Instant Pot Ribs West African Style

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This recipe for Instant Pot Ribs (West African Style) will produce heaven on a plate. They are fall-off-the-bone good and a must-try. This pork ribs recipe is low in carbs and suitable for Keto, Paleo, Whole 30, and Gluten-Free diets.

Post also includes grill and oven versions. Weight Watchers points included.

closeup of Instant Pot ribs cut into pieces on a wooden cutting board

Ribs ribs ribs. Instant Pot Ribs – well that’s just heaven on a plate.

Yeap, you can make the BEST ribs in the Instant Pot. Whilst grilled ribs and oven-baked ribs are nothing to scoff at, Pressure Cooker Ribs are sode easy. And soooo good, of course. Tender, flavorful, fall-off-the-bone good.

The Secret to Making The Best Instant Pot Ribs

There is a little secret to making delicious Instant Pot Ribs and I’m going to reveal it to you right now. This ‘secret’ can also be applied to Instant Pot Wings and Instant Pot Whole Chicken. And really, any meat recipe made in the Instant Pot that isn’t at risk of being dried out by a few minutes of additional cook time.

Here is the secret: Let the Instant Pot do most of the work and finish things off with a quick visit to the oven. Those few minutes in the oven will give it that oven-baked color and extra crispiness.

Make things quick and easy in the Instant Pot and then cheat your way to looking like it spent the whole time in the oven…no one will know you made them easily in the Instant Pot.

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Pork Ribs Recipe

  • It’s bursting with flavor but doesn’t require a lot of salt or any sugar to get there. So many ribs recipes rely too much on salt or sugar, but not these ribs.
  • The above fact also makes them fully compliant with a lot of diets: Keto, Paleo, Whole30, and Gluten-Free. No extras in here, folks, just good food.
  • You can make these in a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot.
  • It’s fall-off-the-bone good. Trust me…these are some amazing ribs.

overhead view of sliced instant pot ribs next to a knife and a head of garlic

Ingredient Notes

  • Onion – use white onion or red onion to your preference.
  • Spices and herbs – the wonderful flavor comes from a combination of garlic, minced ginger, dried chili flakes (optional), and all-purpose seasoning.
  • Vegetable oil – to make the paste.
  • Ribs – this recipe calls for pork ribs, aka baby back ribs. Cook time for other ribs will be different.
  • Liquid – stock or water for cooking.

Ready for ribs?? I know I am. This ribs recipe is easy to make and you will have most of the main ingredients in your pantry already.

How To Make Instant Pot Ribs

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

  1.  Put all the ingredients (except the pork ribs, salt, and stock) in a blender and whiz them into a paste.
  2. Taste paste for salt and adjust as necessary.
  3. Put pork ribs on a baking tray and rub the paste all over them.
  4. Cover and leave to marinate for about 1 hour.
  5. Add trivet to bottom of the inner pot of Instant Pot, place pork ribs on top of trivet then pour the stock into the bottom of the insert.
  6. Lock the lid, turn the valve to the sealing position, st to manual pressure / high pressure for 20 minutes.
  7. When the cook time ends, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally before opening the pot and removing the ribs.
  8. Optional (but highly recommended) step: After removing the ribs from the Instant Pot, broil them for 5 mins on a baking tray to give them more color and a bit of crispiness. Remove, allow ribs to rest for a few minutes, then serve.
image collage showing the steps for making instant pot ribs

How To Season These Instant Pot Pork Ribs

It is easy to vary the combination of ingredients and spices to suit your taste. Get creative. I won’t be offended if you change the recipe around to please your taste buds.

Recipe Tips For Success

  • The total cook time does not include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to get to pressure. Plan for additional time.
  • Always check for doneness with a meat thermometer. While the accepted temperature should be 145 degrees F when done, for soft fall of the bone ribs then you want a temperature of 195 degrees F.

Delicious Variations

  • Swap the Seasoning – Use your favorite dry rub or spice rub, seasoning like onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, or blends such as Greek seasoning, Mediterranean seasoning, etc. 
  • Make it Spicy – Season with hot paprika, add red pepper flakes, chili powder, ground black pepper, etc. for some heat. 
  • Add sauce – add in your favorite bbq sauce to make bbq ribs instead. Then feel free to top it off with extra barbecue sauce.
  • Make it smoky – add a few drops of liquid smoke for an extra smoky flavor.

FAQs

How Long To Cook Ribs In Instant Pot?

This will depend on the type of ribs you use.

For baby back ribs: Cook for 20 minutes on high pressure and allow pressure to naturally release.
For spare ribs: Plan for about 33 – 35 minutes on high pressure and allow pressure to naturally release.

You need the time for a full natural release for the meat to become perfectly tender.

front shot of sliced instant pot ribs next to head of garlic and knife

Serving Suggestions

I have a few ideas for you:

How to Make Oven Baked Ribs

Want to make oven baked ribs instead? Here is how…

  1. Take the onion, garlic, ginger, dried chili flakes, all-purpose seasoning, and vegetable oil and whiz them into a paste in the blender.
  2. Taste the paste and adjust with salt and pepper as necessary.
  3. Marinate the pork ribs for 1 hour so that the flavor seeps into the meat.
  4. Then throw your marinated ribs into the oven, uncovered, for about 40 minutes or until it starts pulling off the bone. (Because you want to make those instant pot ribs fall-off-the-bone delicious.)
image collage showing the steps for making oven baked ribs

Weight Watchers Points

If you increase the number of servings to 8, there are 13 Blue Plan SmartPoints per serving.

More Instant Pot Meat Recipes

If you like this Instant Pot pork ribs recipe, you’ll also like my…

cooked instant pot ribs on a pan

Thank you for reading my Instant Pot Ribs recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

Get The Instant Pot Ribs Recipe:

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front shot of sliced oven baked ribs next to head of garlic and knife
Print Recipe
5 from 6 votes

Instant Pot Ribs

This delicious pork ribs recipe is fall-off-the-bones good! Recipe also includes a grill and oven version.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: African, American, British
Servings: 6
Calories: 689kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons all purpose seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 2.2 pounds (1kg) pork ribs (baby back ribs)

Additional ingredient for Instant Pot version ONLY:

  • 1 cup (240ml) stock or water

Instructions

Instant Pot instructions:

  • Put all the ingredients (except the pork ribs, salt and stock) in a blender and whiz them into a paste.
  • Taste paste for salt and adjust as necessary.
  • Put pork ribs on a baking tray and rub paste all over them.
  • Cover and leave to marinate for about 1 hour.
  • Add trivet to bottom of inner pot of Instant Pot. Add pork ribs on top of trivet, then add stock to inner pot.
  • Lock the lid, turn valve to sealing position, select manual pressure / high pressure (dependent upon Instant Pot model), and set to 20 minutes.
  • When cook time ends, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally before opening the pot and removing the ribs.
  • Optional but highly recommended: After removing the ribs from the Instant Pot, broil them for 5 minutes (or to your preference) on a baking tray to give them color.
  • Let the ribs rest for a few minutes and serve.

Grill instructions:

  • Light the barbeque to medium heat.
  • You will cook the ribs indirectly. This means that you move the coals to one side and put the ribs on the other side.
  • Put the ribs into the bbq, but not directly over the coals, and then cover the bbq. If you have a thermometer for your bbq it will be between 210 degrees F and 300 degrees (100 degrees C and 150 degrees C).
  • Check the ribs after about 20 minutes. The meat should be just beginning to pull away from the ends of the bones. If the ends nearest the coals are starting to get dark brown or black, turn over the ribs. If not, give them another 10 minutes.
  • Turn over the ribs and continue to cook for another 20 minutes.
  • At this stage have a look at the ribs and cut into the middle of them. There should be no blood. If there is, cook for a little longer.
  • Take off the bbq and let the ribs rest for at least 10 minutes then serve.

Oven instructions:

  • Put all the ingredients (except the pork ribs and salt) in a blender and whiz them into a paste.
  • Taste paste for salt and adjust as necessary.
  • Put pork ribs on a baking tray and rub paste all over them.
  • Cover and leave to marinate for about 1 hour.
  • Pre heat oven to 325 degrees F / fan assisted 170 degrees C / 180 degrees C / gas 3.
  • Cook pork uncovered for about 40 minutes or until it starts pulling of the bone.
  • Remove from oven, let it rest for a few minutes, and serve.
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Notes

  • The total cook time does not include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to get to pressure and the time for the natural pressure release. Plan for additional time.
  • The ribs will taste best if you do the optional browning step.
  • If you increase the number of servings to 8, there are 13 Blue Plan SmartPpoints points in one serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 689kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 64g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 246mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 1121mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 3.6mg

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13 Comments

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  2. I’d love to get all recipes for my Keto diet. Instant pot recipes are my favorite 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    I am new to using my Instant Pot, but I finally jumped on the train! I can’t wait to try this rib recipe; I’ve been on the lookout for new dinner recipes, thanks!

  4. 5 stars
    I don’t have a sweet tooth that much, but I have a tooth for ribs! It is such a pleasing dish, I would create it almost every Sunday and I say Sunday because that’s the day I give my everything to the table, and it has to be the best. 🙂 Ribs are always a choice, and everybody just loves it. 🙂