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Keeping it cozy but fancy…ish with White Wine Braised Short Ribs with Buttered Mushroom Cream Sauce. Slow-cooked short ribs in white wine with fresh herbs. Topped with a creamy French-inspired mushroom sauce made using herbs, Dijon mustard, and parmesan cheese. Serve over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, polenta, or buttered noodles and you’ll have the perfect dinner for a cold night in. Bonus? You can also make this in the Instant Pot or on the stove-top. An easy, hands-off dinner that’s so delicious…the perfect cozy holiday meal!

overhead photo of White Wine Braised Short Ribs with Buttered Mushroom Cream Sauce

Do you have go-to holiday recipes? For me, one of my favorite holiday dinners to serve is slow-braised short ribs. I often make these red wine braised short ribs when all of the family arrives for Christmas. They’re simple and everyone loves the recipe. This Christmas however, I wanted to switch things up a little and create a completely different short rib dinner. Enter these French-inspired short ribs. Made with plenty of white wine and the most delicious, incredibly creamy (plus oh so buttery) mushroom cream sauce.

I was inspired by my French wine and mustard chicken to create this dinner. Everyone LOVES that recipe so much, but I wondered how the same flavors would pair with a heartier short rib. It sounded pretty delicious to me so I gave it a try. I quickly realized I had just created one of my better recipes of the year. Yes, that is bold, but these short ribs are SO GOOD.

But let’s be honest, what’s not to love about short ribs that have been slowly cooking in white wine all day long? And when served with a creamy, buttery mushroom sauce, well that’s complete comfort food and it’s completely delicious!

overhead photo of White Wine Braised Short Ribs in crockpot bowl

Here are all the details.

As with most crockpot recipes, this recipe is pretty simple…toss everything together and forget about it!

Start with the short ribs, as they need a low and slow cook time. I prefer to sear my meat before adding it to the crockpot. Searing the meat gives it a nice coloring and adds additional flavor. But if this step is too time-consuming for you, you can easily skip it. Once the short ribs are in the crockpot add a good amount of white wine, onions, garlic, and herbs. Cook low and slow, ideally all day long. The beauty of crockpot recipes is that they are so hands-off. I love that this can be cooking away while I’m busy doing whatever needs to be done…say wrapping gifts.

As the short ribs cook, your kitchen will be filled with cozy smells. Ideally, these ribs are best when given plenty of time to cook. So if you can, start cooking the ribs in the morning. My little tip for busy days? Sear the ribs the night before, add everything to the crockpot insert, then keep in the fridge overnight. In the morning, start the slow cooker, place the insert in, and come home to dinner. Easy. Easy.

The ribs come out tender and falling off the bone. They’ll almost melt in your mouth, and yes, it’s truly delicious.

PS. If you don’t have a crockpot, I’ve also given Instant Pot and oven directions too! I want to make sure everyone can make these delicious short ribs!

overhead photo of Buttered Mushroom Cream Sauce

A little before you’re ready to eat, make the buttered mushroom cream sauce. Yes, I know, sauce kind of defeats the “make it all in the crockpot” idea, but trust me, this buttery, herby mushroom cream sauce is worth every last bit of extra effort. And really, it’s a very easy sauce to put together. You can even make it ahead of time and simply warm it up before serving.

Start with the mushrooms. I love using a mix of wild mushrooms and cooking them with butter plus plenty of fresh herbs. As the mushrooms slowly cook, the butter browns and the herbs become crisp, infusing the butter with delicious flavor. Once the mushrooms have caramelized, add a splash of white wine, a touch of cream, Dijon mustard (the key to this French-inspired sauce), and parmesan cheese. Simmer a few minutes until the sauce thickens, and that’s it.

This sauce only takes fifteen or so minutes to throw together. It makes for an incredible dinner that’s nothing but hearty, warming, and extra cozy…

Just what all December recipes should be.

White Wine Braised Short Ribs with Buttered Mushroom Cream Sauce | halfbakedharvest.com #slowcooker #crockpot #shortribs #holiday #christmas

For serving…

I’d recommend a side of creamy mashed potatoes or polenta. I always find short ribs to pair best with something creamy. I made the instant pot mashed potato recipe from the Half Baked Harvest Super Simple cookbook, but my creamy herbed mashed potatoes would be equally delicious. Or try some rosemary polenta. Either will be great!

I’d also serve up some crusty bread and a bright salad too. This arugula salad is my current go-to when it comes to side salads.

Usually, I’ll serve beef tenderloin on Christmas Eve, but this year it’s going to be these white wine braised short ribs. I’m already excited about the fact that I don’t have to worry about under or over cooking the beef, slicing it, and figuring out how to keep it warm. With this recipe, I can leave the short ribs in the crockpot, and the cream sauce on the stove, allowing everyone to help themselves.

It’s as no-fuss as it can get. Perfect for busy holiday dinners…especially ones full of hungry brothers who love a meat and potatoes dinner more than anything in the world.

This will make their Christmas Eve.

overhead close up photo of White Wine Braised Short Ribs with Buttered Mushroom Cream Sauce

If you make these white wine braised short ribs with buttered mushroom cream sauce, 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!

White Wine Braised Short Ribs with Buttered Mushroom Cream Sauce.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1108 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

Slow Cooker

  • 1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a large oven safe skillet over high heat, sear the ribs on both sides. Remove the ribs and transfer to the slow cooker. 
    2. To the slow cooker, add the onions, garlic, 1 1/2 cups wine, broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, gently stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 5-6 hours. Remove the garlic, thyme, and bay leaves.
    3. Before serving, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a skillet set over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Add the sage and 1 tablespoon thyme, stir and continue cooking until the mushrooms have caramelized, 3-5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet to a plate.
    4. Add the remaining 1/2 cup wine and scrape up any browned bits off the pan. Simmer 3-5 minutes or until the wine has reduced by about 1/3. Slowly pour in the cream and mustard. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and crushed red pepper. Stir in the mushrooms.
    5. Serve the ribs over a bed of mashed potatoes and pour the cream sauce overtop. Enjoy!

Instant Pot

  • 1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat, sear the ribs on both sides. Remove the ribs and transfer to the instant pot.
    2. To the instant pot, add the onions, garlic, 1 1/2 cups wine, broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, gently stir to combine. Cover and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.
    3. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Finish as directed above from step 3 on.

Oven

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
    2. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a large oven safe pot over high heat, sear the ribs on both sides. Remove the ribs to a plate. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes or until the onions begin to caramelize. Add back the short ribs. Add the garlic, 1 1/2 cups wine, broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, gently stir to combine. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone.
    3. Finish as directed above from step 3 on.

Notes

To Make the Mushrooms Sauce Ahead: Complete the sauce recipe fully. Allow to cool, then transfer to a glass storage container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, spoon the sauce into a large skillet and gently warm over medium-low heat until the sauce is steaming, 5-8 minutes. If the sauce thickens up, add additional cream to thin. Taste and season as needed with salt and pepper. 
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Comments

  1. Hi Tieghan ~ What would be the cooking time if made on the range and slowly simmered? Long story short, I want to double the batch for a dinner party and my brand new oven is under a recall and can’t be used 😞. Greatly appreciate your time!!!

    Big Thanks!

    1. Hey Jennifer,
      You can follow the oven instructions for the stove top:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT

  2. Hi! Wondering if you’ve ever had this over pasta? We are doing pastas for Christmas Eve and I’m looking for a short rib pasta dish with white sauce.

    Thanks!

    1. Hey Jill,
      Sure, you can definitely serve this over pasta! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s a hit! Happy Holidays! xT

    1. Hey Rebecca,
      I’ve not tested this, but it should be okay for you to do! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx

  3. 5 stars
    Definitely restaurant quality! I used the slowcooker method and couldn’t be happier. Meat was falling off the bone, the mushroom sauce was super easy to make. I served it with roasted carrots/parsnips. Very decadent Saturday night dinner! Thank you for another great recipe.

    1. Hey Sharon,
      Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xT

  4. 4 stars
    This has really amazing flavor, the short ribs are delicious and the mushroom cream sauce is fantastic. I do think I would try again, but wondering if you could recommend a cut of meat that isn’t quite so fatty? I know the fat and bones lend a tremendous amount of flavor, but maybe just one pack of short ribs accompanied with a tritip or something leaner. That was just too much for me and I ended up shredding the meat and pulling out the fatty pieces. Thanks for a great flavor combo!

    1. Hey Kathy,
      Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! You could try a beef roast next time. Happy Halloween! 🎃

  5. 5 stars
    Made this recipe for the first time last Friday and we ate it over the weekend. It was AMAZING! Here’s my question: since I had never made short ribs before, I seared all the ribs and used the OVEN method for cooking. But I wasn’t sure if each rib needed to be resting on the bottom of the pot while cooking (in other words, if they could be stacked one on top of another). Since I didn’t know, I used 2 pots so that each rib sat in the bottom of the pan. This worked fine, but could I have stacked them using the oven method?

    1. Hi Vicki,
      Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! They can definitely be stacked next time:) xx

      1. Literally everyone loved loved this recipe – I made it along with your creamy herb mashed potatoes and some roasted carrots 🙂 super great flavors! Thank you!

        1. Hey Jennifer,
          Happy New Year!🎆🎈 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx

        1. Hey Lauren,
          I would just follow the recipe as written, should still turn out great! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx

    1. Hey Cyn,
      Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) xTieghan

  6. 5 stars
    I made this recipe tonight and receive nothing but great reviews! I cooked the ribs in the oven for 2.5hrs and they were just as good! Falling off the bone even.. the creamy mushroom sauce was delish. It wasn’t plated as good as the photo but the taste made up for it.

  7. What kind of mushrooms do you use for this? I know it says a “wild” mushroom mix but I’m not sure what that is as none of my stores have anything that says wild.

    1. Hey Danielle,
      I used a wild mushroom mix from Whole Foods, but really any mushrooms or mix of mushrooms that you enjoy will work! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

  8. 5 stars
    I made this for my kids tonight. It was amazing! They kept saying it was the best dinner they ever had! And they would go to a restaurant for this specific dish! I made it all the night before because I was babysitting for the grandkids and never sure how easy cooking a nice dinner would be that day. Then cooked in the crockpot on low for 8 hours, reheated the sauce and put over homemade mashed potatoes. This recipe is so good as every other recipe I have tried.
    Keep up the good work and I will be following and cooking right with you!

    1. Hey Peggy,
      Totally, that will also work well for you. I hope this recipe turns out amazing, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

  9. 5 stars
    Absolutely LOVED this recipe! Do you trim the fat off the short ribs first? I found them to be pretty fatty—this is also the first time I’ve had short ribs so I’m not sure if that’s to be expected.

    1. Hey Katie,
      Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. I do not trim the fat, I find that it adds a lot of the flavor. Have the best week! xTieghan

  10. 5 stars
    Delicious! Couldn’t find short ribs, so I substituted chuck roast. I wish I had trimmed the fat before cooking as it rendered a lot of fat. The mushroom sauce is so good I wanted to eat it by itself. I doubled the mushroom sauce because there’s no such thing as too much sauce. Served with mashed cauliflower to lighten it up a bit.

    1. Hey Perri,
      Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best week! xTieghan

    1. Hi Denise,
      Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Holidays!? xT