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Asian-Inspired Instant Pot Ribs

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Asian-Inspired Instant Pot Spare Ribs are sticky, sweet, a little spicy, and full of flavor. The best part? They take just about an hour to prepare, from start to finish.
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Ribs are one of my favorite indulgence foods. Who doesn’t like ribs? Maybe vegetarians, but that’s not my point. What I’m trying to say here is that ribs are delicious. Period. I used to only eat ribs at a restaurant since they’re so time consuming to prepare at home. That was until I met my new favorite kitchen appliance: The Instant Pot. Now I can place the ribs in the Instant Pot, set the timer for only 25 minutes (!!!), and when it’s done, I have fully cooked, fall-off-the-bone tender ribs. In this case, Asian ribs.
 
Though I love a good BBQ rib with some nice tangy sauce, I decided to try an Asian-inspired recipe as well. Yum! I modified an old recipe that I had used for just about anything (short ribs, country ribs, chicken), and it turned out great with these pork spare ribs. The original inspo came from Aida Mollenkamp’s recipe for Sticky Five-Spice Short Ribs. Within minutes of turning on the IP, the whole house smelled of cinnamon, anise, and ginger from the Chinese five-spice powder. Thank goodness we only had to wait for minutes, rather than hours, for them to finish cooking!
Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Check out my Instant Pot Archives for some great recipes, ranging from vegan chili to roasted chicken! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can still make these Asian ribs in a slow cooker. See the recipe notes for the adapted recipe.

Sticky. Sweet. Flavorful. Rich. Umami. Super easy to make. Perfect for game day, dinner, or a party. 
Comment below if you’ve tried this recipe! I’d love to hear from you.
 
Asian-Inspired Instant Pot Ribs are sticky, sweet, savory, and so easy to make in the Instant Pot. #instantpot #quickdinner #instantpotribs
4.93 from 13 votes
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Asian-Inspired Instant Pot Ribs

Sweet, sticky, savory spare ribs that are a cinch to prepare in the Instant Pot. 

Course Appetizer, Dinner, lunch
Cuisine American, asian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 2 Large servings
Calories 1978 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 rack pork spare ribs or St. Louis Style ribs
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic smashed
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 scallion sliced (optional garnish)

Instructions

  1. Trim the membrane from the back of the ribs. Use a dull knife, such as a butter knife, and wedge it between the membrane and the bone. Wiggle it around to loosen the membrane, and then peel the membrane off. It might take a few tries. 

  2. Cut the rack of ribs into thirds or in half, so they will fit in the Instant pot. Place them into the Instant Pot. They will not fit in one layer, so you can lie them flat on top of each other. 

  3. In a medium sized bowl, mix the remaining ingredients until combined. Pour this sauce on top of the ribs. 

  4. Close and seal the pot. On manual mode, set the timer to 25 minutes on high pressure. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 F. 

  5. When the Instant Pot is done cooking, allow it to do natural pressure release for about 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure. 

  6. Remove the ribs to a plate. Turn the pot onto saute mode on high, and reduce the liquid by about 2/3, until it is a thick sauce. This takes about 10-15 minutes. 

  7. Place the ribs on a baking sheet, meat side up. Brush them generously with the sauce, and place in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce is very sticky. 

  8. While the ribs are baking, pour the remaining sauce into a small bowl. Skim as much fat off the top as possible. 

  9. Remove ribs from the oven. Garnish with sliced scallions (white and green parts) and serve with additional sauce for dipping. 

Recipe Notes

To prepare the ribs in a slow cooker, follow steps 1-3 using a slow cooker instead of the Instant Pot. Cover the slow cooker, and turn on high. Cook for 4-5 hours. When finished, remove the ribs to a plate. Turn oven on to 400 F.  Pour the sauce into a saucepan, and reduce over medium heat by about 2/3 the volume. Place ribs on a baking sheet, and brush with the sauce. Bake for 10 minutes, until the sauce is very sticky. Pour remaining sauce into a bowl, and skim the fat from the top. Serve ribs with extra sauce for dipping. 

 Asian-Inspired Instant Pot Ribs are sticky, sweet, savory, and so easy to make in the Instant Pot. #instantpot #quickdinner #instantpotribs

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Comments

  2. 4 stars
    I loved the flavor of this and it was a huge hit at our house. I might lessen the amount of sugar in the future (personal preference). It did take a bit longer to reduce-more like 25 minutes (and I also removed as much fat off the top as I could). I ended up reducing it further (another 10 minute saute) and then dredged them through the thick sauce after the oven because they weren’t getting sticky in the oven. They looked beautiful after that.

    Reply

    • Thanks so much for your comment (and sorry for taking so long to reply)! I appreciate the feedback. Glad you liked it!

      Reply

  4. 5 stars
    These were so good! I can’t believe how easy they are to make. I usually don’t make Asian food because it’s so difficult, so this recipe is great to have!

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    Wow, very good!! Did get a “burn” on the IP the first time but used a each under after and they came out perfect! Great recipe, thank you!

    Reply

  10. Hello, wanting to try this for my BBQ this weekend. Do you know if you can cook in IP a day ahead and then grill to brown it when ready to eat?

    Reply

    • I think that would work! I would remove the ribs from the pot, set aside to cool and then refrigerate until the next day. Meanwhile, reduce the sauce as in the recipe. The next day, throw the ribs on the grill and then brush with sauce. Just be careful that the ribs don’t all fall off the bone while you’re grilling! Enjoy!

      Reply

  12. 5 stars
    These were really good, they are in my bookmarks and will make again and again. They were great finished on bbq

    Reply

    • I would keep the time the same. It will take longer to get to pressure the more full the pot is, so just keep that in mind. Also, don’t overfill! Make sure you follow the instructions for your pot 🙂

      Reply

  15. 5 stars
    DELICIOUS!!! Made these tonight and my husband, 8-year old son (and I) LOVED them!!! They were so tender and flavorful, we’ll definitely make these again — it’s already been mandated as such by my son, so there you go! Thank you for sharing your awesome recipe!!! ?

    Reply

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