These Easy Air Fryer Ribs are juicy, tender, and easy to whip up! You can use baby back, spare, or any of your favorite cuts of pork. Be sure to drizzle these in your favorite BBQ sauce.
This post was originally published in 2018. It has since been updated.
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Do you live in a part of the country that has harsh winters? I do! I'm a Midwest gal. I live in Kansas City. 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.
Table of Contents
What Type of Ribs to Use
You can use any ribs you like in this recipe, the prep and cook times will remain about the same. I used spare pork ribs.
Spare ribs are cut from the belly and behind the shoulder. They are closer to the belly and tend to have more fat. These ribs are also really flat. Because they have more fat, there’s lots of flavor so some people tend to favor these.
A slab or rack of baby back often includes 10-13 ribs and weighs 1- 3 pounds. One rack is usually enough to serve 2 people, maybe 3 or 4 if 2 pounds. This slab was a little over 3 pounds.
St. Louis Style ribs are spare ribs that have been trimmed down by cutting away the hard breastbone and chewy cartilage, otherwise known as connective tissue.
Beef back ribs are from the upper part of the cow and are the same cut found in bone-in ribeyes. These are usually mostly bone and fat, with a small amount of meat, but have lots of flavor.
Beef short ribs come from the lower part of the animal. These are typically really meaty and often served braised.
How to Season the Ribs
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 the following:
Feel free to use your favorite rub.
How to Make Easy Air Fryer Ribs
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.
- Drizzle the liquid smoke over both sides of the ribs.
- Season both sides with the pork rub, salt and pepper.
- Air fry.
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Air Fryer Temperature
I use 360 degrees.
Cook Time/How Long to Cook
The ribs will need 30 minutes to marinate and another 30 minutes of cook time. You can complete the recipe in about an hour.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored tightly covered and sealed for 3-4 days.
How to Reheat
Reheat leftovers at 350 degrees in the air fryer until warm.
Freezer Tips
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
Pair These With:
How to Grill the Best Burgers
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Southern Coleslaw
Southern Potato Salad
Air Fryer Green Beans
Air Fryer Quesadillas
Air Fryer Cheeseburgers
Air Fryer Homemade Fries
Air Fryer Panko Breaded Bang Bang Shrimp
Air Fryer Turkey Legs
Air Fryer Sausage
Oven Baked Roasted Corn on the Cob
Get a full list of Air Fryer Recipes here.
Easy Air Fryer Ribs
These Easy Air Fryer Ribs are juicy, tender, and easy to whip up! You can use baby back, spare, or any of your favorite cuts of pork. Be sure to drizzle these in your favorite BBQ sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 rack ribs (baby back or spare ribs)
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 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.
Notes
Get the recipe for Low-Carb Homemade BBQ Sauce here.
Get the recipe for my Homemade BBQ Rub here.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 375Total Fat 27gCarbohydrates 12 net gProtein 18g
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.