What if I told you that you could get crispy and juicy ribs in under 20 minutes? Well it’s true! My recipe for Air Fryer Pork Ribs is full-proof, fast, and flavorful.

After getting such great feedback from you guys on my Easy Air Fryer Pork Chops, I have been really enjoying experimenting with cooking other types of pork in the air fryer. After some trial and error, I am excited to share this recipe with you. These ribs develop an awesomely crispy outer crust, while never drying out on the inside.
Marinating your ribs overnight is the most time consuming part of this recipe. But, trust me, this soy sauce based marinade tenderizes the meat and gives the ribs a delicious, Asian flare.
Having a quick air fryer pork ribs recipe in your back pocket, comes in ultra handy when you are hosting a party. Instead of hovering over a grill, you can prepare pork ribs at lightning speed and spend more time enjoying your party!

Tips for Making Pork Ribs in the Air Fryer
- Take your ribs out of the fridge and allow them to reach room temperature before placing them in the air fryer. Introducing fresh-out-of-the-refrigerator ribs into the high heat of the air fryer will shock the meat and can result in uneven cooking.
- Before adding seasoning or sauce, make sure to pat your ribs dry with a paper towel. This ensures that they will absorb your marinade better!
- Don’t overstuff the air fryer. Make sure the ribs lay flat and there is no overlapping to make sure they cook evenly.
- Take a BBQ brush and slather the drippings at the bottom of the fryer on your freshly cooked ribs.
- Are you a fan of extra crispy, rib crust? Slather on some extra marinade to the ribs after you have cooked both sides and let them cook for 3-5 minutes longer top-side up.
- Craving a more classic barbeque-style flavor? My secret weapon for emulating that fresh-off-the-grill flavor is using liquid smoke. Slather on your favorite BBQ sauce and add a couple of drops of liquid smoke to the mix.
Air Fryer Recipes to Try
How Does an Air Fryer Work?
If you are not familiar with air fryers, let me give you the low-down. This appliance has become all-the-rage for its astonishingly fast cooking times. Extremely hot air circulates around the food placed in the air fryer’s tray, allowing the food to be cooked substantially quicker.
The air fryer has also become a kitchen staple due to it only needing a small amount of oil (less than a tablespoon in some cases!) or cooking spray to create healthier versions of your favorite fried foods for a fraction of the calories.
My Pick: Gourmia 5 Qt Air Fryer
I’ll admit it, when I first heard the hype about the air fryer I was a bit skeptical. How could you achieve that homecooked, slow food taste in such a short time? Well, I was (gladly!) proved wrong. I picked up the Gourmia 5 Quart Air Fryer awhile back and as some of you already know, it has been a love affair ever since.

Using an air fryer has made my life so much easier during the week. When I am tired and I don’t feel like cooking, I can rely on the air fryer for a homemade, low-calorie meal. It has made eating healthier so much easier without sacrificing flavor and texture. What’s not to love?
While there are many air fryers on the market that range in size and price, I highly recommend the Gourmia. It’s only $59.99 and it does the trick for me.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb pork ribs (have your butcher cut them into baby size pieces)
- 1 cup soy sauce low sodium
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 5 garlic cloves
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients for the recipe. Cut ribs into small pieces.
- Place pork ribs into a ziplock bag. Add brown sugar, garlic, low sodium soy sauce, and sesame oil and lock the bag. Massage the ingredients together to mix in the marinate.
- Leave pork ribs marinating for at least 8 hours, best to leave them overnight.
- Place one row of pork ribs into an air fryer basket. Air fry them at 400F for 18-20 minutes, depending on the size. Halfway through, open the basket and toss them to make sure all the sides are crispy.
- Serve Korean Pork Ribs hot or cold. You can always reheat leftovers in an air fryer for 2-3 minutes.
Great looking recipe. I never see ribs that meaty in my grocery store. Wish I could find some though.
Hi Kenny, I often find good ones at Costco. If you have access to one, you should check it out! Thank you for reaching out. Have a great day!
Very Salty
Hi Veronica- I'm sorry to hear you found them too salty. With soy sauce, the brand can make a big difference. If you prefer a less salty flavor, I'd recommend using a low-sodium soy sauce next time as well. Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback!
I followed the directions exactly and the ribs browned up really nicely and looked delicious. However, my husband and I found the flavor way too strong. Maybe marinating it overnight was too much.
Hi Jill - These are definitely super flavorful. Maybe next time try using low-sodium soy sauce? Hope this helps and thanks for sharing your feedback.
Mixed low sodium soy sauce and oyster sauce. Marinated for 3 hours. Perfect!!
Hi Al, that sounds amazing, great idea! Thank you for sharing that with everyone!
Loved it so much! I’m so excited you have this recipe for everyone to try. So good I won’t need always go out for Korean bbq. Amazing work and keep it up. I follow you’re cooking. Amazing keep up the good work.
Thank you very much, I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you for following along!
My husband loved this and said to keep it in the rotation so I know it's a keeper. Thank you.
I am so glad to hear that, thank you for taking the time to comment!
My butcher cut the ribs in long 5/6” thin strips. Any recommendations on the timing? Should I keep the cooking time the same?
Hey Anna, all air fryers cook slightly differently. I would suggest checking for internal temperature to be at 145F. Enjoy
Tried these with the long thin strands and soo good. Total keeper. I cook it for couple extra minutes. Great recipe!
Anna, I'm so glad it worked out, thank you for sharing your feedback!
Can I use beef short ribs for this recipe?
Hey Natasha, you definitely can. Enjoy
Very tasty! I use aluminium foil to line up the basket so super easy clean-up. The level of saltiness depends on the soy sauce brand I used. Have made this several times following the recipe
Thank you for the cleanup tip! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This looks delicious. I haven’t purchased an air fryer yet and I’m wondering how easy/difficult is the clean-up. What do you think?
Hey Lori, we have a basket air fryer and it's the easiest to clean. I simply place it in a dishwasher.
Can you use boneless country style ribs for this recipe?
Hey Sheila, yes, you definitely can. You may need to reduce cooking time because boneless meat cooks a bit quicker. Enjoy
Thank you for the recipe! Delicious and easy! Lots of flavor with just 5 hrs of marinating. It was a bit too salty for my tastes even with using low sodium soy sauce but not recipe’s fault. I just don’t use much salt in my cooking. Will have to make adjustments next time.
I used the Costco ribs that another commenter mentioned. I also stood up the ribs on its ends to fit more in the air fryer basket rather than laying it flat.
So many great tips, thank you for sharing them. I really appreciate you taking the time to share all the feedback.
How do you cut up the ribs? I suppose you could use a cleaver?
Hey Andrew, I asked my butcher to cut them up for me. At most grocery stores they have a tool that cuts them up pretty quick.
I bought a big beef bone a couple years ago. I asked the butcher to cut it in half so i could fit it in my slow cooker. I was making bone broth. It cost me $25 for a bone!!! They said it was labor intensive. They made 1 cut. Hmpf! I won't be asking them to cut ribs for me again. I will need to figure out something else, because this sounds really good. Korean is one of my favorite cuisines!
Hi Dawn, most grocery stores will cut them at no cost. Hope you get a chance to try them.
Wow! Easy and yummy. I added a little ginger to marinade 🙂
Charles, I bet fresh ginger is incredible in this recipe. Thanks for the tip.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! It's a keeper! 🙂
Michelle, I am so happy to hear this. Glad you loved it!
I just bought some ribs and want to make these. Except I do not own an air fryer yet :/ any recommendations if it'll be better in the oven or possibly slow cooker? By the way, I found Costco sells a big pack of 3 racks of ribs and each is cut lengthwise in 3. So its perfect and you get a lot of small ribs 🙂
Oh thank you for the Costco trip. I would recommend using an oven.
The flavor on these are absolutely delicious. I love that it gives me an excuse to use my air fryer.
Alli, you will love owning an air fryer. It really surprised me how quick everything cooks in an air fryer.
So delicious! This recipe is definitely a keeper now!
Thank you Jennifer! I would say this is one of my top 10 recipes, I love it!
Just made this yesterday and it is delicious! Definitely a keeper!
Cheryl, that was quick. I am glad you loved them!
This makes me want to go out and buy an air fryer just for this recipe!
I feel like every home has to own an air fryer, such an amazing appliance.
These look so crispy and delicious - can't believe they're not deep fried!
I know, I keep on getting pleasantly surprised about the air fryer! 🙂