Whole30 + Keto Instant Pot BBQ Ribs
Fall off the bone tender Whole30 + Keto BBQ Ribs Recipe + Video. Made in the instant pot in under an hour! The BEST low carb ribs you’ll ever have! Gluten free, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free, clean eating, real food.
THESE ARE THE BEST RIBS I’VE EVER HAD!
Sorry for screaming at your eyes. But OH MY GOD! Stop everything you are doing right now and buy all the ingredients you need to make these ribs and make them once a week until summer is over.
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Best Instant Pot Whole30 + Keto Ribs
If you’re like me, the idea of making ribs seems intimidating. But these are so insanely easy and come out perfect every time! Best part? They’re ready in under an hour!
All thanks to my new best friend, my Instant Pot.
You rub the ribs with a dry rub, then put them in the instant pot for 25 minutes. 25 minutes is the perfect amount of time for tender ribs that fall off the bone, but still have the tiniest amount of chew to it.
Then you brush the ribs with bbq sauce (I love my homemade whole30 + keto version the most!), and broil them for 5-8 minutes in the oven. This gives the ribs that caramelized char. You could also finish them on the BBQ, but honestly the oven is a whole lot easier and just as delicious. I find the ribs tend to stick to the grill, and I don’t want to waste any meat here!
Can You Put 2 Racks of Ribs in the Instant Pot?
I have the 6 quart Instant Pot, and I could easily fit 2, even 3 racks of ribs in there. If they ribs are touching it’s ok. You just want to put them in vertical, so the rib bones are going up and down.
I get my ribs from ButcherBox (which I highly recommend! Best hormone and antibiotic free pork!). The rack of ribs are already cut in half, so they easily fit in the instant pot. If you have a full rack, you can curve them to fit inside but I recommend cutting them in half for easiest handling. The ribs are going to be extremely tender when done cooking, and taking a full rack out without it falling off the bone can be tricky.
No need to adjust the cook time if you’re cooking more than 1 rack of ribs in the instant pot. It will still be 25 minutes, with a 15 minute naturally release of pressure.
Can You Cook Frozen Ribs in the Instant Pot?
If your ribs are already frozen, you can cook them straight from frozen in the Instant Pot! Just increase the cooking time to 35 minutes, with a 15 minute natural release of pressure.
However, you’ll want to make sure your ribs are already cut in half so they will easily fit inside. The full rack of ribs won’t curve when frozen.
Also, make sure the ribs aren’t frozen to each other in a huge block. If they’re frozen together and touching, they won’t cook evenly.
Serving Whole30 + Keto Instant Pot BBQ Ribs
After you take the ribs out of the oven (or off the grill), allow them to cool for 2 or 3 minutes. Then, using a large chef knife cut each rib for easy serving. 1 rack is enough to serve about 4 people, with each person getting 3 ribs.
I love serving my paleo + whole30 ribs with extra bbq sauce, my whole30 creamy potato salad, and asparagus. My favorite summer dinner!
Watch How To Make Instant Pot Ribs Recipe Video:
If you make these instant pot ribs be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you all and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to share and tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Whole30 + Keto Instant Pot BBQ Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork ribs, I get my ribs from ButcherBox, which I highly recommend!
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup water
- homemade Whole30 BBQ sauce
Instructions
- If the ribs have the membrane skin on the back, remove it.
- Combine the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl, stir to combine.
- Top both sides of the ribs with the dry rub, and rub in.
- Place the trivet inside your Instant Pot. Pour in 1 cup of water.
- Stand the ribs upright inside, so the bones are vertical. My ButcherBox ribs come pre-cut in half. If you have a full rack, you can curve it around to fit inside or cut them smaller. Close with the lid. Make sure the vent is in the sealed position.
- Cook on manual pressure for 25 minutes. Naturally release pressure for 15 minutes, then do a quick release.
- After the 25 minutes, preheat your oven on broil. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Place the ribs on the baking sheet. Brush with BBQ sauce.
- Broil the ribs in your oven for 5-8 minutes, until charred and crispy. Keep a close eye on them. My oven takes exactly 7 minutes. (You can also do this on your BBQ, but I prefer the oven)
- Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Slice the ribs and serve.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container for 5 days.
Notes
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52 Comments on “Whole30 + Keto Instant Pot BBQ Ribs”
Thanks for sharing this article.This article is very informative and I feel like you are reading my mind. I will love to read your blogs daily.
So glad you enjoyed it Julia!
Can I do this with pre sliced ribs?
I haven’t recipe tested this with pre sliced ribs, but I think it would work Brittany! I sure hope you like it!
So easy and so tasty! We’ll be making this again. Really loved the homemade bbq sauce.
I am so happy you liked my ribs and will be making them again Brenda. So glad the BBQ sauce was tasty!
This is our favorite go-to recipe each month when our ButcherBox arrives!
Yeah! I am so happy my ribs are your go to recipe when your ButcherBox delivery arrives Laura. Isn’t that already a fantastic day?
This is my FAVORITE recipe ever! I’ve made it a dozen times already but I have a question. I want to take these camping to make for 4th of July. I was going to cook them in the Instant Pot and let them cool, then refrigerate them and when we are camping I will take them out, cover them in bbq sauce and put them on bbq- does this sound like an okay idea to you? I want to blow my friends minds with these ribs :) Thanks for any help you can offer
I am so happy you like my ribs Paige! I am so happy you like my ribs! I love that you have already made them a dozen times! I think the ribs would reheat beautifully on the grill. I sure hope you have a fabulous campout this weekend! I love that you have already made them a dozen times! I think the ribs would reheat beautifully on the grill. I sure hope you have a fabulous campout this weekend!
Holy yum, batman. And so easy, so fast. I made a whole meal, with this as the centerpiece, in less than an our. My whole family loved these ribs, and I loved them so much, I went to the store and bought more ribs the very same day. I will also be using the rub and sauce on some chicken. Thank you for this great use of the instapot!
I am so glad you liked my BBQ sauce and ribs Joelle! I love that you went out the same day and bought more ribs!
These ribs are absolutely delicious, my husband doesn’t like ribs (I know what a weirdo!) but he likes these!! He’s always blown away when I make them which is at least once a month. I don’t always make the bbq sauce even though that is BOMB especially on a whole30 but I always, ALWAYS make the rub and use the cooking method. They are perfection!
I am so happy you like my ribs Andrea! Even better that your hubby likes them and he is not a rib fan. So glad to hear you make them once a month!
This is my favorite rib recipe!! I come back to it every single time! I’m making it as we speak for a Memorial Day BBQ and I can’t wait to eat them. So easy and so yummy!
I am so happy you like my rib recipe Isabelle! Even better that it is your favorite. It sounds like you are going to have a delicious Memorial Day BBQ!
Unbelievable! Used crockpot method from comment posted here. I wasn’t sure how to place them in crockpot, but I went with your directions. I totally forgot to check & remove membrane, but with all these variables, the ribs were amazing!
Thank you for making keto life so fun. You are changing your life & thousands of others?
Thank you for your very kind words Susan. They really means the world to me!
I am so happy you liked my ribs and they turned out well for you in the crockpot. Thank you so much for your feedback, I really appreciate it.
i don’t have an instant pot ☹️ any thoughts on making these in the oven? i usually use thekitchn’s oven method, which i think i can adapt using your rub & sauce recipe. i will let you know!
I haven’t recipe tested these ribs in the oven, but I would cook them at 250′ for about 4 hours Jessica. Ideally you would then grill them for about 10 to 15 minutes. If you don’t have a grill, you could raise the heat to 400 for about 10 minutes. You could also try cooking them in a slow cooker if you have one, four hours on high or 8 hours on low. I sure hope this helps. Happy cooking!
used thekitchn’s method w/your rub & sauce & these were the best ribs i’ve ever eaten! will def make again! can’t wait to eat these all summer long ?
I am so glad you liked my ribs Jessica. They are the best summer dinner.
Since I don’t have a barbeque, this is my go to recipe for ribs. The ribs are fall off the bone tender and extremely flavorful. I’ve made it with and without BBQ sauce and both are fantastic.
I am so glad you like these Danica! I am glad they turned out tender and flavorful!
My absolute favorite meal is ribs. When I decided to do a Whole30 during May I used this recipe to give myself my favorite meal on Mother’s Day. It was such an easy method to cook the ribs and they were so tender, perfect!
Loni – what a wonderful compliment! I am so honored you made these on Mother’s Day! I am so glad they turned out great!
I have made this recipe TWICE with good results the first time and excellent results the second!
The first time I made it, I used beef ribs…but they were only about 2″ long ribs and I forgot to take off the membrane before I rubbed them and put them in. OOPS…I blame pregnancy brain. They still turned out tasting just fine and tender, but not as awesome as I would have hoped.
The second time I made them, I used Baby Back Pork Ribs. No membrane to remove on those bad boys, and they were falling off the bone when I pulled them out! I broiled them at the end with my fave BBQ sauce. They were phenomenal!!!! Thank you, Natalie, for your recipes!
Bailey, thank you so much for your nice comment! I love it when people share tweaks they did to improve a recipe. I also have been in a hurry and forgot to remove the membrane and you are right, they sure aren’t as tender. Baby back pork ribs would be perfect! So happy you enjoyed them.
Oh. My. Word! I have tried several rib recipes and haven’t liked any of them. Since my husband LOVES ribs I thought I’d try one more, this one. I LOVED these ribs so much! And that BBQ sauce is the best Whole30/Paleo sauce ever – I even like it better than “regular” sauce! Thanks to you, I’m a convert to loving ribs!
Debbie I am so thrilled you like this rib recipe! My husband also loves ribs so we have this pretty often. So happy you are now a convert!
low, normal or high?
High!
Hi–is it possible to do these without an instant pot? oven or crockpot? Thanks!
Yes! You could! For the crockpot, cook on low for 8 hours, then finish in the oven per the above recipe!
Definitely making this with beef ribs instead. Can’t wait.
Yea! This would work with beef ribs too. Hope you loved them as much as we do!
Just made these. I was always hesitant to make ribs but not anymore. They were soooooo good. Natalie, you are fabulous! Thanks!!
Shelia <
I am SO happy to hear that! Thank you Sheila! I’m glad to hear you like them as much as we do. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Means the world!
Delicious! Quick and easy recipe. Plan to make these ribs a bunch this summer.
Yea! So glad you liked it Lindsay! Thank you!
Made this for dinner tonight. Wow. So good.
Yea! I’m so glad you liked them! Thank you Karen!