Garlic Butter Instant Pot Short Ribs are flavored with a simple combination of butter, garlic, and fresh thyme. Now you can enjoy fall apart, incredibly tender short ribs in a fraction of the time!
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I had Garlic Butter Chicken for the first time a couple weeks ago and can’t even tell you how many times I’ve made it since – it’s so easy and amazingly delicious!
Usually, I would make Red Wine Braised Short Ribs but after my life-changing experience (too far?) with Garlic Butter Chicken, the next time I was planning on making short ribs, I decided to try using garlic and butter with beef bone broth to flavor them. It does make total sense though. Steak topped with compound butter is so tasty. I often make Garlic Herb Steak Butter to plop right on top of a hot, juicy steak!
I also wanted to make short ribs in the Instant Pot, since the traditional method of slow cooking them in the oven takes hours. These short ribs turn out perfectly tender and flavorful!
How to Make Garlic Butter Instant Pot Short Ribs
Prep!
Trim any excess fat off of the short ribs and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Mince the garlic and strip the leaves from the thyme.
Create!
Turn your Instant Pot on to sauté. Once the screen reads “HOT,” add the butter and allow to melt.
Next, add the short ribs and sear until browned on the first side. This will take about 7-8 minutes. Then, flip the short ribs and sear the other side for about 3-4 minutes. Remove the ribs and set on a plate.
Add the garlic and thyme to the Instant Pot. Cook for one minute, then add a splash of the bone broth to deglaze the bottom of the pot, using a wooden or silicone spoon to scrape any bits off of the bottom.
Turn off the sauté function and add the ribs back to the pot. Pour in the bone broth until the ribs are just covered. You may need more or less than the recipe calls for depending on the size of your short ribs and which Instant Pot you are using.
Place the lid on the instant pot and make sure the valve is in the seal position. Set to pressure cook on high for 35 minutes, followed by a natural release of 15 minutes.
After the natural release time is up, carefully turn the valve to vent, then open the pot.
Optional: you can turn your Instant Pot on to the soup function and bring the leftover liquid to a boil to reduce by half. This can take up to 30 minutes. The broth will likely be salty, so a small amount goes a long way to add even more flavor to your short ribs.
Present!
Serve these Garlic Butter Instant Pot Short Ribs topped with extra sauce from the pot and fresh thyme. I especially love them over mashed cauliflower for a complete low carb meal!
Tips and Techniques for Making the Best Garlic Butter Instant Pot Short Ribs
- If you are using bone-in short ribs, increase the cook time on the Instant Pot to 45 minutes.
- While fresh thyme gives the best results, you can used dried thyme instead. Reduce the amount to 1/2 tablespoon when using dried thyme.
- Serve these Garlic Butter Instant Pot Short Ribs over mashed cauliflower for a meal suitable for low carb, keto, and gluten free diets. They also taste great with carrots, broccoli, and mashed potatoes.
- Store any leftover short ribs in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.
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Garlic Butter Instant Pot Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless beef short ribs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic * minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2.5 cups beef bone broth * or beef stock
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat off of the short ribs and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Turn your Instant Pot on to sauté. Once the screen reads “HOT,” add the butter and allow to melt.
- Next, add the short ribs and sear until browned on the first side. This will take about 7-8 minutes. Then, flip the short ribs and sear the other side for about 3-4 minutes. Remove the ribs and set on a plate.
- Add the garlic and thyme to the Instant Pot. Cook for one minute, then add a splash of the bone broth to deglaze the bottom of the pot, using a wooden or silicone spoon to scrape any bits off of the bottom.
- Turn off the sauté function and add the ribs back to the pot. Pour in the bone broth until the ribs are just covered. You may need more or less than the recipe calls for depending on the size of your short ribs and which Instant Pot you are using.
- Place the lid on the instant pot and make sure the valve is in the seal position. Set to pressure cook on high for 35 minutes, followed by a natural release of 15 minutes.
- After the natural release time is up, carefully turn the valve to vent, then open the pot.
- Optional: you can turn your Instant Pot to soup and bring the leftover liquid to a boil to reduce by half. This can take up to 30 minutes. The broth will likely be salty, so a small amount goes a long way!
- Serve these Garlic Butter Instant Pot Short Ribs topped with extra sauce from the pot and fresh thyme.
Notes
Tips and Techniques for Making the Best Garlic Butter Instant Pot Short Ribs
- If you are using bone-in short ribs, increase the cook time on the Instant Pot to 45 minutes.
- While fresh thyme gives the best results, you can used dried thyme instead. Reduce the amount to 1/2 tablespoon when using dried thyme.
- Serve these Garlic Butter Instant Pot Short Ribs over mashed cauliflower for a meal suitable for low carb, keto, and gluten free diets. They also taste great with carrots, broccoli, and mashed potatoes.
- Store any leftover short ribs in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.
Kate says
February 6, 2019 at 1:03 pmCan you use this recipe for a boneless chuck roast?!? My store was out of short ribs!!!!
Lauren says
February 6, 2019 at 3:06 pmHi Kate! Our stores rarely have short ribs, so I have substituted other cuts of meat – which honestly, has never turned out quite the same. You could cut your roast down into smaller pieces so that you can still sear it and cover it with the broth. It may not be as fall-apart tender, depending on the amount of fat and connective tissue in your particular roast but the flavors should still be there. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out! – Lauren
Farwin says
January 9, 2019 at 8:51 pmI love my Instant Pot and always find ways to use than the stove or the oven. The short ribs look so delicious and flavorful!
Diana says
January 9, 2019 at 6:50 pmI LOVE my instant pot and how can it cook ANYTHING for me! This recipe looks great.
Tilly says
January 9, 2019 at 6:44 pmMelt in your mouth delicious!!
Sues says
January 9, 2019 at 6:29 pmI absolutely love short ribs in my Instant Pot (so tender!) and garlic butter is probably one of the most delicious things ever. YUM!!
Lisa Huff says
January 9, 2019 at 6:27 pmWhoah, these are from an Instant Pot! I really need to start using mine more. They look incredible!!
Cindy Gordon says
January 9, 2019 at 5:46 pmAnother instant pot recipe for the WIN! It is amazing what you can make in your instant pot!