This Best Easy Prime Rib Recipe results in a perfectly roasted, rich, and tender piece of prime rib that is literally melt in your mouth good! Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables for a decadent and satisfying meal!
Be sure to serve this with my super easy, 4-ingredient Horseradish Cream Sauce recipe!
More delicious holiday main dish recipes await you! You can’t go wrong with my Perfect Easy Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe, Stuffed Turkey Breast (my personal favorite!), super juicy Instant Pot Turkey Breast, Garlic Herb Roasted Turkey Breast, and Best Glazed Ham recipe!
Why This Recipe Works
Easy to Make: Don’t let roasting a prime rib intimidate you! This easy prime rib recipe is exactly that- easy. It is simple to make with just 3 ingredients and you can let the oven do all of the hard work.
Budget Friendly: Making a decadent meal like prime rib right at home is definitely the most budget-friendly way to do it! This is definitely something I recommend making at home instead of going out to a restaurant for.
Ingredients
This best easy prime rib recipe takes only 3 ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Prime Rib: Boneless prime rib is easier to carve and will cook more quickly. However, you can use a bone in prime rib as well!
- Salt: Season the prime rib before cooking with a flaky salt!
- Onion: Onion on the bottom of the baking dish will add extra flavor and aroma. Plus, you can make a sauce with it at the end if you’d like!
Here’s How to Make It
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat & Season: Preheat the oven to 390 F. Pat the beef as dry as possible with paper towels and season well all over with salt. (photo 1)
- Place Onions & Beef in Dish: Spread the onions in a pile about the same size as the beef joint in the bottom of a baking dish. Place the beef on top. (photos 2-3)
- Roast: Roast the beef for 20 minutes before reducing the heat to 340 F. If you’re cooking a boned pieces of prime rib, roast for a further 1 hour for rare beef, 1 hour 25 minutes for medium beef, and 1 hour 45 minutes for well done beef. If you’re cooking a rolled boneless piece of prime rib, roast for a further 45 minutes for rare beef, 1 hour for medium beef, for 1 hour and 15 minutes for well done beef. (photo 4)
- Remove & Rest: Remove the beef from the pan and wrap in tin foil. Leave in a warm place- reserving the pan juices to make a sauce if desired- to rest for 30 minutes before carving. Don’t be tempted to skip this step or else the beef will be tough and not entirely cooked to rare, medium or well done as it continues to gently cook during the resting period.
Expert Tips
- To make a quick pan sauce, add 1/2 cup boiling water to the baking dish and whisk into the onions and cooking juices, scraping the brown bits off the bottom. If you have one, drain off the fat with a separator jug. Heat the reserved juices over medium high heat, adding hot water to reach desired consistency, seasoning to taste with salt and Worcestershire sauce, and thickening with 1/2 tablespoon of cornflour mixed with 1/2 tablespoon cold water to create a paste.
- Don’t overcook! Keep in mind that the prime rib will continue to cook as it is resting, so be sure not to keep it in the oven for too long!
- Don’t skip the resting period! I know how tempting it can be to carve into a hot piece of roasted meat immediately after it comes out of the oven, but please do not skip the resting period. That goes for most roasted meats, but especially with prime rib. Resting it will give it time to finish cooking and allow the juices to set.
- Cut meat across the grain! When carving, you can see that the meat has lines that go all in one direction. It is best to cut across them to the most tender meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
The temperature that beef prime rib should be cooked to depends totally on your preference.
Rare = 115 to 120 F
Medium Rare = 125 – 130 F
Medium = 135 – 140 F
Medium Well = 145 – 150 F
I don’t recommend cooking the beef to be more than 150 F. This temperature will result in a well done piece of beef after you let it rest! In order to check the internal temperature of the meat, use a meat thermometer to be sure.
This best easy prime rib recipe goes amazingly with some homemade creamy mashed potatoes and a simple vegetable like crispy green beans, sautéed brussels sprouts, or roasted broccoli and cauliflower!
More Recipes to Try
- 4-ingredient Horseradish Cream Sauce
- Corned Beef & Cabbage
- Honey BBQ Beef Brisket
- Garlic Roasted Turkey Breast
- Crispy Oven Roasted Smashed Potatoes
- Honey Garlic Roasted Carrots
- Best Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo on social – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Best Easy Prime Rib Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ½ lb boneless prime rib - at room temperature
- flaky sea salt - to taste
- 1 large brown or white onion - peeled and sliced into half moons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390F. Pat the beef as dry as possible with kitchen towel and season well all over with sea salt.
- Spread the onions in a pile about the same size as the beef joint in the bottom of a baking dish. Place the beef on top.
- Roast the beef for 20 minutes before reducing the heat to 340F. If you’re cooking a boned piece of prime rib, roast for a further 1 hour for rare beef, 1 hour 25 minuted for medium beef, and 1 hour 45 minuted for well done beef. If you’re cooking a rolled boneless piece of prime rib, roast for a further 45 minutes for rare beef, 1 hour for medium beef, or 1 hour 15 minutes for well done beef.
- Remove the beef from the pan and double wrap in tin foil. Leave in a warm place – reserving the pan juices to make a sauce if desired – to rest for 30 minutes before carving. Don’t be tempted to skip this step or else the beef will be tough and not entirely cooked to rare, medium or well done as it continues to gently cook during the resting period.
Notes
- Typically a 4.5lb bone in prime rib will be a 2 bone joint of beef.
- To make a quick pan sauce, add 1/2 cup boiling water to the baking dish and whisk into the onions and cooking juices, scraping the brown bits off the bottom. If you have one, drain off the fat in a separator jug. Heat the reserved juices over a medium high heat, adding hot water to reach the desired consistency, seasoning to taste with salt and Worcestershire sauce, and thickening with 1/2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1/2 tbsp cold water to create a paste.
Hi!! How long do you roast the beef after you lower the heat to 340 F?
If you’re cooking a boned pieces of prime rib, roast for a further 1 hour for rare beef, 1 hour 25 minutes for medium beef, and 1 hour 45 minutes for well done beef. If you’re cooking a rolled boneless piece of prime rib, roast for a further 45 minutes for rare beef, 1 hour for medium beef, for 1 hour and 15 minutes for well done beef.