Crispy rendered fat, juicy meat, and a sugar free Korean BBQ marinade, done in the air fryer in 6 minutes. I whisk the marinade together, pour it over the flanken cut ribs, and let them sit in the fridge for 6 to 12 hours before they hit the basket at 400°F. 0.8g net carbs and 33.2g protein per serving.
Short ribs don't always mean an afternoon of braising. For this recipe I use thin flanken-cut ribs: the strips cut across several bones, with enough exposed edge to brown quickly in the air fryer.
The flavor comes from a Korean-style marinade of liquid aminos or soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, ginger and golden sweetener. Give the ribs 6–12 hours in the refrigerator before cooking. The air-fryer part takes about 6 minutes; the marinade is advance prep, not part of a six-minute dinner.
That combination gives you browned edges and juicy meat without a thick barbecue sauce. Arrange the ribs in one layer, turn halfway through, and check the meat with a thermometer rather than judging only by the darkened marinade.
Serve with lettuce, sliced green onion and sesame seeds, or add a vegetable side. If you bought the thick, single-bone English cut instead, use braised short ribs for the longer cooking method it needs. For another quick-cooking beef dinner, try air fryer steak bites.
Keto Korean Short Ribs in the Air Fryer (Galbi Style)
This is a Korean-style short rib marinade made with a golden sugar substitute. Rice wine vinegar brings tang, sesame oil adds nuttiness, and liquid aminos or soy sauce supplies the salty base. The recipe does not use the brown sugar or Asian pear found in many galbi marinades.
Marinate in the refrigerator, then let excess marinade drain away before putting the ribs in the basket. The beef should sit in a single layer with space around it so the edges can brown.
Flanken Cut vs. English Cut Short Ribs
Flanken cut: Thin strips cut across the rib bones, so each piece contains several small bone sections. Use strips around 1/2 inch thick for this recipe, and expect thickness to affect the final cooking time.
English cut: Thick pieces cut between the bones, usually with one long bone per piece. Those are suited to a longer braise, not this short air-fryer cook. Ask the butcher for short ribs cut across the bone if the package labeling is unclear.
Sugar-Free Korean BBQ Marinade
Whisk the liquid aminos or soy sauce with rice wine vinegar, golden sweetener, toasted sesame oil and the seasonings listed in the card. There is no extra salt in the marinade because the aminos or soy sauce already contributes it.
Compare labels if you substitute coconut aminos, tamari or a different sweetener. Their saltiness, sweetness and carbohydrate counts vary; none is automatically interchangeable in the nutrition estimate.
Pour over the ribs and refrigerate for 6–12 hours. If you want a sauce for serving, reserve a separate portion before it touches raw beef. Discard the used marinade.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate cooked ribs promptly in a shallow, covered container and use within 3–4 days. Freeze extra portions for a later meal; thaw in the refrigerator.
Reheat at 350°F in the air fryer, checking after a few minutes and continuing until the meat reaches 165°F. A larger or colder portion will need longer, so a fixed two-minute reheat is only a starting estimate.
If you freeze raw marinated ribs, thaw them fully in the refrigerator before using the cooking method below. Keep raw and cooked portions separate.
How to Make Air Fryer Short Ribs
Marinate the flanken-cut ribs in the refrigerator for 6–12 hours. Keep them chilled while the air fryer preheats.
Preheat to 400°F for 4–5 minutes. Lift the ribs out of the marinade and arrange in one layer, working in batches if needed.
Air fry for about 6 minutes, flipping halfway. Check the meat away from the bone reaches at least 145°F; continue cooking if needed.
Let the ribs rest for at least 3 minutes before serving.
The card’s prep and cook times describe active work; allow the additional marinating and resting time. Thicker ribs and different air fryers may take longer.
More Keto Air Fryer Recipes
If yours gets as much use as mine does, here are some of my other favorites:
In a small bowl, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, liquid aminos, sweetener, sesame oil, pepper, onion powder, ginger powder and cayenne pepper.
2
Marinate the short ribs
Add short ribs to a baking dish or large pan. Pour marinade over short ribs. Refrigerate to marinate for 6-12 hours.
3
Air fry short ribs
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 4–5 minutes. Remove the short ribs from the marinade, let excess drip off, and arrange in a single layer in the basket or tray. Air fry at 400°F for about 6 minutes, turning halfway through. Check the meat away from the bone reaches at least 145°F, cooking longer if needed. Rest for at least 3 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1/4 of the recipe
Calories
426
Fat
32.1g
Protein
33.2g
Total carbs
1.2g
Net carbs
0.8g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use boneless short ribs in this recipe?
Use thin flanken-cut ribs for this timing. Thick boneless short ribs and English-cut ribs need a different cooking method; do not assume a few extra minutes will make a thick braising cut tender.
What can I substitute for liquid aminos?
Soy sauce is the listed alternative. Coconut aminos or tamari can change the sweetness, saltiness and carbs, so compare the label and adjust to taste. If you need a gluten-free option, confirm that on the specific product rather than relying only on its name.
How long should I marinate the ribs?
Use the 6–12 hour refrigerated marinating window in the recipe. You can mix the marinade ahead, then add the beef when that window fits your schedule. Keep the ribs refrigerated until the air fryer is ready.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. Double the ingredients, but cook in batches so the ribs stay in a single layer. Each batch needs its own temperature check and 3-minute rest. More food in the basket changes the airflow and cooking time.
How do I reheat leftover short ribs?
Refrigerate cooked leftovers promptly and use within 3–4 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F until the meat reaches 165°F, checking after a few minutes. The time depends on the size and starting temperature of the portion.
Can I serve these in lettuce wraps?
Yes. Cut the cooked meat away from the bones before adding it to lettuce leaves. Sesame seeds, sliced green onion and a little kimchi make useful toppings; keep any sauces separate until serving.
Can I use the leftover marinade as a sauce?
The simplest option is to reserve a clean portion before adding the raw beef and use that for serving. Discard marinade that has touched raw meat; do not drizzle it over the cooked ribs untreated.
Can I cook these on a grill instead?
Thin flanken ribs can also be grilled, but this card is timed for the air fryer. Use a grilling method suited to their thickness and check for at least 145°F followed by a 3-minute rest. Browning alone does not tell you the internal temperature.
How long do you cook short ribs in the air fryer?
For thin flanken-cut ribs, start with about 6 minutes at 400°F, turning halfway. Check the meat reaches at least 145°F away from the bone and rest for at least 3 minutes. The 6–12 hour marinade happens beforehand, and thicker pieces can take longer to cook.
What is the secret to tender air fryer ribs?
Start with the right cut: thin flanken ribs, not thick English-cut ribs. Marinate in the refrigerator, avoid crowding the air fryer, and use a thermometer so you can stop cooking once the ribs reach the safe endpoint. Finish with a 3-minute rest.
The monkfruit caramelizes against the hot basket and gives you that sticky, almost-charred edge you’d expect off a grill. I was testing it for a different recipe the first time and it ended up on the dinner table instead.
Not Annie but I’ve tried bone-in English cut before. They took a lot longer and didn’t crisp up the same way, so flanken is worth tracking down if you can find it.
English-cut short ribs need a longer braise for tenderness. I recommend using the braised short ribs recipe for that cut rather than transferring this short air-fryer method or using an untested 22–25 minute estimate.
The fat along the bone line goes translucent and almost tight in the air fryer heat, which isn’t what I expected from a cut that usually needs three hours. Figured 20 minutes in a basket would mean chewy. It doesn’t. Thin cross-cut, high dry heat, rice wine vinegar doing the tenderizing that braise time usually handles. Four stars, pulling mine an extra minute next time for harder edges.
The vinegar doing the work that three hours of braise usually handles is exactly why this cut makes sense in an air fryer. Extra minute is the right call, just watch the thin end of the rib, it gets there before the thick part does.
Hundred-degree day and my partner was out back insisting we grill, which, no. Put these in the air fryer while he was still setting up the charcoal, and by the time he came inside to argue about it he had already eaten two of them standing over the counter. The monkfruit caramelizes in a way grill grates can’t hold onto, and I’m pretty sure that’s what got him. Four stars because my flanken was on the thicker side and needed closer to 30 minutes in the marinade to get all the way through.
Stirred a tablespoon of gochujang into the marinade just to try it. The fermented heat is different from cayenne, it’s slower, more of a build, and the short ribs came out with this deep brick-red glaze on the fat. The flanken cut helps a lot here since marinade gets into every gap between the bones. You get it in each bite, not just the outside. I’d cut the cayenne to a pinch if you go this route since gochujang handles the heat on its own. Probably won’t make them without it now.
April, flip them halfway. I do 3 minutes, flip, 3 more, and the fat comes out almost lacquered. If it still isn’t crisping, check if your basket was too full, they need air to render right.
Flanken is weird that way. All that fat needs high dry heat to actually render, and I spent two rounds in the slow cooker figuring that out the hard way.
I’ve made short ribs a few different ways and the air fryer with this marinade is the version I keep coming back to. Something about how the fat crisps up around the flanken cut that braised versions just don’t give you.
Making these for a dinner party next Saturday and want to prep ahead. Can I marinate the ribs Friday night, or will the rice wine vinegar start breaking down the meat if it sits that long? Really counting on that crispy rendered fat and don’t want a long soak to ruin the texture.
I made these, but had over 4 lbs as I bought them at Costco and made triple the marinade. They were delicious! I did cook them for a minute longer. This is definitely a winner. Thank you so much! I cut the leftovers up and put them in the fridge for snacking.
Costco packs are perfect for this. I do the same thing, batch them and keep extras in the fridge. They’re good cold straight from the container honestly.
These air fryer short ribs are my new favorite thing! I’ve already made them 3 times and they’re amazing every single time. They’re so easy to make and so delicious! I truly feel like I am cheating throwing these in the air fryer, but it works!
The refrigerated marinade takes 6–12 hours. For the thin flanken ribs in this recipe, the air-fryer cook starts at about 6 minutes total at 400°F, turning halfway. Check for at least 145°F and rest 3 minutes; thickness and your air fryer can change the final time.
