These easy Instant Pot Short Ribs are ready in under two hours! With beef short ribs and a simple red wine and mushroom gravy that's perfect over mashed potatoes, pasta, polenta, and more!
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When you need warm and cozy comfort food in a hurry, these Instant Pot Braised short ribs are HERE. FOR. YOU.
We're making these red wine short ribs entirely in our Instant Pot (hip hooray for one pot dinners!) with just a few main ingredients:
- Beef Short Ribs (Bone-in or boneless both work! You can also substitute the short ribs for chuck roast or another braise-friendly cut of beef)
- Garlic & Onion
- Red Wine
- Mushrooms
- Tomato Paste
How to make these beef short ribs in the Instant Pot:
- Sear the short ribs. We frequently get asked if you can make short ribs without browning them first. If you really, truly don't have 10 minutes to sear your short ribs, you can skip this step in a pinch. But you will get SO much more flavor out of your short ribs if you sear them first! For best results, make sure your short ribs are very dry before you sear them (and don't skip the salt!)
- Sauté up some garlic, onion, and portobello mushrooms.
- Stir in some tomato paste and a hearty red wine (we love a merlot or cabernet sauvignon here!)
- Pressure cooking time! Cook on high pressure for 50 minutes for boneless short ribs (cook for 65 minutes if you're using bone-in short ribs). Naturally release pressure for 15 minutes.
- Remove the short ribs and whisk a cornstarch slurry into the remaining gravy to thicken it up. Then serve!
What to serve with short ribs
We served the short ribs in these photos with our favorite mashed potatoes, but they're great with just about anything! Some of our favorite sides and additions:
These short ribs are also great with pasta (use whatever noodles you have on hand!), rice, grits, or farro!
Can I make these without an Instant Pot?
Absolutely! We love using a slow cooker here if you want to make short ribs without the oven. Use a skillet on the stovetop to follow this recipe as directed until you add the wine to the sauce, then transfer everything to the crockpot and cook for 7-8 hours on low.
If you're looking for oven braised short ribs, check out our easy red wine braised short ribs!
The draw of the Instant Pot is that short ribs can be cooked quickly - so just be aware that if you use another method, this recipe will take some extra time.
One quick note if you haven't made Instant Pot Short Ribs before:
If you're used to (and love!) a low and slow Dutch Oven Braised Short Rib recipe, you may notice some small differences in this (or any) Instant Pot version. While this Instant Pot recipe is excellent if you need to save time, we don't feel like you get quite as much flavor or quite as tender of a short rib out of the Instant Pot as you do when they spend all day in the oven. The difference is slight (this recipe is still SO GOOD!) but it's there. Just an FYI for any die-hard braised short rib fans!
And take that with a grain of salt: We had a handful of taste-testers blind taste these next to an oven-braised short rib, and none of them could tell any difference. (Our team may just be biased because we love the smell and anticipation that comes with an all-day braise!)
So basically, these short ribs are delicious, and this is a perfect shortcut if you don't have time (or the inclination!) to let a pot of short ribs braise away all day. (And if you do have the time and inclination, try our oven braised short ribs next!)
Instant Pot Short Ribs with Red Wine
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy Instant Pot braised short ribs with a delicious red wine mushroom sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless beef short ribs (use 2 pounds if using bone-in ribs)
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- ½ large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ cups red wine (we like a hearty merlot or cabernet sauvignon)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons water
- Fresh chopped parsley (optional), for garnish
Instructions
Please follow all manufacturer directions when using your Instant Pot.
- Generously salt all sides of your short ribs.
- Set Instant Pot to sauté setting and add canola oil. When pot is hot, add short ribs and sear for 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Remove short ribs from pot and set aside. They won't be fully cooked yet - that's ok!
- Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms to pot and stir to combine. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have softened and onion is translucent.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add tomato paste and stir to combine.
- Add balsamic vinegar and red wine to pot to deglaze. Make sure to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan with your spoon or spatula! Bring to a simmer.
- When sauce reaches a simmer, press “cancel” on your Instant Pot to turn off the sauté setting.
- Add short ribs back to the pot, nestling them in with the onions and mushrooms.
- Lock the Instant Pot lid in place, move the valve to “sealing”, and set set the cook time for 50 minutes at high pressure. (If you’re using bone-in short ribs, cook for 65 minutes at high pressure).
- When cook time has finished, let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then do a quick release of any remaining pressure by carefully moving the valve to “venting.” Let the pot vent completely before removing the lid. (Always use caution and follow manufacturer directions when working with your Instant Pot).
- When Instant Pot has released all pressure, remove the lid.
- Remove cooked short ribs to a separate plate while you finish the sauce.
- In a small bowl or jar, combine the cornstarch and water and whisk until smooth to form a cornstarch slurry.
- Set Instant Pot to sauté. Add cornstarch slurry to sauce and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens to a light gravy consistency, about 2 minutes. When sauce is thickened, turn off the Instant Pot.
- Time to eat! Top short ribs with a scoop of sauce, garnish with some fresh parsley (optional), and serve immediately.
Notes
Additions and Substitutions. Use bone-in or boneless short ribs here (see recipe above for cooking instructions for each). Substitute a chuck roast or similar braise-friendly cut of beef for the short ribs if you like (you may need to adjust the cooking time). Omit the mushrooms if you prefer. Once short ribs have cooked, stir chopped kale or spinach into the sauce for an extra boost of veggies. Use a dark beer (like a stout or porter) in place of the wine if you like. To omit the alcohol, swap the wine for beef stock in this recipe. For extra flavor, add 2 bay leaves to the short ribs before pressure cooking. Omit the balsamic vinegar if you don't have any. For extra sweetness, add 2-3 Tablespoons honey or brown sugar to the sauce when you add the wine.
This recipe makes approximately four 6-ounce portions of beef. If you'd like more meat per person, you can double or triple this recipe.
What to serve with these short ribs: We love pairing short ribs with our favorite mashed potatoes or rice. For a delicious red wine ragu, use two forks to shred the short ribs right in the sauce and toss with some easy homemade gnocchi or your favorite pasta.
To make these short ribs ahead of time, follow the recipe as written, let cool completely, and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat short ribs in a saucepan on the stovetop over low heat.
To make this recipe with a slow cooker, use a skillet on the stovetop to follow the recipe as written through step 8 (just after you add the wine), then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours until short ribs are tender. To braise short ribs in the oven, follow our easy wine braised short rib recipe.
About the Instant Pot. We have tested this recipe with a 6-qt. Instant Pot Duo60 and a 6-qt. Instant Pot Lux. We like them both! This recipe has not been tested with other pressure cooker brands or with alternative Instant Pot sizes (but we’re working on it!) If you have an 8-qt. Instant Pot you may need to double the recipe (or at least the liquid) to ensure you have enough liquid to reach full pressure. As always, please use your best judgment and follow the care instructions for your own equipment.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 396
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 758.8 mg
- Fat: 22.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.1 g
- Protein: 37.1 g
- Cholesterol: 136 mg
Keywords: dinner, beef, braise
Jon
Made this recipe this evening, and it was amazing. I have to do the obligatory "I followed this recipe but made the following adjustments..." comment. My only adjustment was, I didn't add parsley for garnish. And, instead of cornstarch and water, I did a butter and flour roux to thicken the sauce (something about the texture of cornstarch just creeps me out...anyone else?). Otherwise, following this recipe as is, you're certain to make an outstanding meal to wow your guests. I served my short ribs with a truffle risotto and steamed carrots. The sauce upped everything. A nice accompaniment to the beef, and it elevated my risotto.
I opted to use a Cab Sauv (recipe recommends a Cab Sauv or Merlot; I had a bottle of Berliner kicking around, which was perfect).
Saving this recipe for sure!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
We're SO happy you loved this recipe! Great pairings with your truffle risotto and carrots!
Lisa Moyer
Love this recipe! So easy and full of flavor.
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO! We're happy to hear you love this recipe!
Brian
We made this for dinner last night and it was amazing! I made two minor amendments:
1. Since I have the double-concentrated tomato paste (in the squeeze tube), I used that, along with a blob of miso paste. The tomato-miso combination is a super tasty punch to the recipe, and I can't recommend it enough.
2. I had an old leek to use up, so I used that instead of an onion.
I'm sure if I followed the recipe to the letter it would have been just as good. Thanks for this!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO!! We love your resourcefulness and the addition of miso!
Brenda
This recipe was so easy and my short ribs were delicious!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
YIPPEE! We're so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Kim
Thank you so much for this outstanding recipe! I used I used balsamic vinaigrette instead of balsamic vinegar and used 1.5 cups of a 2015 Monte Antico Cabernet Sauvignon and OMG my family absolutely loved it ❤. Definitely making this again.
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
We're SO happy to hear your family loved it!
Shauna
Love this post thank you! I had never made short ribs before and they turned out great! I didn’t have any red wine on hand so I used 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar for 2 pounds of ribs. Highly recommend this recipe!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
Thanks so much, Shauna! We're so happy you loved it!
Vicky
Jessie, you are awesome. I screwed up. I followed the recipe. And then I took a wrong turn. I put in way too much vinegar. So I had to put in a little sugar to balance it. Then I put in some diced tomatoes because I forgot the tomato paste!!!! Ugh. So I dumped in beef broth and cornstarch and miraculous it came together. Oh man. But sautéing the meat, and for only 5 small ribs, 60 minutes did the trick. Best short ribs (even with the screw ups) I’ve ever had!!! Thanks!
Team Life As A Strawberry
YIPPEE! We're so happy to hear this recipe turned out great even with a few unintentional changes!
Loren M Carson
How do I adjust the time on the recipe if I am doubling the amount of beef (t0 3 lbs)?
Team Life As A Strawberry
We haven't tested a double version of this recipe yet, but you can absolutely double this recipe!
With extra short ribs, you may want to brown them in batches since the IP bowl may be too small. We would recommend using 2 1/2 cups of wine so that it doesn't take too long to thicken later. Pressure cookers vary and some will require more liquid than others to come up to pressure so always double-check your equipment instructions and use your best judgment.
Follow the cooking instructions as written and then check the short ribs for doneness. If you want them to be more tender you can always pop the lid back on and pressure cook a bit longer!