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Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions. Slow cooked short ribs in apple cider with fresh herbs and sweet caramelized onions. If there’s one cozy fall and winter meal you need to be making, it’s these braised short ribs. They’re simple to put together and totally delicious. Serve over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and you’ll have the perfect dinner for a cold night in.
It’s about this time every year that I lean into making more low and slow dinners, either in the crockpot or braised in the oven.
There’s just something so comforting knowing that dinner is slow cooking all day long. It means a warming meal is sure to be had at the end of the day. And in fall, that’s really all I want. What I love about short ribs is that there’s something so “fancy” about them. But yet they’re actually so simple and easy to prepare.
And when cooked properly, totally delicious!
Of course, these short ribs were inspired by my brother Creighton. He’s a huge fan of pot roast. He’s always asking me to make a recipe similar to what my mom made growing up.
I’m sure at some point I will make a classic pot roast, but I love slow braising short ribs. I knew these would not disappoint anyone.
And trust me, Creighton was very pleased with this dinner. He’s been talking about it ever since I made the recipe, so I’m excited to share it today!
I’ve been really into caramelizing onions lately. I love the added richness in flavor they bring. I also love that caramelizing the onions really takes the bitter bite out of them. Therefore, I knew I wanted them to be a big part of this recipe.
Start by searing the ribs in a nice big cocotte that’s oven safe. When the ribs are browned, pull them out, then add the onions and start to slowly cook them down. I love to add a splash of the apple cider to help the onions cook down a little quicker.
When the onions have reached a light gold color, the rest is simple. Just add the short ribs back to the pot, add lots of apple cider, white wine (or broth), carrots (my favorite part), garlic, and fresh thyme.
Arrange some apple wedges around the meat. Then cook low and slow all day long either in the oven or in the crockpot.
The kitchen will smell incredible as this slow cooks all day, and the outcome is beyond good.
I love the pairing of sweet apple cider and tangy caramelized onions. Something about the combo with beefy short ribs is just so good.
I love to serve this over creamy mashed potatoes, with gravy and onions spooned over top. Then simply add some crusty bread on the side. This really is one of the best, cozy meals there is.
It feels very fancy, and very French too, which is so fun!
I made this exact recipe for Sunday night dinner with the family. It was the perfect dinner to enjoy on our first snowy night of the year. If you need something warm and hearty to serve this fall, this recipe is a go-to.
Looking for other slow cooked fall recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs
Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pasta
Slow Cooker Coq au Vin with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Lastly, if you make these Cider Braised Short Ribs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Made this tonight….served just as you suggested over creamy mashed potatoes ? alongside warm toasty Italian bread ?
My grandsons said it smelled like Thanksgiving when they came in from school?
It was absolutely delicious
Hey there! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Excellent!!!!!
I wasn’t able to make these with short ribs because we get grocery delivery- groceries came and the ribs weren’t included, were out of stock. I had a chuck roast in the freezer and figured I’d make do.
I followed everything in this recipe the same except using pre-minced garlic. (I used the chicken broth option) Cooked it following normal cooking directions until mid step 3 (part where it says add thyme). At that point I dumped everything I’d cooked and the rest of the ingredients into the crock pot and cooked it on high for 4-5 hours.
Thank you for this recipe! It is soooo good!!!
Hey Danielle! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing !!!!
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, I really appreciate it! Happy Thursday 🙂 xTieghan
Made these tonight. So amazing! My whole family love them!
Hi Laura! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Do you add the onions raw to the crockpot? Would you chop up the garlic too? Excited to try this!
Hi there! Yes, I would chop up the onions and garlic and add them to the crockpot! Or if you want your onions to be a bit more flavorful you can caramelize them before you put them in the crockpot! xTieghan
Did mine in the dutch oven. I used chuck roast as no ribs were available. I cooked it the full 3 hours and it was excellent. At first I thought the cider flavor might be too strong for my taste, but putting it with the potatoes, I realized how perfect it was. YUMMMM. Love all those onions! Thinking IF there is any leftover liquid, it would make a lovely lentil soup base.
Hi there! Thank you so much, I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
What adjustments would I need to make if using boneless short ribs? (Pounds used, cooking time etc?)
Hi there! I would just decrease the time by about 30 mins to an hour! xTieghan
Though I will likely follow this as is because it looks so amazing, do you think there’s a low sugar hack to this instead of apple cider would broth still work? We are trying to be low sugar before thanksgiving! Hahaha
Hey Cari! You could use broth, but you’ll loose a little of the flavor. What about using half broth, half cider? Would that work for you?
Amazing! First attempt at short ribs, This recipe is just perfect!!! Such a great fall comfort dinner. Will definitely make this again!
Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! ? xTieghan
Absolutely delicious!! I’m gluten free, so I skipped rubbing the flour on the meat (not a fan of the results of searing meat with gf flours) and the meat was still so amazing! Added a bit of tapioca starch to the sauce after taking everything out of the oven to thicken it up a bit. Thanks for a great dish 🙂
Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! ? xTieghan
I made this recipe with a chuck roast instead of short ribs (since our store was sold out of them) along with the HBH mashed potatoes & it turned out amazing!! Will definitely make again – My husband (who “hates” apple cider and carrots) also loved it !!! Thanks so much!
Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂 xTieghan
Delicious! And husband approved too. Thanks! Enjoyed a Golden Snitch while it was cooking too. <3
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan
Our slow cooker was too small so we just made it on the stove top. Amazing!!
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan
So glad to hear it worked on the stove! Traveling and staying at a hotel that has a stove but not an oven. Giving it a go tomorrow! Thank you for posting!
Recipe didn’t take too much time to prep or cook but tasted like it was from a 5 star restaurant. Big fan and will definitely be making it again.
Hey Isabella! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan
Delicious!
Thank you so much! xTieghan