An easy and healthy slow cooker beef short ribs recipe that is both keto and paleo-friendly.
Rubbed with a perfectly balanced spice blend and cooked slowly until the beef is fall-off-the-bone tender, this recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Pair it with a vegetable side or creamy Cauliflower Mash for a delicious and hearty family dinner.
When investing in good-quality beef short ribs, you want to cook them until they almost fall off the bone with a great flavor to pair with just about anything.
This easy recipe is one of the most hands-off ways to create bone-tender ribs. They are incredibly flavorful with melt-in-your-mouth meat, like my Dutch Oven Shredded Beef Chuck Roast, and covered in sweet and spicy light slow cooker juices. Let's make it!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Super Simple Recipe: With just a handful of ingredients and minutes of prep, you'll have delicious ribs for dinner.
- Easy Homemade Dry Rub: All parts of the ribs are generously coated with spices you probably already have in your pantry.
- Suitable For Most Diets: It's dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, Paleo and Keto-friendly, low carb and high in proteins.
Ingredients & Notes
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
These slow cooker short ribs come together with just a few ingredients, and there is no need to add any liquid or Homemade Broth.
The short ribs are slowly cooked in their juices and fat, allowing them to soak up all the flavors of the other ingredients until they melt in your mouth. Here's what you need:
- Bone-In Beef Short Ribs (4-5 pounds): Using bone-in beef ensures the best cuts of beef for this recipe. The bones release gelatin, adding richness and tenderness to the ribs. If you prefer, you can also use boneless short ribs.
- Sea Salt and Spices: A blend of sea salt, ground mustard seed, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and ground white pepper adds layers of flavor to the ribs. If you want an extra kick, feel free to increase the cayenne.
- Coconut Sugar or Monk Fruit Sweetener: Although optional, I'm adding just a tad to add some natural sweetness to the savory flavors.
- Olive Oil: It helps with flavor-building and creates a lovely base.
- Onions: Provide a rich flavor foundation when slow-cooked, caramelizing in the cooking juices to enhance the final dish.
- Garlic Cloves: They infuse the liquid with a deep, savory punch.
- Rosemary: Whether you choose fresh or dried, rosemary adds a fragrant herbal note that complements the beef beautifully.
How To Make It
See the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card.
Step One (Picture 1 above) - Prep the Ribs: Pat the beef ribs thoroughly dry with a paper towel.
Step Two (Picture 2 above) - Season: Mix the seasoning and coconut sugar in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix generously over all sides of the ribs, ensuring they are evenly coated.
Step Three (Picture 3 above) - Prepare The Slow Cooker: Add olive oil to the bottom of your slow cooker (or crock pot). Layer one of the sliced onions at the bottom and season with a pinch of salt.
Step Four (Picture 4 above) - Arrange The Ribs: Place the seasoned ribs on top of the onions in the slow cooker, making sure to arrange them on their side for optimal space.
Step Five (Picture 5 above) - Add The Rest Of the Onions: Add the remaining onion slices between the ribs. Tuck them in and fill up the empty spaces.
Step Six (Picture 6 above) - Add Flavor Enhancers: Top the ribs with the peeled garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs.
Step Seven (Picture 7 above) - Slow Cook: Set the slow cooker to high and cook for about 6 hours, or until the ribs fall off the bone and are tender. Once the ribs are done, serve them with the cooked onions and spoon the rich cooking liquid over the top for extra delicious flavor.
Top Tips
- Spiced Rubbed Beef Short Ribs: You can cover and refrigerate the seasoned ribs for up to one day. But there is no need for the dry rub to sit for a while. These slow cooker short beef ribs are slowly simmered in their own fat and juices, so there is plenty of time for the spices to soak into the beef ribs.
- Generously Coat Individual Ribs With Spices: Cover all sides of the ribs and press the dry rub to stick to the meat. Any leftover spices can be used to season the top of the dish before slow cooking.
- Like It Spicier? Feel free to add a tad more of the cayenne powder (maybe an extra teaspoon or two).
- Use The Juices: You can also make a healthy gravy similar to my Slow Cooker Chicken And Potatoes Recipe if you prefer it thickened.
- Serving Suggestion: Serve them with oven-baked potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots, or a creamy cauliflower mash for a Paleo-friendly, low-carb side dish.
Variations & Substitutions
- Sweeten It More: If you like a touch of extra sweetness, add more of the suggested natural sugar to balance the spices.
- Herbs: Rosemary is a classic choice, but you can also throw in a few bay leaves or thyme sprigs for added complexity.
Storage
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat the ribs in the microwave or stovetop with some leftover juices, or use some beef broth to keep them moist. This recipe makes great leftovers the next day!
Recipe FAQs
You don't need to sear or brown the ribs before slow cooking. Instead, you want them to cook slowly in their natural fatty juices. I know I'm going against the grain here. But these short beef ribs will have an incredible flavor and super tender texture.
You can, but it's not necessary. The spicy dry rub does not need to sit on the ribs for a long time before cooking. Instead, the spices will sink into the meat and build up the flavors during slow cooking.
Yes! While bone-in beef tends to yield the most flavorful result, boneless short ribs will still be tender and delicious when cooked in the slow cooker.
The browned ribs are done when fork-tender and the meat easily pulls away from the bone. They should practically melt in your mouth!
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📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs
Mariska RamondinoEquipment
- 1 Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) For best results, use a 6-quart slow cooker. If you need to cook in larger batches, adjust the recipe accordingly.
- 1 small bowl to mix the spice rub.
- 1 Kitchen Tongs to remove the tender beef short ribs.
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs about 2.29 kilograms/about 9 to 10 ribs (see note)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt plus a few pinches
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or Monkfruit sweetener (optional)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 yellow onions 350 grams, peeled and sliced crosswise (see pics), divided
- 4 large cloves of garlic peeled
- 3 fresh whole Rosemary sprigs or 1 ½ teaspoon cracked needles or 1 teaspoon powdered rosemary
Instructions
- Take out the ribs and thoroughly pat dry with a paper towel.4-5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- In a small bowl, mix all the spices—salt, ground mustard seed, ground white pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, and the sugar substitute.2 teaspoons sea salt, 1 teaspoon ground mustard seed, 1 teaspoon ground white pepper, 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- Dip the ribs one by one into the mixed spice bowl until all sides of the ribs are generously covered with the spice mix (you should still have a bit of spice mix left)—set aside.
- Divide the olive oil evenly over the bottom of a minimum 6-quart Crock Pot-type-slow-cooker. Divide the slices of one yellow onion on top of the olive oil. Season with a few pinches of salt.2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 yellow onions
- Place the seasoned short ribs in the slow cooker on top of the sliced onions. I like to arrange them on their side.
- Tuck the remaining sliced onions in between the seasoned ribs. Fill up the spaces evenly in between the ribs.
- Sprinkle any remaining spice mix evenly on top of the short ribs and the onions.
- With the side of a knife, flatten the peeled garlic. Add on top of the meat in the slow cooker. Top off with fresh Rosemary.4 large cloves of garlic, 3 fresh whole Rosemary sprigs
- Set cooker on high, cover, and cook for 6 hours.
- When the ribs are tender, serve with some cooked onions on top and spoon some of the liquid in the slow cooker over the ribs.
Notes
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Nutrition (% Daily value)
Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.
ana says
I need to make these asap! They look so good!