Ninja Foodi Ribs with Raspberry BBQ Glaze is going to blow your mind! I'm serious about this one... you just have to give it a try! Not only is the rub amazing, this glaze is addicting for sure!
Ninja Foodi Ribs with Raspberry BBQ Glaze is going to blow your mind! I'm serious about this one... you just have to give it a try! Not only is the rub amazing, this glaze is addicting for sure!
The best part... you'll be eating these Ninja Foodi Ribs in less than one hour! YAY!!!
I'm not knocking smoked ribs one bit! I love them. They just take too long. While the low and slow cooking technique for good BBQ can't be beat, these Ninja Foodi Ribs taste better than you can get in many restaurants! Did you know: a lot of times the ribs in restaurants aren't even smoked? It's true.
You might not know this about me, but I owned a BBQ restaurant (we did smoke our ribs) for several years and today I am sharing with you a version of my award-winning rub and Raspberry BBQ Glaze.
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Have you ever had a fruit-based BBQ sauce?
When I owned the BBQ restaurant years ago, I specialized in fruit-based sauces and WOW are they delicious! The raspberry glaze was one of the most-requested sauces and it is PERFECT on these Ninja Foodi Ribs!
A few of the other fruit-based sauces we made were: Blueberry, Apple Butter Bourbon, Peach, and a Roasted Strawberry Sauce. I bet you'll see these pop up in some of my future recipes!
What's your favorite fruit-based sauce? Leave me a comment!
Do I rub the ribs before or after pressure cooking?
I wondered this same thing. Will the rub stay on when the ribs cook under pressure since they are cooking in a wet environment? 
The answer is, yes. The rub stays on; so, I recommend rubbing the ribs prior to pressure cooking.
If time allows, I also recommend rubbing the ribs the day before you want to cook them. After rubbing them, cover in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge until about one hour before you want to cook them.
I always recommend letting meat (except seafood) come to room temp for about an hour before cooking.
Can I make these Ninja Foodi Ribs if I have a different pressure cooker?
Yes, of course. The beauty of the Ninja Foodi is being able to Air Crisp the ribs after pressure cooking them, but if you have a different type of electric pressure cooker, you can still make this recipe.
Follow the same instructions for pressure cooking and when the ribs are done, place them on a cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 400° F and place the ribs on the top rack of the oven. If you have a convection oven, I recommend turning that on. Bake the ribs until the glaze caramelizes on top.
You can also turn on the broiler and finish them that way. Just keep an eye on the ribs so the sugar in the glaze doesn't burn.
Do I have to remove the membrane from the back of the Ribs?
This is debated for sure. I decided to do a test in the video on YouTube for Ninja Foodi 
Ribs with Raspberry Glaze. I removed the membrane from ½ of the rack and left the membrane on in the other ½.
What I found is that the side that had the membrane removed cooked flatter, looked better, and I think the meat pulled off the bone just a bit easier.
I have always removed the membrane before cooking ribs and, after my experiment, I will continue to remove the membrane.
How long do I need to cook ribs in a pressure cooker?
Not as long as you might think! I know I will get some backlash from this, but it is okay. I can handle it. I think.
Ribs SHOULD NOT be falling off of the bone. There, I said it. I see everyone's head shaking back and forth vigorously and I can almost hear the screams.
The truth is, if the meat is falling off the bone, the rib is overcooked. You know you have a perfectly cooked rib when the meat pulls off the bone when you bite it, is tender and flavorful, but does not fall off the bone.
I know a lot of people like their rib meat to be falling off the bone and I am certainly not going to tell you how you should like your ribs. All food should be cooked the way you like it. So, here are my suggested cooking times and you will notice that the cooking time in this recipe for Ninja Foodi ribs is just a tad overcooked.
I want my rib meat to be:
Falling off the bone: Cook on high pressure for 25-30 minutes
Almost falling off the bone: Cook on high pressure for 20-25 minutes
Not quite falling off the bone, but pulling away from the bone: Cook on high pressure for 18 minutes
Still attached to the bone, but pulls away when taking a bite: This is how a perfectly cooked rib should be. I have not tried this, but my suggested cook time would be high pressure for 15 minutes. If you give this a try, please leave a comment and let me know how it worked out for you!
*all the suggested cooking times should be followed by a 10 minute natural release for best results
Can I pressure cook my ribs in the BBQ Sauce?
In order to pressure cook, you have to build steam. In order to build steam, you need a thin liquid. While some BBQ sauces may be thin enough to achieve this, a thicker sauce like the Raspberry BBQ Glaze may cause you some issues.
Before deciding to pressure cook the ribs in a BBQ sauce, I would encourage you to read this article on Pressure Cooking 101. It explains how pressure cooking works and why thicker liquids and sauces don't work as well or sometimes don't work at all.
How to make the Raspberry BBQ Glaze
Place all the Raspberry BBQ Glaze ingredients into the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi and set to medium sear/sauté. 
Stir frequently just until the glaze begins to boil. Turn the Ninja Foodi off and remove the sauce. Allow to cool for best results.
Please note: This recipe makes about 2 cups of Raspberry BBQ Glaze. You might use ½ cup for a rack of ribs. Store the remaining glaze in an air-tight container in the fridge until ready to use again. Give it a try on pork chops... delicious!
How to make Ninja Foodi Ribs
First, make up the rub by combing all of the dry spices with the sugar. Mix well. This will make enough rub for several racks of ribs. Store in an air tight container until ready to use.
Remove the membrane and the flap from the back of the ribs. You can see how I do this easily in the video: Ninja Foodi Ribs with Raspberry BBQ Glaze on YouTube or under the recipe in this post.
Rub the ribs very well on both sides with the rub. You can do this up to 24 hours before cooking. Wrap the rubbed ribs in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until an hour before cooking.
Place the liquid smoke and cider vinegar in the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi. I personally did not notice any smoke flavor from the liquid smoke, so feel free to replace this with water or beer or any thin liquid of your choice.
Stack the ribs on their side in the fry/steam basket that came with the Ninja Foodi. 
Set the pressure to high for 18 minutes. Be sure to turn the black valve to seal. When they are done cooking, allow the ribs to natural release for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes, manually release the remaining pressure by turning the black valve on the back to vent.
Remove the basket from the Ninja Foodi. I like to put the ribs on the rack in the low position for Air Crisping, but you could leave them in the basket if you prefer.
Brush on the Raspberry BBQ Glaze. I like to use my Silicone Basting Brush, but you can spoon on the glaze.
Air Crisp the ribs on 400° F for 10-20 minutes, reapplying the glaze a couple of times. I usually recommend preheating the Ninja Foodi before Air Crisping.
Serve with a bit of extra glaze and that delicious rub! Enjoy!
Ninja Food Ribs with Raspberry BBQ Glaze
Ingredients
The Ribs
- 1 rack St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs
- ½ cup liquid smoke beer or water is fine
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar beer or water is fine
The Rub
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 ½ Tbsp onion powder
- 2 Tbsp seasoned salt
- 2 Tbsp smoked paprika regular paprika is fine
- 1 ½ Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
- ½ Tbsp celery salt
Raspberry Glaze
- ¾ cup seedless raspberry jam
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp all spice
- ¼ tsp ground chipotle
Instructions
Raspberry BBQ Glaze
- Turn the Ninja Foodi on sear/saute medium heat and add the raspberry preserves, brown sugar, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and spices. Heat and stir to combine. When the preserves and sugar have melted and the spices are incorporated, turn the Ninja Foodi off and pour into a medium size bowl. Allow to cool. You can put it in the fridge to cool.
- This will make about 2 cups of Raspberry Glaze which is enough for several racks of ribs. Store in an air tight container in the fridge until you are ready to use it again.
For the Ribs
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. The easiest way to do this is to lift up a small piece of the membrane and grab it with a paper towel, then pull the membrane off. You can watch how I do this in the video below the recipe.
- Mix up the rub ingredients and coat both sides of the ribs with a generous amount of rub. The rub recipe makes enough for 2-3 racks of ribs and can be stored in a sealed container.
- Cut the rack of ribs in half and rub generously with the rub. You can do this ahead of time and wrap the rubbed ribs in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.
- Place ½ cup of liquid smoke and ½ cup of apple cider vinegar into the inner pot. You can also use beer, water, or a combination. As long as you have 1 cup of thin liquid you will be fine.
- Place the ribs in the basket that came with the Ninja Foodi. I place them on their side. Be sure to leave enough clearance for the pressure cooker lid.
- Turn the Ninja Foodi on high pressure for 18 minutes. Don't forget to turn the valve to seal. When the cooking time is up, allow to natural release for 10 minutes and then manually release the remaining pressure. Dump the liquid.
- Lay the ribs onto the rack in the low position. Brush with the raspberry glaze. Turn the Ninja Foodi to the AC function on 400° F and Air Crisp for 10-20 minutes. Reapply the glaze every few minutes.
- Serve with extra glaze and a bit of rub! Enjoy!
Bailey C
Can I use fresh/frozen berries instead of preserves? Would it be similar to how the Blueberry BBQ Sauce is made? Thanks and I love your recipes!
Louise
The problem with using fresh or frozen raspberries is the seeds. It can be done, but it is labor intensive to remove the seeds and personally, I can't stand the seeds in my bbq sauce. If you don't mind them, then yes, by all means use fresh/frozen. You will also want to adjust the sugar to taste because a lot of the sugar is in the preserves that balances the spices.
Melissa
This was one of the recipes my husband insisted we try. This is the BEST BEST BEST... BBQ glaze ever! It is good good that I’m considering baking up a few batches for canning to have on hand, at all times..And the entire recipe is my second favorite behind the Apple sloppy Joe’s, however the Glaze is by far the best! We’re from Kansas City , bbq is everywhere and pretty much a staple around here. From all the BBQ places we’ve experienced in our life... this glaze beats them all hands down!
Louise
Thank you so much! I owned a BBQ restaurant and this was one of the customers favorites! Did you try the rub? That's amazing, too!
Lisa
Hello,
I’m making the Ribs tomorrow. I have seedless red raspberry jam. How much difference do you think it will make? Trying to decide if I should go buy regular seedless raspberry jam. Thank you
Louise
I'm thinking you might have meant to say seeded raspberry jam and you can use it, but you will probably notice the seeds. I'm not a fan of the texture when using seeded jam, so I always use the seedless. You could warm the jam and strain out the seeds, but it is very tedious and you have to use a fine sieve strainer or knee high pantyhose works, too. Of course, I use brand new pantyhose and by the time to do all that, it's easier to just buy the seedless kind.
Steve
Louise, this recipe is awesome!! I never cooked ribs before, so I picked up some baby back ribs and gave it a try. As usual, your dry seasonings were perfect and the cooking time did allow the meat to stick to the bone. I didn't try the sauce as I used our favorite BBQ sauce here in KC. Great Job Louise
Amber Spradling
I'm using riblets, what would the cook time be on this?
Louise
I'm not sure because I have never made riblets, sorry!
garysam
1/2 cup of liquid smoke? Have you used liquid smoke before? 1/2 cup is enough for a whole hog!
Louise
Yes, I have used liquid smoke before. I don't prefer using it, but I was hoping it would give the slightest of smoke flavor to the ribs. It really didn't. The liquid smoke is ONLY in the liquid, so the meat isn't submerged in it or anything like that. We sometimes put a tad (I mean a tad, 1 tsp at most) in a vat of BBQ sauce when I owned my BBQ restaurant, so I am well aware of the potency and the 1/2 cup barely does a thing, if it does anything at all. It can be removed from the recipe for sure. I have seen some people add the liquid smoke directly to the ribs instead, in a smaller amount of course. The rub and the raspberry sauce make this recipe for ribs outstanding, so I hope you give it a try, with or without the liquid smoke.
Jan Wheeler
I must say you are becoming my Go-To recipe person foe everything Ninja Foodi related!! I've made so many of your recipes, recently did your sNinja spaghetti and it was a hit! These ribs are amazing!! I'm making these now, they're in the Foodi as I type this, the only difference is I'm substituting Blackberry for raspberry as I don't have any raspberry this time, but tasting it after making it, it's quite good! I have two racks of baby backs so doing them in batches and will finish off in the oven instead of finishing in the Foodi like I did last time. You are such a BLESSING to everyone with a Foodi or pressure cooker!!
Carole
Tonight was a “ live & learn” adventure. I don’t know the difference between St Louis ribs and the country boneless style my husband bought, because I don’t eat ribs. So the 18 min PCing for the thick meatier country style ribs was not near enough time! After the fact, I understand that now. I had also fixed 2 loin chops and we ate those tonight deciding the boneless meatier ribs will get another try at finishing their PCing from 18min to 30-35 min tomorrow night. Hopefully tomorrow night he will get his ribs. The rub and glaze were delicious but too labor intensive for me, ha! I don’t even like recipes with more than a few ingredients=lazy cook. I only had a cup of the glaze. I don’t know how you get 2 cups if the recipe only calls for 3/4 C seedless raspberry jelly. Anyway I appreciate your recipes, great directions and videos. I love my Foodi and it does have me cooking again!
Louise
Yes, there is definitely a different between country style pork ribs and St. Louis cut. In my recipe for country style pork ribs, I did 22 minutes of PC with a 5 minute NR and then AC'd them. Here is the recipe link for those: https://thesaltedpepper.com/country-style-pork-ribs/. As far as the BBQ sauce goes, the raspberry preserves, along with all the other ingredients should add up to about 1 1/2-2 cups of sauce. I'm sure glad you gave it a try even though it isn't your cup of tea!
Becki Hildreth
Just made these ribs and they are fantastic! I didn't have raspberry preserves so I settled for our favorite bottled bbq sauce. Plan to use the raspberry glaze next time. The rub was so good. Using the Ninja foodi pc made this really easy. Thank you for all the hard work you do producing these recipes and the videos. You have changed my life and my cooking. My husband thanks you also!😁
Louise
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for the kind words.
Dee
Louise, I made your ribs the first time last night and they were a hit with my husband! He was on the fence about a fruity glaze but he loved the sweet heat, so evenly balanced!! Thank you so much for the time and effort you put in to give us easy to follow recipes and videos! Your spaghetti recipe is my favorite as well!
Louise
That is wonderful! I'm thrilled to hear that he gave it a chance and liked it!
Alison Odle
Holy cow these were wonderful! I used beef back ribs and PCd for 15 minutes. Didn't have liquid smoke so I substituted apple juice. Your recipes are spot-on awesome, and all of your helpful hints are much appreciated by this Newbie Foodi lover!
Louise
Thank you so much!
Mayra Herrera
i JUST MADE THESE RIBS TONIGHT FOR DINNER! THEY WERE AMAZING, FOLLOWED YOUR INSTRUCTIONS AND THEY WERE AWESOME!! i'M A BIG BIG FAN! I LOVE COOKING NOW BECAUSE OF YOU!
Louise
Thank you so much! That means the world to me!
linda dittrich
I'm making this tonight. Have Babyback ribs, didn't know which ribs to pick so picked babyback, in the frig w dry rub marinating. My glaze is a total disaster. I think I followed every thing right, including the 1tbl plus 1/3 cup cider vinegar. I used a homemade huckleberry and raspberry jam. I put all the ingredients in foodi. It was and is as thick as molasses. There's not even 1/4 of a cup, much less 2 cups. Then, I realized there were seeds... ekkkkkkk... so I added a cup of water, and now I'm trying to strain seeds. I measured the jar the jam was in, and it was 1 cup. I may still try to use it. The flavor is fabulous...a little on the spicy side since I used cayenne pepper because I didn't have chipotle.
Any idea what I did wrong?
Louise
I hope you were able to fix the sauce. I think something went wrong with your measurements somewhere because if you added 1/3 cup of vinegar, that is more than 1/4 cup and you said the jam was 1 cup, so that would make it impossible to have just 1/4 cup of sauce unless you really reduced it for a long time. I think adding some water and straining it is a great idea. If you know exactly what ingredients you used and the amount of the jam, I can try to help.
Eric A Werve
This is the first time I've ever left commentary on a recipe. These are simply amazing. We've made a couple of you're recipes since purchasing our Foodi (purchased after you're comparison). We hardly use oue stove anymore.
When searching for advise or recipes, your videos and recipes are my go to source. Easy to follow and make.
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!
Louise
Thank you so much for the kind words and I'm thrilled that you are enjoying my recipes!
Danita Beauchamp
I used boysenberry jam (my mother's favorite) instead of raspberry and they came out absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe to a tea. Only thing I would change is put a little less all spice, it was a bit over powering for my liking, but they still came out excellent! They were moist, tender and absolutely mouth watering delicious. I can't wait to try more of your Ninja Foodi recipes! Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe and who knew you could use the Ninja Foodi for ribs, it just makes it that much easier.
Louise
I am so glad that you enjoyed them!
Debbie Kreischer
I made them last night, raspberry glaze and all. Oh my goodness - they were fantastic! Louise I just started with my ninja foodi a few weeks ago, and your videos have been immensely helpful. I love how well you explain things and offer variations. Keep the videos coming!
Louise
That is great! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Dale
Oh my goodness, I am making these tonight. My mouth is watering already. Cannot wait to enjoy as I know I will. 🙂
Louise
I hope you love them!
Larry Byer
How much less time under pressure and air crisper for using baby back ribs instead of St. Louis cut ribs?
This is going to be my first cook in my Ninja Foodi
Louise
I would decrease the time by about 3 minutes of pressure cooking and judge the air crisp time based on how they look. If you want your ribs falling off the bone, keep the same PC time.
Brian Schicker
These were extremely delicious, I followed most of the original recipe, but I did add Garlic powder to my rub mix cause I love garlic. and for the liquid I used 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of beer. Extremely happy with the end results, was so delicious.
Louise
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Chris Coursey
I’ve been privileged to know Louise for years and have enjoyed dining at her table. So thrilled that she’s now sharing her recipes, kitchen knowledge and humor with all of us through The Salted Pepper platform. I made these ribs tonight and they were simply outstanding! My husband said “oh heck yeah, I’d order these again!” 😆 the ribs were a big hit with everyone around my table tonight. Take Louise’s advice and don’t skip the rub, the combination of rub and glaze is a dance party for the tastebuds! Thanks for making me look like I know what I’m doing Louise! Love you my friend! ❤️
Louise
Thanks so much, Chris! I'm so glad you all enjoyed the ribs! Love you too!
Charla Carr
I made the ribs and they were delicious. I used left over glaze to make chicken wings a few days later. (Of course I divided the glaze before using on the ribs) The chicken wings were amazing. I love this spice blend and glaze.
Louise
Thank you so much! I love it too! Haven't tried it on chicken wings, but I make a blueberry BBQ sauce that is out of this world on chicken wings so I can imagine that the raspberry is too!
Sylvia
NO more overcooked fall off the bone ribs...so ruins them. SO Glad to hear you say that! You are so right on. Nothing would make me more upset than when I pick up my rib and the meat drops off...ruined!
Hi, I have made the bar b q ribs many times in my pressure cooker and broiled them after.
So today is my first time to make them in my Ninjafoodi.
So upon reviewing some different recipes. I of coarse popped in to see yours.
I just wanted to say.
I simply have always totally do not like 'fall off the bone rib meat' lol....and yes I say too. That is so over cooked and I'm no rib expert. I just know what I like and tastes good.
Chew and suck that meat off those ribs...isn't that what it's all about....yumm!
Louise
I really hope you love these ribs! The rub and glaze recipe are amazing too! Let me know how they turn out!
Norman
I'm trying this recipe tonight and have a question about the liquid amount used,I have a line that says minimum of 2 cups of liquid for my pressure,PLEASE HELP! I'm new to pressure cooking.Thanks for the easy and tasty recipes.
Louise
Different pressure cookers have minimum liquid requirements, so I would follow the guidelines for your specific pressure cooker. The added cup of liquid will not affect the outcome. I can't wait to hear how they turn out for you!