This baby back ribs in instant pot recipe is the BEST way to get baby back ribs that are tender, juicy, and falling off the bone! There is no need to slow cook all day long because we are going to show you how to make your Instant Pot baby back ribs in under an hour and with all of the WHOLE LOTTA YUM flavor you are used to.
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
If you’ve been wondering what the secret is to QUICK fall off the bone baby back ribs, the secret, my friend, is using your pressure cooker. I guess you could call these perfectly lazy ribs since no other cooking method can cook ribs fast like an instant pot.
If you’re like our family, when you first think of summertime recipes making either ribs or corn on the cob might come to mind. We LOVE eating ribs in our house, and while many might save them for a warm-weather BBQ, we don’t mind eating them all year long.
Ever since my husband splurged and bought a Big Green Egg, that I still don’t know how to use (or maybe I don’t have permission to use haha?), I’ve learned to master instant pot baby back ribs and baby back ribs in the oven so well that you don’t even know they weren’t grilled slowly for hours!
Why You’ll Love This
- A simple sugar-free pork rub adds big bold flavors make these flavorful ribs without needing BBQ sauce.
- Using a pressure cooker means you get 30-minute ribs that taste like they were slow-grilled all day long.
- You can bend the rack of ribs in a U shape, no need to take extra time cutting them into sections.
- With just 5 minutes of prep, you can put together an amazing, family-friendly recipe that everyone will devour.
- The instant pot ribs recipe is perfect for anyone who loves BBQ pork, or those who want to stick to low-carb, keto, paleo, Whole30, and gluten-free lifestyles. These ribs are also dairy-free and sugar-free!
Pair your baby back ribs in instant pot instant pot corn on the cob, Mexican street corn salad, cold broccoli cauliflower salad, or a bacon curry coleslaw to make the perfect summer-inspired dinner!
On Keto? Grab our FREE keto foods list here OR Snag our Keto Binder HERE
Ingredient Notes
The baby back ribs Instant Pot recipe takes just 4 simple ingredients, 5 if you decide to add BBQ sauce! Our homemade dry rub for pork recipe packs tons of flavor and we felt just using water for cooking worked well.
- baby back ribs
- cold water
- apple cider vinegar
- pork dry rub
- Optional – BBQ sauce for serving
Variations
- Water – Feel free to substitute the water with chicken broth, apple juice, or cola.
- Dry rub – We do love the flavor that our homemade dry rub offers these pressure cooker baby back ribs, but you can opt for a store-bought version as well.
Equipment
A Pressure Cooker – This is the Instant Pot model that we used.
Dietary Adaptations
While our baby back ribs in instant pot recipe is compliant with gluten-free, low-carb, keto, paleo, and Whole30 eating plans, do be cautious of any store-bought rubs and sauces you may use. These items often contain added sugars.
Step By Step Instructions
We are cooking our Instant Pot ribs for just 30 minutes! No need to slow cook all day long when you can make tasty and delicious pressure cooker ribs quickly in your kitchen.
Prep
Remove the membrane layer from the bottom of the ribs. This will help the baby back ribs in instant pot turn out extra tender. Here’s a Youtube video on how to do that if you haven’t done it before.
Sprinkle the rib rack with 2 Tbsp of pork rib seasoning on the top side and press it into the pork.
Assemble
Insert the rack into the pot.
Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the instant pot.
Put the baby back ribs in the instant pot by bending it into a U shape and set it on top of the pressure cooker rack, with the ribs on its side as shown in the photo. There’s no need to cut the ribs into sections before cooking! Easy peasy.
Drizzle the apple cider vinegar over the ribs.
Pressure Cook
Cook on the Pressure Cook setting (or Manual depending on your model), for 30 minutes.
Do a quick release of the pressure and wait to open the lid once all of the pressure is released and the pin drops.
This recipe makes SUPER duper moist ribs! We highly recommend taking some of the juice left in the bottom of the pot and pouring a little over the ribs before serving. So tasty!
We LOVE our homemade rib rub so much, we often eat the instant pot baby back ribs recipe without adding BBQ sauce. If you prefer pressure cooker ribs with BBQ sauce, baste the ribs after they’re done cooking and broil them for just 1-2 minutes to give them a grilled appearance.
Each rack of ribs serves 4 people. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- To make sure your baby back ribs instant pot recipe come out super tender, remove the membrane before pressure cooking.
- It may be tempting to skip the apple cider vinegar, but it’s the secret to getting pork tender every time!
- After 30-minutes of pressure cooking the ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, so we do recommend a quick release for this recipe.
- When quick releasing the pressure be sure the valve is not facing you – the steam comes out of the Instant Pot very quickly.
- Top your ribs with sauce or serve as-is – either way, the ribs are going to be amazing.
Common Questions
If you manage to have leftovers, store them in the fridge in a covered container, for up to 4 days.
We love pairing our ribs with either Mexican street corn, Mexican street corn salad, or corn on the cob, plus coleslaw or bacon curry coleslaw.
Yes, your baby back ribs are keto as long as you use a sugar-free rub (like this homemade pork dry rub) and use a keto-friendly BBQ sauce.
Other Instant Pot Pork Recipes You’ll Love
Looking for more instant pot pork recipes?
- Pressure cooker country style ribs
- Instant pot brats
- Pressure cooker Italian sausage and peppers
- Instant pot cabbage with bacon
- Instant pot zuppa toscana soup
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
Fall Off the Bone Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Easy instant pot baby back ribs that cook in just 30 minutes, yet are so tender and delicious. Get fall off the bone ribs in your pressure cooker that's full of flavor yet doesn't add sugar, gluten, or dairy. Feel free to add your favorite BBQ sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back ribs
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp pork dry rub recipe or store-bought
- Optional - BBQ sauce for serving
Instructions
- Remove the membrane layer from the bottom of the ribs. Sprinkle the rib rack with 2 Tbsp of pork rib seasoning on the top side and press it into the pork.
- Insert the rack into the pot. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the instant pot.
- Put the baby back ribs in the instant pot by bending it into a U shape and set it on top of the pressure cooker rack, with the ribs on its side. Drizzle the apple cider vinegar over the ribs.
- Cook on the Pressure Cook setting (or Manual depending on your model), for 30 minutes. Do a quick release of the pressure and wait to open the lid once all of the pressure is released and the pin drops.
- The instant pot ribs are delicious just with a dry rub added, but to add BBQ sauce simply baste the ribs after they're done cooking and broil them for just 1-2 minutes to give them a grilled appearance.
- This recipe makes SUPER duper moist ribs! We highly recommend taking some of the juice left in the bottom of the pot and pouring a little over the ribs before serving. So tasty!
- Each rack of ribs serves 4 people. Enjoy!
Notes
Use chicken broth, root beer, beer, Coke, or apple juice instead of the cup of water if preferred.
Serve with just the dry rub or add BBQ sauce, if desired.
To make the ribs in Instant Pot keto, use a sugar-free dry rub and keto-friendly BBQ sauce. For the liquid use either water or chicken broth.
This recipe works for either 1 rack of ribs or 2 racks, if you're using 2 racks you might need to cut them in half to get them to fit in the pot.
If the ribs aren't fall off the bone tender after cooking, put them back in the pressure cooker for 2 minutes. The pot will come back to pressure very quickly.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 283Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 72mgSodium 293mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 7gProtein 20g
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