This Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe is my family‘s all-time favorite comfort meal. Seasoned in a savory Japanese sauce, the marbled boneless beef cooks to tender perfection in just 30 minutes under pressure. It‘s hearty, delicious, and so satisfying! {Gluten-free adaptable}
When my family and I are in the mood for some warm comfort food, I often turn to this Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe. I mean, who doesn’t love melt-in-mouth marbled beef and perfectly cooked carrots, sweet daikon, and onions all nestled in a flavorful sauce? Serve it with steamed rice and you have the most soul-satisfying dinner on a weeknight. With the pressure cooking function in the Instant Pot, this beautiful dish comes together in just 30 minutes. It’s magical!
If you have only tried and loved the western-style short ribs, the ones that are braised with red wine and served with mashed potatoes, I guarantee that you’re going to enjoy this Japanese version as well. It’s on the lighter side but bursts with sweet-savory flavors.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easily accessible ingredients. I can get all the ingredients in my local American grocery stores. I hope you can find them as well.
- Time saving and so easy to prepare. A one-pot meal for the win! Toss in the vegetables, sear the meat, hit the button, and viola, dinner is done in 30 minutes.
- It goes well with any Japanese and Asian dishes. Enjoy as it is with steamed rice, or serve alongside with miso soup and a salad for a well-balanced meal.
- So delicious! …is what everyone who tried this recipe has said.
- Tiff said: “I keep coming back to this recipe because it is just SO delicious and easy!”
- Arlene said: “The Short Ribs were so unbelievably, melt-in-your-mouth delicious.”
- Lyn said: “This was most delicious and tender.”
How to Make Instant Pot Short Ribs
The Ingredients You’ll Need
- Boneless beef short ribs – I used boneless ribs for my recipe, but you can use the bone-in short ribs and cook a little longer. See substitution info below.
- Onion
- Daikon radish – It absorbs all the juices and adds sweetness to the sauce. Substitution info is below.
- Carrot – It adds sweetness to the sauce.
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Green onion/scallion
- Salt and black pepper
- Roasted sesame oil – Use it to add a nutty aroma and flavor.
- Seasonings: salt, black pepper, brown sugar, sake, mirin, and soy sauce
The Cooking Steps
- Prepare the ingredients. Cut the onions, carrots, and green onions. Cut the beef short ribs into smaller bite-size pieces and season with salt and pepper.
- Sear the beef in an Instant Pot and transfer it to the plate.
- Add the onion and water, scraping off the bottom of the pot. Then, add the ginger and garlic and sauté.
- Add the beef and all the seasonings. Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes.
- Release the pressure and serve hot.
Ingredients Substitute
- Beef short ribs – I usually have to ask the butcher to remove the bone for me. I really like this cut for this recipe because the fat and collagen in a beef short rib run evenly throughout the meat, producing that juicy texture. If you can’t find short ribs, you can also use the tender part of beef brisket or chuck roast.
- Daikon radish – I don’t recommend skipping it, but you can substitute with turnips, parsnips, or jicama.
- Brown sugar – You can use white granulated sugar, but brown sugar adds more depth and flavor.
Cooking Tips
- Cut the daikon radish and carrot into bigger chunks. As we cook the meat and vegetables all together in the pressure cooker, you want slightly bigger chunks of vegetables so that they don’t get too soft and disintegrate easily.
- Season the beef well with salt and pepper. Salt helps draw out water and enhance the meat’s natural taste. It also makes the piece of meat more delicate and richer in flavor.
- Don’t skip searing. Searing the beef so that the surface becomes caramelized. This enhances the savoriness and complexity of the taste (this is called the Maillard Reaction). I believe it’s worth spending extra time for the best flavor!
- You can increase the amount of meat. This recipe is good for 3-4 people. If you or your family are big meat eaters, you can increase the short ribs up to 2½ lb (instead of 1¾ lb written in the recipe). I’ve tried that amount and the dish still came out great. If you increase the vegetables, however, more moisture is released from the vegetables, which will dilute the flavor a bit. So cautiously increase the amount of veggies, or slightly increase the seasonings ahead of time.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs
These short ribs are perfect to enjoy alone with rice, but here are some suggestions if you wish to serve it with a more elaborate meal:
- Rice: White Rice, Brown Rice.
- Soup: Vegetable Miso Soup, Kabocha Miso Soup.
- Salad: Asian Cabbage Salad, Harusame Salad, Japanese Potato Salad.
- Side Dishes: Kinpira Gobo, Tamagoyaki, Chrysanthemum Green Salad.
Why I Love Pressure Cooking
An Instant Pot (I have this and this) has both slow cooker and pressure cooker functions, but I almost always use the pressure cooker as I don’t prepare dinner early enough to slow cook.
Since I work from home, I try to get as much work done as possible while my children are at school. By the evening, I usually have about 30-45 minutes to prep dinner before driving them around for after-school activities.
To make these short ribs, all I need is to chop up the vegetables and sear the beef. After all the ingredients go into the pressure cooker, I hit the start button and leave the kitchen. By the time we get home, the food is all cooked and ready to be enjoyed.
I also schedule my rice cooker to finish at dinner time so we have freshly cooked rice at the table. While the family is settling down, I quickly prepare miso soup and salad.
Thanks to the electric pressure cooker, my family gets to sit down together for a home-cooked meal despite everyone’s busy schedule.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Cooking with an Instant Pot has been a real timesaver. It’s hard to believe that I can cook up a luxurious meal for the family on a busy weeknight! If you’re looking for more comfort foods that you can cook with an Instant Pot, here are some of our favorites:
- Instant Pot Pork Belly
- Instant Pot Slow Cooker Chicken Wings
- Instant Pot Sticky Asian Ribs
- Instant Pot Asian Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Honey Spare Ribs
- Instant Pot Takikomi Gohan (Japanese Mixed Rice)
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Instant Pot Short Ribs (Pressure Cooker)
Video
Ingredients
- 8–10 slices ginger (peeled and sliced from a 1-inch, 2.5-cm knob)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 onion (8 oz, 227 g)
- 3 inches daikon radish (10.5 oz, 300 g)
- 1 carrot (5 oz, 140 g; or use 2 thin carrots)
- 1 green onion/scallion
- 1¾ lb boneless beef short ribs (fat and collagen run evenly through this cut for a juicy texture; you can ask the butcher to debone English-style short ribs; or substitute the tender part of a beef brisket or chuck roast)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Peel the ginger knob and cut thinly into 8–10 slices ginger. Mince or crush 2 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press).
- Cut 1 onion in half. Slice each half into 5–6 wedges.
- Peel 3 inches daikon radish and cut in half lengthwise, then slice it ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick. Tip: If you prefer a firmer texture, cut the daikon into bigger pieces.
- Peel and cut 1 carrot into bite-size pieces. I use the rangiri Japanese cutting technique to slice the carrot diagonally while rotating it a quarter turn between cuts. This makes an ideal shape for stews and simmered dishes and increases the surface area to help absorb the seasonings. Tip: If you prefer a firmer texture, cut the carrot into bigger pieces.
- Cut 1 green onion/scallion into thin rounds. Set aside for garnish.
- To promote searing, pat dry all sides of 1¾ lb boneless beef short ribs with paper towels. Then, cut it into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces.
- Season with ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
To Cook
- Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot (I use a 6-QT Instant Pot Ultra) and heat 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil.
- Now, sear the meat in batches (do not crowd the pot to avoid steaming). When the inner pot is hot, sear a single layer of meat, 1 minute per side. Don‘t touch the meat while it‘s searing. When a beautiful crust forms, the meat will release naturally from the pot. When this happens, flip it over.
- When seared, transfer the first batch to a plate. Continue with the next batches.
- You might sear 3–4 batches for about 8 minutes total. Transfer the last batch to the plate. Deglaze the pot with a bit of water and wooden spatula to release any flavorful bits stuck to the bottom.
- Add the onion and 2 Tbsp water to the pot. Sauté while scraping the bottom of the pot with the spatula for 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute.
- Add the short ribs and their juices back to the pot.
- Add 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp sake, 4 Tbsp mirin, and 4 Tbsp soy sauce.
- Mix it all together.
- Then, add the daikon and carrot. Mix it all together.
- Cover and lock the lid. Point the steam release handle at Sealing and not Venting. Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button to stop sautéing. Select the Pressure Cooking mode or switch to the Manual mode and cook under high pressure for 35 minutes.
- For a stovetop pressure cooker: Cook on high heat until it reaches high pressure. Then, reduce the heat to low and maintain pressure for about 30 minutes. For a standard pot on the stove: Cooking under pressure will yield the best results, but you could cook this in a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add enough beef stock to just cover the sides of the meat, then place the lid tightly and simmer on low to medium-low heat for 3 hours or until the meat is tender; add more stock or water if the sauce evaporates.
- When finished, the Instant Pot will switch to the Keep Warm mode. Let the pressure release naturally (ideally) for 15–20 minutes or quick release it using the pressure release button. Unlock the lid and stir.
To Serve
- Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the sliced scallion/green onion. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can store the leftovers in the airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or 2 weeks in the freezer.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on December 3, 2015. It has been republished with a new video, new step-by-step and final images, and updated content on November 3, 2023.
Hi Nami,
Would this recipe still work if I used bone-in beef short ribs? Sometimes, I can not find boneless short ribs at my local grocery store.
Thank you!
Hi Kim,
Yes! You may use bone-in meat, as Nami mentioned it in her post.😉
You can add 5 more minutes to your cooking time if you prefer more soft meat.
We hope you will enjoy this dish!😊
Thanks Nami for another great recipe! Thought I’d share some notes which could be useful to others. I doubled the portion and used beef brisket. Did 45mins and the beef was perfect, melty but not falling apart too much. The fatty pieces of meat were especially nice 🙂 Vegetables were still whole, but could turn mushy if stirred too much. Surprisingly there was quite a lot of liquid after. This will be my go-to beef stew recipe! But definitely takes more than 30mins to make, hehe.
Hi Dani! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your cooking tip/experience with us! Very helpful!! I’m glad you enjoyed this dish. Thanks for your kind feedback!
Hi Nami, can I assume this freezes well? You usually indicate this, so I just want to be doubly sure. Thank you!
Hi Danielle! I’ve updated the recipe with the information. Thanks for letting me know! You can store the leftover in the airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or 2 weeks in the freezer.
Hi may I ask if I can cook this over stove top? And if yes, for how long? Thank you
Hi Ms Heng! You will need to cook for hours, maybe 2 hours at least? You will need to adjust the sauce as it will evaporate (vs. the pressure cooker will lock in all the steam inside and no evaporation).
Can I do this on the slow cooker?
Yes you can, but will take a longer time to cook. 🙂
I’m a fan of your recipes. I especially love the asian sticky ribs as a great recipe for hosting guests! For this short ribs, can I use the slow cook function instead of the pressure cook? If so, how long should I slow cook it for? Alternatively, can I cook it in a pot on the stovetop, and for how long till it gets tender?
Hi Jill! Thank you for your kind words! You can cook on low for 9 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours, or until the meat is very tender. For stovetop, evaporation will be more, so I’m not sure how much additional liquid should be calculated into the seasoning. Both pressure cooker and the slow cooker is enclosed so not much evaporation going on. 🙂
Thanks Nami, I actually tried it last week already on the stovetop because I find it hard to sear the meat in my instant pot. I cooked it about 4-5 hours and kept it overnight after. Just added water (on top of the seasonings) to almost cover the meat and top up a little water as it evaporates. It was beautiful with rice!
Hi Jill! Thank you so much for sharing your update! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Used the recipe but instead of pressure cooker, I used a slow cooker and it turned out great!
Hi Paul! That’s AWESOME! Thanks so much for letting me know! I’m so glad to hear that!!
Hi Nami-San, may i know if i replace short ribs with tenderloin? Thanks
Hi Karen! Yes, you can. Sometimes depending on cut, you may need to trim the fat (or ask the butcher to trim). 🙂
You have the honors of being my first instant pot recipe! Yay! I love the step by step pictures and instruction you provide and you made it seem so easy and not scary at all. I will definitely make this again and try your other recipes too.
Hi Jenny! Congrats on your new IP! I’m so happy you got one, and tried my recipe for your first use!!! Thank you for your kind feedback. Have fun using IP!
This is another JOC I really looooove cooking using instant pot. It’s so easy to prepare and cook…and it’s usually gone after one sitting- lol!
I’ve been a JOC fan for four months now and have made a few dishes from the site already. I’m only now sharing my experience to help encourage other people to try them out!
Hi Elizabeth! I enjoy using my IP too, especially the part that I can leave the kitchen! This is our family’s favorite too. I’m really flattered to hear that you’ve been cooking recipes from my site. THANK YOU for referring my site to your friends! xoxo
How big is your instant pot for making short ribs (and other recipes). I’m concerned about amount of liquids…. Thanks.
Hi Natalie! All my Instant Pots are 6 QT. 🙂
So what do I do if mine is 8 Qt? Thanks.
Hi Natalie! It should be fine. I would be more worried if yours were mini IP. 🙂
I am confused by your Step 11: “Until the meat is nicely seared, do not turn or toss the meat. When the meat is nicely seared on all sides, transfer to a plate.” How do you sear the meat on all sides without turning or tossing?
Hi Rebecca! I wrote “Until the meat is nicely seared,” but sorry if it was confusing.
I rewrote the sentence: Don’t touch the meat when searing. The meat will release naturally when a beautiful sear has formed. Sear all sides of the meat. When you’re done, transfer to a plate.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
I used chuck short ribs with bone and still followed your instructions for 35 minutes. It was a perfect texture for me. The meat fell off the bone and there was a nice chewiness at the membrane. My husband loved it and my son with just one tooth enjoyed the juicy daikon and carrots. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Mimi! Thank you so much for your kind words and feedback! I’m so happy your family enjoyed the recipe, even your son! 🙂
can this recipe be done in slow cooker? if so what will the time be?
Hi Eric! I assume 6-8 hours on low? I highly recommend searing the meat first to add more flavor. 🙂
Do we need to soak the meat (beef ribs) in cold water before we saute them? In some cases, I’ve seen this extra step to put them in cold water and boil them to get rid of the scum etc.
Hi Rose! I know Korean recipes often do this, but I don’t really see Japanese recipes talk about this technique. It’s up to you! 🙂