Let’s be real, I live in Kansas City, where BBQ is serious business. Good ribs aren’t optional here. If a recipe can impress in the BBQ capital, you know it’s legit. I've been air frying since 2016, back when folks would side eye a plate of air fryer ribs. Making ribs in the air fryer might sound like a shortcut, but when they’re done right, they’re tender, saucy, and full of flavor, not dry, and certainly not tough. I've done the hard work and testing so you don't have to!
This post was originally published in 2018. It has since been updated.
Do you live in a part of the country that has harsh winters? I do! I'm a Midwest girlie, not only do we have harsh winters, but we are KNOWN for our BBQ here. No other city or state can compare to ours! The air fryer makes it easy to enjoy ribs year round.
Air Fryer Ribs Ingredients
- Rack of Ribs
- Liquid Smoke
- Pork or BBQ Rub, Salt, and Pepper
- BBQ Sauce
How to Make Air Fryer BBQ Ribs
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prep the ribs: Pat the rack of ribs dry with paper towels. If the membrane on the back is still on, slide a knife under it and pull it off for more tender ribs.
- Season them up: Rub the ribs lightly with liquid smoke on both sides. Sprinkle on your pork or BBQ rub, plus salt and pepper. Make sure they’re fully coated, no bare spots.
- Cut to fit: Slice the rack into sections that fit your air fryer basket. Don’t overcrowd.
- Air fry: Cook ribs meat-side down at 360 degrees for 15 minutes, then flip and cook another 10 to 15 minutes until tender. (Timing can vary by thickness.)
- Optional Sauce and finish: Brush BBQ sauce all over the ribs. Return to the air fryer at 400°F for 3 to 5 minutes to caramelize the sauce. Keep an eye on them so the sauce doesn’t burn.
- Rest and serve: Let them rest a few minutes so the juices settle, then dig in.
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Air Fryer BBQ Ribs Recipe
Want to save this recipe for later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later! You will also grab your FREE ebook with my best 30-minute one-pot meals! Dinner stress stops here.
Ingredients
- 1 rack ribs baby back or spare ribs
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke Optional; smoked salt works great, too.
- 2-3 tablespoons pork or BBQ rub I used my Homemade Rub linked in the notes below
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.This is a thin layer that can be tough to remove. Sometimes it will peel right off. You can also cut it, and pull it off. Cut the ribs in half or so the ribs are able to fit in the air fryer.
- Drizzle the liquid smoke over both sides of the ribs.
- Season both sides with the pork rub, salt and pepper.
- Cover the ribs and allow the ribs to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Add the ribs to the air fryer. It is ok to stack the ribs.
- Cook for 15 minutes on 360 degrees.
- Open the air fryer. Flip the ribs. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove the ribs from the air fryer. Drizzle the ribs with BBQ sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition Data
Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Frequently Asked Questions and Recipe Pro Tips
You can use whatever ribs you like here, the prep and cook time stays about the same. I used pork spare ribs because they’re fatty, flavorful, and hard to mess up.
Spare ribs come from the belly area, they’re flatter, a little fattier, and that fat equals flavor. That’s why a lot of folks swear by them.
Baby back ribs are smaller and leaner. A rack usually has 10 to 13 ribs and weighs around 1 to 3 pounds. One rack feeds about 2 people comfortably, maybe more if you’ve got sides.
St. Louis style ribs are just spare ribs that have been trimmed up, less cartilage, more uniform, easier to cook evenly.
Beef back ribs are what’s left after ribeyes are cut, so they’re more bone than meat, but the flavor is big.
Bottom line, pick the ribs you like and cook them right. Flavor always wins.
You can use a dry rub or a liquid marinade for the ribs. A dry rub is a combination of spices and seasoning added to the meat to enhance flavor. It’s different from a marinade which has liquid ingredients (often to tenderize the meat) like apple cider vinegar or citrus.
The purpose of a dry rub is to create a crust around the meat. A dry rub will enhance the flavor of the ribs without using moisture or a liquid marinade. Rubs are usually a little more coarse than simply adding seasoning.
I love to use my Homemade BBQ Rub and Seasoning for these. It’s a combination of Brown Sugar or Sweetener, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Smoked Paprika, Salt, and Pepper. Feel free to use your favorite rub.
I recommend 360 degrees.
The ribs will need 30 minutes of cook time. You can complete the recipe in about an hour. Add on 30 minutes if you plan to marinate them.
I recommend it. The membrane can be tough and chewy. Removing it helps the seasoning soak in and gives you more tender ribs.
It adds that BBQ pit flavor you’d normally get from a smoker. Since we’re using an air fryer, this helps bring that smoky vibe without the grill. Omit it if you wish.
They should be tender and bend easily. If you twist a bone and it starts to loosen, you’re in good shape. Internal temp for pork ribs should be around 190 to 203°F for super tender results.
They probably need more time. Ribs aren’t like chicken, you cook them to tenderness, not just to a safe temp. Add 5 to 10 more minutes and check again.
Yes. Cook them, then reheat and sauce them when ready to serve. They reheat well in the air fryer.
Leftovers can be stored tightly covered and sealed for 3-4 days.
Reheat leftovers at 350 degrees in the air fryer until warm.
You can freeze ribs tightly covered and sealed for up to 3 months.
If you prefer to make your own BBQ sauce, check out this post on Homemade BBQ Sauce recipes.
More Ribs Recipes
Traeger Smoked Ribs (3-2-1 Method)
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Grilled Baby Back Ribs
Slow Cooker Crockpot BBQ Ribs
Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs
What to Pair with Ribs
I'm a Southern down-home cooking girlie, so I love to pair these with Southern Coleslaw, Southern Potato Salad, and Southern Baked Mac and Cheese.
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Get a full list of Air Fryer Recipes here.
Wilhelmina Wessel says
These ribs look cooked to perfection!
Connie says
What kind of dry rub Can I get that’s not spicy and hot ??
staysnatched says
McCormick's Grill Mates.
Aimee Shugarman says
LOVE this easy to follow recipe, and they turn out so tender!
Judy says
Just made this! 5 stars! Keeper recipe! Thank you!
John Booth says
Suppose the ribs are very frozen???
staysnatched says
Add another 5-10 minutes of cook time and watch them closely.
Stefanie says
Do you need to preheat the Air Fryer?
staysnatched says
Depends on the air fryer brand you use. The user manual will let you know if you need to. I do not preheat mine.
Stefanie says
Thanks!
LOREN K LOUTHAN says
At what temp are you cooking the ribs?
Anonymous says
360
Anonymous says
@LOREN K LOUTHAN,
Lisa Robinson says
Do you cook the ribs on Air Crisp or Grill more @360?
Anonymous says
“Grill mode”
Melanie L. says
Thank you. New to air frying and I wish recipes included the cooking mode used.
staysnatched says
My air fryer only has one mode. You may need to read the manual for yours.
Lisa Robinson says
Don’t know what happened to my question....Lol! Do you cook the ribs @360 on Air Crisp or Grill mode for 30 min?
staysnatched says
I use the standard air fryer setting. I don't have grill mode.
Delbra Anita Blanton says
I followed you recipe And I am a believer. Very tender ribs and so fast.
Thank you for sharing.
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm so glad they worked out.
Calvin Cornick says
I tried the ribs in the air fryer and loved them, and plan to make them again. Can I make some changes and use bone-in Country style ribs?
staysnatched says
Sure. I assume the cook time will be the same, but you will have to monitor and test it.
Tish says
made this recipe for dinner tonight....absolutely fabulous. I could not stop eating them. They were tender juicy perfectly charred. The ribs were just as good as being on the grill. Thank you for the recipe
staysnatched says
You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed them!
Jayde says
Delish!!!! And so easy to make. Made these for Father's Day, along with the air fryer baked potatoes and instant pot southern green beans... My dad can't stop talking about how good they are. He can't believe I didn't grill them. Moist, tender, juicy with a little char. Just how we love them. Thanks again!!! Will def be in the dinner rotation.
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Brooke says
Made these for dinner tonight using baby back ribs and they are fantastic! Followed recipe exactly and next time I Make these I wouldn’t change a thing. These were so good I didn’t even need to add BBQ sauce. Thanks for another great recipe!
staysnatched says
Yes! I agree you totally don't need sauce!
Kim L Schmidt says
I loved your rib recipe! They turned out PERFECT! And so easy!
I never liked "cooking", but I might start. 🙂
Thank you!!!
staysnatched says
You should totally start now! Air frying makes it easy!
Tiffani says
OMG!!! I have NEVER in my life made ribs, but, I was excited to try out this recipe. It did NOT disappoint. I gotta play around with rubs, and I would’ve liked a little more liquid smoke (I didn’t measure it) but these were SUPERB!!! Juicy, just as tender as if they were from the grill. I don’t think I’ll ever buy ribs from a BBQ restaurant again!!
staysnatched says
Yay! Ribs in the air fryer are so good!
Lanie says
Can I use beef ribs? Can't eat pork.
staysnatched says
Sure, if you want.
Mandy says
These ribs had fine flavor but were tough and gristly. I was worried about the short cooking time because typically ribs should be cooked low and slow and grilled to finish. Unfortunately this experience proves my hunch that ribs are a recipe you can’t shortcut.
staysnatched says
As someone who has been grilling and smoking meat for years, I wholly disagree. These are also never tough when I make them. Thanks for your feedback and for trying the recipe.
Jacqueline says
Do your self a favor and make these. Go buy a good bbq sauce and let the air fryer do all the work! You might not ever grill ribs again. Who knows.
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm so glad you tried the recipe.
Shannon E. says
5 stars. I used my own homemade rub & followed the recipe to a tee. I even added the liquid smoke. The ribs came out PERFECT. I will 100% be using this recipe again, thank you!
staysnatched says
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed them Shannon.
Kay says
@staysnatched,
Koreatha says
Can I use something other than liquid smoke? Just curious
staysnatched says
You can omit it.
Carol Hofbauer says
When you say you can stack the ribs, do you mean vertically or horizontally? Thanks so much!
staysnatched says
Either
Antoiniece Robinson says
There’s are ALWAYS a hit. Making them again today for our game festivities !
staysnatched says
Perfect for game days!
Kate Yonder says
I marinated my ribs (for 48 hours) with a recipe I was craving for then cooked them in my Instant Pot VP air fryer. They burned for the first 15 minutes. I found that 360 was too high. I reduced the temperature to 300 for the remaining 15 minutes. The ribs were cooked perfectly. Very tender. I have another rack and will repeat this. I will try 320 degrees for 25 minutes.
Thank you for providing a base for me to work with. New to air frying here.
staysnatched says
I'm glad to hear it worked out. I've never used that air fryer.
Amanda G. says
I love how these came out with a slightly crunchy outside but were very tender and juicy on the inside! I paired them with your ranch roasted potatoes and some roasted asparagus-delicious!
staysnatched says
That sounds like a great pairing!
Lori says
I did not like the air fryer ribs. Mine were tough. If I try the recipe again, I would cook them on low for a longer time. They looked good, but just not to my liking.
staysnatched says
Thanks for sharing. I make these often and I wouldn’t change a thing on my end.
Sazzi says
Sounds great! I have an airfryer/microwave combo-no basket to close. Any different tips?
staysnatched says
I've never used that.