Meet your new favorite roast beef recipe! Reverse Sear Instant Pot Prime Rib Roast is the EASIEST way to make a rib roast. Cooking prime rib in the Instant Pot results in a gorgeous, perfectly cooked roast every time! Plus, it’s ready in under an hour.
Free up oven space by learning how to cook prime rib in the Instant Pot! We have the perfect rub to use, and make the gravy from drippings. This reverse sear prime rib is the best rib roast recipe you will ever try!
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Can you make prime rib in an Instant Pot?
Yes! Not only can you make boneless rib roast in an Instant Pot, but it will also be the perfect prime rib. Tender, perfectly cooked, and so flavorful! It’s so good, we’re convinced the Instant Pot is the best way to cook prime rib.
Cooking an Instant Pot roast means freeing up space in your oven and having only one pot to clean. It makes everything from the rib roast itself to the gravy easy and stress-free!
We have tried plenty of different roast beef recipes in the oven, from Slow Roasted Prime Rib to Boneless Prime Rib and even a Standing Rib Roast, and we love them all. But, cooking prime rib in the Instant Pot is our favorite way to save on time and oven space!
How is prime rib cooked in an Instant Pot?
You can easily cook a great prime rib in the Instant Pot by using the reverse sear method. Reverse searing the beef browns the outside while leaving the inside tender, juicy, and perfectly cooked.
Along with the easy homemade gravy from drippings, everything can be done in one pot. This makes Instant Pot roast beef a great choice for a quick and easy holiday dinner or special occasion meal!
Prime Rib Instant Pot Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef rib roast
- Sea salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 cup unsalted beef stock
- 1/2 cup red wine of your choice, such as Merlot, Shiraz, or Pinot Noir
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or parsley; optional
To make the best prime rib recipe, you will need the best prime rib cut. Look for a boneless rib roast with plenty of marbling.
Marbling refers to the streaks and flecks of white fat throughout a cut of beef. Fat is flavor, so plenty of marbling means your roast beef will taste amazing!
The seasoning is as simple as using salt and pepper. Use plenty of sea salt and black pepper for your rub. Double-check your beef stock is unsalted, as you won’t want to oversalt your beef.
Fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and parsley are optional, but add a lovely flavor to the beef.
Prime Rib Gravy Ingredients
Homemade gravy from drippings adds a lot of flavor to a roast beef recipe. It’s simple to make, and tastes incredible!
To make the gravy, you will be mixing drippings with flour. It’s very easy to do, and we’ll show you how. It’s incredible how such a simple, easy gravy recipe can taste as flavorful as this!
How to Make Prime Rib in Instant Pot
- Score the fat cap of a 3-pound boneless beef rib roast by cutting the layer of fat in a cross-hatch pattern.
Generously season the roast on all sides with sea salt and ground black pepper.
Coat it well, even if it seems like too much salt. You want to make sure the whole roast is coated! - Place the trivet in your Instant Pot.
Place the roast on top of the trivet.
Add 1 cup unsalted beef stock.
Pour in 1/2 cup red wine.
Optionally, add a few sprigs of fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or parsley. - Lock the lid in place, and make sure the vent is set in the “sealing” position. Choose the manual setting on low pressure, and set the timer for 5 minutes.
Once the time is done, do not remove the lid or release the pressure. Leave the roast in the pot for 30 more minutes. The Instant Pot will automatically switch mods to the “keep warm” setting. - Once 30 minutes are up, carefully open the pot and insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the rib. The thermometer should read approximately 115°F.
If the temperature is too low, put the lid back on and leave it on warm for 5 to 10 minutes longer, then check again. - Remove the roast to a plate.
Strain the liquids from the Instant Pot into a cup, and set aside. - Remove the trivet from the Instant Pot and select the highest saute setting. Add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil to the pot.
- When it heats up, add the rib roast back to the pot and sear until it browns on all sides, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
- Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the prime rib. Check that it’s cooked to your desired degree of doneness. The temperature for medium-rare prime rib is 135°F.
Remove the roast to a platter, tent with foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes. - Add the strained liquids back to the pot along with 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Stir to make a gravy.
And that’s it! The perfect prime rib roast, made right in your Instant Pot in less than an hour.
What could be better than cooking up a beautiful, perfectly cooked prime rib roast and freeing up all of that oven space for your best side dishes for roast beef?
Tips for Cooking Prime Rib Roast in the Instant Pot
- When searing, the temperature will rise. This is why you want to pull the prime rib out of the Instant Pot early, before it cooks to your desired temperature.
- You can brown the roast in a cast-iron skillet on the stovetop if you prefer. This is another method of reverse searing prime rib.
- The roast should have a nice crust on it as you’re searing it in the pot. Let the pot heat up first before adding the rib roast.
Reverse searing prime rib makes it easy to cook your roast to the perfect temperature and still get that beautiful crust on the outside.
- Let the rib roast rest 15 minutes before carving. This helps lock in the flavor.
- Slice against the grain when cutting for the most tender prime rib.
Prime Rib Temperatures for Tender Roast Beef
- Rare: 125°F
- Medium-rare: 135°F
- Medium: 145°F
- Medium-well: 150°F
- Well-done: 160°F
Follow this easy chart for your desired degree of doneness. Use a meat thermometer for accuracy.
How Much Prime Rib Per Person
As a 3-pound roast, this Instant Pot boneless prime rib recipe serves about 6 people. This is at 1/2 a pound of meat per person. For larger portions, it will serve 4 people.
What to Serve with Prime Rib
Serve boneless prime rib roast with creamy mashed potatoes made on the stove or as Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. Green bean almondine, Instant Pot Risotto, and roasted artichoke salad also pair deliciously with prime rib!
You can also serve leftover prime rib roast with pasta. It is amazing with Creamy Penne Pasta and Easy Fettuccine Alfredo!
Did you try this rib roast recipe? Leave a comment and a rating below to let us know what you think! We love to hear from you.
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Reverse Sear Instant Pot Prime Rib Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef rib roast
- Sea salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 cup unsalted beef stock
- ½ cup red wine
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Fresh herb sprigs like thyme rosemary, or parsley; optional
Instructions
- Score the fat cap of a 3-pound boneless beef rib roast by cutting in a cross-hatch pattern.
- Generously season the roast on all sides with sea salt and ground black pepper. Give it a good coating, even if it seems like too much salt.
- Place the trivet in the Instant Pot, then place the roast on top of the trivet. Add 1 cup unsalted beef stock and ½ cup red wine. Optionally, add a few sprigs of fresh herbs.
- Lock the lid in place and make sure the vent is in the "sealing" position. Choose the manual setting, low pressure, and set the time for 5 minutes.Once the time is done, do not remove the lid or release the pressure. Leave the roast in the pot for 30 more minutes. The Instant Pot will automatically switch to the "keep warm" setting.
- Once 30 minutes is up, open the pot and insert a meat thermometer at the thickest part of the rib. Be careful when removing the lid. The meat thermometer should read 115°F. If it is too low, put the lid back on and leave it on warm for 5 to 10 more minutes.
- Remove the roast to a plate and strain the liquids from the pot into a cup. Set aside.
- Remove the trivet from the pot. Select the highest saute setting. Add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and place the prime rib roast back into the pot. Sear on all sides until it browns, approximately 10-15 minutes.
- Check the temperature of the roast again to make sure it's cooked to your desired degree of doneness. For medium-rare, it should read 135°F. Tent with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.
- To make the gravy, add the strained liquids back to the pot along with 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Stir.
Video
Notes
- If you prefer, you can sear the prime rib in a cast-iron skillet on the stove instead of in the pot.
- You can substitute the red wine for additional beef stock if you prefer.
- Always use a meat thermometer when checking the temperature of beef for the best results and highest accuracy.
- Slice against the grain for the most tender prime rib.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on Sunday Supper with the title Reverse Sear Instant Pot Prime Rib. Photography by Daniela Lambova.
Shellie Jessup says
I want to use this recipe but 3# wouldn’t be enough as I am serving 11 people. I will be using a bigger roast. What is the recommendation for cook times and bigger roast? I have only 1 instapot. Should I do 2 smaller roasts separately and sear in the cast Iron? I would love to keep it to only the Instapot if possible. Help please!!!
Em Beitel says
Hi Shellie! Our suggestion would be to go with your thought of using two smaller roasts cooked separately unless you have a large Instant Pot. We can guarantee you’ll have a perfectly cooked roast this way; the cook time would have to be increased for a larger roast. Thank you so much for your question!
Frances I Engel says
If using a larger cut of meat, is the time increased in the instapot?
Em Beitel says
Hi Frances! Yes, the time would increase. For a 4 lb. roast we would add a minute to the pressure cooking time, and at 5 lb. we would do about 8 minutes or so. Use a meat thermometer to check it after leaving it on the keep warm setting and if it’s not quite ready, live it on the warming setting for another 5 minutes or so. As always we recommend making sure your Instant Pot can fit a larger roast. Thank you for your question!
Dennis says
This was absolutely delicious. I added garlic powder to the coating, but had to struggle with the time. I removed the roasted from the fridge 45 minutes before cooking. It was 3.5 pounds to I cooked it for 6 minutes. After the 30 minute wait it was only at 79 degrees, which I thought was way too low for a continued wait to bring up to temperature, so I pressure cooked again for 4 minutes with a 10 minute wait. This time it was 100 degrees, so I did it again for 3 minutes with a 10 minute wait. This time, it was about 115 degrees.
Em Beitel says
Hi Dennis! We are so happy you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your feedback – we’re looking into what could have possibly gone wrong for you – we haven’t had that happen before and are working on figuring out what could have caused it.
Chrissy says
I, and my family are more of an au jus fan rather than gravy. Do you have a recipe to make that?
Em Beitel says
Hi Chrissy! We do! You can find our au jus recipe here: https://bestbeefrecipes.com/boneless-prime-rib-recipe/. Just check the “How to Make Au Jus” header. Thank you for asking and please enjoy!
R K R says
I’m going to try this – Is the meat (on the trivet) totally above the liquid? I don’t want to boil (or even simmer) it!
Em Beitel says
Hi there! Yes, it’s totally above the liquid. No need to worry about that! Can’t wait to hear what you think!