Pineapple BBQ Instant Pot Spare Ribs Recipe

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Have you ever heard of Pineapple BBQ Instant Pot Spare Ribs? These tender, fall-off-the-bone sweet, and tangy tropical pork ribs will be on regular rotation for a dinner menu because they are so simple to make in your instant pot.

Pineapple BBQ Instant Pot Ribs piled in a baking dish.

Instant Pot Pineapple BBQ Instant Pot Ribs

What’s Great About This Pork Rib Recipe

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of fruit and meat combined, but this pork rib recipe is an absolute exception!!

The pineapple adds an extra tangy sweetness to the sauce and also really helps in caramelizing the ribs for that crispy char flavor.

Also making these spare ribs is a breeze. Just like my Ninja Foodi Beef Short Ribs recipe, the pressure cooker (be it Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi) does all the heavy lifting to help you get these BBQ ribs on the supper table in no time.

Pick your favorite barbeque sauce for these ribs and you’re off to the races!

Easy Ingredients To Make These Ribs

Spare Ribs – I use spare ribs (also called side ribs) because they’re usually less expensive in the store and I find them just as meaty as back ribs however, if back ribs are your thing, go ahead and use them!
Canned Crushed Pineapple – You want to use canned pineapple because not only do you utilize the juice the fruit comes in, but it’s definitely more convenient than trying to peel, cut and crush your own.
BBQ Sauce – The only right sauce to use here is your favorite sauce! If you prefer to try and make your own, give this copycat sweet baby ray’s bbq sauce recipe a try!
Seasonings – Garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

Pineapple BBQ Ribs piled high with bits of pineapple- Juicy and ready to eat.

How To Make Pineapple BBQ Instant Pot Ribs

Not only do they taste phenomenal, but they are also indeed the easiest instant pot pork ribs I have ever made. You will be thanking yourself once you sink your teeth into this easy rib recipe.

To get started, season those ribs!

Uncooked ribs sprinkled with seasonings.

Uncooked Ribs in Instant Pot inner bowl..

Add the ribs to the inner bowl.

Liquid pouring into instant pot on ribs.

Add the juice!

Tip: The ribs can’t cook properly if there isn’t liquid. That is what helps it pressurize and cook.

Add the pineapple on top of the ribs. Now, we are getting somewhere. 🙂

Set the pot on SEAL, dial in the time, and let the Instant Pot do its thing! While you are cooking the ribs, it’s time to make up the basting sauce. This sauce is so important because it will make the pineapple ribs tangy and delicious.

Ingredients for basting the ribs in a silver bowl.

Pineapple BBQ Instant Pot Ribs - Fingerlicking good ribs ready to eat.

Brush on the sauce and broil! Watch them and make sure they don’t burn and don’t forget to have some sauce on the side for extra dipping if you’d like.

Pineapple BBQ Instant Pot Ribs - Pan with delicious cooked ribs.

My family doesn’t care for BBQ sauce. What do you recommend using instead?

I would take the ribs in a slightly different direction if you’re not using the BBQ sauce. Try using garlic chili sauce or even teriyaki sauce. Both of those sauces would pair well with the pineapple used in the recipe. Lastly, if you wanted, you could instead of using the juice to help pressure cook, use water or chicken broth instead. Then use all the reserved juice from the can (adding more fruit juice if you need it), bring it to a boil, and make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Then simply use that mixture to baste in the crisping/broiling step.

Can I use frozen ribs when making this Instant Pot Spare Ribs recipe?

Yes, you can use frozen ribs when you make these barbecue pork ribs recipe! That is the beauty of cooking in the Instant Pot because it cooks frozen meat in no time. Just add about 6-8 extra minutes to the Instant Pot cooking time when you are preparing the ribs to ensure they get cooked all the way through.

Storage and Reheating Cooked Ribs

If for some crazy reason, you don’t eat all the ribs they’ll stay great in the fridge, in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

When reheating, heat the oven to 250 degrees F. I prefer to cover them with foil, so they don’t dry out. Then reheat them for 20-30 minutes. Set a heat-safe bowl of water in the oven too, to help put steam in the air, so the pineapple ribs stay moist in case there are any open seams in the foil. I typically put it on the pan next to the ribs.

What Pairs Well With Barbeque Spare Ribs?

There are so many tasty sides that go great with these yummy barbecue pork ribs! I wanted to share a few of my favorites for you to try:

I hope you’ll find these Pineapple BBQ Instant Pot Ribs delicious as I do! The Instant Pot makes fixing ribs such an easy job!! Did you change up the recipe at all? Leave a comment below and tell me about it!!

Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today and I hope you have a fantastic day!

~Joanne

Pineapple BBQ Instant Pot Spare Ribs

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Pineapple BBQ Instant Pot ribs!!! These ribs are incredibly delicious and so simple to make! Sweet & tangy, these instant pot ribs are tender with that tropical pineapple flavor!

Ingredients

1 large rack of pork side ribs
2 cans pineapple, crushed (2x20oz) (see notes)
1 cup BBQ sauce (your favorite)
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
as desired, seasoning salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes (OPTIONAL)

Instructions

Season the pork ribs with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders. Cut the rack into sections so that it fits nicely into the instant pot insert.
Put the ribs in the pot and add 1 cup of the reserved pineapple juice.
Also, add one drained can of the crushed pineapple
Put the lid on and turn the toggle switch to “sealing”
Select manual high pressure for 25 minutes. After cooking time is up, let it do a natural release for 5 minutes and then expel the rest of the steam by doing a quick release.
While the ribs are cooking, in a sauce pan, add a ⅓ cup of reserved pineapple liquid. If there isn’t enough, simply use water.
Add the second drained can of pineapple, the bbq sauce, and the chili flakes if you're using them.
Heat to a boiling point and then reduce heat to simmer. If you find the sauce is a bit too runny, just simmer to reduce the sauce to a consistency you prefer.
When the pin drops in the IP lid after completing the natural release, remove the lid and carefully remove the ribs onto a foil lined baking sheet.
Brush on generous amounts of sauce over the ribs and broil for 2 – 3 minutes or until you begin to see some color develop on the ribs. Be very careful to not let them burn!
Remove from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!!

Notes

** Drain both cans of crushed pineapple but reserve the juice from both cans.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: ¼ rack
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 250Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 916mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 2gSugar: 32gProtein: 9g

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.