Instant Pot Short Ribs (Video) 牛バラ肉と大根煮

This easy Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe is my family’s all time favorite cozy food! Seasoned in a savory Japanese sauce, the marbled boneless beef short ribs are cooked to tender perfection in just 30 minutes. It’s hearty, delicious, and super 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.

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

1. 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.
2. Sear the beef in an Instant Pot and transfer it to the plate.
3. Add the onion and water, scraping off the bottom of the pot. Then, add the ginger and garlic and sauté.
4. Add the beef and all the seasonings. Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes.
5. 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)

5 from 26 votes

This Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe is my family's all time favorite cozy food! Seasoned in a savory Japanese sauce, the marbled boneless beef short ribs are cooked to tender perfection in the pressure cooker in just 30 minutes. It's hearty, delicious, and super satisfying! {Gluten-free adaptable}

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Video

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 3

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 8–10 slices ginger (peeled and thinly 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 (Ask the butcher to remove the bone. I really like this cut 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. The tender part of beef brisket or chuck roast also works)
• ▢ ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

For the Seasonings

• ▢ 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• ▢ 2 Tbsp sake
• ▢ 4 Tbsp mirin
• ▢ 4 Tbsp soy sauce (for gluten-free, use GF soy sauce)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Gather all the ingredients.
  

To Prepare the Ingredients

• Peel the ginger knob and thinly slice into 8–10 slices ginger. Mince or crush 2 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press).
  
• Cut 1 onion in half and cut each half into 5–6 wedges.
  
• Peel 3 inches daikon radish and cut in half lengthwise, then cut into ½-inch (1.3-cm) slices. Tip: You can cut the daikon slightly bigger if you do not like your vegetables cooked too soft.
  
• Peel 1 carrot and cut into bite-size pieces. I use a Japanese cutting technique called rangiri where I cut the carrot diagonally while rotating it a quarter turn between cuts. This not only makes an attractive shape that is good for stews and simmered dishes, but also gives the pieces more surface area to absorb the seasonings faster. Tip: If you do not like your vegetables too soft, you can cut the carrot slightly bigger.
  
• Cut 1 green onion/scallion into thin rounds and set them aside for garnish.
  
• Pat all sides of 1¾ lb boneless beef short ribs dry with paper towels so it will sear easily. Cut the short ribs into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces.
  
• Season the beef 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.
  
• When the inner pot is hot, sear the short ribs in a single layer, 1 minute per side. Sear the meat in batches and do not crowd the pot to avoid steaming the ribs. Don‘t touch the meat while searing. Wait until the bottom of the meat gets a nice crust, then turn it over. The meat will release itself naturally when a beautiful sear has formed.
  
• When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue with the next batch.
  
• You may need to do this step in 3–4 batches, a total of about 8 minutes. Remove the last batch of seared beef to the plate. If there are some brown bits that stuck to the bottom, you can deglaze them with a little bit of water and a wooden spoon.
  
• To the pot, add the onion and 2 Tbsp water. Sauté the onion, scraping the bottom of the pot with the wooden spatula, for 2 minutes.
  
• Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute.
  
• Add the short ribs back to the pot, including the juices on the plate.
  
• 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. Make sure the steam release handle points at Sealing and not Venting. Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button on the Instant Pot to stop sautéing. Press the Pressure Cooking mode or press the Manual button to switch to the pressure cooking mode. Cook under High pressure for 35 minutes.
  
• If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook on high heat until high pressure is reached. Then, reduce the heat to low and maintain high pressure for about 30 minutes.
• When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Let it go on natural release (about 15–20 minutes) or, if you‘re in a hurry, do a quick release by pressing the pressure release button. Unlock the lid and mix it all together.
  

To Serve

• Transfer the Instant Pot Short Ribs to a serving dish. Garnish with the sliced scallion/green onion and 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

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Short Ribs (Pressure Cooker)

Amount per Serving

Calories

626

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

32

g

49

%

Saturated Fat

 

12

g

75

%

Cholesterol

 

156

mg

52

%

Sodium

 

871

mg

38

%

Potassium

 

1457

mg

42

%

Carbohydrates

 

23

g

8

%

Fiber

 

4

g

17

%

Sugar

 

15

g

17

%

Protein

 

54

g

108

%

Vitamin A

 

7935

IU

159

%

Vitamin C

 

32

mg

39

%

Calcium

 

91

mg

9

%

Iron

 

7

mg

39

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Author: Nami

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: boneless short rib, instant pot

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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.