This Rib Roast recipe with Horseradish Sauce will make your friends and family drool. The steps are very simple, but this will be one fancy dinner!
We partnered with Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner., on behalf of the Beef Checkoff to show you how to prepare a roast and design your menu.

Prime Rib can be the highlight of your upcoming Christmas or New Year’s Eve party. It is so easy to prepare and tastes absolutely delicious. Paired with a creamy horseradish sauce, it boasts flavors that are out of this world.
Need some extra help in the kitchen? Use “Chuck Knows Beef”, the new, all-knowing beef resource, on Amazon Echo, Google Home or ChuckKnowsBeef.com. This AI-personality is full of the best tips and tricks when it comes to preparing beef. That’s right, bring those beef questions to the future!

Menu to go with a Prime Rib Roast
Your beautifully cooked Prime Rib Roast will surely shine as the star of your dinner. And, what about the sides? Here are a couple of my favorites for a holiday Prime Rib dinner.
- Mashed Potatoes – Made with heavy whipping cream and butter, these classic mashed potatoes are your next guilty pleasure!
- Garden Salad – Savory beef is perfectly contrasted with a fresh and crunchy side salad.
- Marinated Mushrooms – One of beef’s best friends is the mushroom. These vinegary shrooms are the perfect appetizer!
- Beet and Goat Cheese Arugula Salad – Beets and goat cheese are perfectly balanced by pepper-y arugula.
Rib Roast Video
Tips for Making Rib Roast
Buying Prime Rib
Prime Rib can go by a couple of different names in the grocery store. They include: Holiday Roast, Ribeye Roast or Standing Rib Roast. The Ribeye Roast is our favorite, it comes from the rib primal which gives it sought-after beefy flavor. The epic marbling can be found boneless or bone-in. For more tips on buying a Rib Roast, check out this blog post from Natasha’s Kitchen.

Preheat Oven and Prep the Roast
Set the oven to 350 °F and season your roast while it heats up. Make sure you rub the seasoning all over the roast generously.
Cooking Your Beef Prime Rib
The best way to roast Prime Rib is fat side up in the oven to medium-rare or medium doneness. Then, allow the beef to rest tented by aluminum foil for at least 15 minutes before you cut into it. Allowing your meat to rest locks in its juices! Remember that not all roasts are identical. Their sizes vary and cooking times change depending on if they are boneless or not. See cooking times chart below.
Note: During the resting process, beef will cook an additional 10-15 degrees. Take this into account when determining your desired doneness. For example, if you want to cook your roast to medium-rare (145 °F) remove it from the oven at 135 °F to let it finish cooking on the counter.
Invest in an Oven-Proof Meat Thermometer
Purchase an oven-proof electric meat thermometer to take the guesswork out of gauging doneness. Instead of opening the oven unnecessarily and losing juices when you keep poking the meat for doneness, the readout for the thermometer remains on the outside of the oven.
How to Carve Prime Rib
If your roast is bone-in, first turn it on its side and remove the ribs. Hold the roast steady by grasping a piece of rib bone that is sticking out. Using a sharp knife, follow the curvature of the rib bones as closely as you can. Now that your cut is boneless, start carving the meat from one of the ends, slicing across the grain for maximum tenderness. Slice pieces about ½-inch thick.
Do You Cover Roast Beef in The Oven
The only time you should lightly cover your roast is when you are allowing it to rest and come to doneness on the counter. Do not cover it in the oven. You want the outer edges to crisp up nicely. Covering the roast would prevent the direct heat from forming a crust.
Note: If the outside of your roast is getting too dark, it’s OK to cover with foil and continue cooking at the same temperature.

How Much Prime Rib Roast do I Need Per Person?
You may be wondering how much Prime Rib you should buy at this point. A general rule of thumb is to plan on one rib per two people. While most won’t eat a half a pound, this rule helps you prevent from underbuying (the worst!). As my grandma said, “It’s better to have leftovers than to not have enough food!”

How Long Does it Take to Cook Prime Rib Roast?
Bone-in Prime Rib Cooking Times
- 4-6 Pounds (2 ribs) – Roast at 350 °F for 1-3/4 to 2-1/4 hours for Medium Rare (135 °F) or 2-1/4 to 2-3/4 hours for Medium (145 °F).
- 6-8 Pounds (2-4 ribs) – Roast at 350 °F for 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours for Medium Rare (135 °F) or 2-1/2 to 3 hours for Medium (145 °F).
- 8-10 Pounds (4-5 ribs) – Roast at 350 °F for 2-1/2 to 3 hours for Medium Rare (135 °F) or 3 to 3-1/2 hours for Medium (145 °F).
Boneless Prime Rib Cooking Times
- 3-4 Pounds: Roast at 350 °F for 1-1/2 to 2 hours for Medium Rare (135 °F) or 2 to 2-1/4 hours for Medium (145 °F).
- 4-6 Pounds: Roast at 350 °F for 2 to 2-1/4 hours for Medium Rare (135 °F) or 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours for Medium (145 °F).
- 6-8 Pounds: Roast at 350 °F for 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours for Medium Rare (135 °F) or 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 hours for Medium (145 °F).
Setting Your Table
Now that you have all the tips you need to prepare a delicious roast, it’s time to set your table. My blogger friend Courtney has all the tips you need on entertaining with a beef Rib Roast. Head over to Pizzazzerie for all the details!
Recipe
Ingredients
Rib Roast
- 6 lb Ribeye Roast Bone-In
- 3 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp coarsely ground mixed peppercorns (black, white, green and pink)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Horseradish Sauce
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh fennel bulb
- 3 tbsp finely grated fresh horseradish
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh fennel fronds
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
Making Rib Roast
- Heat oven to 350 °F. Prepare the ingredients for the paste rub by combining oil, garlic and pepper together in a bowl.
- Rub the beef roast generously with salt on all sides. Press marinade evenly onto the beef roast.
- Place beef roast in a baking pan with the fat side up. Insert an ovenproof meat thermometer into the thickest part of the beef, making sure it's not touching the bone. Roast for about 2 1/2 hours. Refer to doneness temperature in blog post notes above.
Horseradish Sauce
- Prepare the ingredients for the horseradish sauce. Peel and grate the horseradish, finely dice fennel bulb and chop fresh fennel fronds.
- Whisk whipped cream until you get soft peaks. Add in horseradish, fennel bulb and fennel fronds. Season with salt.
- Place the sauce in a refrigerator until ready to serve.
Hi Natalya! I made this recipe today. I didnt make the horseradish sauce because I was short on time. Marinade was great and it came out perfect!!!.
Recipe is a keeper!!!
Hi Lena, I am so delighted to hear that! Thank you so much for your feedback. Enjoy!
Awful method. Look at all the grey bands around it. Putting it in a 350 degree oven overcoooks the outside before the inside can each temp.
The secret is to cook the roast at 220 until it reaches temp (around 120 max), rest it, and then put with back in into a 550 degree oven for ten minutes.
Google reverse sear. You're welcome.
Hey El, thank you for sharing your feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to share your method. We worked with a chef on this recipe, it was delicious!
I am so happy to find this recipe. I would love to serve prime rib on Christmas eve. This makes is sound easy.
Laura, I am so glad you found it! You will love this recipe.
So delicious and super easy dinner idea.
Yes, and it can easily be dressed to look so fancy. 🙂 Thank you Becky!
I know what I will be preparing for Christmas dinner; this looks amazing! Can't wait to impress my family with this!
Sara, thank you! I am so honored that this recipe will make it to your Christmas dinner!
Looks so Yummy. We got a new grill with a rotisserie and I’ve been experimenting with lamb and pork roasts for few Thanksgiving family gatherings. I’ll try your recipe for upcoming holidays, hopefully it turns out good.
Hi Yelena, that grill sounds really neat. I think you will love this recipe. It comes out beautiful and the flavors are wow!