These Air Fryer Ribs are a game changer! The delicious barbecue rub gives them a hint of smoky flavor and crisps up on the edges to give these ribs amazing texture.
Ribs were just about the last thing I ever thought I’d make in my air fryer, but it turns out they’re one of my favorites. The meat comes out so tender and juicy inside, with a crispy, salty crust outside. Perfect solution when it’s not grilling weather.
This air fryer ribs recipe starts with a great blend of spices and brown sugar as a dry rub. And of course, I encourage that you brush them with BBQ sauce before serving.
Video: Ways To Cook Ribs
How Do You Fit Ribs In An Air Fryer?
Trust me, this was the first thing I grappled with when I decided air fryer ribs needed to happen. Air fryer baskets are small and I wanted a decent amount of ribs.
At first I considered cutting them into individual ribs and staking them in the air fryer basket, but they cooked too fast that way and didn’t get tender.
Then I had a revelation: Keep the rack of ribs together and snake them around the outside edge of the air fryer basket. I’m able to easily fit 3 pounds of ribs in my 2.6 quart air fryer.
How Long To Cook Ribs In The Air Fryer?
Ribs are traditionally cooked low and slow for hours. Even grilled, they take well over an hour to cook. But in the air fryer, you’ll be rewarded with tender, juicy ribs in just 45 minutes! You won’t believe how tender they get in so little time.
Some recipes call for the ribs to be cooked at a steady medium-high temperature, but I’ve had the best results cooking them for about 35 minutes at 325°F until they’re almost cooked through, then blasting them at 400°F for 10 minutes to finish the cooking process and crisp up the outside.
Tip: For well-done ribs, you’ll want the internal temperature of the meatiest ribs to be 170°F. A pen-style thermometer is great for checking this quickly!
Starting low and finishing high means you get that awesome crispy crust without overcooking the ribs or drying them out.
Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs In The Air Fryer
The ribs in the recipe below are very tasty and tender, but they’re not fall-off-the-bone tender. The trick to fall-off-the-bones ribs is to cook them low-and-slow for quite a while before turning up the heat. That’s more difficult to do in the air fryer because the circulating air can start to darken and toughen the outsides of the meat before the insides soften up. But it is possible!
What you’ll do is to cook the ribs at 325°F for 35 minutes as instructed. But then, do this optional step:
- Turn the ribs over as best you can, and then cook them at 300°F for another 20 minutes. Have a look every 5-7 minutes to make sure they’re not darkening too much, and flip them if they are.
After the 20 minutes at 300°F, proceed with the recipe below by turning the heat up to 400°F and cooking the ribs for another 10 minutes.
The Best Rub For Ribs
Good ribs are all about the rub. This dry rub recipe uses:
- Brown Sugar, which caramelizes and gets you that nice bark on the outside of the meat
- Smoked Paprika, for color and to mimic the smoky flavor of grilling
- Chili Powder, Black Pepper, and Cayenne Pepper, for a touch of heat
- Garlic Powder, for flavor
- Kosher salt
Mix everything together and then slather it on both sides of your ribs. It’s so good!
Reheating Ribs In An Air Fryer
Air fryers are also great for reheating Instant Pot ribs, on the off chance you happen to have leftovers. Since these ribs are always tender and cooked through, they only need 10 minutes at 400°F to crisp up and get hot.
More Recipes For Ribs
Decide you don’t want to use the air fryer? Try these other delicious ribs recipes and maybe serve them with some corn on the cob and potato salad. Yum!
- Grilled Beef Ribs
- Perfectly Cooked BBQ Ribs
- The Best Oven-Baked Ribs
- Flanken-Style Ribs Recipe
- Country-Style Pork Ribs
Podcast Episode About Making Ribs In The Air Fryer
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make these ribs, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
PrintAir Fryer Ribs Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
These air fried pork ribs are a game changer! The delicious barbecue rub gives them a hint of smoky flavor and crisps up on the edges to give these ribs amazing texture.
Ingredients
-
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
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1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
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1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
-
1 Tbsp. chile powder
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1 tsp. black pepper
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1 tsp. garlic powder
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1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
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2 1/2 to 3 lbs. baby back ribs
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Barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Mix together the salt, sugar, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
- Rub the seasoning rub all over both sides of the ribs.
- Keeping the ribs together, arrange them in a circle around the edge of your air fryer basket.
- Cook for 35 minutes* at 325°F, then increase the heat to 400°F and cook for 10 minutes, or until the meatiest part of the ribs reaches an internal temperature of 170°F.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the meat between the bones into individual ribs. Serve with barbecue sauce on the side, or do this optional Step: Brush ribs all over with the barbecue sauce, and cook at 400°F until sauce is darkening in spots, about 5-8 more minutes.
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Notes
*If you want extra-tender rib meat, after the first 35 minutes, flip the ribs over and cook them at 300°F for another 20 minutes. Then proceed with the recipe by turning the heat up to 400°F to cooking them for 10 minutes to crisp up the outsides.
This post originally appeared in March 2020 and was revised and republished in November 2023.