? I’d love to give them another try. Please help ?
Iana
So dang delicious!! Love love love them
Sandy w
I don’t think I’ll ever go back to cooking ribs in oven. These are quick and so delicious. Everyone loved them.
Roxi
These ribs were soo good! Tender, quick and the flavors were so delicious. This recipe is a keeper for sure! Hands down, best ribs I’ve had.
Nataliya
Another hit for the whole family! Since I’m a newbie to using the IP, I used the timing guide provided by Lena and went somewhere in between at 22 minutes on high pressure followed by a 3-4 minute broil with my Air Fryer Lid, once BBQ sauce was on. I had to use different BBQ sauce and had to sub some spices as I didn’t have them all, but they turned out so good. I just heard “mmm mmmm ” from the table as husband and kids were having dinner. Delish! Can’t wait to try some more of Lenas IP recipes!
Truc Luu
These ribs are seriously AMAZING!! I had my doubts that cooking them in the Instant Pot could yield legit results but I was 100% wrong! They were even better than my favorite BBQ restaurant and took no time at all to make. The meat was literally falling off the bone, it was so good! Such an easy recipe. You have to try it!
Behealthis
Remove excess fat from ribs if they are extra fatty. Heat fry pan; spray with non-stick spray. Add ribs and brown on all sides. Pour a layer of sauce in the bottom of the slow-cooker; add ribs. Pour sauce over ribs, saving ? cup of sauce for later use. Cover. Cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours. Serve ribs with extra sauce if desired.
Nataliya
Ribs have always intimidated me because they take forever to make and it’s hard to get them to be “fall of the bone” ready. This recipe requires little time, and the ribs end up being so tender! I have made this a few times now, and I cannot go back to making my ribs any other way. Thanks for this Lena, it’s a treasure.
Amber
I made these tonight and they were AMAZING! The timing was spot on: high pressure for 25 minutes and then natural release for 10 minutes. They were falling off the bone, so tender and flavorful. I was originally concerned because the apple cider vinegar smelled odd when it started heating up but it was fine. I will always do my baby back ribs this way now. So fast and easy.
Lena M.
Wow this was super easy, which is huge for me. Super delicious, definitely a favorite. I made this for a party and everyone loved it. But maybe you have a suggestion for me, I had a hard time getting the ribs out when they were done cuz the bones just kept falling off lol maybe the meat I got wasn’t the right kind, or maybe I should have cut/separated the rack of ribs before putting them in IP?
lenaskitchen
That is so great to hear that. Thank you, glad you liked it. You can cut the ribs in haft for sure to make it easier to take out. But falling off the bone is a good thing, so you got the right meat.
Ilona Deeney
Amazing recipe! This was the first recipe I tried with pressure cooker- it was so easy and delicious.
lenaskitchen
That makes me so happy to hear that. Thank you.
Jules
Lena this is the best instant pot ribs I have ever made. This is my 3rd time making them today. Thanks so much for this recipe! Would love to see more instant pot recipes in the future?
lenaskitchen
I am so happy to hear that Jules. Thank you for sharing.
Maggie Liljenquist
We loved these ribs!!! So tender they fall off the bone, and so easy to make! Delicious!
IG @maggiel04
Aleona Smahon
I made these the other night for dinner and they were a hit. They were super easy to make and tasted amazing. Everyone enjoyed them and I will definitely make them again. This recipe is 10/10!
lena
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out!
Aleona Smahon
Made the ribs for dinner the other night and they were a hit. They were easy to make and tasted amazing. Everyone enjoyed them and I will definitely be making them again!
lena
Oh! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of our absolute favorites.
Luda
This recipe is amazing. I try to stay away from sugar so I had to use a different BBQ sauce but WOW ? THE RIBS WERE FANTASTIC.
@mytrimkitchen
Luda
The ribs are sooo good and easy to make. I try to eat sugar free so I had to use a different BBQ sauce but WOW ? this recipe is great.
@mytrimkitchen
lenaskitchen
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and made it your own with your choice of BBQ sauce. Happy Cooking!
Lilly
These are sooo good.. I cooked mine for 25 min and just wow! Great recipe
Olga
Loved this recipe! I’ve made ribs before but after I tried this recipe, this is now my go to recipe. Hands downs delicious and easy to make. The ribs are fall off the bone and simply delicious. We enjoyed our dinner tonight. Thank you!
Tanya
This dish was amazing! Hands down the best ribs I’ve had. Will definitely be making again!
Evelina
These were SO SO good. We just purchased a instapot and we were looking to try out a new recipe. I came across this one and oh em gee so delicious. We put as many as we could fit into the instapot and put like three on the grill and my husband was like the instapot is way better then the grill. ? they fall off the bone and and are so juicy. We paired it with the coleslaw on Lenas blog. I would so recommend this!!
lenaskitchen
This makes me so happy to hear that the first dish you made in your new Instant Pot was the ribs. It’s such a great dish to share with friends and family. Great pairing with the coleslaw for sure.