Instant pot hoisin ribs are cooked in a pressure cooker and glazed with hoisin sauce. Tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs are ready on your table in under an hour!
Guys, if you have an Instant Pot pressure cooker and you haven’t tried making ribs in it, you are missing out.
Instant Pot hoisin ribs come out tender and come easily off the bone. Serve them with Garlic Smashed Potatoes or Parmesan Roasted Potatoes and they will be a hit at your table.
Making Instant Pot pork ribs with hoisin sauce is easy. I use ready-made sauce and add some more ingredients to it. This sauce goes also well with wings (I have a recipe for Hoisin Chicken Wings on the blog. The sauce is slightly different but definitely worth giving a try).
How long do you cook ribs in a pressure cooker?
It only takes 25 minutes to pressure cook these Instant Pot hoisin ribs. Now I used baby back pork ribs as that is the only type of ribs I get in my local store so I am not sure if the time would be different for spare ribs.
Which is better spare ribs or baby back ribs?
Well, I guess it depends on your personal preference. Apparently, the spare ribs are meatier but baby back ribs are more tender.
I think this article: the difference between baby back ribs and spare ribs explains what they are pretty well, in case you were interested to know more.
How to make pork ribs in Instant Pot
First you make the dry rub for ribs. To make it just combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Rub this all over the ribs – on both sides.
Now add 1½ cup of water in to the inner pot of your pressure cooker. Place the steam rack inside and put the ribs in.
I coat the ribs lightly with the hoisin sauce at this stage. For the sauce you mix together ketchup, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Pour half of the sauce into a sauce pan and set aside.
Brush the remaining sauce over the ribs. Close the lid and lock it in its position. Don’t forget to turn the steam release valve to SEALING position. Set the time to 25 minutes (pressure cooking).
You don’t need to do anything for at least 30 minutes. Instant Pot hoisin ribs will be almost ready, when you hear that the pot finished its cooking cycle. Then wait 10 minutes before manually releasing the pressure.
At this stage you can heat up the other half of the hoisin sauce. Cook it for about 5 minutes to reduce the acidity. If you feel that it’s too thick, add about 2 tablespoons of water.
Take the ribs out and place them onto a large chopping board. Pour the sauce over and cut the rack into bite size pieces.
Tips for making Instant Pot hoisin ribs
If you want your ribs crispy on the outside you can place them on the grill (or under a broiler) until they look to your liking. I sometimes use small electric panini grill maker. It’s quick and easy to use and gives good results. When using the panini grill maker, wait until you take the ribs out to pour the hoisin sauce over.
Soy sauce can be substituted with Worcestershire sauce.
I made a simple dry rub for these hoisin baby back ribs. It works perfectly here. If you prefer using your favorite dry rub recipe, then go ahead and do so. This rub should be enough even for a slightly larger rack.
I have a good collection of tried and tested Easy Instant Pot Recipes. If you are looking for some easy dinner ideas, I recommend having a look at them. One of my absolute favorites is Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash.
Instant Pot Hoisin Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Baby Back Ribs (1 kg)
Dry Rub:
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
Hoisin sauce:
- ½ cup Ketchup
- ½ cup Hoisin Sauce (110 grams)
- 1 tablespoon Low Salt Soy Sauce
- 1½ cup Water (360 ml)
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Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all the dry rub ingredients. Rub this over the ribs (both sides).
- Pour 1½ cup of water into the inner pot of Instant Pot. Insert the steam rack and place the ribs onto it.
- Hoisin sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Pour half of the sauce into a sauce pan and set it aside.
- Brush the remaining sauce over the ribs. When done, cover the pot with lid and lock it in its place. Turn the steam valve to SEALING. Press MANUAL (pressure cooking) and adjust the time to 25 minutes.
- When the time is up, wait 10 minutes before releasing the pressure manually.
- Heat up the hoisin sauce that you have previously set aside. Simmer it for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Option 1: Pour the sauce over the cooked ribs, cut them and serve.
Option 2: For crispy ribs you can place them on a grill or under a broiler. I like using small electric panini grill maker. It’s a quick way to get the crispy look. For oven and broiler you can pour the sauce over the ribs before putting them in. For the panini maker pour the sauce over after you take them out.
Notes
- This recipe was developed for a 6-quart/6-liter instant pot electric pressure cooker.
- The overall time does not include time needed for the pot to come to its pressure (about 10 minutes) and time needed to release its pressure (another 10 minutes).
- Soy sauce can be substituted with Worcestershire sauce.
- Paprika – I used regular (sweet) paprika but you can also use smoked one.
- This recipe can be easily doubled.
Len says
Thanks for the variation on a recipe! Just love hoisin.
My own thoughts: I’ve seen IP rib recipes that range from 15 min to 45 min so there is a lot of variations out there.
My first time I did 25 min and although using the rack I could get my 3 lb loin back (just bigger b.b.) out of the IP but I had to break it into 3 and then use a long pair of tongs to support it when moving it to the grill). Way too fall apart. Pot really won’t hold much more than 1 three lb rack. Maybe squeeze 2 two lb racks in there but that’s it.
And you only need 1 cup of water in the IP. I also did a “natural” release time (instead of manual) and the time was closer to 40 minutes (rather than manual at 10 min) so pick your method to use. That might be why it was “too” fall of the bone. Mistake (done per another recipe b4 I found this one)?
So: next time it’s 20 min for me (and I think that will still be too much).
Just my experience.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yes, I initially cooked them on 20 minutes but they did not come off easily. That is why I increased the time. The thing is that every rack can be different in terms of the thickness of meat so this time will vary. Thanks for your feedback and tips!
Bintu says
Oh my, these look absolutely incredible! Something new for me to try in my Instant Pot that is full of flavour!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks! :)
Markus Mueller says
Yum! I love making ribs in my Instant Pot! It’s ideal when you need a quick meal prep item…just pop them in cook the ribs and then pick/shred the meat for tacos, wraps etc! Looking forward to trying the hoisin glaze!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
IP is such a great kitchen gadget, right?
Ellen says
My mouth is watering . Those ribs look so juicy and tender.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Ellen :)
Pam Greer says
I haven’t tried ribs yet in my Instant Pot! These are next on my list! I love your tip about using a panini grill to brown the ribs, what a great idea!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You gotta give it a go, Pam! It’s so easy and quick!
Suzy says
I just bought an instant pot! Can’t wait to try this.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yay! :)
Maria William says
This recipe was a delicious change up from saucy ribs. I agree with the comment about removing the fat from the sauce. This is a keeper. Oh, and instant pots are electric pressure cookers, right?