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?
I've made these with boneless short ribs and they turn out well, but they need more time. I give boneless pieces about 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping halfway. The bone-in flanken cut is still my preference because the bones help conduct heat and I like the charred bits around them, but boneless is a solid backup.
What can I substitute for liquid aminos?
I use coconut aminos when I want a slightly sweeter, milder flavor. It's gluten-free and works great in this marinade. Soy sauce is fine too, but it adds about 1g carbs per tablespoon, so I adjust my macros when I use it. Tamari is my go-to gluten-free option when I want that same salty depth as regular soy sauce.
How long should I marinate the ribs?
My sweet spot is 6-8 hours, which is why I usually prep them the night before. I've done as little as 2 hours when I'm in a rush and the flavor is still good, just not as deep. I've also gone up to 24 hours with no issues. I wouldn't go beyond that because the vinegar starts to change the texture of the meat.
Can I double this recipe?
I double it almost every time. The key is not overcrowding the basket. I cook in batches, usually 2 pounds per round in my Instant Pot Vortex Pro. I keep the cooked batches warm on a sheet pan in the oven at 200 degrees while the next round goes. The marinade scales perfectly, so I just double everything.
How do I reheat leftover short ribs?
I reheat mine at 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes and they crisp back up almost as good as the first time. I tried microwaving them once and the fat went rubbery, so I don't do that anymore. Straight from the fridge onto the tray, no oil needed. The rendered fat on the surface re-crisps on its own.
Can I serve these in lettuce wraps?
I do this all the time now. I lay a piece of butter lettuce flat, add a rib or two, and top with sesame seeds, sliced green onion, and a little kimchi. It's a low carb way to eat them that my family actually prefers over plating them straight. The crunch of the lettuce against the crispy fat is a good contrast. In Korean cooking this is called ssam, and it's how I ate galbi at every Korean BBQ place before going keto.
Can I use the leftover marinade as a sauce?
I do, but you have to boil it first since it had raw meat sitting in it. I pour the leftover marinade into a small saucepan, bring it to a full boil, and let it simmer for about 3 minutes. It thickens slightly and makes a great drizzle over the cooked ribs. I add a splash of sesame oil at the end for richness.
Can I cook these on a grill instead?
I've done both and the grill works great, especially for larger batches. I set my grill to high heat (around 450 degrees) and cook flanken ribs for about 3 minutes per side. The char is more pronounced on the grill, which I like. The main reason I reach for my air fryer on weeknights is the convenience and cleanup. But for a summer cookout, these keto galbi ribs on the grill are just as good.
How long do you cook short ribs in the air fryer?
I cook flanken cut short ribs in the air fryer for 6 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping halfway through so both sides crisp. If the ribs run thicker than 1/2 inch, I add another 1-2 minutes per side. I pull them at 145 degrees internal for medium, or 135 if I want more pink.
What is the secret to tender air fryer ribs?
For me it comes down to three things. I use flanken cut ribs sliced about 1/2 inch thick, marinate them 6-12 hours so the vinegar and aminos get all the way in, and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Thin cuts plus an even cook keep the meat juicy instead of chewy.
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.
