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.
I keep coming back to this recipe because it is just SO delicious and easy! Thank you so much for sharing xo
Hi Tiff, Aww.🥰 We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Nami’s recipe.
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
I’ve made this version for my family quite a few times. I really love it! The daikon becomes so and almost syrupy.
Hi CCZ! We are so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed this dish!
Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.
Happy Cooking!
Wow this is my new favorite way of making beef ribs! I subbed golden beets for the daikon as that’s what I had on hand, used bone-in beef ribs (with a ~5 inch bone), subbed korean rice beer for the sake (again, what was in fridge) and put the pressure cooker on 45min with a manual release. The beets and carrots came out perfect – not a hint of mush. The beef was perfect – falling off the bone, with a touch of chewiness in the tendon. The sauce was perfectly balanced. Next time maybe I will add some chilis for a hint of spice? Or sprinkle on top. Recommend this recipe highly! Thank you!
Hi Running for snacks! Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and experimenting with her recipe!
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed the Instant Pot Short Ribs! Thank you for sharing your cooking experience with us.
Happy Cooking!
I recently saw that Momosan has a beef short rib ramen on their menu. Any thoughts on how I can transform this recipe to a ramen broth… may be add dash broth at the end to the sauce? Please let me know if you have tried the Momosan version and thoughts on a “copy cat” version. Thanks so much. This is my #1 go to site. Thanks for all your hard work!
Hi Karen! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We have not tried the Ramen before, but according to the menu, it said Tonkotsu broth. So, adding the Dashi broth to this sauce will not taste the same.
How about using Nami’s Vegetarian Ramen 豆乳味噌ラーメン broth? It tastes just good as Tonkotsu, and it has a rich flavor. https://www.justonecookbook.com/vegetarian-ramen/
And add these Short Ribs and a bit of sauce on top.
Let us know how it goes! 🙂
[…] Pressure Cooker Short Rib […]
We made this and loved it. Easy and super tasty! Will definitely make it again. Thank you!
Hi Jen! Wow! Looks great!🤩
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing the photo with us.
This was easy and tasty! The beef was very tender and the sauce perfect for rice. It would also have gone well with roasted or baked potatoes. Thank you!
Hi Richard! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
This looks delicious!
Hi Lindsay! Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
We hope you enjoy the dish soon.☺️
I made this dish the first time with bone in short ribs but didn’t have daikon so substituted jicama at the time. Still came out great but didn’t like the taste of the jicama. Second attempt at making this dish I used boneless chuck roast and had daikon this time. Both times I cooked for 45 min high pressure and natural release. The daikon came out bitter.
I came across another website that mentioned the daikon should be pre-boiled to remove bitterness. Wondering if this is something that should be attempted next time?
“Root vegetables like daikon are often pre-boiled. There are different reasons for doing pre-boiling – faster cooking in the sauce, removing bitterness of the vegetables, and removing a strong smell and/or sliminess, etc. Pre-boiling ingredients for these reasons is called ‘shitayude’.
In the case of daikon, pre-boil the daikon pieces in either the cloudy water you get from washing rice or water with a handful of rice in it.
It allows the daikon to absorb flavours more easily, eliminates bitterness, and brings out the sweetness in the daikon. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until daikon pieces are all cooked through.”
Hi Myztikal, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Yes. Pre-boil Daikon with rice water helps reduces the bitterness and use the method for some of our delicate flavored recipes like Buri-Daikon; https://www.justonecookbook.com/buri-daikon/.
However, This Short Ribs recipe uses Instant Pot, and if you pre-boil the Daikon and follow the recipe, the Daikon may fall apart due to overcooking. Instead, we recommend using the upper part of the Daikon as it has no bitter taste.
The lower part of the Daikon has often had a bitter taste, and we recommend using it as a garnish, etc.
We hope this helps!
Could I add a cup of beef/chicken broth if I want more gravy for this?
Hi Pam! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
If you are adding broth to this recipe, you would need to adjust the seasoning amount. Please feel free to add extra as you would like.
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami, I love your recipes! I am planning to prep this tonight for my husband to put in ther slow cooker in the morning while I’m at work. If prep this the night before, do you recommend marinating the seared meat with the seasoning ingredients overnight (sake, soy sauce, sugar and mirin), or should I keep them separate until they are put into the slow cooker in the morning? Thanks!
Hi Kathy, Thank you very much for trying this recipe! We don’t think marinating the meat overnight is unnecessary if you are cooking in the slow cooker for hours. But if you like well marinated flavored meat, it will be a good idea. Please let us know how it goes!
Hello,
I do not have instant or preasure pot. Can you provide cooking directions on regular stove and oven?
Thank you!
Hi Kathryn, If you cook on the stove, you will need to cook for 4~5 hours with extra water, just enough to cover the meat because it will evaporate. If you have a Duch oven, it will be better. We hope this works for you!
My 11 year old son made this recipe using the Instant Pot. Your recipe was so easy to follow and turned out great. The short ribs were so tender and flavourful. Thanks for the recipe. It is a definite keeper.
Hi Andrew,
Wow! 11-year-old chef!💕 We are so happy to hear Nami’s instruction was easy to follow, and everyone enjoyed it!
Thank you very much for sharing your story and for your kind feedback.
I made this dish tonight for my family. My picky grand children as well as their parents and my husband enjoyed it very much.
Thanks for showing delicious yet” simple to make” recipes.
Hi Jean,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear your family enjoyed this Short rib.
Yes! We love Simple and Delicious Japanese recipes too!☺️
Hi, can the Instant Pot short ribs be made in a dutch oven on top of the stove? do not have an Instant Pot.
Hi Coco,
Yes, you can use a Dutch oven.
However, you will need to cook for a longer time, so please adjust the pot’s liquid amount.🙂