There’s nothing more comforting and fall-off-the-bone delicious than this paleo and Whole30 Balsamic Short Ribs that you can cook quickly in the Instant Pot!
I’m all about meals that look fancy and impressive, but secretly, they are so easy and quick to make. These Instant Pot braised short ribs are just that kind of recipe, and they are just so perfectly tender and delicious. In fact, I made this for dinner the other day and my husband took one look and said, “WHOA, fancy!”
Instant Pot Balsamic Short Ribs Recipe
Cooking these balsamic short ribs in the Instant Pot is what makes this recipe so easy. Usually, they take hours to braise in the Dutch oven or the slow cooker, but these Whole30 short ribs require just 45 minutes of cook time in the electronic pressure cooker. You’ll be amazed at how tender and flavorful they turn out in just a short time!
Cooking Short Ribs In the Instant Pot
Some people are a bit intimidated by the Instant Pot, especially when they first use it, but it’s one of the easiest kitchen appliances I have that gets used the most often. Here are the simple steps to make these easy Instant Pot short ribs.
- Season then sear the short ribs to deepen the flavor of the meat and the sauce.
- Briefly cook vegetables and spices in the pot. I used tomato paste, onions, carrots, garlic, and fresh thyme.
- Use broth and other flavoring liquids to deglaze the pot, which will result in a delicious sauce.
- Cook the short ribs in the Instant Pot for 45 minutes, then naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.
- Thicken the sauce with starch.
- Serve with your favorite sides. I love serving these Whole30 short ribs over mashed potatoes, which you can also make in the Instant Pot! Green beans are a nice addition as well.
If you follow these simple steps, cooking short ribs in the Instant Pot is quite easy and there’s nothing to be afraid of. The deep flavors of the aromatics with balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, and broth will taste like you spent hours in the kitchen.
Can I Boneless Short Ribs for This Instant Pot Braised Short Ribs Recipe?
You can definitely use boneless short ribs! All you have to do is reduce the Instant Pot cooking time by 10 minutes, for a total of 35 minutes. I personally think that bone-in meat is way more flavorful, especially in this Instant pot braised short ribs recipe, but I know some people prefer to not have bones for personal preference.
Reducing the Fat Content
While I love fatty cuts like short ribs, I understand that they can release a bit too much fat while cooking, especially in the sauce that they are braising in. You can reduce the fat content in these easy Instant Pot short ribs with one or both of the following methods:
- Method 1: Once you open the lid after the short ribs are done cooking, use a large spoon to gently remove and discard the fat that settles at the top.
- Method 2: If you really want to get rid of most of the fat, make this dish a day in advance and place in the refrigerator overnight. The fat will rise to the top and harden into a white layer. You can then easily remove it and then heat up to serve these Whole30 short ribs.
The second method is definitely more time consuming, but it might be worth trying especially if you have issues digesting fat and still want to enjoy these delicious and easy Instant Pot short ribs.
Whether you are making it for a holiday main dish or just a regular dinner with your family, I think you’ll love these insanely tender balsamic short ribs and I hope you give them a try!
Other recipes you might love…
- Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs
- Chili Lime Instant Pot Short Ribs
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Paleo, Whole30)
- Korean BBQ Short Ribs (Galbi)
- White Barbecue Sauce Paleo Instant Pot Ribs
Instant Pot Balsamic Short Ribs (Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or your favorite cooking oil
- 3 lb bone-in short ribs
- 1 tsp sea salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup bone broth or beef broth
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on to SAUTÉ and once it indicates that it's hot, add avocado oil.
- Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.
- Add the short ribs and sear for 5 minutes per side.
- Once the short ribs are browned, remove from the Instant Pot and set aside on a plate.
- Add onion and carrots to the pot and cook stirring until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, tomato paste, and thyme leaves and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in bone broth, balsamic vinegar, and coconut aminos, and let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes, while scraping any brown bits on the bottom to deglaze.
- Turn off the SAUTÉ function and add the short ribs back in.
- Screw on the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Cook on MANUAL at high pressure for 45 minutes.
- Once it beeps to a finish, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before releasing the vent.
- Open the lid and use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and vegetables from the pot.
- OPTIONAL: You can skim off the oil from the top if there's too much for your taste.
- Set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ again.
- Whisk together tapioca starch and water to make a slurry, and pour into the the pot. Let this simmer for 1-2 minutes until thickened.
- Taste the sauce and add more salt, if needed.
- Serve the short ribs with the vegetables, drizzled with the thickened braising liquid. It's delicious over mashed potatoes!
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I made this tonight and it turned out great. The meat was so tender it fell off the bones and the balsamic gave it fantastic flavor. Thank you for this recipe!!
I made these tonight and they were absolutely FABULOUS. Definitely recommend making it with mashed potatoes. I cooked mine for 40 minutes and the meat was perfect.
Yay! Thank you. And yes, the mashed potatoes are a must!
Is there anything I can substitute for the coconut aminos? Allergy 🙁
You can just substitute with more balsamic vinegar. If you are not doing the Whole30, then you can even add a little bit of your favorite sweetener because coconut aminos naturally gives it a slightly sweet flavor. If you are doing the Whole30, maybe blend in 1/2 of a pear to the sauce.
These were FABULOUS. I have grass-finished beef and I’ve learned through trial and error to modify all recipes for them because they are so, so tough and lean. For this recipe, I pressure cooked them on high for one hour (on the “stew” setting) and then changed over to the slow cook function, and cooked them on high for the rest of the day (another 6 hours or so). After that, I added the tapioca flour slurry and let it simmer down on the saute function. Turned out perfectly! I hope that helps anyone else out there who is trying to soften up the toughest short ribs on the planet. haha
Sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing your modifications!!
THIS recipe was AMAZING!
I had 4.7 lbs of short ribs, I had to saute them in batches. I used my 6 quart instead of my 8 quart IP. I ended up up-ing my IP to 60 minutes because I had so many ribs. I started it early in the day, so it had a natural release of about 2 hours before I opened up the IP. I didn’t add carrots because I only wanted it meaty. I skipped the tomato paste because I am not eating nightshades right now. The sauce was amazing. I did put the sauce thru a fat drainer because there was a big layer of fat after I removed the ribs to add the arrowroot powder. I then used my immersion blender to make the gravy smooth. I had fresh garlic packets that were on their last leg so I ended up adding 3 pkts to cook along with everything else. Mmm
I served it over mashed potatoes for my family and white sweet potato mash for me – I felt like Bob from What about Bob? where he is moaning because the food is so good. We had enough for leftovers and I am considering eating it for breakfast. It was so delicious and a total comfort food during stay at home COVID time.
I am definitely making this at least once a month and going to check out the rest of your recipes. THANK YOU!
Sounds so good! Thanks so much for sharing.
I have made this recipe several times now and it’s fabulous! When you buy the short ribs, look for the leanest ones as they can end up very fatty. I add extra carrots and last time added a parsnip. Make some mashed ‘taters and top with the juices1
These are the absolute best!!!! One of my favorite dinners to make! SOOO SOOO GOOD!
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
This was so, so good. I could have just poured myself a glass of that sauce! Thank you!
Haha thanks so much!
Great easy recipe will make again
Just made this with cauliflower mash. So freakin’ delicious! I was curious – when you sear the ribs at the beginning, do you usually do the top and the bottom or the sides as well? I wish my meat had been a touch more salty and thought maybe if I had of browned it more, it might have come through more. It was delicious regardless! 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much! I just do the 4 sides of the short ribs. You can salt a bit more next time if you’d like, or sprinkle salt after cooking.
If you were to halve this recipe do any of the cooking times change?
No, keep the cooking time the same!
Made these tonight & they were fantastic! Perfect over mashed potatoes.
Thank you for the recipe – so delicious! The sauce is to die for!!!
I’m so happy you liked it!!
Looks amazing! I’d love to make these but I don’t have an instant pot! Any suggestions on how I could modify this recipe to cook them in a Dutch oven?
You can braise at 325 degrees for about 2.5 hours!
This was delicious! Doubled the recipe for having company over and it was a huge hit! Will definitely make again.
Thank you so much!! I love that it’s so easy for when you have guests over.
I know whenever I cook something and my fiancé says it’s better than his Mother’s version, we have a WINNER!! This dish is flavorful and not dried out at all. I have to admit, I’ve always wanted to cook short ribs on my own and bought the meat when I was inspired by how easy it looked to cook this in the instant pot. No lie, SO easy. Incredible depth of flavor and slight sweetness from the coconut aminos. This is just a plain and simple fabulous dish beyond the fact that it’s Whole30. Don’t sleep on this for the holidays, either! Thank you for making fancy foods easy and accessible for us to make at home.
Thank you so much!! So appreciate you leaving a review, and I’m so so happy you enjoyed the dish.
Hi, can I make this in a slow cooker? How long should I leave it for? Thank you!
Yes! You can cook on low for 6-8 hours.