Instant Pot Chinese 5 spice sticky ribs are fork-tender, delicious, and perfect for big game day, any football party, tailgating, or dinner anytime you crave Asian-style food!
The sticky spiced ribs recipe offers an assault of richness and flavor, and the heat can be dialed up or down to match your crowd’s preference, while meat choices for the Asian sticky ribs recipe (another name for Chinese 5 spice sticky ribs) include versatile meat cuts ranging from baby back rib cuts to slabs of ribs (and more that I’ll show you). I am about to share the easy sticky bbq ribs recipe!

With restaurants passing on the inflated cost of food, instead of purchasing sticky Chinese bbq ribs, you can make them fast and easy at home with this pressure cooker recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Asian Sticky Ribs Recipe
From the aromatic fragrance, you’ll experience wafting through the air while cooking the stick barbecue ribs to the tender and juicy meat, the Asian sticky bbq ribs are any night of the week, easy-to-make menu item, and they are also party perfect!
My stick ribs Instant pot recipe is ‘da bomb’ when delivering ease of prep, taste, texture, and smell!
For football foodies, party-throwers, and rib-eating lovers, this is the best Asian stick pork ribs recipe you can make quickly and efficiently!

- You can and should make this ahead, especially for big game day or for tailgating eats.
- the sticky ribs recipe can be made spicier and less spicy by adding more or less of one key ingredient
- the Asian pork ribs Instant Pot recipe makes it easier than ever to make sticky barbecue ribs
- ingredients for the sticky ribs recipe in an Instant Pot are super easy to find
- for those preparing tailgating eats or any party you are going to, you will find that the Instant Pot sticky Asian-Style ribs are transportable without hassle!
- Asian sticky pork ribs can be made with baby back ribs, a slab of ribs, and even pork tenderloin (albeit ribless!)
Table of Contents
Kitchen Essentials Needed To Make The Asian Sticky Ribs Recipe
As with all of my recipes, you know I keep my recipes simple, and I don’t use any fancy kitchen essentials, and today’s Asian-style ribs are no different!

- Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker – the brand is not important
- A medium bowl for mixing the Chinese Five Spice Sticky Sauces in
- A small bowl for making Chinese sticky dry rub for the pork ribs
- Foil – if you are cooking these in the oven at the end
- Nonstick spray for your grill if you are grilling these to heat them as they are great football tailgating spicy sticky ribs
- 1 or 2 Baking trays if you are going to heat the Chinese five-spice ribs under the broiler and 1 for the dry pork rib prep
- A Whisk – to combine the sticky barbecue sauce
- A ladle for the Chinese sticky pork ribs with homemade marinade glaze
- wooden spoon for mixing the sticky, spicy rib glaze
Ingredients To Make Instant Pot Chinese 5 Spice Sticky Ribs
Pepper and powder and everything nice, including the Chinese Five Spices, are just a few ingredients you’ll be using in your recipe to make Chinese Sticky Ribs, and here are the ingredients you’ll need!
For The Chinese Rib Dry Rub
- salt
- black pepper
- Chinese 5 Spice blend
- garlic powder
- ½ t. onion powder
For the Chinese Spicy Sticky Sauce
- fresh ginger
- sugar-free garlic chili sauce
- tamari or coconut aminos
- honey
- water
- cider vinegar
- salt
For The Rib Ingredients
- baby back ribs
- mustard – read this post for why I use mustard on everything
- cornstarch
- green onions
- white sesame seeds
How To Make Instant Pot Chinese 5 Spice Sticky Ribs

The recipe card below includes a simple step-by-step overview to make the Instant Pot Asian-style sticky ribs and a more in-depth version of the directions.
Making The Chinese 5 Spicy Sticky Rub Is Step 1
You will combine the dry rub ingredients together in the small bowl, and then you can set that aside.
Make The Sticky Rib Sauce Is Step 2
Using the medium-sized bowl, you’ll combine then whisk the ingredients for the sauce together and set that aside.
Step 3: Prepare the Pork Ribs To Be Dry Rubbed
Using a large-rimmed covered pan, place the pork ribs atop and begin by using the basting brush and coating the rib meat with mustard from top to bottom and side to side.
Then, you’ll coat the ribs with the pork ribs all over with the dry rub seasoning making sure each side is coated.
Step 4: Transfer the Ribs Rubbed With The Chinese 5 Spice Rub Into The Instant Pot (Pressure cooker)
The best placement method is to circle them into the pot and NOT layer, so stand them on their sides and form a circle around the Instant Pot liner.
Once you’ve wrapped the pork ribs around the liner on their side, you will not pour the sticky sauce on top.

Next, lock the lid, seal it, and set the manual setting to cook!
Step 6: Prep Your Rimmed Tray For Broiling Or Transport
While the Instant Pot is busy cooking the Chinese 5 spicy sticky ribs, you need to get busy with this prep step!
This next step depends on you, and honestly, I would do this step no matter what you plan on doing with the Chinese-style sticky ribs: eating them immediately or using them the next day for tailgating!

Why? When the ribs are warm and you finish the cooking session, the meat is welcoming to the slurried remnant sticky sauce, and you can always reheat the ribs while tailgating!
Foil coat your pan again if you are using the same one that you used with the raw pork ribs because you never work on a space that has raw meat on it unless you have sterilized the space and changed the paper!
Suppose you decide that you will finish cooking the sticky sauce and not finish cooking the ribs to add the sticky sauce on until you transport the Asian-style sticky ribs to a party, tailgating area, or even your own home.
In that case, you will not need to do this step until you are ready to broil them in your oven, and you won’t need a foil pan if you are placing them on your grill; you could place them on foil or in a disposable foil pan!
Step 7: Pressure Release and Asian-Style Pork Rib Transfer
When cook time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
Then follow with a quick release for the remaining pressure.
Last, carefully remove the lid and then go ahead and transfer the ribs to the prepared baking sheet and set aside.
Or if you are packaging them for the next day, do such and refrigerate, then continue on to the sticky sauce slurry.
Step 8: Prep The Sticky Sauce For The Last Cooking Session
For those preparing and serving the ribs on the same day, you’ll need to place the top oven racks within a few inches of your broiler and preheat it to high.
Next, in a small bowl, add the cornstarch and an equal amount of hot liquid from the bottom of the Instant Pot that you just removed the Asian-style sticky ribs from, and stir to combine.
You’ll then use the Sauté function, bringing the remaining sauce to a boil and stirring. Then, you’ll add the cornstarch slurry a little until it has thickened (it happens fast!)

Transfer the sauce to a bowl you can hold and brush it over the ribs on both sides and place them quickly under the broiler where they will crisp and brown.
Remove the Asian-style spicy stick ribs immediately, brush with more of the remaining sauce, and then sprinkle the sticky Chinese 5-spice ribs with sesame seeds and green onions!
Enjoy your rib bbq that’s spicy and sticky!
Recipe For Instant Pot Chinese 5 Spice Sticky Ribs

Instant Pot Chinese 5 Spice Sticky Ribs
Instant Pot Chinese 5 spice sticky ribs are fork-tender, delicious, and perfect for big game day, any football party, tailgating, or dinner anytime you crave Asian-style food! The sticky spiced ribs recipe offers an assault of richness and flavor and the heat can be dialed up or down to match your crowd's preference while meat choices for the Asian sticky ribs recipe (another name for Chinese 5 spice sticky ribs) include versatile meat cuts ranging from baby back rib cuts to slabs of ribs (and more that I'll show you) and I am about to share the easy sticky bbq ribs recipe!
Ingredients
- Dry Rub Ingredients
- 1 t. salt
- ½ t. black pepper
- 2 t. Chinese 5 Spice blend
- 1 t. garlic powder
- ½ t. onion powder
- Sauce Ingredients
- 1 T. fresh ginger, finely minced
- 1-2 t. sugar-free garlic chili sauce
- ¼ c. tamari or coconut aminos
- ½ c. honey, preferably local
- 1/3 c. water
- 1/3 c. cider vinegar
- ¼ t. salt
- Ingredients
- 2 lbs. baby back ribs, sliced
- Yellow Mustard
- 2 T. cornstarch
- 3 large green onions, sliced, green parts only
- 1 T. white sesame seeds
Instructions
- You will be combining the dry rub ingredients together in the small bowl and then you can set that aside.
- Using the medium-sized bowl, you'll combine then whisk the ingredients for the sauce together and set that aside.
- The best method of placement is to circle them into the pot (if you are using a rib slab, and NOT layer so stand
them on their sides and form a circle around the Instant Pot liner) - Once you've wrapped the pork ribs around the liner on their side, you will not pour the sticky sauce on top.
- However, if you are using baby back pieces then you will not overlay, but instead, leave space between each rib.
(see image) - Following the Asian pork ribs Instant Pot Recipe, you'll see that the ribs cannot be nestled upon one another if you leave them joined in a slab you can round them in the IP liner if you are using separate baby back
pieces, you'll try to layer instead of the stack for even cooking and flavoring throughout the IP cooking process. - Next, lock the lid, seal it, and set the manual setting to cook!
- While the Instant Pot is busy cooking the Chinese 5 spicy sticky ribs, you need to get busy with this prep
step! - This next step really depends on you, and honestly, I would do this step no matter what you plan on doing with the Chinese-style sticky ribs: eating them immediately or using them the next day for tailgating!
- Sticky BBQ ribs can be broiled or grilled after they are prepared in the Instant Pot.
- Why? Because when the ribs are warm and you finish the cooking session the meat is welcoming to the slurry remnant sticky sauce and you can always reheat the ribs while tailgating!
- Foil cover your pan again if you are using the same one that you used with the raw pork ribs because you never work on a space that had raw meat on it unless you have sterilized the space and changed the paper!
- If you decide that you will finish cooking the sticky sauce and not finish cooking the ribs to add the sticky
sauce on until you transport the Asian-style sticky ribs to a party, tailgating area, or even your own home, then you will not need to do this step until you are ready to broil them in your oven and you won't need a foil pan if you are placing them on your grill you could just place them on foil or in a foil disposable pan! - When cook time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Then follow with a quick release for the remaining pressure.
- Last, carefully remove the lid and then go ahead and transfer the ribs to the prepared baking sheet and set aside.
- Or if you are packaging them for the next day, do such and refrigerate, but then continue on to the sticky sauce slurry.
- For those of you who are preparing and serving the ribs on the same day, you'll need to place the top oven racks within a few inches of your broiler and preheat it to high.
- Next, in a small bowl, add the cornstarch and an equal amount of hot liquid that is from the bottom of the
Instant Pot that you just removed the Asian-style sticky ribs from, and stir to combine. - You'll then use the Sauté function bringing the remaining sauce to a boil, and stirring then, you'll add the
cornstarch slurry little by little until it has thickened (it happens fast!) - After preparing the Asian pork ribs Instant Pot recipe (Chinese Sticky BBQ ribs) you'll place them on a foil-lined baking tray to crisp and make them even stickier!
- Transfer the sauce to a bowl you can hold and brush it over the ribs on both sides and place them quickly under the broiler where they will crisp and brown.
- Remove the Asian-style spicy stick ribs immediately and brush with more of the remaining sauce and then sprinkle the sticky Chinese 5 spice ribs with sesame seeds, and green onions!
- Enjoy your rib BBQ that's spicy and sticky!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 559Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 1629mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 2gSugar: 33gProtein: 33g
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